Osaka Custom Pro Control

Racket customization

Osaka is a Belgian brand that is famous for its field hockey sticks. With the explosion of padel in the Low Lands, they began making padel gear with a very modern approach and clean style that I really appreciate. 
After successfully launching a customizable field hockey stick, they've applied the same to the new Custom Pro racket. I was happy to give it a try. 
What you can customize:
- several colors on the racket face
- the colors along the racket frame
- a text name (up to 15 characters)
Note: You can not remove the Osaka branding, nor can you add any imagery (I asked about adding the Padel.FYI logo). 
It was a fun experience to design the racket, but I wish I had a bit more flexibility regarding color selection and minimizing the Osaka branding. Overall, I'm pretty bad at branding, but I tried to combine the color of Mondo padel courts with the green of the Padel.FYI logo. 

Racket specifications

It is a medium hardness, medium balance, round-shaped racket with a relatively rigid surface. 
The racket has a cuffed cinching wriststrap that goes up to a relatively short, narrow handle with an under grip that has strong absorption. This goes up to a multi-triangular bridge at which point begins the sandpaper roughness that covers the entire racket surface - frame to face.

On the court

From the first sensations, it's clear that this is a medium, medium-hard control racket. It feels like the surface is quite hard and the foam is quite soft, which gave me a versatile feeling of precision and a bit of power when I asked for it. But it also felt somehow lacking solidity and like it might be fragile. This is partially the result of its low weight and balance. 
From the back of the court, it's a great defender. It's very fast, you'll always have plenty of time. The sweet spot is very much centered, which felt very easy to find, but when I missed it, I noticed the drawbacks of the rigidity of the carbon. Overall though, it's a great racket for an intermediate and up player who wants a medium, medium-hard touch and maneuverability.
In bandejas, it definitely feels light, but I enjoyed the rigidity here. It allowed me to accelerate my bandejas and especially my viboras without worrying about hitting the wall. It's not as fun for slow blocks and rulos to the side fence or wall as it is for rapid viboras to the corner because it asks you to use your arm. With slow shots, you'll really miss your target if you contact the ball on the edge of the sweet spot. 
At the net, you'll feel like a ninja – swift and precise. The sandpaper roughness will have you slicing through volleys with the confidence of a seasoned pro. It delivers the sensation of grabbing the ball with each slice.