Compare
Drop Shot Explorer 9.0 vs Curva Soft
The Explorer 9.0 is the better racket, 76 to 75: more power. The Curva is not at PadelProShop right now.
Our scores, updated 11 June 2026 · How we score
Score by score
How we score →The green bar wins the round. The Explorer 9.0 takes 1 of the six, the Curva takes sweet spot and comfort and value, and control and handling are level.
Feel is read from the core and the face until hardness is measured.
What is different
Face, weight and price change between them; the rest is the same. Pick one to look closer.
Carbon on the Explorer 9.0, carbon and fibreglass on the Curva.
No edge either way
* 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: 350 to 370 g and 360 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.
Only the Explorer 9.0 is at PadelProShop right now, at €117.
No edge either way
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 9.0
Our score 76 · €117Skip it if you want more racket for the money: the Curva has 72 for value against its 66.
Curva Soft
Our score 75 · not in stockSkip it if you want more power: the Explorer 9.0 has 73 for power against its 71.
Our recommendation for most players
The Explorer 9.0
The higher score, 76 to 75.
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
Explorer 9.0 +1
No other site has scored the Explorer 9.0 or the Curva yet. When one does, it shows here.
Your shape
What players said
Players who own a racket tell us how it plays. It is their word: it is not a review and does not count towards Our score.
No player has told us about the Explorer 9.0 or the Curva yet. If you own one, two minutes drawing your shape puts your word here, beside the other players who own it.
Our recommendation
Drop Shot Explorer 9.0
The better racket, 76 to 75: more power.
- Our score 76 against 75
- Carbon face
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Before you buy
Questions
Straight answers.
Which is better, the Explorer 9.0 or the Curva Soft?
The Explorer 9.0 is the better racket, 76 to 75: more power. The Curva is not at PadelProShop right now.
What is the difference between the Explorer 9.0 and the Curva Soft?
Carbon on the Explorer 9.0, carbon and fibreglass on the Curva. About the same weight: 350 to 370 g and 360 g. The balance point is not listed for both.
Which is better for power?
The Explorer 9.0: power 73 against 71.
What is the price difference?
Only the Explorer 9.0 is at PadelProShop right now, at €117.
