# Your first padel racket: a good one for under € 100

> You do not need a € 300 racket to start. What matters for a first racket, and which ones score best for under € 100.

- URL: https://padell.io/guides/first-padel-racket-under-100/
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Published: 2026-09-23
- Author: [Ruud Caris](https://padell.io/about/)
- Language: en
- Site: padell.io (https://padell.io/)

Shop links go through padell.io/go/ (affiliate links: padell.io may earn a commission, which never affects scores). Prices include shipping to the Netherlands unless stated otherwise, and change daily.

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[Buying](https://padell.io/guides/)

You do not need a € 300 racket to start. What matters for a first racket, and which ones score best for under € 100.

[**Ruud Caris**](https://padell.io/about/) · Updated 5 October 2026 · 1 min read

**In this guide**

1. What a first racket needs
2. What you can safely ignore
3. The best starter rackets under € 100
4. One tip

You have played a few times with a rented racket and you are hooked. Time for your own. The good news: you do not need to spend much. The expensive rackets are made for players who hit hard and often, and they are usually harder to play, not easier.

## What a first racket needs

**Forgiveness first.** In your first months plenty of balls land off-centre. A racket with a big sweet spot sends those balls back anyway. That is a [round shape](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-shapes/), or a teardrop with a medium to low balance.

**No diamond.** Diamond rackets have their sweet spot high up and punish every miss. Great for a smash once you can hit one on purpose. Not now.

**A soft or medium core.** Easier on your arm while your technique is still growing, and you get more help from the racket on slow balls.

**A normal weight.** Somewhere between 350 and 370 grams suits most adults. Lighter is fine if you are small or have arm trouble.

## What you can safely ignore

Carbon counts like 12K or 18K, 3D surfaces, pro player names. They change little for a starting player, and they are where the price goes up.

## The best starter rackets under € 100

This list only shows rackets that cost € 100 or less today at a shop padell.io tracks, that are forgiving in the padell.io profile and that are not diamond-shaped. Sorted on forgiveness first, then on the overall score.

The best first padel rackets under € 100

[adidas Rx Series · 8.5 **€ 85**](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/rx-series/) [adidas Drive Light 2026 · 8.1 **€ 66**](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/drive-light-2026/) [adidas Cross IT Team Light 2026 · 7.8 **€ 95**](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/cross-it-team-light-2026/) [Babolat Counter Origin · 8.6 **€ 74**](https://padell.io/rackets/babolat/counter-origin/)

[See the full list →](https://padell.io/best/first-racket-under-100/)

Prices move every day. The list updates with them, so a racket can drop in or out.

## One tip

Buy last year's model. Brands release a new version every year, often with small changes, and the old one gets cheaper. Every racket page shows when an older version is technically the same.

**Which racket suits your game?** The racket finder asks about your level, side and arm, and shows the rackets that fit, with the reasons why.

[Start the racket finder](https://padell.io/finder/#quiz)

Written by **Ruud Caris**

Builds websites since 2008 and plays padel

[About padell.io →](https://padell.io/about/)

## Keep reading

[Buying **Which padel racket fits me?** Four questions. That's all you need to pick the right one from 625 rackets. Here you can read what those questions are and in what order to ask them. · 6 min read](https://padell.io/guides/which-padel-racket/) [Basics **Round, teardrop or diamond: which racket shape suits you?** The shape decides where the sweet spot sits and how the weight is spread. Three shapes, three kinds of player. · 2 min read](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-shapes/) [Buying **New model or last year's? Same racket, lower price** Of the 131 generation pairs in the index, 9 are identical on paper. New color, same specs. Buy the old model and pay less. · 4 min read](https://padell.io/guides/last-years-padel-racket/)