Star Vie Phantom 2027
Soft, round and easy to place: a control racket that asks very little of your wrist.
The Star Vie Phantom 2027 is a round racket built for players who would rather place a ball than flatten it. It weighs 347 to 365 grams, carries a low balance and uses a soft core under 12K carbon faces. Think comfort and manoeuvrability over thump. Power hitters will look elsewhere. Everyone else who values forgiveness and quick hands should pay attention.
Shape and construction
Star Vie launched the Phantom as a brand new round mould in its 2027 collection. It sits in the Premium line, which the brand pitches at intermediate players. Both faces use 12K Carbon Hyper. Underneath is S-Eva Flex, a soft rubber core. One retailer points out that it is the only racket in the mid and top ranges with that core. The contrast with the Black Titan, which uses hard H-EVA Power rubber, is deliberate.
The frame carries Precision Bridge and Core Axis, two reinforcements around the heart of the racket. Star Vie says they add stiffness and stop the head twisting on off-centre contact. There is also a longer handle, a Z-Shock vibration damper in the grip, Reactive Holes and Spin Boost Tech. The profile is the brand's usual 38 mm.
Weight and balance
The numbers explain most of the character. Star Vie quotes 347 to 365 grams, and the low balance pulls the mass towards your hand. Padelshop in the Netherlands put its sample on a test rig and recorded a swingweight of 145. That sample weighed 347 grams. A neutral racket sits between 161 and 170 on the same scale, so the Phantom is a long way below it.
That should translate into quick hands at the net. Blocking a fast volley or turning a defensive lob into something useful needs very little preparation. Padelful's tester gave handling a perfect 10 and singled out the speed of the racket around the net.
Feel and touch
Soft is the right word. Padelshop measured the face hardness at 61, which its own scale labels soft, and describes the ball sinking in before springing back smoothly. A round head also puts the sweet spot dead centre, and it is the largest of any shape. Padelful gave the Phantom 10 out of 10 for sweet spot and 9.5 for control.
Players wary of a harsh, jarring contact will like a soft core paired with a damped grip. The racket also seems to suit a patient game. You wait, you place, you let the opponent make the mistake.
Where it falls short
Power is the price. Padelful scored the Phantom 7.5 for power and 8 for rebound. Its listed weaknesses are limited punch on smashes, no automatic weight on the víbora and a habit of letting slow balls rise. That last point deserves attention. A soft face with little mass in the head can send a lazy ball long if you swing too freely, so you have to lean into the shot.
Does that rule it out for attacking players? For anyone who finishes points overhead, probably yes. The racket gives you accuracy, not a sledgehammer.
The intended level is also a little blurred. Star Vie and most retailers call it an intermediate model. Others, including an Italian retailer, say it suits advanced players too. A control-minded advanced player who creates their own pace could get plenty from it. Newer players get a forgiving head, but they may need to learn how to add their own power to a round, low-balance shape.
Price
UK listings put the Phantom at £218.99, and Padel Market had it down to £196.99 at the time of writing. Continental shops list it from around €229 to €255 before discounts. That is a fair ask for a premium racket with a distinct personality, though it is not cheap and other rackets like the offering from 12k provide better value.
