Both are head-heavy diamonds on the Metalbone frame. Buy the Metalbone Carbon if you finish points overhead and your swing already repeats. Buy the Metalbone Team if you like to attack and you're still building that overhead. Prefer to build points? The Carbon CTRL and Team Light are the round versions. None of the four has the flagship's adjustable weights. This guide compares the specs, RRPs and independent scores, and says who each one suits.
The short version
| If you… | Buy |
|---|---|
| Finish points overhead, have a swing that repeats, and want the firmer carbon face | Metalbone Carbon 2026 |
| Like to attack, and you're still building a repeatable overhead | Metalbone Team 2026 |
| Build points, hold the net, and want the firmer face and more weight | Metalbone Carbon CTRL 2026 |
| Build points and want a lighter, softer racket, or your arm needs looking after | Metalbone Team Light 2026 |
Every adidas racket → · Our full adidas guide →
Two choices: the face and the shape
| Diamond, head-heavy, high sweet spot | Round, even balance, centred sweet spot | |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon 6K face, Spin Blade decal, RRP $449 | Metalbone Carbon, 360–375g | Metalbone Carbon CTRL, 360–375g |
| Fibreglass face, sand-textured Spin Blade Gritt, RRP $349 | Metalbone Team, 360–375g | Metalbone Team Light, 345–360g |
All four share the Metalbone's octagonal carbon frame, Low Poly heart and long Extra Power Grip handle, and the same EVA Soft Performance core. Read the names with care. The Team Light moves to a round head and an even balance as well as dropping 15g, and the Carbon CTRL makes the same change of shape at the same weight.
What the rating sites say
Scores out of 10, each linked to its review. Padel Racket Lab scores the two carbons as advanced rackets and the Team as intermediate, and it says scores don't compare across levels.
| Padelful | Padel Racket Lab | Padelguru | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon | 8.4 | 8.2 | 8.2 |
| Carbon CTRL | 8.6 | 7.9 | 7.8 |
| Team | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.8 |
| Team Light | 8.2 | No score | 7.8 |
Padelguru summarises published reviews. Padelful's and Padel Racket Lab's pages date from May 2026, and Padelguru's from June and September 2026. padel.how hasn't scored these four rackets.
The face: Carbon or Team
Both diamonds weigh 360–375g, so the face is the main change. adidas rank fibreglass as the most flexible fibre in their range, with Carbon 6K one step stiffer. They say fibreglass gives you a softer hit and the best ball release on slow shots, and carbon gives you more power and rigidity.
Padelful and Padelguru both score the Carbon higher. At Padelful the lead comes from rebound and power (8.7 to 7.9), and Padelguru sees a smaller gap on power, 8.7 to 8.5. Padelful gives the Team a small lead on control (8.1 to 7.8) and sweet spot (8.0 to 7.8), and Padelguru calls the Team the most forgiving of the attacking Metalbones.
Padelful's rebound score, which measures how easily the ball leaves the face, looks odd at first: 9.7 for the Carbon and 8.3 for the Team, when adidas say fibreglass releases the ball best on slow shots. Padelful's reviews help explain the gap. They have the Carbon's ball coming off fast when you hit through it, and they credit the Team's face with helping on a relaxed swing. We read that as more from the Carbon on a full swing, and more from the Team on an easy one.
Neither suits a player who mostly defends. Padelguru calls the Carbon “wrong for anyone who defends for a living”, because of the time its head weight costs on fast resets, and Padelful marks the Team down for agility in defence.
We'd buy the Team for an intermediate moving towards attack, which is where Padel Racket Lab aims it, though adidas rate it advanced. We'd buy the Carbon for a stronger player with a repeatable overhead: adidas call it pro level, and Padel Racket Lab and Padelguru both list it as advanced. We flag the Team arm-friendly and not the Carbon, but the Team's lowest mark at Padel Racket Lab is 7.0 for comfort, so if your elbow complains, start with the Team Light.
The shape: diamond or round
Padelful's five scores, each diamond beside its round version:
| Carbon 6K face | Metalbone Carbon | Carbon CTRL |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 8.7 | 6.9 |
| Control | 7.8 | 8.6 |
| Rebound | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| Manoeuvrability | 7.9 | 9.2 |
| Sweet spot | 7.8 | 8.4 |
| Fibreglass face | Metalbone Team | Team Light |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 7.9 | 7.1 |
| Control | 8.1 | 8.5 |
| Rebound | 8.3 | 8.5 |
| Manoeuvrability | 7.8 | 8.6 |
| Sweet spot | 8.0 | 8.4 |
The round versions trade power for handling on both pairs. Padel Racket Lab scores both carbons on its advanced scale and agrees: power 8.5 to 7.3, control 7.9 to 8.6, manoeuvrability 7.6 to 8.2. So does Padelguru, with power 8.7 to 7.2 and control 7.5 to 8.8.
