Racket review

Adidas RX Series Light 2026 Review

Updated September 2, 2026

A soft, light teardrop that hands an improving player a little reach without the harsh feedback most attacking shapes fire back at the arm.

Adidas RX Series Light 2026 Review padel racket

SpecificationsLive catalog

Shape

Teardrop

Weight

355g

Balance

Medium

Core

EVA Soft Performance, soft

Surface

Fiberglass, smooth

Frame

Carbon

Level

Intermediate

Best for

Comfort-first improvers who want reach

Playing characterEven balance

Control

Power

from€129.95

Buy at padelshop.comIn stock

Verdict

The verdict

The Adidas RX Series Light is soft, light at 355g, mid-handle in balance, and built to be kind to the elbow across three sets. It gives an improving player a taste of reach and leverage, but it does it through a cushioned, forgiving strike rather than through firmness and pace. That is the deliberate trade Adidas made here: instead of the stiff core and tip-loaded mass most attacking frames carry, this one softens contact and keeps the swing quick, so leverage arrives without a jolt up the forearm.

This is the racket for a player who is stepping up out of the beginner tier and wants a little more stretch on the ball, but whose arm still votes on the purchase. If you already hit through the court and want a stiff finisher that rewards a violent swing, this is not it, and the next section says so plainly. For everyone else who wants forgiveness and comfort over a hard-hitting top end, it is one of the gentler moves you can make.

The build · materials

The build

A core Adidas tunes for cushion

The foam here is EVA Soft Performance, and its job is to take the sting out of the strike. Where a firm advanced core sends the shock of contact straight up the shaft, this one flexes under the ball and holds most of that energy in the head, so an improving player can finish three sets without the forearm keeping score. The catch is at the top end. Softer foam trades some of the ball speed a dense core would bank, so pace on this frame is something you earn through clean timing rather than something the racket hands you for free.

A smooth fiberglass face that widens the margin

The hitting layer is fiberglass with a smooth finish, chosen for flex over stiffness. It gives under the ball where a rigid carbon weave would stay firm, which is what pulls a slightly mishit strike back toward the middle of the face and keeps the feel warm rather than sharp. Spin is the one place the smooth finish asks something of you. Without a coarse texture to drag across the ball, brushed shots leave with less bite than a gritty carbon skin would put on them, so a topspin víbora is more effort here than on a rougher frame. For an arm-first buyer that is a fair swap.

A teardrop head kept quick by its balance

The mold is a teardrop, which sits the sweet spot a touch higher than a round head and lets the tip stretch that extra inch for a wide ball. Two things keep it from swinging like a heavy attacking teardrop. At 355g the whole racket is light in the hand, and the balance sits mid-handle rather than out in the tip, so the head answers quickly instead of dragging when a ball rushes you. A carbon frame under the paint holds the shape from flexing out of true when you catch one off-center, so the reach arrives without the front-loaded, big-swing demand that shape usually carries.

How it plays · on court

How it plays

At the net, quick and undemanding

Because the head stays light, the racket comes around fast when a ball jumps at your body. You can reset your hands between volleys and still get the face there in time, which matters most for a player whose reactions are still sharpening. Punch a volley and it goes where you aim it, clean and controlled, though it lands solid rather than putting the point away on its own. You place the volley; the racket does not finish it for you.

From the baseline, a safety net you can lean on

Behind the baseline is where the softness pays for itself. Dig a ball off the back wall and contact lands padded, so deep returns float back with almost no effort from you. Blocks and resets come off predictable and low-risk, which keeps you in a rally you might otherwise dump into the net. The frame holds your defense together while your court sense catches up, and it asks very little of the arm to do it.

On the attack, help but no hammer

Line up an overhead with your feet set and the extra reach of the tip gives you a bit more leverage, so a controlled smash lands with decent depth. What you will not find is a put-away that ends the point through sheer pace. The ball leaves cushioned and a touch muted, so an overhead sits down in the court rather than exploding off it, and the shot feels planted enough that you steer it instead of ripping it. Treat this as a frame that opens the attack, not one that closes it.

Comfort and the arm

This is the reason to buy it. Ball after ball, the strike reaches your hand already softened, so the elbow and shoulder take far less of the jolt that firmer frames drive back up the arm. Play a long match and the difference shows in what you do not feel afterward. If padel elbow is why you are shopping, this frame is on your side. The honest flip side is that the same cushioning is the ceiling. A stronger player will feel the power tail off and start wanting more from the ball before long.

Who it's for

Who it's for (and who should skip it)

Buy it if

You are stepping up out of the beginner tier and want a little reach without a stiff, punishing head.
Your arm flares up on firmer rackets and comfort is your first filter.
You win points on placement and steady defense rather than raw power.

Look elsewhere if

You are a strong hitter who wants a firm, powerful frame that rewards a big swing. This one is tuned soft and light and will feel underpowered in your hand.
You live on the víbora and bandeja and want a rough face that grabs the ball for heavy spin.
You want a racket that finishes points on pace. The cushioned strike deliberately caps the top end, so the power will not be there when you go for the kill.

Not sure it's your match? The free 2-minute quiz reads your level, style, and budget and tells you which racket is.

The bottom line

If your arm is the deciding vote and you want a first taste of a shaped frame, the RX Series Light is a soft landing: reach and forgiveness without the harshness. Strong hitters chasing power should keep shopping. Not sure it is your match? The free 2-minute quiz reads your level, style, and budget and points you to the one that is.

Where to buy · live prices

Where to buy

padelshop.comLowest price

€129.95Buy at padelshop.com

Prices shown in Euro, converted and approximate — you check out in the store's own currency.

Frequently asked

The Adidas RX Series Light suits an early intermediate better than a true beginner. It is soft and forgiving, but the teardrop shape pushes the sweet spot slightly higher than a round frame, which asks for cleaner contact than a first racket should. A brand-new player will learn faster on a round head around 350 to 360g, then step up to this once their swing settles.

It leans control, with a comfort bias. The soft EVA Soft Performance core and smooth fiberglass face cushion the ball and prioritize a gentle, predictable hit over raw pace, so power comes from your timing rather than the frame. It adds a little reach and leverage, but this is a placement racket, not a hammer.

For a strong attacking player, no. A soft core and a light 355g build deliberately soften the top end, so a smash lands with depth but not point-ending pace, and the smooth face limits spin on the víbora. A finisher who generates their own speed will want a firmer, heavier frame and should look elsewhere.

It pairs an EVA Soft Performance core with a smooth fiberglass hitting face, wrapped in a carbon frame. The soft foam and flexing fiberglass are what make it easy on the arm, cushioning contact and widening the margin on off-center hits. The tradeoff is less bite for spin than a rough carbon surface would give.

Yes, and that is its main selling point. A soft core, a flexing fiberglass face, and a light 355g build send noticeably less shock back through the elbow and shoulder than firmer rackets do. If you are shopping because a stiffer racket left your arm sore, this is one of the kinder options in its class.

Pricing sits in the mid range for an intermediate frame, and the live figure from the retailer we track is in the where-to-buy block below, localized to your currency. We only surface it from a shop that has stock as you read this, so the price you see is the one you can actually buy at right now. If you want the fit checked against your game first, the free 2-minute quiz weighs your level, style, and budget and tells you whether this is your racket.

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