Series 1: Build Your Own Padel Brand
Part 5 : “How to Brief Your OEM Factory — Turning Player Profiles into Real Padel Racket Specs”
Many new padel brands / padel club come to a factory and say:
“I want a racket with more power and control.”
“I want something like this “famous model“, but better.”
From a marketing perspective, that sounds normal.
From a factory perspective, that is… almost nothing.
The truth is …
1. Most Factories Are Great Builders — Not Racket Testers
This is one thing many new brands and club clients don’t realise:
In most Chinese factories, the “development team” almost NEVER plays padel themselves.
If you look at typical China factory culture, people are working 6–7 days a week, from morning till night, with very little leisure time. The factory KPIs are naturally focused on things that can be measured: producing more units, lowering scrap rate, reducing cost, passing impact tests and lab tests. On-court performance and “feel” don’t have a simple, standardized indicator, so they are not where most of the time and budget are invested. In this context, R&D usually means process and tooling engineering, not playability and feel for different types of players.
Most factories are very good at manufacturing, but honestly they have almost no language for “feel”. They don’t really talk about sweet spot, dwell time or comfort on court. For them, a racket is “good” if:
For them, a racket is “good” if:
- It passes impact / bombing tests without cracking
- There is no delamination
- Weight and balance are inside tolerance
- Paint and drilling hole looks clean
But that still tells you nothing about questions like:
- “Does this construction actually feel stiffer or softer than another one?”
- “Is this EVA + layup combo really helping my target player, or not?”
That’s why, when you work with a factory, you can’t just ask them which racket “feels better”. You need to tell them clearly the target weight and balance, the EVA hardness range you want to use, and the materials / layup direction you want to try — and then confirm everything through real play tests.
That’s exactly why having an OEM partner who understands both factory and on-court feel becomes so important.
My own work often sits in the middle:
- I translate brand language (“more control, but not dead”) into real specs.
- We build samples.
- Then I (and/or players) actually test them on court and send structured feedback back to the factory.
The factory manufactures.
The brand (with the help of someone who plays and understands structure) defines what “good” feels like.
2. Step One — Start from a Real Player Profile
Before talking about specs, you need to define who this racket is for.
Here’s a simple framework you can copy directly into your brief.
2.1 Level
Be concrete:
- Beginner / recreational.
- Lower intermediate
- Strong intermediate
- Advanced / tournament player
Example: “This model is for strong intermediate players in local leagues.”
2.2 Playing style
How do they like to win points?
- More defensive / control — lobs, blocks, smart positioning
- More aggressive / attacking — smashes, viboras, overheads
- All-round — can defend and finish points when needed
Example: “They are all-round players who build the point with control and finish when they get a good ball.”
2.3 Physical profile & comfort
This part is almost never mentioned, but extremely important:
- Do they have a history of elbow / shoulder / wrist issues?
- How many hours per week do they play?
- Do you want a forgiving, comfortable racket, or is it okay if it’s a bit demanding?
Example: “Many of them play 3–4 times per week, so comfort matters. We want to avoid elbow problems.”
2.4 Market positioning
- Is this your entry model, flagship all-round, or top attacking racket?
- Which price segment are you aiming at (roughly)?
Example: “This is our core all-round model, mid-high price range. It should be a ‘safe choice’ for most club players.”
Once you write this down, the technical choices become much easier.
3. Step Two — Translate Player Profile into Specs
Let’s use that example profile and see how it becomes concrete specs your OEM can work with.
Target: strong intermediate, all-round style, plays 3–4 times/week, comfort is important, mid-high price all-round model.
3.1 Shape
- Round → bigger sweet spot, more forgiveness, more control
- Teardrop → balance between control and power
- Diamond → more head-heavy, smaller sweet spot, more aggressive
For our player:
✅ A teardrop or round-teardrop shape: still forgiving, but with extra kick when attacking.
How to write it in the brief:
“Shape: teardrop (not extreme) — we want an all-round frame with a generous sweet spot and enough power for smashes.”
3.2 Weight & Balance
Two rackets can both say “365 g” but feel completely different because of balance.
- Head-light → faster, easier to maneuver
- Even → neutral
- Head-heavy → more power, but more demanding on the arm
For club players who play often:
- Weight: ~355–365 g is usually safe
- Balance: even or slightly head-heavy, but not a hammer. (I’ll suggest 260mm balance)
Brief example:
“Target weight: 355–365 g (including overgrip, without plastic).
Balance: 260mm–even to slightly head-heavy, but should not feel tiring after 2 hours of play.”
Adding “including overgrip / without plastic” sounds small, but it avoids a lot of confusion later.
3.3 EVA Hardness
In marketing, you say soft / medium / hard.
In the factory, we work with measured hardness — and small changes matter.
For this target player:
✅ Medium EVA on the softer side — protects the arm, still gives a responsive feel.
Brief example:
“EVA: medium, slightly on the soft side. We want good comfort and shock absorption, but not a very mushy soft feeling.”
If you have a reference racket that you like:
“We like the impact feel of [Brand X Model Y]. Please use a similar foam hardness as a starting point.”
3.4 Face Material & Layup
Now we choose the outer layers:
- Full carbon face
- Full glass face
- Hybrid carbon + glass
And we can tune stiffness by:
- Number of layers
- Fiber type (3K, 12K, 18K etc.)
- Orientation (0/90, ±45, multi-axial)
or a comfortable all-round model:
✅ Carbon face with a not too stiff layup, or a hybrid layup to soften impact.
