What Paddle to you use?

ByeByePoly said:
Excellent … sounds like you will enjoy your new weapon. Vatic handles/grips are always great … really enjoy getting back to Vatic grips.

Since we talked … bumped from 8.15oz to 8.3oz for 2 hour session, and then 8.4oz for last session (3g at 3 and 9). 8.4 it is … where I usually end up. I notice the extra stability most on blocks at the kitchen off of hard drives, firefights and return of serves right off the bounce on hard serves.
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I do love the handle/grip. Fits my hand well.

I have some of the 3g weights coming today and like most going to play around in the 3/9 area to see if I can get a little more sweet spot and better twist control for those off center hits. I think I would like to add a little swingweight, but we will see. Definitely only need stability for my wife.

Really not focused on performance, per se, since I am NOT a real PB'r yet. But I kinda know what I like to feel for contact and how it sits or moves in my hand. If that makes sense. I am sure I'll probably need more pop and a more crisp response for those firefights eventually, but as it is I am playing more singles right now and that will develop as the wife and I get to play more dubs.
 
ChaelAZ said:
I do love the handle/grip. Fits my hand well.

I have some of the 3g weights coming today and like most going to play around in the 3/9 area to see if I can get a little more sweet spot and better twist control for those off center hits. I think I would like to add a little swingweight, but we will see. Definitely only need stability for my wife.

Really not focused on performance, per se, since I am NOT a real PB'r yet. But I kinda know what I like to feel for contact and how it sits or moves in my hand. If that makes sense. I am sure I'll probably need more pop and a more crisp response for those firefights eventually, but as it is I am playing more singles right now and that will develop as the wife and I get to play more dubs.
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fyi … I just updated my comment above regarding grit.

Looking into the tennis brother pickleball crystal ball … you will add weight to the tip also on that wide body paddle. Your overhead will be a valued shot for you. They all come back :-D … but regardless you won’t settle for crap overheads. I played with one wide body (Spartus Apollo), and it took me a couple of weeks to dial in my overheads. It took weight at the tip … which I don’t do with hybrids and elongated. Once I adjusted my overheads were solid (just not elongated paddle solid).

All my comments are about doubles … no singles for me.

Yes … works out better when wives have stability. :p
 
Played a couple hours (several games) of singles this morning, the another hour or dubs matches with the new paddle. Not a steep curve to get comfortable with how the paddle plays. PLENTY of pop, drive, and spin, but I will still add weight to 3/9 for a little less twist. Crazy good value for under $100 in my opinion.

Things not paddle related:
  • Gotta let that ball bounce on the serve return (stupid tennis serve and volley tennis is making that a HUGE loss of points often)
  • Still struggle with touch and feel for the ball on the paddle to dink and drop, so a lot of balls hit the top of the net and aren't going over.
  • Going to have to figure out grip and such since I try to use a semi-western tennis grip and I am finding more traditional continental is better in a lot of situations. Essentially I need to figure out the best way to control the paddle face for more consistency.
Other than than, yeah....solid 3 hours of play. Not as cardio based, but a lot more bend/stretch/muscle work.
 
ChaelAZ said:
Played a couple hours (several games) of singles this morning, the another hour or dubs matches with the new paddle. Not a steep curve to get comfortable with how the paddle plays. PLENTY of pop, drive, and spin, but I will still add weight to 3/9 for a little less twist. Crazy good value for under $100 in my opinion.

Things not paddle related:
  • Gotta let that ball bounce on the serve return (stupid tennis serve and volley tennis is making that a HUGE loss of points often)
  • Still struggle with touch and feel for the ball on the paddle to dink and drop, so a lot of balls hit the top of the net and aren't going over.
  • Going to have to figure out grip and such since I try to use a semi-western tennis grip and I am finding more traditional continental is better in a lot of situations. Essentially I need to figure out the best way to control the paddle face for more consistency.
Other than than, yeah....solid 3 hours of play. Not as cardio based, but a lot more bend/stretch/muscle work.
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lol … 2 years from now you will still occasionally not let that return bounce. :-D

You can get away with a lot of grips in pickleball, what works for me:
- continental everything at kitchen
- eastern fh drives, continental backhand drives
- I hit a baseline fh topspin lob with pace beyond the typical pickleball spinny lobs. Small court … has to be very precise. I try to roll grip to semi-western with paddle head drop and modern tennis fh windshield wiper motion. Work in progress to go past eastern, and didn’t hit sw in tennis. My V-Sol has broken in some after 10ish hours … topspin lob was good to go this last session with the added dwell after break in.

