The Adidas Metalbone is Ale Galán’s racket, and it is the model most people picture when they think of Adidas padel. It is built for a specific type of player: someone with clean, consistent contact and an attacking game. For a player a year into the sport, the flagship version is expensive and unforgiving, and there are better-suited models in the same family.

Padel Market UK lists the 2026 Metalbone as a diamond-shaped racket with a high balance, 16K aluminised carbon faces and an EVA Soft Performance core. PDH Sports adds an octagonal carbon tubular frame and a removable weight system. The design favours power on overheads and volleys at the net over forgiveness.

What the Metalbone is built to do

Power on clean contact. The diamond head places the sweet spot higher on the face, which suits overhead finishing shots, and the high balance puts more weight towards the top of the frame.

Adidas, in PDH Sports’ copy, says incorporating aluminium into the carbon fibre gives “a harder touch, ideal for hard-hitting players”. That is the trade-off with this kind of racket: it rewards clean contact and gives less help on off-centre hits than a round, softer racket would.

The standard Metalbone also carries the Weight & Balance System, which lets you add up to 11.2 g in total to adjust weight and balance, plus a longer Extra Power Grip and a Power Groove rail in the frame for rigidity (PDH Sports). These are features competitive players use to fine-tune a racket. A casual player is unlikely to notice them.

The 2026 Metalbone range explained

The 2026 Metalbone family has more than eight versions once you count the limited editions, so it helps to know which is which. Prices below are UK prices checked on 17 October 2026.

Metalbone 2026 (£199.99 at Express Padel, £205 at PDH Sports, £222.99 at Padel Market UK, £289.99 at All Things Padel; RRP £340) is the flagship and Galán’s racket. Diamond, high balance, 16K aluminised carbon, EVA Soft Performance core and the Weight & Balance System. This is the one to consider if you are an advanced player with a settled attacking game.

Metalbone HRD+ 2026 (£199.99 at Express Padel, £207 at PDH Sports, £222.99 at Padel Market UK, £269.99 at All Things Padel) swaps the soft core for High Memory high-density EVA, which PDH Sports says increases power on high-speed shots and suits “players with higher technical level”. Padel Market UK lists it at 345–360 g and pitches it at professional and high-competition players. It is the most demanding model in the range.

Metalbone CTRL 2026 (£269.99 at PDH Sports, £299.99 at All Things Padel) is the round model in the top tier. It keeps the 16K aluminised carbon, the low-density EVA core and the Weight & Balance System, while the round head moves the sweet spot towards the centre of the face. That makes it the more forgiving choice for players who build points through placement.

Metalbone Carbon 2026 and Metalbone Carbon CTRL 2026 step down to a 6K carbon face with the same Soft Performance EVA core and a Spin Blade decal for grip on the ball (PDH Sports, Express Padel). Padel HQ lists the Carbon as a diamond with a head-heavy balance and the Carbon CTRL as round with an even balance. The Carbon was £157.49 at Padel HQ and £189.99 at All Things Padel; the Carbon CTRL £157.49 at Padel HQ, £168.75 at PDH Sports, £179.99 at Express Padel and £189.99 at All Things Padel. Retailers still aim both at advanced players.

Metalbone Team 2026 (£110.25 at Padel HQ, £128.99 at Padel Market UK, £129.99 at All Things Padel) and Team Light 2026 (£132.99 at Padel Market UK, £154.99 at All Things Padel) use fibreglass faces and a Soft Performance EVA core. They are not soft beginner rackets: Padel Market UK lists the Team as a diamond with a high balance at 360–375 g, and the Team Light as round with a medium balance at 345–360 g, and classes both as advanced.

Metalbone Superlight 2026 has fibreglass faces (PDH Sports) and a diamond oversize shape (Express Padel). It was out of stock at every UK retailer we checked, at £95.49–116.99.

Adidas also sells limited editions, including the Metalbone Pro EDT, the Metalbone Reserve and two Zinedine Zidane models. For the full Adidas range beyond the Metalbone family, including the Drive, RX Series, Cross It and Arrow Hit lines, the Adidas padel rackets guide covers everything in more detail.

Who the Metalbone suits

Advanced players with a reliable overhead and an attacking game, who already hit the ball cleanly most of the time.

The flagship and HRD+ make sense if most of the following apply. You have been playing regularly for well over a year, and your footwork gets you to the ball with time to set up. Your overhead is consistent enough that you can place it and repeat it. Your technique holds up when you are tired or under pressure.

If that describes you, the diamond shape and high balance will add power to what you already do well, and the Weight & Balance System lets you fine-tune the feel. Power-focused attackers should look at the standard Metalbone or the HRD+. Control-first players with a solid game from the back should look at the CTRL.

Who should probably buy something else

Players with inconsistent technique or a history of arm pain. A hard, head-heavy diamond gives less help on off-centre hits.

If you are drawn to the Metalbone because it is Galán’s racket, it is worth checking that the specification matches your game before you spend £200 or more. A round racket with a softer core and a larger central sweet spot will usually be easier to play with while your technique develops. Within Adidas, retailers class the RX Series as the intermediate racket.

If you have arm or elbow pain, our tennis elbow racket guide is a better starting point than any flagship racket, and a physio is the right call for a persistent injury.

For broader context on what shape, weight and balance do to how a racket plays, the padel racket shape guide is worth reading before you decide. For a wider comparison across brands and price points, the best padel rackets UK guide covers the full market.

Which Metalbone to choose

For most attacking players: the standard Metalbone. For a control game: the CTRL. For a cheaper carbon Metalbone: the Carbon or Carbon CTRL.

You’re an established attacking player and you want the flagship. The standard Metalbone 2026 was £199.99–222.99 at Express Padel, PDH Sports and Padel Market UK on 17 October 2026, against a £340 RRP. Note that the HRD+ cost the same at those three shops, so choose between them on core feel.

You play a control game. The Metalbone CTRL 2026 at £269.99–299.99 has the round head and the same 16K aluminised carbon and weight system. At PDH Sports it cost £64.99 more than the standard model on the day we checked.

You’re advanced but unsure the top-tier spec suits you. The Metalbone Carbon or Carbon CTRL, from £157.49 at Padel HQ, use a 6K carbon face and the same Soft Performance EVA core as the flagship, at around £40–65 less.

Where to buy in the UK

On 17 October 2026, five UK specialists listed the 2026 Metalbone range:

  • Express Padel (expresspadel.co.uk) had the lowest price on the standard Metalbone and HRD+, at £199.99 each.
  • PDH Sports (pdhsports.com) stocked the standard, HRD+, CTRL, Carbon CTRL, Pro EDT and Reserve, with the Carbon, Team, Team Light and Superlight listed but out of stock.
  • Padel Market UK (padelmarket.com) stocked the standard, HRD+, Team, Team Light and limited editions.
  • All Things Padel (allthingspadel.co.uk) listed most of the range, usually at higher prices.
  • Padel HQ (padelhq.co.uk) had the lowest prices on the Carbon, Carbon CTRL and Team.

Metalbone prices move often, and the same racket was listed up to £90 apart on the same day. If you’re set on one of the top-tier models, compare two or three retailers before committing.