Babolat Viper Counter 2022 → Read our Test, Reviews & Opinions

Babolat Viper Counter

Our rating and review of the Babolat Viper Counter after testing the racket is summarized in that it gives you a good spin with the help of the structure of the racket’s surface. This padel racket also offers you a very good counter game thanks to the round model and its extra large sweetspot. The sweetspot sits high in this racket, making it a kind of offensive racket with a round shape and high control. 

After our test of the Babolat Viper Counter, which you can see in the video below, we can conclude that it’s hard to get extra pressure in the smash. But instead you get a lot of control and the possibility to control the balls in a completely different way compared to e.g. the Babolat Viper Technical in the same series. 

 

5 av 5 | Omdöme från tidigare kunder på Tengo.se
5/5
We have tested the racket!

Micke at Elitepadel has tested the racket. In this video you can see us test play and review the racket.

“This is a padel racket that is mainly a bit more defensively oriented thanks to the round shape. This racquet also has a bit more sweetspot than the other two (Air & Technical) which makes it a bit more forgiving on mis-hits.” – Micke on Elitepadel

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Babolat Viper Counter characteristics
Photo from when we tested the Babolat Viper Counter

Babolat Viper Counter characteristics

The first impression of the Viper Counter is the special shape, angular round you could say. It has a matte finish, which we like, and the color scheme is almost as stylish as the other two rackets in the new Viper series. We are very happy that Babolat finally produced a round racket for the offensive player, it was about time. For those who wanted to find a round racket that suits an aggressive style of play with decent ball speed, it is more than welcome as the range is very limited.

Like the Viper Technical and Viper Air, the Viper Counter also has an extra-long grip making it a great option for players who use a double-handed backhand. Another similarity to the rest of the series is that they are all made for technically proficient offensive players, nothing for the beginner. It’s a stable racket, the control and speed it provides is really good, but it requires clean hitting as it’s not marketed as a particularly forgiving racket. 

The Counter, with its 3k carbon fiber hitting surface, is the least hard racket in the Viper range, but still offers good speed in the strokes. According to the manufacturer, the Counter’s hallmark is exploiting the opponent’s speed, making it a fierce racket for the counter player.

Specifikationer
Information om racket
  • Varumärke: Babolat
  • Form: Rund
  • Balans: Topptung - 270 mm
  • Speltyp: Offensiv
  • Spelnivå: Avancerad
  • Vikt: 365 g (+/- 10)

Offensive racket with round shape

We are very happy that Babolat finally produced a round racket for the offensive player, it was really about time. For those who wanted to find a round racket that suits an aggressive style of play with good speed on the balls, it is more than welcome as the range is very limited.

Extra long grip

Like the Viper Technical and Viper Air, the Viper Counter has an extra-long grip, making it a great option for players who use a double-fisted backhand. 

Another similarity to the rest of the series is that they are all made for technically proficient offensive players, not for the beginner. 

It’s a stable racquet, the control and speed it provides is really good, but it requires clean hitting as it’s not marketed as a particularly forgiving racket.

3K carbon fiber

With its 3k carbon fibre hitting surface, the Counter is the least hard racket in the Viper series, but still offers good speed in the strokes. According to the manufacturer, the Counter’s hallmark is exploiting the opponent’s speed, which makes it a great racquet for the counter-attacker.

Material

The most common filling in padel rackets is EVA foam, as it comes in different densities and can therefore be used in many different types of rackets. The other option is called FOAM, and these rackets, in most cases, provide a softer feel and absorb vibrations more effectively, which can be good to consider if you are injury-prone.

The Viper Counter has a core built from newly developed X-EVA Technology and consists of three different layers that together should provide the ultimate effect. They have chosen to make the two outer layers stiffer with the intention of giving a really good response to hard hits, while the inner layer is softer. The softer inner layer is designed to increase comfort and tolerance to soft hits. 

A new and advanced vibration dampening system, the Vibrasorb System, is integrated into the racket’s neck just above the handle. Thanks to this, you get better comfort in strokes, and by reducing vibrations in an impressive way, it also helps prevent the risk of wrist and elbow injuries.

The Viper Counter has a hitting surface made of 3k carbon fiber, making it the least hard racket in the new Viper series. The hitting surface has a grooved texture and a finish reminiscent of sandpaper, a combination Babolat calls 3D Spin+, all to maximize both grip and spin to put proper pressure on the opponent.

The entire new Viper series, like previous models, is designed with HPS Technology. HPS stands for Hole Pattern System, which aims to provide better grip and more power in the strokes. The drilled holes in the racket are adapted to the shape and sweetspot of the racket, providing the ultimate ball feel in every shot.

Babolat Viper Counter Material
Photo from when we tested the Babolat Viper Counter

Balance

The Babolat Viper Counter is a racket with high balance and a central sweetspot. The high center of gravity, which we’ve measured up to 270mm, increases leverage, making it an effective weapon if explosive smashes and overhead shots are an important part of our playing style.

Racket shape

The Babolat Viper Counter is a round racket, one of the few on the market with this shape that suits an aggressive, technical style of play. The round rackets are usually recommended when you don’t have a lot of experience in padel as they tend to be quite soft and prioritize control and a greater margin of error over speed and power in the strokes. 

This is not the case with the Viper Counter, it is a hard racket that is quite technically demanding, you need clean strokes to get the maximum effect from this racket’s performance. We think it’s really cool that they’ve designed this type of racket because it gives us another choice and it’s an exciting combo.

Hard or soft?

The Viper Counter is classified as a hard racket. However, it might be good to know that it falls on the softer end among the hard variants, it offers better control but less power in the strokes in comparison to the other Viper variants for example.