I have found our indoor doubles pickleball much more cardio than my indoor tennis doubles days. I went from 170lbs to 155lbs in the first 6 months of doubles pb. Singles pb against a young good defender is a gut buster (think 15 minute spider drill). I dropped singles early on. Best game ever invented was tennis singles outside in the heat. Best pickleball ever invented is indoor doubles. :p
 
ChaelAZ said:
Played a couple hours (several games) of singles this morning, the another hour or dubs matches with the new paddle. Not a steep curve to get comfortable with how the paddle plays. PLENTY of pop, drive, and spin, but I will still add weight to 3/9 for a little less twist. Crazy good value for under $100 in my opinion.

Things not paddle related:
  • Gotta let that ball bounce on the serve return (stupid tennis serve and volley tennis is making that a HUGE loss of points often)
  • Still struggle with touch and feel for the ball on the paddle to dink and drop, so a lot of balls hit the top of the net and aren't going over.
  • Going to have to figure out grip and such since I try to use a semi-western tennis grip and I am finding more traditional continental is better in a lot of situations. Essentially I need to figure out the best way to control the paddle face for more consistency.
Other than than, yeah....solid 3 hours of play. Not as cardio based, but a lot more bend/stretch/muscle work.
Click to expand...
Lift with your legs on drops and minimize wrist motion. Err on the high side and then prepare to defend or reset to move further in to the kitchen.

Work on a continental grip for every ball from the transition zone to the kitchen. You won't have time to switch grips as you improve and play better opponents.

I only use a SW grip for serves, returns and third shot drives (any shot behind the transition zone.) Everything else is continental - even speedups, dinks and lobs from the kitchen line. Keep working on it and it will eventually feel normal.
 
ChaelAZ said:
Played a couple hours (several games) of singles this morning, the another hour or dubs matches with the new paddle. Not a steep curve to get comfortable with how the paddle plays. PLENTY of pop, drive, and spin, but I will still add weight to 3/9 for a little less twist. Crazy good value for under $100 in my opinion.

Things not paddle related:
  • Gotta let that ball bounce on the serve return (stupid tennis serve and volley tennis is making that a HUGE loss of points often)
  • Still struggle with touch and feel for the ball on the paddle to dink and drop, so a lot of balls hit the top of the net and aren't going over.
  • Going to have to figure out grip and such since I try to use a semi-western tennis grip and I am finding more traditional continental is better in a lot of situations. Essentially I need to figure out the best way to control the paddle face for more consistency.
Other than than, yeah....solid 3 hours of play. Not as cardio based, but a lot more bend/stretch/muscle work.
Click to expand...

I don’t hit that many 3rd shot drops … just enough to mix it up. I went through a couple of months where I was focused on it and got much better at it … (bought the Vatic Prism Flash). The goal is to get to the kitchen, not hit 3rd shot drops … pros hit drops on 3rds, also drive 3rds and drop on 5ths.

On fh drops, your inclination will be to want to hit touch topspin drops, but maybe bag that at first. Simple fh lift drops hit near opponents kitchen line does the job. My main drops 3 years in are the fh lift drop, 1hbh slice drop (because of 40+ years of 1hbh tennis slice … less misses for me with it than any other bh drop technique). I will also occasionally hit high 2hbh topspin drop from left side … mainly because it’s fun :-D and can get it very wide.

Dinking is weird … but when in Rome :p :

- volley dink first option … don’t let it bounce … can save a lot of movement
- learn to take big step back rather than hit a drop volley from too deep (so say dink to your fh … bounce by your right foot. Take big step back with right foot, now fh dink easy). No idea why it took me so long to know about that big step back … you will thank me for this one.
 
ByeByePoly said:
I don’t hit that many 3rd shot drops … just enough to mix it up. I went through a couple of months where I was focused on it and got much better at it … (bought the Vatic Prism Flash). The goal is to get to the kitchen, not hit 3rd shot drops … pros hit drops on 3rds, also drive 3rds and drop on 5ths.

