padel rackets ireland.

How to choose a padel racket

Choosing a padel racket comes down to three things: shape, weight and your level. Getting them right makes more difference to your game than any single brand or model.

• Round: the sweet spot sits in the centre for maximum control and forgiveness. The best place for beginners and improvers to start. See round and beginner rackets.
• Teardrop: a balance of power and control, and the most versatile all-round option. See teardrop rackets.
• Diamond: weight towards the head for maximum power. Great for players who love to attack, and a shape you grow into as your timing improves. See diamond rackets.

Most rackets weigh 350–375g. Lighter frames with a lower balance are easier to manoeuvre and kinder on the arm; heavier, head-heavy frames hit harder and take a little longer to get used to. Softer EVA cores stay comfortable year-round, while stiff full-carbon frames feel firmer in the cold.

What a padel racket really costs per game

Almost every club in Ireland charges €5 to hire a racket, per racket, per session. We checked that against a dozen clubs including Padel LK, The Hive, Kerry Padel and Dublin Sports Dome, and €5 is the standard rate.

Play once a week for a year and hire alone costs you around €260. Buy your own and a €179.95 racket works out at €3.46 a session across that first year, and nothing at all in the years after it. You also get a far better racket than the one on the club rack.

If you're not ready to commit to a frame on its own, our starter kits bundle a racket with balls, grips and a protector for less than buying the pieces separately.

The brands we stock

We stock 36 padel rackets, not 400. Every one is hand-picked from the current and prior-season ranges of Bullpadel, NOX, adidas, HEAD and Babolat, and reviewed before it earns a place. Shipped from Waterford, no customs charges, free delivery on orders over €75 and 30-day returns on unused items.

Padel racket FAQs

What's the best padel racket for a beginner? A round or teardrop racket with a soft core: forgiving, easy on the arm and quick to learn with. The Babolat Counter Origin and Bullpadel Indiga W are our two usual recommendations. See our best padel rackets for beginners guide.

How much should I spend on my first padel racket? €70–€160 covers the best first rackets. If you already know you'll play every week, spending more on a racket you'll grow into is fine too. Tell us how often you play and we'll point you to the right one.

Is it padel or paddle? And what's a padel bat? Padel is the correct spelling, from the Spanish pádel. Plenty of people in Ireland search for a paddle racket or call it a padel bat, and they all mean the same thing: the solid, stringless, perforated racket you play padel with. Pickleball is a separate sport with its own paddles; our padel vs pickleball guide explains the difference.

Are the Lidl, Aldi or Decathlon padel rackets any good? Good enough to find out whether you like the game. If you've played twice and want to keep going, a proper entry frame from a padel brand will feel better on the arm and last longer. Our Decathlon vs specialist brands guide compares them.

Do you deliver padel rackets across Ireland? Yes. Delivery is free on orders over €75, we ship from Waterford, and orders typically arrive in 1–3 working days. Because we're an Irish company there are no customs charges.

Can I return a racket if it's not right for me? Yes. You have 30 days to return any unused item in its original packaging. If you're unsure which racket suits your game, email us before you order and we'll tell you honestly.

Read more: how to choose a padel racket · padel racket shapes explained · best intermediate rackets. Not sure where to play yet? Find your nearest court on our Ireland court finder.