PLAYER LEVEL AND TYPE

What level of player is the Babolat Viper Counter suitable for
Photo from when we tested the Babolat Viper Counter

What level of player is the Babolat Viper Counter suitable for?

This is a racket we recommend for the experienced player, either if you are a skilled intermediate player or at a more advanced level as a competitive player. It’s a forgiving racket in comparison to many other hard variants, but don’t think that just anyone can handle it. The hard core, 3k carbon fiber face, and high sweetspot require good technique and clean hitting to ensure the racket performs at its best.

Babolat’s own description is that it’s the perfect racket for exploiting your opponent’s speed with the powerful recoil it provides. That in itself means you don’t need to put as much speed on the ball, but if you lack technique, there are other options that are more suitable.

Is the racket best suited for attacking or defensive play?

The Babolat Viper Counter is actually a very interesting concept when it comes to a padel racket. It doesn’t shine on the offensive or defensive side, but its strength is precisely that it delivers a consistent result in all different parts of the game.

For an all-round player who doesn’t have a perfectly defined playing style, it’s an interesting variant to look at. However, the high center of gravity means that smashes and overhead shots should be an important part of your playing style.

Advantages of the Babolat Viper Counter

This is a really good racket for the counter player. A stable racket with a top-heavy balance and a centered sweetspot that is made to dominate with explosive smashes and powerful attacks as well as a lot of overhead play.

It provides good control even on softer shots, and the margin of error is acceptable even if you don’t hit the ball really clean. This is an all-round racket that works well for both attack and defense style play, and the long grip for players who use a double-handed backhand is a definite plus.

Plus / Minus
Summary of our review
  • Good for counterattacking
  • Explosive smashes
  • Stable and centered sweet spot
  • Difficult to play defensively

Disadvantages

The drawbacks we see are that it’s not as powerful as one might wish, the final push in overhead strokes will be lacking as the surface layer isn’t quite as hard. This racket, as previously mentioned, doesn’t shine either offensively or defensively.

Brief information about the Babolat brand

Founded back in 1875 in the French city of Lyon by Pierre Babolat, Babolat is a company that has dedicated its heart and soul to the world’s racket sports since its inception. Initially, their production consisted only of strings for tennis and badminton rackets, which was their only area of specialization for almost 120 years. 1994 was a major landmark for Babolat when their first complete tennis racket finally hit the market. 

Thanks to the company’s renowned expertise in the field, the rackets also quickly became a favorite among the top names in the world, paving the way for Babolat to become the world-leading brand it is today with a complete collection of rackets, shoes, clothing, and accessories. Just over 20 years ago, the sport of padel became very popular in 

Spanish-speaking countries around the world, and indeed Babolat immediately began to lead the way in this new and exciting market, which was constantly evolving. The Babolat brand is a family business and has long been associated throughout the sporting world with security and quality at both amateur and professional level. Babolat is the official sponsor of the World Padel Tour (WPT) and is used by, among many others, the recent Spanish World Champion Juan “El Lobo” Lebrón.

Babolat-logotyp

Babolat is operated in Sweden by:

Racketdoktorn AB
Ryssvägen 2
131 36 Nacka
E-mail: kundservice@racketdoktorn.se
Organisationsnummer: 556948-6144

Babolat racketsShapeBalanceGame typePlayer levelWeight
Babolat Viper TechnicalDiamondTop HeavyOffensiveAdvanced 365 g (+/- 10)
Babolat Viper AirHybridNeutralOffensiveAdvanced355 g (+/- 10)
Babolat Viper CounterRoundTop HeavyOffensiveAdvanced365 g (+/- 10)
Babolat Veron TechnicalDiamondTop HeavyOffensiveIntermediate - Advanced365 g (+/- 10)
Babolat Veron AirHybridNeutralOffensiveIntermediate - Advanced355 g (+/-10)
Babolat Veron CounterRoundTop HeavyCounterIntermediate - Advanced365 g (+/- 10)
Babolat DefianceRoundNeutralDefensiveBeginner - Intermediate350 g (+/-10)
Babolat ViperDiamondTop HeavyOffensiveBeginner - Intermediate360 g (+/-10)
Babolat Revenge CarbonHybrid/Drop ShapeNeutralMixedIntermediate - Advanced365 g (+/-10)
Babolat Revenge WDrop ShapeNeutralMixedIntermediate - Advanced350 g (+/-10)
Babolat ContactRoundNeutralMixedBeginner - Intermediate345 g (+/- 10)
Babolat Vertuo CounterRoundNeutralControlBeginner - Intermediate350 g (+/-10)
Babolat Vertuo AirHybrid/Drop ShapeNeutralAllroundBeginner - Intermediate345 g (+/- 10)
Babolat Vertuo TechnicalDiamondTop HeavyOffensiveIntermediate355 g (+/-10)
Click here to read about all Babolat padel rackets.
Babolat Viper Counter 2022

Reviews for Babolat Viper Counter

Our verdict on the Babolat Viper Counter is that the racket is particularly well suited for those who like fast and powerful smashes while also wanting to use the opponent’s power against them through counter shots.

Below we collect ratings, reviews and opinions from other paddle sites:

Users of the racket have given the racket 4,0 out of 5,0 on Lannasport.se

“This is a padel racket that is mainly a bit more defensively oriented thanks to the round shape. This racquet also has a bit more sweetspot than the other two (Air & Technical) which makes it a bit more forgiving on mis-hits.” – Micke on Elitepadel

5 of 5 | Reviews from previous customers on Tengo.se
5/5
We have tested the racket!

Micke at Elitepadel has tested the racket. In this video you can see us test play and review the racket.

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