HEAD Radical Pro (2024) vs. NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025)

Today, we're comparing two popular control-oriented rackets available at ThePadelShop.co.nz: the HEAD Radical Pro (2024) and the NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K by Miguel Lamperti's (2025).

While both aim to provide control, they achieve this through distinct designs and technologies, making them suitable for different types of players. Let's examine their similarities and differences across three key categories: Maneuverability, Feel, and Technologies, incorporating new details about their weight, balance, and core materials.

 

Maneuverability: Weight, Balance, and Shape

Both rackets are designed with a focus on control, but their shapes, weight, and balance contribute to different maneuverability characteristics.

The HEAD Radical Pro (2024) is part of a new, teardrop-shaped series with a new mold. This shape places the sweet spot midway between the center and the top. It boasts a lower weight and balance, which is specifically mentioned as improving maneuverability.

The NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025) features a round shape with a large sweet spot in the center. This racket has a medium weight and a low balance. The low balance typically contributes to better racket head speed and easier handling, despite the medium weight. The NOX padel racket also has EOS Flap technology, which involves side perforations designed to increase the maneuverability of the racket and distribute the weight for a fast and lethal racket.

So, both rackets offer good maneuverability. The HEAD Radical Pro (2024) achieves this through its inherently lower weight and balance combined with its teardrop shape. The NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025), despite its medium weight, leverages its low balance and round shape for easy handling, further enhanced by its EOS Flap technology.

 

 

Feel: Hitting Surface, Core Material, and Racket Frame Composition

The feel of a padel racket is crucial for control and comfort, and it's largely determined by the materials used in its construction.

The HEAD Radical Pro (2024) utilizes a 3K carbon hitting surface, which enhances due to its stiffness can add control and versatility. Its core is made with CONTROL FOAM, which provides exceptional control and enhances the sweet spot and the feeling when you strike the ball. The racket also incorporates Auxetic technology for extra power and sensational impact feel. It features a Tailored Frame, where every tube section is individually constructed for optimal performance. The Soft Butt Cap technology contributes to a softer playing feel and dampens vibrations.

The NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025) also features a 3K carbon fiber hitting surface. It retains the iconic NOX HR3 rubber core, now in color, known for its high density and memory effect. This combination is described as having an intermediate feel, characteristic of NOX racquets. The frame benefits from DCS (Dynamic Composite Structure), using more material from the frame up to four centimeters inside the face to minimize toughness differences and potential fiber cutting on off-center hits.

Both rackets share a 3K carbon hitting surface. However, the HEAD Radical Pro (2024) pairs this with CONTROL FOAM for exceptional control and enhanced feel and Auxetic technology for impact feel, along with a Soft Butt Cap for comfort. The NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025) combines the 3K carbon with the renowned HR3 rubber core for an intermediate feel. The HEAD highlights a Tailored Frame, whereas the NOX features DCS for increased durability.

 

 

Technologies: Surface Texture and Other Innovations

Both manufacturers incorporate unique technologies to enhance racket performance.

The HEAD Radical Pro (2024) features several key technologies:

• Soft Buttcap: A two-component construction for comfortable and soft handling, dampening vibration and reducing pressure to prevent injuries.
• Optimized Sweet Spot: A drilling pattern adapted to the specific characteristics of the racket.
• Tailored Frame: Every tube section is individually constructed to achieve the best performance for each racquet.
• Smart Bridge: Adapts the bridge area to the needs of the racket, which could be control, power, or comfort.
• AUXETIC: A construction that widens when pulled and contracts when squeezed, with the reaction increasing with force, contributing to the impact feel.

The NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025) boasts a wider array of technologies:

• Exclusive Spin: A double rough finish on the face, with a 3D hexagonal finish in the center and a sand texture on the rest, to improve control and add spin.
• SMARTSTRAP: A replaceable safety lacing system for hygiene, safety, and customization.
• Pulse System: Lateral rubber bands inserted from the base of the frame to the bottom of the racket to reduce vibrations transmitted to the player's hand.
• Custom Grip: A NOX-patented technology certified by Testea Pádel that increases grip by 52% and reduces vibrations by 29%, beneficial for players with sweating or epicondylitis.
• EOS Flap: Side perforations designed to increase maneuverability and weight distribution.
• DCS (Dynamic Composite Structure): By using a greater amount of material from the frame up to four centimeters inside the racket face we minimize the difference in toughness between the frame and the face.
• Photochromatic Paint: Reactive paint in the heart of the racket that changes color in sync with the rubber, offering a unique aesthetic.

The NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025) continues to stand out with its Exclusive Spin double rough surface for enhanced spin, the customizable Smartstrap, the vibration-dampening Pulse System and Custom Grip, and the maneuverability-focused EOS Flap. The HEAD Radical Pro (2024) emphasizes feel and impact with its Auxetic technology and CONTROL FOAM core, alongside comfort from the Soft Buttcap.

Which Racket is Right for You?

Considering the characteristics discussed above, here's updated guidance on the type of player each racket might suit best:

 

HEAD Radical Pro (2024)

Labeled for advanced players seeking radical control, appears well-suited for:

• Players who highly prioritize maneuverability thanks to its lower weight and balance.
• Players who appreciate a softer playing feel and enhanced comfort due to the Soft Butt Cap.
• Players who value a very controlled and responsive feel on impact from the CONTROL FOAM core and Auxetic technology.
• Players with an advanced technique who can leverage the control offered by the teardrop shape and 3K carbon surface.

 

NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025) - Miguel Lamperti

Aimed at intermediate players also seeking control, is likely a good fit for:

• Players who appreciate good maneuverability from a racket with a low balance, despite its medium weight.
• Players who are looking for a forgiving sweet spot due to its round shape.
• Players who desire enhanced spin on their shots with the double rough Exclusive Spin technology.
• Players looking for technologies that actively reduce vibration and offer a comfortable and customizable grip, such as the Pulse System and Custom Grip.
• Players who appreciate a balance of control and a slightly more solid feel with its 3K carbon and HR3 core, resulting in an intermediate feel.
• Players who value customizable features like the Smartstrap and the photochromatic paint for aesthetics.

Ultimately, the best way to choose is to consider your playing style, experience level, and personal preferences. Both the HEAD Radical Pro (2024) and the NOX ML10 Luxury Quantum 3K (2025) are excellent control rackets, and their specifications further refine their suitability for slightly different needs on the padel court.

Both of these padel rackets are available at ThePadelShop.co.nz, and can be shipped New Zealand wide within days on a tracked courier.