On fh drops, your inclination will be to want to hit touch topspin drops, but maybe bag that at first. Simple fh lift drops hit near opponents kitchen line does the job. My main drops 3 years in are the fh lift drop, 1hbh slice drop (because of 40+ years of 1hbh tennis slice … less misses for me with it than any other bh drop technique). I will also occasionally hit high 2hbh topspin drop from left side … mainly because it’s fun :-D and can get it very wide.

Dinking is weird … but when in Rome :p :

- volley dink first option … don’t let it bounce … can save a lot of movement
- learn to take big step back rather than hit a drop volley from too deep (so say dink to your fh … bounce by your right foot. Take big step back with right foot, now fh dink easy). No idea why it took me so long to know about that big step back … you will thank me for this one.
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The back step is a mistake many new players make and then they either miss the dink or pop it up because they run out of time and space. To whichever foot the ball is heading, take a large step back with that foot.
 
Bud said:
The back step is a mistake many new players make and then they either miss the dink or pop it up because they run out of time and space. To whichever foot the ball is heading, take a large step back with that foot.
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I started out tense at the kitchen jumping around like a chicken. :p The better players in our open play saw the “tennis” from the baseline and invited me to the kitchen (where tennis players new to pickleball go to die). Man that pissed me off … how can these “no stroke 3rd shot droppers … and women :-D” beat me in a game that looks similar to tennis? Well … they can, and for many months. Learn the dark arts of pickleball doubles or continue to lose.

Now I’m good to go at kitchen, although I prefer disrupting any plans of long dink points. If you ever saw the movie Quigley Down Under … Matthew Quigley’s line near the end talking about a pistol in the shoot out is how I like to surprise new opponents that want long dink points:

"I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn't know how to use it," :-D
 
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Add the 3g on the 3/9 position and will get out this weekend to see how it goes. Thanks for all the tips and feedback.

Still not a PB player, per se, but definitely like the distraction from tennis. And there is a VIBRANT community around it, very ready to get folks involved. Every time I go up to the Surprise public courts they are always asking me to join in, talking about tournaments and leagues, and really active. Remind me of tennis at Surprise like 15 years ago.
 
ChaelAZ said:
Add the 3g on the 3/9 position and will get out this weekend to see how it goes. Thanks for all the tips and feedback.

Still not a PB player, per se, but definitely like the distraction from tennis. And there is a VIBRANT community around it, very ready to get folks involved. Every time I go up to the Surprise public courts they are always asking me to join in, talking about tournaments and leagues, and really active. Remind me of tennis at Surprise like 15 years ago.
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not a PB player … sure … ;)
 
So really like the Vatic, but I also happened to get a Luzz Pro Cannon. Two different feels, but trying to figure out which style I like better. I can really pop that Luzz on drives. Though the Vatic isn't a slouch, just more cushioned to me.

Edit to add: Might get to test out an inferno, and I think that will settle things a bit. Although I figure I want more all-court feel, I think I play more aggressive so pop and less dwell will win out.
 
ChaelAZ said:
So really like the Vatic, but I also happened to get a Luzz Pro Cannon. Two different feels, but trying to figure out which style I like better. I can really pop that Luzz on drives. Though the Vatic isn't a slouch, just more cushioned to me.

Edit to add: Might get to test out an inferno, and I think that will settle things a bit. Although I figure I want more all-court feel, I think I play more aggressive so pop and less dwell will win out.
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Vatic V Sol are foam cores … cannon and inferno still honeycomb cores but two of the most recent and popular. Many players (include me) prefer the feel of honeycomb … big push with foam was for durability issues (and less break in changes).

Feel has been benched in my paddle choice currently … my V Sol Pro V7 LH chose me. Never played better … recently went 9-0 in a men’s round robin league. I have noticed paddles you win with start feeling really good. :p
 
ChaelAZ said:
So really like the Vatic, but I also happened to get a Luzz Pro Cannon. Two different feels, but trying to figure out which style I like better. I can really pop that Luzz on drives. Though the Vatic isn't a slouch, just more cushioned to me.

