New to padel and after the most forgiving shape? Buy the adidas Drive. Still working out how you play, or coming across from tennis? Buy the Match. Playing every week, or sure you'll stick at it? Buy the RX Series. The Match Light and RX Series Light are the same rackets 15g lighter. All of them pair a fibreglass face with a soft core, so this guide covers the few things that separate them, what the rating sites say, and what we'd pick.
The short version
| If you… | Buy |
|---|---|
| Are new, play now and then, and want the most forgiving shape | Drive 2026, in black or blue |
| Are new and haven't settled on a style, or have a tennis swing | Match 2026 |
| Are new and lighter-built, or a junior moving up to a full-size frame | Match Light 2026 |
| Play weekly, or know you'll stick at it and want to buy once | RX Series 2026 |
| Want the RX Series, but 360g and up feels slow in your hand | RX Series Light 2026 |
Every adidas racket → · Our full adidas guide →
What they share, and what differs
All five rackets have a fibreglass face, a fibreglass frame and adidas's low-density EVA Soft Performance core. All are 38mm thick and 455mm long. None has the adjustable weights you get on the flagship Metalbones. That leaves head shape, weight and one insert in the frame.
| Racket and weight | Head and balance | adidas's rating, and RRP |
|---|---|---|
| Drive 2026, 360–375g | Round, even balance | Beginner, occasional play. RRP $169 |
| Match 2026, 360–375g | Allround, adidas's hybrid of round and diamond, a touch head-heavy | Beginner, occasional play. RRP $159 |
| Match Light 2026, 345–360g | Same as the Match | Beginner, occasional play. RRP $159 |
| RX Series 2026, 360–375g | Round, even balance | Intermediate, regular play. RRP $239 |
| RX Series Light 2026, 345–360g | Same as the RX Series | Intermediate, regular play. RRP $239 |
The insert is Structural Power, a fibre piece adidas fit in the heart of the RX Series (the open section above the handle) to add rigidity. Padelguru, which summarises published reviews, reads the result as a little more feedback and a more direct response than the Drive. The distributor's listing for the Drive mentions the insert too, but adidas's spec sheet doesn't, and we go with adidas.
What the rating sites say
Scores out of 10, each linked to its review. Padel Racket Lab scores the Drive and Match as beginner rackets and the RX Series as intermediate.
| Padelful | Padel Racket Lab | Padelguru | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive 2026 | 6.1 black, 6.0 blue | 8.0 | 6.6 black, 6.5 blue |
| Match 2026 | 5.9 | 7.9 | No 2026 score |
| Match Light 2026 | 6.1 | No score | No 2026 score |
| RX Series 2026 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 6.5 |
| RX Series Light 2026 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 7.0 |
Padelful's and Padel Racket Lab's pages date from May 2026, and Padelguru's from June to September 2026. padel.how hasn't scored these five rackets.
Those columns don't make one ranking, because each site scores in its own way:
- Padel Racket Lab scores a racket only against others at its level, and its method page says a high score at one level doesn't beat a lower score at another. So the Drive's 8.0 and the RX Series' 7.8 don't compare.
- Padelful scores every racket on the same five measures and averages them, and its method page says that average is worked out for a balanced intermediate player. We think that's why beginner frames land low: Padelful gives the Drive's sweet spot 5.5, and Padel Racket Lab, judging it as a beginner racket, gives it 8.3.
- Padelguru has 2026 pages for the Drive and RX Series. Its Match pages cover the 2025 model, so we leave them out.
The sites disagree on some specs as well. Padelful lists the RX Series as a teardrop, the Match as a diamond and the RX Series Light at 310–330g, and Padel Racket Lab calls the Match a hybrid. We follow adidas's spec sheet.
Drive or Match?
Both are beginner frames at 360–375g, so the head shape decides it. The two sites that score both rate the Drive as easier to keep in play. Padel Racket Lab gives it 8.6 for forgiveness and 8.5 for control, against the Match's 8.1 and 7.8. Padelful puts its sweet spot at 5.5, against 4.9.
They split on power. Padel Racket Lab has the Match ahead, 6.8 to 6.2, and Padelful has the Drive ahead, 6.2 to 5.9. Neither site expects either racket to finish points for you.
