The three adidas Metalbones we stock — the Metalbone 2026, the HRD+ and the CTRL — ship with a small bag of screws, washers and plates and an Allen key on a keyring. That is the Weight & Balance System: the most useful thing on the racket, and the thing most owners never touch. This guide covers what the parts are and weigh, where they go, what each position does, how to fit them without damaging the frame, and where to start.
The short version
| What it is | Removable metal weights that thread into the frame so you can change the racket's total weight and balance point yourself. |
|---|---|
| Which rackets have it | Metalbone 2026, Metalbone HRD+ 2026 and Metalbone CTRL 2026, with the same system on all three. The Drive and the cheaper Metalbone Carbon and Team frames do not have it. |
| How much weight | Up to 11.2g: two plates at 1.8g, four washers at 0.6g and four screws at 1.3g (retailer specification from the Tennis Warehouse group; adidas publish only the 11.2g total). |
| Positions | Threaded fittings on the sides and top of the head. Higher moves the balance towards the tip, lower towards the handle; left out, the racket plays at its listed 345–360g. |
| Tool | A small Allen (hex) key on a keyring, supplied in the box. |
| What it changes | Swingweight and balance — smash leverage, hand speed and how much load reaches your arm. Not the face, core or shape. |
What the system is
adidas padel is made under licence by All For Padel in Spain. On the 3.1 to 3.3 Metalbones the system was six screws on the bridge between handle and head, which All For Padel said moved the balance about a centimetre and a half. From the 3.4 generation — the 2026 frames are the 3.4 mould with a new finish — the weights moved to the head, where a few grams do far more, and the total became 11.2g.
All For Padel's 2026 pages say only that the "improved removable weight system" adjusts the racket by up to 11.2g. The Tennis Warehouse group, which lists all three 2026 Metalbones, breaks it down: two plates of 1.8g, each carrying two washers of 0.6g and two screws of 1.3g. The arithmetic works (3.6 + 2.4 + 5.2 = 11.2), so we trust it, but it is a retailer's figure, not a manufacturer's. The same description is used word for word for the Metalbone 2026, HRD+ and CTRL, which is the best evidence we have that the hardware is identical across the three.
The screws thread into fittings moulded into the frame on the sides and top of the head. Retail descriptions refer to weights "on the upper part of the racket" or "closest to the grip", and an owner reviewing the CTRL on Padelful describes moving them "from their standard position on the sides to the top", so there is more than one height. We have not found an official diagram giving the number of fittings or the factory configuration, so look at your own frame; one Spanish review describes removing caps from unused fittings first.
The system is not a reason to buy the adidas Antishock protection tape: adidas say it is not compatible with the Metalbone line, because these frames ship with their own moulded protector.
What moving the weight does
A racket pivots around your hand, so how a gram feels depends on how far it sits from the handle. Mass at the tip of the head raises the balance point and, more importantly, the swingweight — the racket's resistance to being swung. That means more leverage through the ball on the smash and vibora and a more stable block at the net; the cost is a head that is slower to get moving, slower hands in a volley exchange, and more shock reaching the elbow. Removing mass from the head does the reverse: lighter, quicker, kinder, less punch.
Position matters as much as grams. Eleven grams is about three per cent of a 360g racket, but at the far end of the lever it changes the swingweight by a much larger proportion than it changes the static weight. The same 11g at the bridge, where the old 3.1 system put it, sits close to the pivot and changes the feel far less. On the 2026 frames the higher the fitting, the bigger the change per gram. Our racket weight and balance guide covers the theory.
With all 11.2g fitted high, a 345–360g Metalbone becomes a 356–371g racket balanced nearer the tip — a different racket, not a tweak, and the Metalbone 2026 and HRD+ are head-heavy before you start. The CTRL, which starts from an even balance, is where the system has the widest useful range. And the manufacturer's range is ±7.5g before you add anything, so weigh yours before deciding it needs changing.
How to fit and remove the weights
Five minutes at the kitchen table, over a tray, because the washers are small and dark and do not bounce back to you.
- Lay the racket face down and photograph the factory setup before you change anything, so you can return to it. Change one thing at a time.
- Back each screw out anticlockwise with the supplied Allen key, keeping it square in the socket so it does not round out. Lift screw, washer and plate off together and keep the set in order.
