HACK 04 HYBRID 25

Highlights

The feel

How it's built to play, by shape, core and construction — rated low / mid / high rather than on a false 1–10 scale. Higher isn't always better; it depends on the game you want.

The spec sheet

Our verdict

What the shape, core and construction tell us about how this racket is built to play.

How it's built to play

The Hack 04 Hybrid 25 occupies a specific and intentional gap in Bullpadel's lineup: it takes the Hack line's attacking DNA — historically a diamond shape — and wraps it in a teardrop frame. The result is a racket that generates counterattack pace from almost any position on court, without demanding the pinpoint ball-striking that a true diamond punishes you for missing. At 365–375g with a high balance, this is not a light or easy racket, but for the right player it's a genuinely different proposition from anything else in the mid-range Hack family.

The TriCarbon 18K face is the headline material here. Bullpadel's tridirectional 18,000-filament carbon weave is lighter and more open than a standard 3K or 12K carbon, and that open architecture allows the face to snap back faster after impact — more efficient energy return, not just stiffness. Paired with the Carbon Tube perimeter (100% bidirectional carbon around the full frame), the hitting zone is rigid in all directions: torsion on off-centre hits is minimised, and the frame doesn't flex and swallow pace the way a fiberglass or hybrid-face racket would. The Tricore internal structure adds three reinforced vectors through the throat, reducing vibration at the frame junction and keeping the feel planted rather than resonant on hard strikes. Smart Holes removes the central face perforations to increase face rigidity further — this is a deliberate power bias, not a comfort feature.

The MultiEVA three-layer core is the one meaningful concession to versatility. The two outer high-density EVA layers do exactly what you'd expect: fast, punchy response on pace shots. The softer inner layer creates a brief extra dwell on slower balls, giving the player more influence on direction during touch exchanges near the net. It's not a control racket, but the core prevents it from feeling completely binary. Total Channel — the hollow aerodynamic groove that runs the entire frame perimeter, not just the throat — reduces air drag measurably on the swing arc. Bullpadel cites a 17% aerodynamics improvement on the Hack 04 line versus a non-channelled frame, and the combination with Air React Channel through the throat means the four structural arms stiffen on impact to improve energy return while the swing itself stays fast.

The high balance makes itself known immediately — this is a head-heavy racket and it swings accordingly. On counterattacks from mid-court, where the player is already generating racket speed through footwork, the Hack 04 Hybrid compounds that speed efficiently: the ball leaves the face with more pace than the player's effort alone would suggest. That's the Total Channel and TriCarbon 18K doing their job. On set volleys and deliberate touch shots near the net, the racket requires more conscious deceleration — the head wants to carry through, and finesse players used to a round or low-balance teardrop will need an adjustment period.

The Ease Vibe dampeners (inserted in four strategic holes) and Vibradrive handle system both work to intercept vibration before it reaches the arm, and they do take the edge off. On clean centre hits the Hack 04 Hybrid feels crisp and powerful without being harsh. Off-centre is where the high-risk combination of stiff face, Carbon Tube frame, and high balance shows its limits — mishits send a sharper shock up the arm than a softer-core or fiberglass-face alternative would. The Hesacore grip handles this better than a standard grip would, its honeycomb structure allowing fingers to settle in and reduce required grip force, but anyone with existing elbow sensitivity should approach this racket cautiously regardless of the vibration mitigation tech on paper.