Every week someone messages us some version of the same question: "What racket does Galán play, and should I get it?" Fair question — Ale Galán is one of the best players on the planet and adidas built an entire racket family around him. The honest answer comes in two parts: the racket is the Metalbone, and most players asking probably shouldn't buy the top-spec version. Here's the full picture, player to player, so you can decide from facts instead of hype.

The Metalbone family in 60 seconds

The Metalbone name covers several very different frames, and this is where most buyers get lost:

• Metalbone Carbon 3.5 (870 AED) — the accessible entry to the line. Diamond shape but 6K carbon and a softer overall response. The one most strong-intermediate players should actually be looking at.
• Metalbone 3.4 (950 AED) — last generation's standard model. Same DNA, quieter price. Serious value while stock lasts.
• Metalbone 3.5 (1,325 AED) — the current standard flagship.
• Metalbone HRD+ 3.5 (1,345 AED) — the harder, stiffer spec adidas positions as Galán's own setup.
• Metalbone Pro EDT 2026 (1,600 AED) — the limited-edition 16K aluminized-carbon build. A statement piece; brutal and brilliant in equal measure.
• Metalbone Control 2026 (1,365 AED) — the outlier: round shape, even balance, 3K carbon, built for placement players. Metalbone badge, completely different personality.

This guide focuses on the two frames people actually cross-shop: the 3.5 and the HRD+ 3.5.

Metalbone 3.5 vs HRD+ 3.5: the real differences

Side by side they look nearly identical: diamond shape, head-heavy balance, the adjustable Weight & Balance System, rough spin-friendly faces. The differences are inside — and you feel them on the first bandeja.

The 3.5 is the more forgiving of the two — and "forgiving" is relative here, because this is still a stiff, head-heavy attacking frame. The EVA Soft Performance core gives you a slightly longer dwell time on contact, which helps on flat volleys and takes a little sting out of off-centre hits. If you're stepping up from a mid-range power racket, this is the one your arm will tolerate better.

The HRD+ is the harder animal. The High Memory core barely compresses, so what you swing is exactly what you get: hit it clean at pace and the ball leaves the face like it's insulted. That's the point — it's built for players who generate their own racket-head speed and strike the centre consistently. Hit it late, tired, or off-centre and it gives you nothing back. No racket punishes a lazy bandeja more honestly.

The adjustable weights — actually useful, not a gimmick

Both frames carry adidas' Weight & Balance System: removable weights letting you add up to 11.2 g and shift the balance point. In practice this matters more than it sounds. Run it light and even-ish for fast hands at the net in quick UAE indoor games; load the head for outdoor courts and heavier balls. It's the closest thing padel has to tuning your own frame, and it means one racket can cover two setups. Genuine plus for both models.

What they're like to live with

The good: overheads. Smashes, viboras, bandejas with intent — the head-heavy diamond geometry puts real mass behind the ball, and the rough faces grab enough for heavy spin. If your game is finishing points from mid-court, few frames reward you like these.

The honest cons, because there are several: the head weight costs you in defence — blocks and quick chest-height exchanges need earlier preparation than a round or teardrop frame. The sweet spot sits high and it is not huge; mishits are loud and unrewarding. And stiffness is cumulative — three matches a week on a rigid, head-heavy frame is exactly the recipe we described in our padel elbow guide. If you've had arm trouble, the HRD+ especially is not your racket, whatever Galán does with it.

Who should buy which

Buy the Metalbone 3.5 if you're an advanced player, attack-first, who wants the flagship power frame with a fraction of comfort left in the core. It's the sensible pick of the two — and "sensible" and "Metalbone" rarely appear in the same sentence.

Buy the HRD+ 3.5 if you're a strong, physical player with clean technique who finds normal power rackets mushy. You'll know if this is you: you already time the ball early, you finish overhead points, and your current racket feels like it's absorbing pace you want back.

Buy neither if you're intermediate or arm-sensitive. That's not gatekeeping — a diamond, head-heavy, stiff frame will actively slow your improvement if you're still building technique, because it hides nothing and forgives nothing. Start with our level guide or look at the Metalbone Carbon 3.5: 80% of the experience, noticeably easier to play, 870 AED. Round-shape players who love the adidas build should look at the Metalbone Control 2026 instead — same family, opposite philosophy, huge sweet spot. Our shape guide explains why that matters more than the name on the frame.

The value plays

Two quiet ways into the line: the Metalbone 3.4 at 950 AED is last season's standard flagship — same diamond/head-heavy character, same adjustable weights, 375 AED less. And the Galán Pro Bundle pairs the Metalbone 3.5 with overgrips and balls at 1,250 AED — less than the racket alone at full price. Both limited stock; when they're gone we won't relist them at those numbers.

Verdict

The Metalbone 3.5 and HRD+ 3.5 are excellent at exactly what they claim: maximum attacking output for players with the level to use it. The 3.5 is the smarter buy for most advanced players; the HRD+ is a specialist's frame that's spectacular in the right hands and miserable in the wrong ones. Know which hands you have.

Not sure? That's literally what we're here for — message us on WhatsApp, tell us your level and how often you play, and we'll tell you straight whether a Metalbone fits your game or whether your money is better spent elsewhere in the adidas range. Every racket ships from Dubai stock, express 1–2 days UAE-wide, free over 500 AED. Play it Bueno.