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65% positive35 reviewsView price on Amazon
In shortPlayers mostly like it for a very large, forgiving sweet spot, a soft feel, solid defence and kindness to the arm. The main drawback is a strong trampoline effect on blocks and fast volleys, and several report cracking or broken plastic weights. Suits defensive, control-minded players.
Showing 4 reviews mentioning great in defence Show all
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Loved the huge sweet spot and control for lobs and defence, but it wasn't agile enough so they switched to the ST4.
“I loved the Metalbone, especially the huge sweet spot, control, and ball output. The shots it excelled at for me were lobs and back of court defending.”
A few matches with the Metalbone CTRL 3.4: soft and hollow, very manoeuvrable, excellent in defence, but it let them down on blocks and offensive volleys.
Easy to defend with, but too much trampoline effect on blocks and fast volleys.
“I loved the metalbone for the ease of defending but the trampoline effect when blocking hard shots and volleying fast balls was just too much.”
Amazing in defence and at the back of the court until it cracked.
“Originally, I really liked the Metalbone CTRL, especially in defense and at the back of the court; the racket was amazing .”
Of the 34 reviews with a clear verdict, 65% are positive, 24% mixed and 12% negative. The praise mentioned most is forgiving. The most common complaint is durability issues.
The praise reviewers mention most: forgiving (9 reviews), arm-friendly (4 reviews) and good control (4 reviews). For example: Loved the huge sweet spot and control for lobs and defence, but it wasn't agile enough so they switched to the ST4.
The complaints reviewers mention most: durability issues (3 reviews) and small sweet spot (1 review). For example: Their Metalbone CTRL 3.4 cracked in the middle after a light knock against their knee; they find the Carbon version's face much stronger and more controllable.
#3 in Best Padel Rackets 2025, ranked by real player reviews.
34 are quotes from discussions on Reddit, YouTube and Other, each linked to the original post. 1 was written by players here. Player reviews are checked for spam before they appear, and only they count toward the star rating; quotes never do.