XPLO PREMIER

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 XPLO Premier is a 2024 limited-edition Premier Padel version of Bullpadel's most power-oriented racket line, designed with Martín Di Nenno. The premise is straightforward: concentrate the most aggressive technologies Bullpadel makes into a single frame and point it at the left side of the court. The Geometric Shape teardrop — which is technically a modified teardrop given its widened 2 and 10 o'clock shoulders — carries high balance at approximately 265mm, making this a racket that rewards a full attacking swing and punishes anything tentative.

The X-Tend Carbon 12K face is a biaxial carbon weave built from 12,000-filament strands — lighter than 18K carbon by Bullpadel's own 20–30% figure, which matters when the Geometric Shape adds surface area and mass that would otherwise make the racket feel sluggish through the air. The result is a face that is stiff enough to transfer energy directly on hard contact, yet fractionally more elastic than the dense 18K construction found in other Pro-line models. Beneath the face, the MultiEVA core runs three layers of EVA at different densities: the two outer layers are compact, responding to fast balls with a quick, powerful rebound; the inner layer is softer, which stops the racket from feeling completely dead on slower defensive exchanges — though this is, fundamentally, an attacking racket and the core is optimised accordingly. The Carbon Tube frame — 100% bidirectional carbon around the perimeter — ensures minimal torsion under load. Hexature reinforces this further by running a hexagonal tube through the frame walls, adding 3mm of thickness to the structure so the racket holds its shape on high-impact smashes without flexing or deforming. The Smart Holes pattern removes holes from the central longitudinal axis deliberately — stiffer face, harder hit, less vibration absorption. That's a trade-off worth naming: players who want a forgiving feel won't find it here.

The high balance makes itself felt immediately on overheads and bandejas — the head carries momentum through the strike in a way that a medium-balance teardrop simply doesn't. Air Power enlarges the lower frame channel by 50% versus a standard Air React Channel, which Bullpadel claims delivers a 23.5% aerodynamic advantage on the swing arc. In practice, the racket accelerates faster than its 365–375g weight range suggests, and that acceleration is where the power comes from — not a spring effect, but genuine swing speed. Wave System works in the opposite direction: the undulating frame structure flexes on contact and dissipates vibration, which is the main reason this racket isn't completely brutal on the arm despite its stiff Carbon Tube perimeter. The combination means shots feel explosive but not jarring — on centred hits. Off-centre, the Geometric Core's double diagonal reinforcement stabilises the frame against twisting, so mishits don't drain power as sharply as they would on a standard diamond, but the Carbon Tube and Smart Holes still transmit more vibration to the arm than a softer-spec racket would. The 3D Grain texture on the face generates genuine friction at contact — topspin on bandejas and slice on defensive lobs both benefit. The Hesacore grip and Vibradrive handle assembly do meaningful work here: Hesacore's honeycomb structure reduces grip force needed on hard swings, and Vibradrive's elastomer-split handle absorbs the residual shock that the Smart Holes face and stiff frame generate. Without those two elements, the arm-health profile of this racket would be significantly worse.