Puma Solar Attack PWR 2023

Technologies

Pros

• ✓18K carbon on the face paired with a soft EVA core is an unusual combo: a taut hitting surface that snaps the ball back fast, yet stays kind on the elbow through long smashing sessions The diamond shape with a head-heavy balance piles mass into the head and multiplies energy on the flat smash and vibora: shots where the racket arrives with its own momentum, so you're not the one doing the pushing The pronounced surface texture bites into the ball on sliced and cut shots, and you feel it in bandejas with spin and in lifted viboras that drop before the back glass The Power Bar reinforces the bridge and adds support at impact, helping transfer power without the frame folding on you when you catch shots at mid-height The 38 mm profile plus 45.5 cm length give you extra reach on high volleys and on balls that end up just out of comfortable range at the net

Cons

• ✗At 350-370 g with a head-heavy balance, defending from the back becomes demanding: mishit the wall exit and the head drags, leaving your lob short The diamond's sweet spot is small and sits high up the face; contact below centre vibrates and loses pace, which punishes you on quick blocks Limited maneuverability shows up in fast mid-court volley exchanges, where switching the hitting plane between two quick balls costs more effort than with a round racket This isn't a racket that forgives shaky technique: it demands early preparation and a firm wrist, and below intermediate-advanced level that extra power just doesn't turn into points

Puma SolarAttack PWR 2023 review: the 38 mm diamond built for smashing

The Puma SolarAttack PWR 2023 is the attacking option in the Solar line: diamond shape, 18K carbon face, soft EVA core, 38 mm profile, 45.5 cm length and a weight of 350 to 370 grams with the balance shifted toward the tip. Inside the Solar range, the PWR tag spells that out clearly — the hitting version, as opposed to the round CTR built for control.

Puma isn't a household name in padel history, which makes the build choice all the more interesting: rather than launching a forgiving, all-rounder racket, the SolarAttack PWR sits at the aggressive end of the lineup, backed by Power Bar and Twin Tube Frame as structural talking points.

Who should be playing with the Puma SolarAttack PWR?

This is a racket for advanced players, or intermediate-advanced players with solid technique already in place. The diamond shape, head-heavy balance and up to 370 grams at the top of that range demand early preparation on every shot and a wrist strong enough to control the head. For a player still building their bandeja, it asks more than it gives back.

The profile here is a net-crasher: someone who steps in, finishes points up top, and doesn't need to construct five balls before closing things out.

Spec sheet

18K carbon over soft EVA: an unusual pairing, and why it works

18K carbon weave is dense and stiff: the higher the K number, the more fibre bundles per strand, and the tighter the hitting surface. On court, that means the ball comes off fast with minimal face deformation, cutting contact time and sharpening the response on smashes.

What softens the whole package is the soft EVA core. A soft rubber underneath a rigid face cushions impact and keeps ball exit generous even when you're not hitting dead centre. That's why this model doesn't play like a brick despite the 18K carbon and diamond shape — the ball sits on the face for that extra split second and comes off with direction.

The 38 mm frame rounds off the picture. It's a maximum-allowed profile, which widens the contact area on high volleys and adds a touch of extra reach alongside the 45.5 cm length.

Power Bar and Twin Tube Frame: what they actually do

The Power Bar is a built-in reinforcement that works on the kinetic chain of the shot, adding support right at the moment of impact to generate more power without sacrificing comfort. On court, that translates to the racket not "folding" when you catch a shot hard at mid-height.

The Twin Tube Frame beefs up the structure — essential when you're carrying 370 grams with the balance up top: the head arrives with real momentum, and the frame has to absorb that load without twisting.

Shot by shot: how it plays

Smash and flat power shots. This is where the racket earns its keep. The head-heavy balance does the work of accelerating the head for you, and the 18K carbon gives that energy straight back instead of soaking it up. Smashes come off with a high ball exit speed, and the cut shot to the back glass carries just the right amount of bite thanks to the rough surface.

Vibora and bandeja. The pronounced texture grips the ball on sliced and lifted shots, so the vibora picks up serious spin and drops sooner than your opponent expects. The bandeja works too, but it demands technique: with the balance up in the tip, if you don't prepare early it runs long on you.

Volleys. Strong on high, finishing volleys, where the 38 mm profile and the weight work in your favour. Weaker in fast mid-court exchanges — limited maneuverability costs you when you need to reset the hitting plane between two quick balls.

Defence and wall exits. This is its weak spot, and it's worth saying plainly. From the back of the court, the weight up in the head is hard to control, and a deep lob takes extra arm effort. The soft EVA core helps keep the ball alive off the face, but it doesn't fully offset that momentum.

Sweet spot. The diamond shape pushes the sweet spot up high and shrinks it. Low contact vibrates and loses pace, and that's exactly where this racket punishes an inconsistent player.

What kind of partner suits this Puma?

A backhand player who builds points and feeds playable balls, leaving whoever's on the SolarAttack PWR to finish up top. This is a second-shot racket — it doesn't construct the point, it closes it.

If your partner is also pure attack and neither of you owns the defensive work, this racket's profile will end up working against you in longer rallies.

Verdict: real power, with a clear trade-off

What the Puma SolarAttack PWR delivers is above-average power and a surprisingly comfortable ball exit for an 18K diamond — credit goes straight to the soft EVA core. Control is solid without being the headline, and the rough surface adds a layer of spin that a lot of power rackets sacrifice.

What it costs you: maneuverability, sweet spot size and defensive work. These are the three classic trade-offs of a head-heavy diamond, and all three show up here.

If you play at the net, finish points up top and want a mid-to-upper-tier attacking racket from outside the usual big brands, it makes sense. If you need your racket to help you defend, or you'll be swinging 350-plus grams without solid technique behind it, there are more forgiving options out there.