Bullpadel Xplo 26

The Bullpadel Xplo 26 is a heavy diamond racket with a high balance. Shops list it at 365 to 375 g and tag it as a professional-level frame built around Martín Di Nenno. Retailers list a Multieva core, an Xtend Carbon 12k face and a rough 3D grain surface. And one honest point up front: no court test by an independent source has been published for this racket. Everything below rests on the spec sheet, the brand's own ratings and the version history. That history turns out to be the most interesting part.

A shape label that keeps moving

The Xplo line has a strange paper trail. The 2025 model was listed with a "Geometric" shape. The Xplo 26 is listed as "Diamond". The 2027 successor, the Bullpadel Xplo 02 27, goes back to "Geometric". Bullpadel's own product text even calls the Xplo 26 geometric, while shops list it as a diamond.

What does that mean for you? Treat the label as a label. The playing profile stays the same across all three years: head-heavy, stiff, built for power. Whether the mould is called geometric or diamond, the specs describe the same kind of racket. One caution: the automatic comparison with the 2025 model is flagged as doubtful, because the two are listed at different levels. So do not read the shape change as a measured redesign.

The constants underneath the naming

Strip away the naming and the constants are clear. Every Xplo year runs 365 to 375 g, a 38 mm frame, a Multieva core and a high balance. That is a heavy racket with the weight sitting towards the head.

On court, that combination does two things. It gives you mass behind the ball on smashes and bandejas. And it slows the racket down when you have to react fast, at the net or in defence. The head size is listed at 535 cm2 by one shop. The exact balance in millimetres is not published for the 26, so there is no honest number to give you.

One retailer also lists a "Custom Weight" system on this racket. What that system does is not described in the listings, so it stays a label for now. Shops list a nominal weight of 370 g, though that figure comes from a web search, so treat it as indicative.

What 12k carbon does at the smash

The face is Xtend Carbon 12k, a carbon weave in the medium-stiff class. Stiffer faces return more energy on hard, fast swings. That is exactly what you want on a smash, and exactly what you do not need on a soft chiquita.

The Multieva core is Bullpadel's mixed-density foam. The brand's product text claims it answers firmly on aggressive shots and more softly on slow ones. That is a claim, not a measurement, but a medium core plus a stiff face usually means a firm touch overall. The rough 3D grain surface should help grip the ball on sliced volleys and kicked smashes. The 2027 model drops to a 3k carbon face, which on paper is the softer layup. If you want the stiffest Xplo, the 26 is it.

Bullpadel's own numbers: Power 5, Control 2,5

Bullpadel rates this racket itself: Power 5, Stiffness 4, Stability 3, and Maneuverability, Control and Sweet spot all at 2,5. These are the brand's figures, found via search, so treat them as the brand talking about its own product.

Still, they are telling. Even Bullpadel does not pretend this racket is easy. Maximum power, below-average control, below-average sweet spot. That matches what the specs suggest. Worried about your arm? A stiff, heavy, head-heavy frame is the profile that asks the most of it. Try it first if you can.

Xplo 26 against the Xplo 02 27 and the Vertex 04 25

The Xplo 02 27 keeps the same weight, balance, core and thickness. It switches to an X Tend Carbon 3k face and a "Geometric" label. On paper that is the friendlier racket: same platform, softer face.

The natural in-house rival is the Vertex line, Juan Tello's frame. The Vertex 04 25 shares the diamond mould, the high balance, the Multieva core, the 38 mm thickness and the same 365 to 375 g range. Its listed level spans advanced and professional, where the Xplo 26 is listed for professionals only. If you are choosing between them, the difference is in the face material and the level tag, not in the platform. The comparison with the XPLO 25 lists what the automatic match of those two found.

Who this racket leaves out

Not for beginners. Not for most intermediates either. The spec sheet asks for a player who already hits hard, hits clean, and wants help only on the finishing shot.

If you like the idea but not the stiffness, look at the Bullpadel Xplo Comfort 26. It is the same-year sibling. Same diamond head, same high balance, but a Fibrix face, a lighter 360 to 370 g range and a medium comfort profile. That is the version to consider if your arm has opinions.