Don't choose on the overall number here. Padelful averages its five scores, which puts the round rackets ahead (8.6 over 8.4, and 8.2 over 8.0). Padel Racket Lab and Padelguru put the Carbon ahead of the Carbon CTRL (8.2 over 7.9, and 8.2 over 7.8), and Padelguru ties the two Teams on 7.8.
Count how you win points instead. If you finish at the net with overheads, take the diamond. If you place the ball and wait for the mistake, take the round one. Round vs teardrop vs diamond and control vs power go further.
Carbon CTRL or Team Light?
Settled on round? The choice comes down to the face and 15g. Control scores sit close: 8.6 to 8.5 at Padelful and 8.8 to 8.5 at Padelguru.
The sites split on handling. Padelful has the Carbon CTRL quicker, 9.2 to 8.6, and Padelguru has the Team Light quicker, 9.0 to 8.0. We side with Padelguru, since the Team Light is the lighter racket on adidas's figures. Padel Racket Lab lists a firmer hit than fibreglass models among the Carbon CTRL's drawbacks. Neither is an overhead racket: Padelful scores their power 6.9 and 7.1, and Padelguru 7.2 and 6.5.
Take the Team Light if you're improving, you're lighter-built, or you want speed at the net above all. Take the Carbon CTRL if you're advanced, you like a firmer hit, and you want more weight behind your blocks.
Against the flagship Metalbones
adidas's spec sheet lists the Weight & Balance System and the Power Groove rail on the flagship Metalbones and not on these four, so these four play at a fixed weight. The distributor's listings say otherwise, and we follow adidas. If the screws are why you want a Metalbone, you need a flagship: Metalbone 2026 vs HRD+ vs CTRL compares them, and our Weight & Balance guide shows how the screws work.
The flagships also use a stiffer Carbon Aluminized 16K face, and the Metalbone 2026, HRD+ and CTRL carry a $659 RRP. Padelful doesn't see much between the families: it rates the Metalbone 2026 8.7 against the Carbon's 8.4, and the flagship CTRL 8.5 against the Carbon CTRL's 8.6. Unless you want the screws or the stiffest face, we'd start here.
Coming up from an RX Series or Match? The Team and Team Light keep the fibreglass face and soft core you know and add a carbon frame. Your first adidas racket covers the rackets below these, and our full adidas guide covers the rest of the range.
Common questions
Is the Metalbone Team a beginner racket? No. adidas rate it advanced, Padel Racket Lab aims it at intermediates, and Padelguru warns that beginners will struggle with it on defensive balls. The Team Light is easier, but we'd start a new player on a Drive, Match or RX Series.
Is the Metalbone Carbon 2026 the same as the Metalbone Carbon 3.5? Yes. Padelguru says shops list the same racket under both names, and that the 2026 model keeps the 2025 recipe with new cosmetics, a refined frame and a new wrist cord.
Which of the four is easiest on the arm? The Team Light: fibreglass face, soft core, even balance and the lowest weight. We flag it and the Team as arm-friendly, and not the two carbons. No racket treats an injury, so if your elbow or shoulder already hurts, read padel and tennis elbow first.
Does Ale Galán play any of these? No. He competes with the Metalbone HRD+ 2026, which our flagship comparison covers.
Can I hit one before I buy? We're an online store with free click & collect at Pacific Fair, Broadbeach, and we do not hold demo rackets, so if your club has one to borrow, hit it there first. You have at least 30 days from delivery to change your mind, as long as the racket is unhit, with its grip wrap and film still on, and in its original packaging. Returns and warranty → Choosing a racket you haven't tried →
Sources
We checked every rating on this page against its review on 31 October 2026. Each score in the text links to the review it comes from.
- Padelful (one reviewer; five scores out of 10, built from the specification, professional reviews and player feedback): adidas Metalbone Carbon 2026, Metalbone Carbon CTRL 2026, Metalbone Team 2026, Metalbone Team Light 2026, Metalbone 2026, Metalbone CTRL 2026.
- Padel Racket Lab (scores each racket against others at its level): adidas Metalbone Carbon 2026, Metalbone Carbon CTRL 2026, Metalbone Team 2026.
- Padelguru (summarises published reviews): adidas Metalbone Carbon 2026, Metalbone Carbon CTRL 2026, Metalbone Team 2026, Metalbone Team Light 2026.
- Specifications: each maker's published figures, as listed on every racket's product page.
Not sure which one?
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Written by the Australian Padel Shop team. Prices and stock on this page come live from our catalogue. Specifications come from adidas's 2026 spec sheets and product pages; where a shop listing or a rating site disagrees, we follow adidas. The scores belong to the sites named, and we have not played these rackets ourselves.