Adidas Adipower 3.2 Review: The All-Round Diamond at Half the Price
The most accessible way into a proper adidas diamond — a genuine oversize power head with EVA High Memory comfort, positioned by adidas as an all-rounder rather than a specialist, at a price that finally makes the shape reachable.
adidas is the most-searched padel brand in Ireland, and yet the affordable end of the adidas range is barely stocked here. That is the gap the Adipower 3.2 fills. It is a diamond oversize frame with the weight biased towards the head, a 15K aluminised carbon face and an EVA High Memory core — the recognisable Adipower recipe, at €119.95. Crucially, adidas does not sell it as a one-trick power bat: the brand positions the 3.2 as an all-rounder, where the head-biased diamond adds power while the High Memory rubber supplies comfort, control and a stable ball reaction. Here is what that means on court, and what the published test data says.
✓ What we like
- A real diamond oversize head at a mid-range price
- EVA High Memory core adds comfort and a stable ball reaction
- 15K aluminised carbon keeps it light without giving up control
- adidas builds it as an all-rounder, not a pure power specialist
- Spin Blade and Smart Holes Curve are flagship-level detailing
✗ Watch out for
- adidas rates it advanced/experienced — not a beginner racket
- Head-biased weight is demanding on the arm and shoulder
- 360–375g with a forward balance feels heavy if your technique is loose
- A 2023 model — you are buying last-generation styling
Specifications
Every figure below is taken from adidas / All For Padel's own published specification for this model. Where adidas does not publish a number, we have not invented one.
| Spec | Detail |
| Shape | Diamond, oversize |
| Weight | 360–375g |
| Balance | Biased towards the head |
| Length | 455mm |
| Face | 15K aluminised carbon |
| Core | EVA High Memory |
| Technologies | Dual eXoskeleton, Power Embossed Ridge, Spin Blade, Smart Holes Curve |
| Level | Advanced / experienced |
Review scores
The bars below are Padelful's published independent metrics for the Adipower 3.2 2023. These are an independent review platform's ratings, not our own.
Source: Padelful.
Why our overall score is 8.1, not 8.7. The 8.7 above belongs to Padelful and reflects pure on-court performance. Our 8.1 is our own editorial score and is a different measurement: it also weighs the fact that this is a 2023 model, that adidas restricts it to advanced players, and that the head-biased weight rules out a large share of Irish club players. We have kept the two numbers separate deliberately — we will not present our rating as anyone else's.
What reviewers praise
Power that comes from the geometry, not from hitting harder. The diamond oversize head with the weight sitting forward is the classic recipe for free power, and it scores 9.6 for power in Padelful's testing. Off the smash and on the vibora, the frame does the work.
It controls far better than a diamond has any right to. A 9.0 control score is the surprise in the data. adidas credits the EVA High Memory rubber for a stable, predictable ball reaction, and the 15K aluminised carbon face for keeping the frame light while retaining control. That combination is why adidas describes the 3.2 as an all-rounder rather than a specialist attacking frame.
Flagship detailing at a mid-range price. Dual eXoskeleton, the Power Embossed Ridge, Spin Blade and Smart Holes Curve are the technologies adidas lists on this frame. You are not getting a stripped-back budget build with an Adipower sticker on it.
What reviewers criticise
Manoeuvrability is the weak link. At 8.0 it is comfortably the lowest of the five metrics. Head-biased weight always costs you something in fast net exchanges and on defensive blocks, and this frame is no exception.
It is an advanced racket and adidas says so. adidas rates the level as advanced/experienced. If your technique is still forming, a 360–375g frame with the mass forward will punish you before it rewards you.
It is last-generation. This is the 2023 model. That is precisely why it is €119.95, but if owning the current-season graphic matters to you, this is not the racket.
Irish conditions
Most competitive padel in Ireland happens indoors — the heated club courts in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast are where the serious hitting gets done, and that is where the Adipower 3.2 makes most sense. Indoors the ball stays lively, the court plays fast, and a head-biased diamond has the stability to take pace off an opponent rather than being knocked around.
Outdoors in an Irish winter is a different question. Cold air makes any EVA core stiffer and the ball deader, and a frame this firm and this head-heavy will feel harsher on a five-degree evening than it does in a warm hall. The EVA High Memory core is the more forgiving end of adidas's rubber range, which helps, but if you play mostly on unheated outdoor courts through winter and you have any history of elbow trouble, be honest with yourself about that. Warm the ball in your pocket between points, use a fresh overgrip for grip in the damp, and find your nearest venue on our Ireland court finder.
Head-to-head comparisons
vs adidas Metalbone Team 2026
The Metalbone Team is the accessible entry into the Metalbone family rather than the Adipower family. The two lines have different characters: Adipower is adidas's long-running all-round performance platform, Metalbone is the more aggressive, structurally rigid attacking line. If you want the Adipower balance of power and control, the 3.2 is your frame; if you want the Metalbone identity on a budget, look at the Team. Read our Metalbone Team 2026 review.
vs adidas Metalbone Carbon 3.4 2025
The Metalbone Carbon 3.4 is the closer fight. Both are diamonds, both are 360–375g, both are 455mm long. The Carbon 3.4 uses a 6K carbon face over an EVA Soft Performance core in an octagonal tubular carbon frame, and adidas pitches it at the most demanding players. The Adipower 3.2 is the friendlier, more all-round of the two and roughly €60 cheaper. Step up if you want the Metalbone structure and the extra rigidity. Read our Metalbone Carbon 3.4 review.
vs the rest of the market at €120
At this price most rackets are round or teardrop control frames aimed at improvers. A genuine diamond oversize with a 15K carbon face and a named tech package is unusual here. If you have decided you want a power shape and you are an experienced player, the Adipower 3.2 is one of the very few honest options at the money. Browse the full rackets range or the adidas rackets collection.
Who should buy this racket
This racket is for you if...
- You are an experienced player who wants an adidas diamond without paying flagship money
- You want power from the shape but refuse to give up control to get it
- You play mostly indoors and hit through the ball
- You want the Adipower name and technology package at €119.95
Who should avoid it
Look elsewhere if...
- You are a beginner or early improver — adidas rates this advanced/experienced
- You need maximum manoeuvrability at the net
- You have a history of elbow or shoulder trouble and play outdoors in winter
- You want a current-season model rather than a 2023 frame
Newer and more structured? See the Metalbone Carbon 3.4 2025, or browse all adidas rackets.
Adidas Adipower 3.2 2023
Diamond oversize. 15K aluminised carbon face. EVA High Memory core. The accessible adidas diamond.
€119.95
The bottom line
The Adipower 3.2 is the racket that makes an adidas diamond a realistic purchase for an Irish club player. It has the geometry that generates power — oversize diamond head, weight biased forward — but adidas has deliberately paired it with an EVA High Memory core and a 15K aluminised carbon face so that it behaves like an all-rounder rather than a blunt instrument. Padelful's independent testing bears that out with a 9.6 for power and a 9.0 for control, and an 8.7 overall.
Our own score is a slightly cooler 8.1, because this is a 2023 frame that adidas restricts to advanced players and whose head bias will not suit everyone. But if you are an experienced player who wants the Adipower experience and does not want to spend €250 to get it, this is the most sensible route in that adidas currently offers.
Browse all adidas padel rackets, see the full rackets range, or compare with the Metalbone Carbon 3.4 2025 and the Metalbone Team 2026.