For most non-engineers, deciding the exact layup recipe and fiber orientation is extremely difficult and not necessary. You don’t need to design every single layer yourself. It’s usually enough to describe what you want to feel on court and the general direction (for example: “hybrid face, slightly softer feel, not a pro-tour stiffness”), and then let the factory engineering team propose specific constructions. Unless you have a middle person like me in between — someone who understands both marketing language and engineering language — this part usually works like: the brand decides the face material from a marketing angle (full carbon, hybrid, etc.), and the factory takes care of the detailed stacking to make it manufacturable.
Brief example:
“Face: Carbon or carbon + glass hybrid, but we don’t want a very stiff, ‘pro-only’ feeling. The impact should feel controlled and comfortable, with enough rebound for fast play.”
3.5 Surface & Spin
Surface affects both spin and how hard the racket feels.
- Smooth clear coat
- Light rough / micro-texture
- Heavy sand / very rough texture
- 3D pattern
For club players:
✅ Light to medium roughness is often a good balance.
Brief example:
“Surface: Light to medium roughness sand coat + 3D pattern decal for spin, with good durability. We don’t want an extremely aggressive sand that disappears after a short time.”
3.6 Tolerances
This is where you show your factory that you understand production reality.
Examples:
- “Weight tolerance: ±10 g”
- “Balance tolerance: ±10 mm”
This helps the factory make the right decisions when something must be adjusted in production.
4. Where an OEM Partner (Who Actually Plays) Fits In
Now you can see the split:
- The padel brand & padel culb knows the market and the player.
- The padel racket factory knows how to build a stable, repeatable product.
- But there is a gap in the middle:
“Turning player feeling into factory language, and then back into on-court feedback.”
The padel racket factories are not going to:
- Go out and test 10 rackets with club players
- AnalysiS “why this sweet spot feels smaller”
- Translate “this feels a bit dead on slower balls” into a lamination work
That’s where an billingual OEM partner with product knowledge like me comes in:
- Translate your player profile and brand story into a clear spec direction.
- Work with the factory to create realistic constructions (not just wish lists).
- Organize or do play testing, then send back structured feedback:
- “Too harsh on off-centre hits → soften layup here. Change with 1 layer GF intead of CF.”
- “Power is good, but defensive lobs are difficult → adjust balance -5mm or use softer degree EVA instead.”
4. Repeat until the on-court feeling matches your brand positioning.
You don’t need the factory to be a group of pro players.
You need them to be reliable builders — and you need someone in between who understands both the engineering and the playing side.
5. Bad Brief vs Good Brief (Realistic Example)
❌ Vague brief
“Hi, we want a powerful and comfortable racket for intermediate players. Please suggest a model and send samples.
Thanks.”
Result: generic catalog model.
Maybe good, maybe not aligned with your brand.
✅ Clear brief based on player profile
Subject: All-Round Padel Racket — Player Profile & Spec Direction
We are developing a new all-round padel racket for strong intermediate club players. Many of them play 3–4 times per week, so comfort is important — we want to avoid elbow problems — but the racket should still have enough power to finish points.
1. Shape: Teardrop (not extreme). Balanced between control and power, with a generous sweet spot.
2. Weight: 360–365 g (including overgrip, without plastic).
3. Balance: Even to slightly head-heavy. Should not feel tiring after 2 hours of play.
4. EVA: Medium, slightly on the soft side. Comfortable on the arm, not a very mushy feeling.
5. Face & Layup: Carbon or carbon + glass hybrid. We prefer a controlled, comfortable impact feel over a very stiff “pro tour” feeling.
6. Surface: Light to medium roughness sand coat + 3D pattern for spin, with good durability.
7. Priorities: Comfort and consistency are more important than maximum power.
💬 From the Field: What I See in Real OEM Projects
During my years working on-site with padel racket factories and handling 15+ new racket development cases, I keep seeing the same two patterns:
1. Most clients are not actually clear about what they want
Many brands and clubs only have a very general idea like “we want more power and control” or “something similar to this famous model”. When they try to explain this to the factory, the brief is vague and incomplete.
The result:
- Communication goes back and forth many times
- There are misunderstandings about level, target player and feel
- You need more sample rounds and more play tests than necessary
A serious, structured play-test cycle (with real players, not just one quick session) can easily take a month from first hit to final feedback. If the brief at the beginning is unclear, you are basically burning time and money repeating that cycle.
2. Factory R&D thinks in engineering, not in playing
On the other side, most factory “R&D” people don’t actually play padel. Their mindset is naturally engineering-driven:
- Stable process
- Low scrap rate
- Safe constructions that pass impact tests
- Good cosmetic quality
There is a gap between engineering thinking and on-court thinking. When a client says “the sweet spot feels small” or “the racket feels dead on slower balls”, that doesn’t automatically translate, in their head, into “adjust EVA range, balance and layup like this”.
That’s exactly the space where a partner fits in: someone who can hear the client’s language, test the racket on court, and turn that into clear, factory-ready spec changes.
✍️ By SHIH-NUNG (Snow Hsu)
OEM padel racket developer & bilingual project manager at Greenbird Sport
— Supporting brands and clubs with custom padel racket development in China.
If you’re building a Padel brand or evaluating OEM/ODM partners,
Greenbird Sport works with clubs, startups, and brands to develop custom padel rackets with reliable partner factories in China.
For project discussions or OEM inquiries,
📩 snow@greenbirdsport.com
⚡ Coming Next
Next in the series:“Weight, Balance, and Swing Feel — Why 365g Can Feel Completely Different.”
→ I’ll explain why two rackets with the same listed weight can feel totally different on court, and how to choose the right spec for your brand’s target player.
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