Specialist Stéphane Penso is testing two brand new Varlion racquets: Maxima Summum Prisma Radio and Bourne Summum Prism Radius.

Varlion's story

The Varlion brand was born in 1993, in Argentina. A year after its existence, the company opened its own factory in the city of Buenos Aires, in order to develop design and production, always looking for the highest quality and the best performance.

In 1995, the first pala was designed by the brand's founder, Felix Regalia. Between 1999 and 2001, the latter decided to move the factory from Argentina to Spain.

Varlion is famous for investing in innovation and new technologies combined with high quality materials in its racquets.

Today, we are going to focus on the 2 “Radio” models that are present in the 2022 catalog.

Bourne Summum Prism Radius

This long-awaited model has finally arrived, and as usual, Varlion has dared to challenge the rules with new visual and technological innovations in order to offer the most sparkling gaming experience possible. This unique model, which stands out for its power, is loaded with technology.

The holes in the rackets of padel are usually drilled, but in this model, Varlion has developed a patented technology (RADIO) to be able to cast the holes directly during manufacture and thus avoid any micro cracks that may be created impact after impact. A revolution in the resistance and manufacture of snowshoes padel. We end up with the first pala with holes made in the mold itself, obtaining a significant increase in the resistance of the core, and a lighter and more agile pala, by considerably spacing the proximity between each orifice. This means that the drill plane and the entire surface of the frame are completely intact and you run much less risk of the impact gap cracking between the holes!

In addition to this new technology, Varlion also analyzed the airflow in the frame and realized that the latter mainly passed through the outermost holes.
For this reason, the Research & Development department has now created large air intakes in the frame with its technology AirFlow in order to obtain a coefficient of penetration which is as effective as possible.
For this reason, the brand has installed openings closer to the outside of the frame for a faster swing.

There are many other advantages to this: the racquet is stronger and more stable from the center of the hitting surface, providing a pleasant feel on impact that can only be experienced with racquets with Airflow technology. These holes and embrasures are also cast in the mold and are therefore bevelled in the frame itself.

At the heart of this racquet, which is diamond shaped with a high balance, you will find a mid/hard core, which is quite normal for the characteristics of this pala which are mainly attacking. The striking surface is made of a layer of Italian 12K carbon fiber, which gives the rigidity necessary to get out the par 3 and also have surgical precision.

As the name suggests, this model also has Varlion's very popular “Summum” features. This means that the handle is 2 cm longer than usual and the striking surface is also 1 cm longer than average. Thanks to those extra centimeters, you get better leverage in the kicks, a larger sweetspot and ease for the two-handed backhand.
The Prisma frame also included in the Summum package provides stability and stiffness for increased feel, while aiding airflow, this reduces air resistance by 10% compared to a standard frame. This makes the racquet more manageable.

On the striking surface is integrated the technology Slice which provides a 3D structure for extra grip and, just like the holes, this structure is also melted directly into the mould. The lines are designed with a curved shape, in this way the contact area is much larger.

Let's also not forget to mention the famous Technology Diffuser Wings, which is introduced in the bridge between the handle and the frame in order to optimize aerodynamics and thus claim a 27% improvement in the passage of air compared to previous versions, which allows better control and responsiveness tenfold. This result was obtained after extensive testing in the wind tunnel.

Le Bumper Prisma is also in the game. AB Injected system which is a protector that presents along the frame an injection mold in thermoplastic polyurethane (PTU) that helps to absorb shocks and scratches. This is glued with 3M adhesive tape without the need to drill the frame, resulting in a 50% reduction in weight.

And to conclude, it is worth highlighting the technology Handlesafety, a new security system under the handle. Normally in all racquets the strap comes out of a centered hole which is attached to the handle frame using various methods. However, with this new system, the rope crosses the two walls of the handle and comes out on either side, thus offering 100% grip security and avoiding the player having to twist the rope around the wrist to feel more comfort and safety.

This model is of course manufactured in Varlion's own factory in Spain in order to guarantee a high quality of manufacture, and, for the most concerned about the environment, to offer a reduced carbon index.

Maximuma Summum Prisma Radio

At Varlion, Bourne designations qualify a diamond-shaped model while Maxima is used for teardrop references.

This Maxima Radio is therefore a more balanced pala, which will be more manageable and comfortable than its cousin that we have just deciphered above. She will excel in defensive situations while the Bourne will excel when it comes to attacking.

It's a great racquet for those looking for a control oriented model that also delivers plenty of speed in the shots.

It is suitable for many types of players and in terms of level, I particularly recommend it for intermediate or advanced players.
Apart from this different shape, the two palas share the same technological characteristics.

En conclusion

Please count more than 400€ for one of these two unique and futuristic palas. This is the price to pay in order to play with a model full of registered patents, the fruit of long research requiring much longer and tedious development than the average. These are high-tech and sumptuous rackets, which are aimed at demanding players who are looking for very high-end and who want to stand out by grabbing a unique pala!

Stéphane Penso

Fan of padel, Stéphane has become the official tester of the planet padel in Europe. Everything goes through his expert hands. Thanks to his extensive experience in the snowshoeing world, he is able to scan your gear from head to toe!