Edit to add: Might get to test out an inferno, and I think that will settle things a bit. Although I figure I want more all-court feel, I think I play more aggressive so pop and less dwell will win out.
Click to expand...

fyi … the Inferno is actually a foam core (MPP). Let me know if you like it if you hit it … I haven’t hit it.

JohnKew (John Williams) just had a good discussion about foam cores (MPP vs EPP), and Enhance’s new $100 Turbo MPP that plays like the Luzz Inferno. I have personally opted for no fiberglass layer (CFC in turbo … carbon/fiberglass/carbon) in the paddles I now buy, but $100 great paddles now.

@29:19



This was a good video comparing the Cannon and Inferno … be careful … you are being sucked into paddle nerddom :p

 
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I have been using a Joola scorpeus 16 widebody for a while now and really like it. Plenty of controllable power, good spin and nice feel on the volleys and dinks. My daughter has been using the 14 which is really good as well,it has a bit more power and a little less feel. Both have good sweet spots and I would say pretty easy to play with.
 
ByeByePoly said:
This was a good video comparing the Cannon and Inferno … be careful … you are being sucked into paddle nerddom :p
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So interestingly, I did a TON of tennis racquet reviews for a local shop, so I always had pre-release racquets and 100's of demo's to use over the last several years. I guess it got around I play PB sometimes so I had another offer to get paddles and do reviews again. Of course, I said I would love to check out different paddles, but have no clue about the all the aspects of playability yet for PB so couldn't really comment in comparisons, just general feel to me. We will see what paddles might come my way, but honestly I quit doing racquet reviews because the last few years nothing felt THAT different/better/worse than everything else. From the paddle reviews out there, I think there is a LOT more variability, so it could be fun, but I just wanna play. The Luzz looked interesting as a "power" paddle to compare to the Vatic I have. :)
 
ChaelAZ said:
So interestingly, I did a TON of tennis racquet reviews for a local shop, so I always had pre-release racquets and 100's of demo's to use over the last several years. I guess it got around I play PB sometimes so I had another offer to get paddles and do reviews again. Of course, I said I would love to check out different paddles, but have no clue about the all the aspects of playability yet for PB so couldn't really comment in comparisons, just general feel to me. We will see what paddles might come my way, but honestly I quit doing racquet reviews because the last few years nothing felt THAT different/better/worse than everything else. From the paddle reviews out there, I think there is a LOT more variability, so it could be fun, but I just wanna play. The Luzz looked interesting as a "power" paddle to compare to the Vatic I have. :)
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At the end of my tennis I had fun trying new strings … paddles became my new strings but more expensive. :-D fyi … zero chance any new paddle will feel as good as new strings … but still fun for me.

Things have changed a lot in 3 years … you could buy a bad paddle 3 years ago, now most are good. The tech changes fast … sandwiched -> perimeter foam -> thermoformed -> fiberglass/carbon/kevlar -> honeycomb -> honeycomb propulsion (JOOLA started with core diving board, now the floating cores with perimeter foam around entire core) -> honeycomb floating cores -> foam cores -> foam floating cores -> durable grit (the industry needs to get past the sandpaper ping pong paddle era … but in the meantime more durable grit war has broken out :eek:).

Reviews live on youtube channels now … I’m subscribed to 17 top reviewers … but now starting to mainly follow a couple.

Paddle choices/preferences, particularly doubles is all about tradeoffs we really had very little of in tennis. Your favorite baseline paddle will not be your favorite transition area and kitchen paddle. I never once remember thinking … I love this racket for baseline but hate it for volleys. The better you get in pickleball doubles the less your baseline paddle preferences matter. I used to never want a poppy paddle … now with improved kitchen skills I like it at the kitchen (not baseline … did I mention tradeoffs).
 
ByeByePoly said:
Paddle choices/preferences, particularly doubles is all about tradeoffs we really had very little of in tennis. Your favorite baseline paddle will not be your favorite transition area and kitchen paddle. I never once remember thinking … I love this racket for baseline but hate it for volleys. The better you get in pickleball doubles the less your baseline paddle preferences matter. I used to never want a poppy paddle … now with improved kitchen skills I like it at the kitchen (not baseline … did I mention tradeoffs).
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Just had a group reach out through FB to play at their private court for tonight. I had posted in a local PB group to try and get some DUPR matches under my belt and see where I am actually rated. They do singles, which I want, but mostly dubs, so will see how that all goes. I have a feeling they are WAY to high rated for me to keep up, but it will be an experience...if I can swing it. Supposed to play tennis tonight.
 
