Metalbone 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 list the same weight range, 345 to 360 g. They share a 38 mm thickness, a diamond shape and a head-heavy balance. Yet the face changes at every step. This 3.3 sits in the middle. Knowing what changed around it tells you a lot about what you are buying.
Three Metalbones, three faces: where the 3.3 sits in the chain
The Metalbone 3.2 lists an Aluminized Carbon face and a Spin Blade Mold surface. The 3.3 lists a Carbon Aluminized 2 to 1 fiber face and a Spin Blade Decal surface. Then the 3.4 Ale Galán moves to Carbon Aluminized 16K.
That is two face changes in a row, plus a new surface name on the 3.3. The other listed specs match: 345 to 360 g, 38 mm, a diamond shape, a head-heavy balance and an EVA Soft Performance core. These are changed labels, not measured changes. No source in the data measures how the faces differ on court.
One video reviewer called the 3.3 slightly bouncier than the previous model. That is one opinion, not a measurement. Read it as a hint and nothing more.
A large sweet spot in the reviews, a Low sweet spot in the meters
This is the odd part. padel.fyi played the racket, gave it 8 out of 10 and described a generous sweet spot. Two video reviewers who also played it, the4Set and Virgin Active Padel Club ZA, call it large too.
The meter on this page reads Low. It is built from the specs, and the diamond shape pulls it down. The soft core pulls the other way, and the reviews count as positive too. So which do you trust?
Both, with care. The meter describes the shape. The reviewers describe how the racket plays. One video reviewer, Padel Chiquito, warned that the sweet spot is demanding for less experienced players. Expect forgiveness on clean contact and less help when you mishit.
Six screws and a Weight & Balance System: what the page claims and what stays unpublished
The product page says the system uses removable weights in the neck. It claims you can change the balance and the total weight, and lean towards attack or control. That is the brand's claim. Reviewers call the system useful or highly adjustable. One also said that adjusting the screws can be tedious.
Here is what is missing. The balance in millimetres is not published. Only the label "Head Heavy" is. You also do not know how far the weights move the racket from that label. The weight range is 345 to 360 g as listed. Treat the adjustability as a way to tune your racket, not as a promise that it turns into a control racket.
A retailer lists Ale Galán as the pro player. The brand lists a 485 cm2 head and a length of 455 mm.
Soft EVA under a stiff carbon face: why power is High and control Low
The core is EVA Soft Performance, and a retailer describes it as lower density. The face is carbon-stiff. A soft core under a stiff face usually gives easy ball output and some damping. Ball output comes up in the reviews, from padel.fyi and from video reviewers.
The brand lists a carbon frame too, and the balance sits towards the head. On paper that adds momentum on smashes. It also makes the racket harder to swing in a hurry. The reviewers disagree on power. Fabio Ferro says it lacks power for aggressive smashes. Padel Chiquito says it is strong on smashes, and Virgin Active Padel Club ZA says power is easy to reach.
In practice: power is there, control comes from you. Comfort sits in the middle, because the stiff face and the head-heavy balance work against the soft core.
Metalbone Ctrl 3.3 or the Arrow Hit Light: where the handling changes
If the 3.3 sounds like too much racket, look at the Metalbone Ctrl 3.3. It is round and even-balanced, and its control and sweet spot meters read High. Power drops to Low. It is the opposite trade.
The adidas Arrow Hit Light Ari Sánchez lists the same weight range, shape, balance and core as this racket, with an ASC face. On paper it is a close relative, not a calmer one. Its meters match the 3.3.
So the choice is simple. Want power and a bigger hitting reward: stay with the 3.3. Want to hit with more safety: go round and even.
