Paddles with octagonal grips

[jonestim]

I have started playing recently and have purchased a few paddles. I thought I could get used to some of the non-tennis like grip shapes, but I was wrong. I just don't like them.

What brands have tennis like grip shapes?

It looks like the list starts with:

• Babolat
• Diadem
• Gearbox
• Head
• ProKennex
• Joola
• Stiga
• CRBN

Anyone else?

I have a Gearbox GX6 Control that I am continuing to use, but am selling my PaddleTek Tempest Wave Pro because I just can't get used to the shape of it. I like the response off the face and the weight, but the grip is a no go.

Considering replacing it with a GX5 Control or a ProKennexOvation Speed 2. Any other recommendations on a paddle similar to the Tempest Wave but with a better shaped grip?

 

[tennytive]

The paddles have more like ping pong paddle grips in my opinion, so I put a new replacement grip on my paddleteks, and double wrapped an overgrip over that to increase the grip size from the original 4 1/4 to over 4 1/2 and now it feels like my tennis racket.
Ben Johns has a video of how he re wraps his grip. I don't follow his method, but you may want to check it out for your own info.

 

[gerryh]

The Selkirk Mach6 Riley Newman edition had a tennis grip that was very round IMO. I didn't like it as I couldn't tell where the edge was for rotating the paddle. Riley is coming out with his signature paddle from Gamma this month so you might check it out.

 

[treo]

I demoed a Prince Response and Gearbox Joey Farias and they both don't have tennis shaped grips, just like the Gamma Mirage that I own. My tennis shaped list is Head, Wilson and some off brands made in China. It seems to me that the ones made in China have the molded foam tennis shaped handle and the ones made in USA don't. I took a hollow graphite tennis handle cut from an old racquet and press fit it on my Gamma to get the tennis shaped grip I want, then I started experimenting with the adjustable length and now have it at 17". If I only played pickle the grip shape wouldn't matter much but I switch between tennis and pickle.

 

[jonestim]

Prince is made by Paddletek and I would assume has the same grip shape.

The Gearbox isn't fully tennis shaped, but is closer than the Paddletek I have and I can manage with it.

The Selkirk Riley Newman grip looks super odd from the photos I have seen.

It would be nice if websites listed the grip shape in their product descriptions.

 

[drak]

Prince is made by Paddletek and I would assume has the same grip shape.

The Gearbox isn't fully tennis shaped, but is closer than the Paddletek I have and I can manage with it.

The Selkirk Riley Newman grip looks super odd from the photos I have seen.

It would be nice if websites listed the grip shape in their product descriptions.

I have been a racket tinkerer and tennis player for decades and recently started playing pickleball. Hated the pickleball grip size and shape with my first Selkirk cheapy (handle too short as well) my wife bought for us. I had several XTP extender buttcaps lying around and decided to try it on the Selkirk, BTW since the Selkirk was only 15.6 inches long adding the 1/2 extender still kept the paddle "legal". I used the number "2" (4 1/4) XTP size and it has worked really well (it also built up the grip which was too small to start with) as I now have a tennis shaped handle I can easily find the bevels on which IMO is very impt. Since so many tennis players have moved to pickleball IMO they are making a big mistake by not offering tennis shaped handles which IMO are easily superior to the vast majority of paddle grip shapes I have come across.
Very recently I purchased a new CP7 from Gearbox and while the shape is better the handles size is small and I don't like the roundish buttcap. Will likely change to a traditional buttcap and maybe even mod it with an XTP.

 

[jonestim]

curiosity got ahold of me and I took the grip off. One of the paddles had a rounded foam pallet on top of the core, and another has a rounded wood pallet.

So 20 minutes later, I made new ones out of balsa wood and a belt sander.

I will be replacing them once I find a spare tennis butt cap that I know is somewhere in my office.