We'd start most new players on the Drive. Take the Match if you've played tennis and swing through the ball, because its head weight suits that swing, or if you don't know yet whether you'll attack or defend, which is the player Padel Racket Lab has in mind for it.
Beginner frame or RX Series?
This is the bigger call, because the RX Series has an RRP of $239 against $169 and $159. On Padelful's one scale it beats the Drive on four of five scores and ties the fifth: sweet spot 7.0 to 5.5, rebound (how easily the ball leaves the face) 7.5 to 5.6, control 7.0 to 6.2, power 6.8 to 6.2, and manoeuvrability 6.9 each. Padelguru has them almost level: the RX Series on 6.5 and the Drive on 6.6.
Padelful describes the RX Series as “a racket for weekly players who want something predictable, arm-friendly, and uncomplicated”, and that's how we'd buy it. adidas rate it for regular, intermediate play, and Padelguru calls it beginner-to-intermediate, so a new player with a weekly game booked can start on it. Padel Racket Lab warns that ambitious players may outgrow the Drive fast, and Padelguru expects quick learners to pass it within months.
If you're still deciding whether padel is for you, buy the Drive or Match. If you've played for a few months, or you have a regular game, buy the RX Series once. It won't finish points for you either: all three sites mark down its attacking power.
Do you want the Light version?
The Match Light and RX Series Light are the same frames at 345–360g, 15g under the standard models. We'd look at one if you're a lighter-built adult, a junior moving up to a full-size frame, or if a heavier racket gets to the ball late at the net.
All three sites score the RX Series Light as quicker in the hand: manoeuvrability 8.3 to 7.6 at Padel Racket Lab, 7.7 to 6.9 at Padelful and 8.0 to 7.5 at Padelguru. Padel Racket Lab and Padelful also give it less power (6.5 to 7.0, 6.4 to 6.8), while Padelguru goes the other way (6.4 to 5.5). Padel Racket Lab also warns about stability on harder shots.
Only Padelful scores both Matches. It puts the Light on 6.1 and the standard Match on 5.9, with manoeuvrability 7.0 and 7.1, so no rating site will settle that choice for you. If you've played with a racket you liked, look up its weight: our weight and balance guide explains what the grams change.
One trap in the names: Light means the same racket here, but the Metalbone Team Light also changes the head shape. Our Metalbone Carbon vs Team guide covers it.
When you outgrow it
From the Drive or Match, the next step in adidas's range is the RX Series. After that, the fibreglass Metalbones keep the soft feel and add a carbon frame: the Team for attackers, and the round Team Light for players who build points. Metalbone Carbon vs Team compares them, and the flagships above those have their own comparison. When to upgrade from your first padel racket covers the signs that it's time.
Not set on adidas? Best padel rackets for beginners sets these against the Babolat Counter Origin and Dunlop FX Start.
Common questions
Is the adidas RX Series good for beginners? adidas rate it intermediate, and Padelguru calls it beginner-to-intermediate. Its round head, even balance and soft core all suit a new player, so it works for a beginner who plays every week. If you're still trying padel out, the Drive or Match has a lower RRP.
Is there a Drive Light? adidas make one, but we don't range it. If you want round and light, look at the RX Series Light.
Are the black and blue Drive different? Only in colour. adidas list the same specification for both, and Padel Racket Lab reviews them as one racket. Padelful scores them 6.1 and 6.0.
Which of these is easiest on the arm? All five are soft-cored fibreglass frames, and we flag all of them arm-friendly. Padel Racket Lab's comfort scores sit close together: Drive 8.3 and Match 8.2 on its beginner scale, RX Series Light 8.0 and RX Series 7.9 on its intermediate scale. No racket treats an injury, so if your elbow or shoulder already hurts, read padel and tennis elbow first.
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 Drive 2026 (black), Drive 2026 (blue), Match 2026, Match Light 2026, RX Series 2026, RX Series Light 2026.
- Padel Racket Lab (scores each racket against others at its level): adidas Drive 2026, Match 2026, RX Series 2026, RX Series Light 2026.
- Padelguru (summarises published reviews): adidas Drive 2026 (black), Drive 2026 (blue), RX Series 2026, RX Series 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.