Adidas Metalbone Carbon 3.3 Padel Racket vs Babolat Technical Viper 2025 Padel Racket — Padel Rackets Comparison UK 2026

The huge price gap that used to define this comparison has vanished — in fact it's mildly reversed, with the Adidas Metalbone HRD at £108 now sitting £15 below the Babolat Air Viper Woman at £123. What hasn't changed is the technique gap between their target buyers. The Metalbone HRD is the racket for people who already know what a Metalbone is: diamond-shape, very high balance, ferocious on the smash, unforgiving on a mistimed wall return, with a stiff carbon face that demands proper racket-head speed. The Air Viper Woman borrows the Viper attacking DNA but in a lighter, slightly more rounded package designed for players still building swing speed, with a softer EVA core that's noticeably kinder to the elbow over a 90-minute match. Don't let the Metalbone being the cheaper racket tempt you into it — unless you're playing 3+ times a week and competing seriously, it's more racket than your arm or your game can use, at any price. Buy the Adidas Metalbone HRD if you're a strong attacker with the conditioning to wield a stiff diamond; otherwise go for the Babolat Air Viper Woman, which delivers the attacking flavour you can actually access, and treat the £15 difference as irrelevant.