Adidas Metalbone Team Light 3.4 2025

Technologies

Pros

• ✓The low-density Soft Performance EVA core practically returns the ball on its own out of low wall exits — those rushed defensive gets where all you can do is push with your body off balance; at 345-360g with a medium balance the racket whips through crossed block volleys and hip-height reflex shots without the swing weight of a diamond shape; the sweet spot generated by the Octagonal structure forgives hits toward the throat and frame, so your bandeja still comes out controlled even off-center; the gritty Spin Blade Gritt texture bites just enough to slice the bandeja and close out a crossed vibora with real, not cosmetic, sidespin; and the extended Power Extra Grip handle lets you choke down for the smash and serve, adding a bit of extra snap without changing your usual grip

Cons

• ✗On a flat smash from position 3 the fiberglass face flexes and sends back a ball that bounces high — if your game plan is to close points in one shot, this racket forces you into a second smash; the medium-soft feel cushions so much that on fast courts it's hard to read exactly where you made contact, and players used to a hard EVA core will miss that crisp, dry feedback; the fiberglass face scuffs and wears faster than a carbon face on frame scrapes against the glass or low drop-shot contact with the floor; and its lightweight, control-oriented character falls short on the power serve, since a light racket needs real wrist technique to generate racket-head speed — you can't just muscle it

Adidas Metalbone Team Light 3.4 2025 review: the lightweight round racket the Metalbone line was missing

The Adidas Metalbone Team Light 3.4 2025 is the odd one out in the Metalbone family tree: round shape, medium balance, 345-360g and a fiberglass face with Spin Blade Gritt texture, in a lineup that built its name on aggressive, power-first profiles. The low-density Soft Performance EVA core and Octagonal structure round out a padel racket designed to play fast without punishing your joints.

This is a control racket, and it's worth saying that up front, because the Metalbone name usually sets very different expectations.

Metalbone Team Light 3.4 specs breakdown

What does a fiberglass face give you that carbon doesn't?

Fiberglass flexes more than carbon under the same impact. That extra flex does two things at once: it stretches the dwell time on the ball, and it filters out vibration before it reaches your elbow.

On court that shows up as a very distinctive medium-soft touch. The ball stays on the face a fraction longer, and that extra fraction is exactly what lets you correct the line on a blocked volley or add one last degree of wrist snap on a pinchada.

The trade-off shows up on the smash. Where a stiffer carbon face fires energy straight back, here some of that energy just gets absorbed in the flex. The flat smash still goes through, but with less terminal speed than you'd expect coming from a stiffer racket.

Soft Performance EVA and Octagonal Structure: why the ball exits on its own

The Soft Performance EVA core is low-density. It compresses under very little input force, and that defines this racket's single best trait: ball exit on unsupported shots.

Picture the situation: ball glued to the side wall, low bounce, you arrive with your body open and no way to load up. With a hard rubber core, that shot dies in the net or falls short in the box. With this core, the compression of the rubber itself pushes the ball all the way through even when your own input is minimal.

The Octagonal structure spreads stress across the inside of the face instead of concentrating it at the geometric center. The result is a sweet spot that's not just big but genuinely forgiving — hits displaced toward the throat or the frame edges still come out with usable direction.

The polyhedral Low Poly design in the core and frame, plus the extended Power Extra Grip handle, pull in the opposite direction, adding a bit of hitting power to a package that, by weight and shape alone, wouldn't have much. They don't turn this into a power racket; they just take the dead, mushy edge off it.

How does it perform shot by shot?

Bandeja. Its signature shot. The big sweet spot and gritty texture let you cut it with confidence even when a lob has eaten up two meters on you. It comes out with real bite and a low bounce.

Vibora. Works well crosscourt, with genuine sidespin thanks to the Spin Blade Gritt texture. Down the line, when you're trying to end the point in one shot, it falls a bit short on exit speed.

Smash from position 3. Time for honesty here. The ball climbs, but without the pace that makes the opponent's lob-back impossible. It's a construction smash, not a finisher.

Defense and wall exits. This is where this Adidas racket wins points. The 345-360g weight lets you reposition the face late, and the soft core bails you out on shots you can only push, not drive.

Volleys. Very quick to handle thanks to the medium balance. The softness helps the drop volley and costs you a touch on the deep attacking volley, which wants more wall — er, more pop off the face.

Who is this racket built for?

For the advanced player who builds the point rather than blowing it open. Classic profile: backhand that plays the walls, quality bandeja, someone who gets to net through prior work rather than a winning smash.

Four signs it's your racket:

1. You want control without giving up all your power, and you're fine with that trade-off.
2. You're carrying elbow or shoulder niggles and need a rubber that soaks up vibration.
3. You play long matches where racket weight adds up in your arm over three sets.
4. You miss more from mishitting off-center than from lack of pop.

And one sign it isn't: if your game lives and dies by the smash from position 3 and a flat winning serve, this model will frustrate you on the third ball of every point.

As a doubles pairing, it works well next to a hard-hitting partner who takes on the smash. You sustain the rally, they close it out.

Verdict: forgiving control, with a real power ceiling

The Metalbone Team Light 3.4 2025 does exactly what its materials promise. The Soft Performance EVA core and fiberglass face deliver instant ball exit, a huge sweet spot and genuine arm comfort — in exchange, they put a clear ceiling on your smash.

The downsides aren't minor: a flat smash that lacks bite, muted feedback that's hard to read on fast courts, and a fiberglass face that scuffs sooner than carbon would.

If you understand that trade-off and your game runs on bandeja, walls and placement, this is a coherent buy. If you expect the Metalbone name to mean an attacking racket, you're looking at the wrong model in the range.