The Metalbone Superlight is the cheapest way into Adidas's Metalbone line at €150, and it is a very different animal from the pro frames that share the name. Fiberglass face, low-density Soft Performance EVA core, light in the hand. It is built around comfort, maneuverability, and forgiveness, not finishing power. Read the name as a positioning label, not a promise of the same feel you get from the HRD+.

How it plays

On the volea, the light head sits still and blocks flat balls to the feet without much wrist work; the fiberglass face gives a soft, quiet contact that flatters short reflex hands at the red. Bandeja and víbora rely on you supplying the shape. The soft face gives you time on the ball rather than a hard rebound off it, so the shot lands where you steer it, not where the racket wants to send it. Defensa and salida de pared feel easy: low swing weight, low fatigue, quick reactions when a rival tries to chiquita you at the red or double-pared you into the corner. Smash and finishing bajada are the honest weak point. The frame will move the ball into the gap, but it does not punch through the point on its own; you supply the length, not the pala.

The trade-off

You are trading finishing power for comfort and hand speed. The fiberglass face and low-density core are the same material family as Adidas's entry-tier and junior frames, not the carbon aluminized 16K and high-density core that make the HRD+ hit the way it does. That is the deal at €150. Off-centre hits stay quiet in the arm, long matches feel shorter, and the racket forgives technique that is still forming.

Best for, avoid if

Best for developing intermediates, lighter players, women, and juniors who want a Metalbone that will not punish an off day and can keep pace with fast net exchanges. Also worth a look for anyone with arm history who wants the Adidas brand without a stiff carbon face pressing on the elbow. Avoid it if you are picking a frame to grow into as an aggressive finisher; a heavier diamond or the pro Metalbones will serve you better. One caveat before you commit: the shape and balance are listed three different ways across retailers, and I would want to swing the exact stock unit you are handed rather than trust the spec sheet on any single page.