- To fit a weight, seat the plate flat against the frame, put the washer on the screw, thread it in by hand until it bites, then tighten with the Allen key until firmly seated. Stop there: the fitting is in a carbon frame, not steel, and it will strip long before the screw does.
- Fit the same weight in the same position on both sides of the head. If you are running less than the full set, add or remove in matched pairs.
- Shake the racket by the handle; any rattle means a loose screw or unseated washer. Keep the spares and the Allen key in the racket bag, and check the screws every few sessions, because vibration works them loose.
Starting setups by player
adidas do not publish setups by player type; the retail descriptions go no further than "upper for attack, lower for control, out for a lighter racket". The starting points below are ours, based on the physics above and what the independent testers said about each frame. We have not court-tested these rackets ourselves.
Attacker on the Metalbone 2026 or HRD+. Play two sessions on the factory setup first; both frames are head-heavy already and every tester scored their comfort below average. If your overheads lack finish rather than timing, move the weights up a position rather than out to the full set, and check your hands are still quick at the net. Tennis Warehouse's playtesters said the Metalbone 2026 only "began to shine" once they had dialled the weights in, and that it took time.
All-court player on any of the three. The factory setup, or a matched half-set (one screw and washer per plate) if the racket feels slow through the air. If you are late on volleys, take weight out before you move it up.
Control player, or a sore arm, on the CTRL. Run it light: the lowest fittings only, or nothing. A CTRL with no weights is a 345–360g even-balance round racket, as gentle as a 16K carbon Metalbone gets. If your elbow has a history, read our tennis elbow guide before putting mass in the head, and do not start with the HRD+ at all.
Testing a change. One variable, at least two sessions, same grip, balls and court. No clear answer after two sessions means the change was too small to matter.
Mistakes to avoid
Over-tightening. The commonest way to damage a Metalbone. Firm is enough; if a screw keeps backing out, a tiny drop of removable (blue) thread-locker is the fix, not more force.
Losing washers. The 0.6g washers are the easiest part to lose and we are not aware of adidas selling them separately in Australia. Lose one, and remove its partner on the other side rather than running the racket lopsided.
Unequal weights side to side. One side heavier than the other twists the head on off-centre hits and makes the racket feel odd without telling you why. Always mirror left to right.
Expecting the weights to fix technique. Eleven grams at the head adds leverage to a smash that is already timed properly; it does nothing for a late one except make it harder on the arm. A lesson is cheaper and lasts longer.
Adding lead tape on top. If 11.2g in the head is not enough, the racket is the wrong balance for you, not the wrong weight. Tape on a frame already at 371g in attack trim is the fast route to a sore elbow.
Frequently asked questions
Do all three 2026 Metalbones have the same weights?
As far as we can verify, yes: the 11.2g total, the retail breakdown and the Allen key are listed identically for all three, though adidas publish no per-model parts list. The Drive, Metalbone Carbon and Team do not have the system.
How much does each screw weigh?
By the retailer's specification, 1.3g per screw and 0.6g per washer — 1.9g a pair — on plates of 1.8g each. One owner on Padelful quotes "four weights of 1.6g each", which does not match, and adidas publish only the 11.2g total. If it matters, weigh the parts on a jeweller's scale.
Is the racket sold with the weights fitted?
adidas do not say. The listed 345–360g is the figure before the screws, and the one owner comment we have found describes a "standard position on the sides", which suggests some of the set arrives fitted — an owner's report, not a manufacturer's statement. Photograph yours before you change anything.
Will adjusting the weights void the warranty?
Fitting and removing the supplied weights in the supplied fittings is the intended use of the racket; stripping a fitting or drilling the frame is a different matter. Everything else about the three frames is in our adidas guide and the Metalbone 2026 vs HRD+ vs CTRL comparison, and all three are in the adidas collection.
Facts verified 25 September 2026. The 11.2g total is from All For Padel's official 2026 product pages; the plate, washer and screw weights, the Allen key and the upper/lower positioning notes are from the Tennis Warehouse group's listings for the Metalbone 2026, HRD+ 2026 and CTRL 2026; the 3.1–3.3 bridge system is from All For Padel's blog and Keepadel; owner comments are from Padelful. adidas do not publish the number of positions, a factory configuration or setups by player; the starting points above are ours, and we have not court-tested these rackets.