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Drop Shot Explorer Soft Women vs Astrum
The Astrum is the better racket, 81 to 77: more control and value. The Explorer costs €18 less.
Our scores, updated 8 November 2026 · How we score
Score by score
How we score →The green bar wins the round. The Astrum takes 4 of the six, and power and handling are level.
Feel is read from the core and the face until hardness is measured.
The €18 question
€18
more for the Astrum. This is what it buys you.
- +9Control80 against 71
- +4Value72 against 68
- +1Sweet spot72 against 71
- 12KA 12K carbon faceagainst fibreglass: a stiffer face, a crisper answer on volleys
Worth it if these numbers are the ones you play for. If not, keep the €18: the Explorer is 77 in Our score.
What is different
Four things change between them. Pick one to look closer.
Carbon against fibreglass: the Astrum's carbon is stiffer and more precise, the Explorer's fibreglass is softer, gives the ball more pop at low speed and forgives more.
Edge: the Astrum, for precision
* The feel starts from the core's rated hardness (estimated from the core material where there is no rating), then the face: carbon 12K and up is firmer, fibreglass softer.
About the same weight: 355 to 365 g and 350 to 370 g.
No edge either way
The balance point is not listed for both.
No edge either way
* Drawn to scale: a 455 mm racket in its shape's outline (traced from a real racket of that shape), with the balance point the shops list marked on it. Real rackets vary by a few millimetres.
€18 apart at PadelProShop today. Under the launch price: Explorer 45%, Astrum 55%.
Edge: the Explorer, for your wallet
Specs from the makers and the shops that sell them. Weights are the maker's figures, not measured by us.
Which one sounds like you?
Tap every line that sounds like you.
Explorer Soft Women
Our score 77 · €116Skip it if you want more control: the Astrum has 80 for control against its 71.
Astrum
Our score 81 · €134Skip it if comfort matters most to you: it is its lowest score, 72.
Our recommendation for most players
The Astrum
The higher score, 81 to 77.
Not sure of your level? Padel DNA matches rackets to how you play.
What other reviewers scored them
Out of 100, each linked to its page.
Our score
Astrum +4
No other site has scored the Explorer or the Astrum yet. When one does, it shows here.
Your shape
What players said
4 players who own or have owned one of them told us how it plays. It is their word: it is not a review and does not count towards Our score.
Explorer Soft Women
No player has told us about the Explorer yet.
Astrum
3 of 4 liked it
Liked it 3No strong view 1Did not 0
What they said, by how many said it
Our recommendation
Starvie Astrum
The better racket, 81 to 77: more control and value.
- 4 of 6 scores
- Carbon 12K face
When you buy through PadelProShop we earn a commission. It never changes a score.
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Before you buy
Questions
Straight answers.
Which is better, the Explorer Soft Women or the Astrum?
The Astrum is the better racket, 81 to 77: more control and value. The Explorer costs €18 less.
What is the difference between the Explorer Soft Women and the Astrum?
Carbon against fibreglass: the Astrum's carbon is stiffer and more precise, the Explorer's fibreglass is softer, gives the ball more pop at low speed and forgives more. About the same weight: 355 to 365 g and 350 to 370 g. The balance point is not listed for both.
Which is better for control?
The Astrum: control 80 against 71.
What is the price difference?
€18 apart at PadelProShop today. Under the launch price: Explorer 45%, Astrum 55%.
