Padel rackets sell for roughly $60 at the entry end and about $400 at the top of the shelf. Ours run from $240 to $370. Nearly all of that spread is three things: the carbon on the face, the foam behind it, and the finishing of both. The honest part is that the curve flattens early. A well-made carbon racket from the middle of the market will play most of the padel most people can play. What the upper end buys is not a different shot — it is a narrower tolerance, a frame finished to be looked at, and everything that arrives with it. Below is our own price taken apart.
Where the Curve Flattens.
The received verdict is that spending past the middle of the carbon market returns less and less. We have no argument with it. An 18K face does not correct a late swing; it makes a clean one slightly cleaner and an untidy one slightly harsher. A player who meets half the ball is better served by a soft core and a round face than by anything expensive. The useful question is not whether a dearer racket plays better, but what you are buying once the playing difference has gone quiet.
What the Money Goes Into.
The face. 3K, 12K and 18K count the filaments bundled into each strand of the carbon weave — not how hard the racket plays. A denser weave puts more carbon into the same area, which firms the surface and raises the cost of the sheet before anyone has cut it. It is the largest material difference between a $240 racket and a $370 one, and the carbon article takes it apart properly.
The core. Behind the face sits EVA foam, and its density decides most of what the hand reports back. Soft forgives, medium sits between, hard returns energy and asks for a clean strike in exchange. The foam is cheap; matching it to the face above is not, and a core chosen badly gives a racket that is loud and dead at once.
The finish. Paint, lacquer, the wordmark along the frame, the monogram on the face. None of it changes a shot. It decides whether the racket still looks like itself at the end of a season — the part of a price a player either wants or does not.
Our Prices, in Full.
| Racket | Price | Carbon | Core | Control / Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Rose | $240 | 3K | EVA Soft | 80 / 20 |
| Monaco Red | $240 | 3K | EVA Soft | 80 / 20 |
| Bel Air Green | $270 | 12K | EVA Medium | 50 / 50 |
| Soho Blue | $270 | 12K | EVA Medium | 50 / 50 |
| Tribeca Laser Black | $370 | 18K | EVA Hard | 20 / 80 |
Thirty dollars separates 3K from 12K, a hundred separates 12K from 18K, and matte costs the same as gloss — the finish is a matter of taste, and we would rather not charge for taste. For a first racket the $240 end is the right end: the Monaco Red and the Miami Rose are both 80% control on a soft core, and neither punishes you for learning. The racket guide sets the five families side by side.
What the Price Already Covers.
A cover comes with every racket. Delivery is complimentary and tracked, worldwide, with nothing added at checkout: 7–12 days in transit to Europe, 7–14 to the United Kingdom, 10–18 to the United States, 10–20 to the Middle East. The delivery page holds the rest.
Import duties are ours. We are exact about the rest: treatment of import VAT and local taxes can vary by destination, and we will confirm yours before you order. In the United Kingdom, customs duty applies to goods sent from abroad worth more than £135, and above that threshold the delivery company collects what is owed before handing the parcel over — a second bill at the door, after the price on the site. The duty half of it does not reach you here.
Then fourteen days to return an unused racket, and a two-year warranty against manufacturing defects. Return postage is yours; the refund is the full amount you paid, since nothing was withheld for delivery.
What Costs Extra.
Engraving is not in the racket price, and we do not fold it in. Four placements: The Crown along the top of the frame at $60, either Wing on the lower face at $60 each, and The Signature across the upper face, in place of our wordmark, at $90. A mock-up follows by email after checkout, and nothing is cut until you approve it. Allow two working days more before dispatch. An engraved racket cannot be returned — the laser removes material, and material does not come back.
The gift box is $120: rigid, hunter green, the monogram in cream, cream tissue inside and a signed card to close it, packed with its racket. One box to a racket. It is a gift decision rather than a racket decision, and pricing it apart keeps it one.
Questions, Answered.
Why are padel rackets so expensive?
Most of the cost is the carbon sheet on the face and the EVA foam behind it, then the finishing of both. A denser carbon weave — 12K or 18K rather than 3K — puts more material into the same area and costs more before the racket is assembled. Brand marketing and sponsorship sit on top of that across the category.
Are expensive padel rackets worth it?
Past the middle of the carbon market, less than the price suggests. A well-made carbon racket plays most of the padel most players are able to play, and an 18K face does not correct a late swing. What more money buys is a firmer surface for a clean striker, a better-finished frame, and the service around it.
How much should I spend on a first padel racket?
Around the $240 mark, on a control-weighted racket with a soft core. Soft cores are more forgiving while a swing is still forming, and a hard, power-weighted racket bought early tends to be put down again.
What is included in the price of an Eterna racket?
The racket and its cover, complimentary tracked delivery worldwide, import duties, a fourteen-day return window on unused rackets and a two-year warranty against manufacturing defects. Engraving and the gift box are priced separately.
Will I pay customs or duties on an Eterna racket?
Import duties are covered by Eterna. Treatment of import VAT and local taxes can vary by destination — write to us before ordering and we will confirm the position for your country.
Prices and terms as published on this site, September 2026. UK customs threshold per GOV.UK.