Metalbone CTRL 2026 Padel Racket

The adidas Metalbone CTRL 2026 is the Metalbone for the player who wants the build quality and the adjustable weights without the head-heavy diamond. Round head, even balance, a centred sweet spot, the same Carbon Aluminized 16K face and EVA Soft Performance core as the standard Metalbone, and the same Weight & Balance System — which on a round frame is more useful than on the diamonds, because you can nudge it towards attack for a match and back for a lesson.

How it actually plays. Padel.how scored it 71/100 (January 2026): control 9, net play 8, stability 8, manoeuvrability 7, sweet spot 7, spin 7, defence 7, comfort 6, power on demand 6, power ceiling 6. They place it for intermediate-to-advanced players with a compact, well-prepared stroke, and note it favours placement over finishing help — it ranked near the bottom of their 2026 round-control group, chiefly on comfort and power. Padelful is more enthusiastic (8.5 overall, sweet spot 9.1, rebound 9.3) and sums it up well: it “keeps the Metalbone identity, but it is calmer and less demanding”. Two practical caveats from their panel — the long Extra Power Grip handle may not suit small hands, and volleys can feel a touch awkward until you are used to the balance.

Where it sits in the range. Same price tier as the two diamonds when at RRP, but it is currently the value pick: the Australian distributor has it at $499 against a $659 RRP, and we hold that price. Against its round rivals on our wall it is stiffer and more direct than the NOX ML10 Ventus Control and the Hirostar Solar, and lighter than both.

What changed for 2026. Official specs are unchanged from the CTRL 3.4. Padelful's side-by-side has the 2026 fractionally more powerful and fractionally less soft than the 3.4 — a tweak to the layup rather than a new racket. New black finish and product code.

Is this the racket for you?

• Yes if you are an intermediate or advanced control player — a right-sider, a lob-and-volley builder, a tennis convert with a compact swing — who wants a premium round frame with a tuneable balance. It is the Metalbone we would put in most club players' hands.
• No if you want the frame to do the finishing (look at the Metalbone 2026), if comfort is your first criterion (the soft-cored Babolat Counter Vertuo and the Tecnifibre Curva Speed are kinder), or if you have small hands and dislike a long handle.

Specifications from All For Padel (the adidas padel licensee) and Everything Padel Australia (the Australian distributor), verified 2026-09-24. Manufacturer weights vary by around ±10g and exclude the optional Weight & Balance System screws. Independent scores are quoted from the named tester and are their opinion, not ours; we have not court-tested this frame ourselves.