Softee Pádel Chacal

Pros

• ✓The EVA Soft S3 core paired with the glass-fibre face pretty much sends the ball back on its own on block volleys and wall exits, no need to accelerate the swing. The wide sweet spot of the teardrop shape forgives off-centre contact: catch a bandeja near the frame and it still comes out with enough height and depth. At 355-365 g with a medium balance, the racket gets into position in time on low defensive shots and lets you snap the wrist on the vibora without slowing your prep. The sandy finish grips the ball just enough to work the cut on the bandeja and add kick to defensive lobs from the back of the court. The 38 mm frame with soft rubber cushions impact and cuts down the vibration reaching your forearm, which you'll appreciate over several sessions a week.

Cons

• ✗Glass fibre flexes a lot on contact: on a flat smash for the line it lacks the crisp, immediate response a carbon face delivers. The power ceiling arrives early; players already hitting hard from the back will find the racket stops keeping up with their arm speed. A medium balance in a teardrop shape doesn't concentrate mass in the head, so putting away a smash down the line means generating all the speed yourself. The soft feel costs you feedback on short volleys: it's hard to fine-tune a chop shot because the ball sinks into the rubber and comes off slower than expected.

The Softee Pádel Chacal is built for beginner players looking for an easy-to-handle, forgiving racket. Its teardrop shape shifts the sweet spot slightly upwards, striking a balance between control and power. The medium balance keeps a balanced behaviour between baseline shots and volleys. Its 355-365g weight range places it in the medium-weight group, the most common among amateur players.

A full glass-fibre face, EVA Soft S3 core and 38 mm frame: the Softee Pádel Chacal doesn't hide who it's built for. It's a teardrop-shaped padel racket weighing 355-365 g with medium balance and a sandy surface, designed to get the ball out without forcing your swing.

It's an honest entry-level option, no exotic materials or trademarked tech to speak of. What's interesting is how these three materials work together.

Glass fibre and EVA Soft S3: the recipe behind that easy ball exit

The glass-fibre build is the single biggest factor shaping the feel of this padel racket. Compared to a carbon face, glass fibre flexes more on impact and returns energy with a slight delay: less crisp response, more comfort, and a lot more tolerance for a mishit.

The EVA Soft S3 core pushes in the same direction. It's a foam on the softer end of the EVA spectrum, one that compresses at low swing speed and pops the ball back out by leaning on the material's own elasticity rather than demanding acceleration from the player.

The payoff is a very generous ball exit. The ball comes out deep even when the shot is late or off-centre, which is exactly the issue most players face a few months into the sport.

The 38 mm profile keeps the hitting plane stable and works with the teardrop geometry to widen the usable area of the face. This isn't a thin, whippy frame — it's the standard thickness that delivers consistency without piling on weight.

What level of player is the Softee Pádel Chacal for?

The Softee Pádel Chacal is built for beginners and amateur players chasing an even split of power and control. The EVA Soft S3 core, glass-fibre face and medium balance mean the ball comes out well even at low swing speed, and off-centre hits won't end up in the net.

It's a good fit if you recognise yourself in any of these:

• You've been playing for under a season and still can't reliably tell where the ball lands on the face.
• You're coming from another racket sport and want a paddle that won't punish your elbow while you fix your technique.

• You play long social matches and need your lob and defensive game to come easily.

It's not the right call if you're already smashing for the line with intent to finish points, or if your game is built around ball speed — that's where this material falls short of what you're asking for.

Shot by shot: where this 38 mm teardrop shines, and where it falls short

The wall exit is where this racket makes its best case. The ball arrives low, your arm is short on time, and the soft foam does the job: it comes out with enough height to reset position without needing a full finishing swing.

On the bandeja, the response is comfortable. The wide sweet spot lets you make contact slightly above centre without losing depth, and the sandy finish helps the cut bite and the ball die against the glass.

The vibora is where the first limitation shows up. Maneuverability is there thanks to the medium balance and 355-365 g weight, but the racket lacks the stiffness needed for the ball to come out tight and fast enough to really hurt from the corner.

On the flat smash, the material clearly falls short. The glass fibre's flex softens the impact right when you want the opposite — a crisp face that transfers all your arm speed. You can still smash with it, but it's more about causing discomfort than closing out the point.

On volleys, the balance works in your favour and the racket comes up fast, though the soft feel costs you some sense of contact on drop shots and short chops.

What does the sandy finish add to your spin game?

The sandpaper-like rough surface adds friction on contact, which translates into more grip for cutting and topspin shots. For a beginner, the real payoff isn't in the smash — it's in the kick lob and the cut bandeja, two shots that lean more on friction than raw power.

This finish wears down with use, so that extra grip is more noticeable in the first few weeks than by the end of the season.

Softee Pádel Chacal: full specs

Verdict: a first-season racket, not a first-tournament one

This model delivers exactly what it promises, no more. Very easy ball exit, a big sweet spot, cushioned impact and a manageable weight that doesn't leave you late to defensive shots. For someone still building their game, that combination speeds up learning more than any premium material would.

The limits are just as clear. The glass fibre sets a power ceiling you'll hit within a few months of progress, and the soft feel hides feedback on delicate net play. Players starting to finish points with the smash will soon be wishing for a stiffer face.

As a doubles partner racket, this Softee model works best alongside someone who takes charge of finishing at the net while you hold down the long rallies and the lob game. If that split matches how you play your matches, the Chacal is a sensible buy; if you're already looking to attack above the service line, it's worth looking at rackets with a carbon face instead.