ChaelAZ said:
Just had a group reach out through FB to play at their private court for tonight. I had posted in a local PB group to try and get some DUPR matches under my belt and see where I am actually rated. They do singles, which I want, but mostly dubs, so will see how that all goes. I have a feeling they are WAY to high rated for me to keep up, but it will be an experience...if I can swing it. Supposed to play tennis tonight.
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If you can play pb singles you still be a jock. :p Tennis and pb in same night … senior legend. We (wife) refuse to DUPR … but she recently started playing with ladies that have non-DUPR team matches.

Evolution of a tennis player rec pb doubles player level:
- wins with drives and overheads
- ok … I can now dink forever but still don’t like it
- oh … this wiffle doubles thing is primarily about defense, everything comes back, what happens in transition area determines wins and losses

Said another way … eventually you can’t suck at boring resets that keep the point alive.

I typed this as something I would like to tell myself 3 years ago. Actually two years ago … I would have given myself one year of playing tennis on pb doubles court joy. The better you get in pb doubles … the less tennis … ain’t right. That Lifetime ball added more tennis back into pb … even doubles. I now don’t even like to play with a different ball. I have two dozen brand new Franklin X 40s that now live in the closet.

Enjoy your pb … we totally enjoyed our early months.
 
The problem with pickleball paddle reviews is the playing standard of the person doing the review. I have watched quite a few reviews where the reviewer doesn't even show them playing with the paddle and that for me is a red flag. The other issue is that when you buy your paddle you really can't alter it like you can with a tennis racket and you're pretty much stuck with an expensive purchase like it or not. We have purchased a few knock offs and we can't pick the difference between them and the 'real' one.
 
sherpa said:
The problem with pickleball paddle reviews is the playing standard of the person doing the review. I have watched quite a few reviews where the reviewer doesn't even show them playing with the paddle and that for me is a red flag. The other issue is that when you buy your paddle you really can't alter it like you can with a tennis racket and you're pretty much stuck with an expensive purchase like it or not. We have purchased a few knock offs and we can't pick the difference between them and the 'real' one.
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Your not watching the top review channels … they all play and show video … typically 4.5 - 5.0.

Start with:

- JohnKew
- Pickleball Studio
- Pickleball Effect

The guys/gals here at ttw also do great videos and show play.
 
CRBN paddles are my favorite because I've tried almost every extended length paddle on the market and they are the best IMO.

Depending on who I'm playing and whether I'm playing singles or doubles, I switch between the CRBN 1X 16mm, the CRBN TruFoam Genesis 14mm, and the Limited Edition version of the CRBN TruFoam Waves 14mm.

TripleB
 
nyta2 said:
was using a gen3 https://xenonpaddle.com/collections/pickleball-paddles/products/xenon-px16-v2-pickleball-paddle (mainly got it at half price due to rspa membership).. .

been experimenting with the "poor man boomstick"(quanta ronbus r3 + weights)
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Not sure how long we get $100 paddles … JOOLA is suing everyone.

www.mattspickleball.com

JOOLA Patent Lawsuit: Adidas, Engage, Franklin & 9 Other Paddle Brands Named

JOOLA filed an ITC patent complaint against 12 pickleball brands. We break down the patents, accused paddles, and what an exclusion order means for buyers.
www.mattspickleball.com www.mattspickleball.com
 
ByeByePoly said:
Not sure how long we get $100 paddles … JOOLA is suing everyone.

www.mattspickleball.com

JOOLA Patent Lawsuit: Adidas, Engage, Franklin & 9 Other Paddle Brands Named

JOOLA filed an ITC patent complaint against 12 pickleball brands. We break down the patents, accused paddles, and what an exclusion order means for buyers.
www.mattspickleball.com www.mattspickleball.com
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yeah, saw that... ronbus not on the list.... so $100 paddle per year is still in my future ;P

too bad WTO can't do this (effectively) against international IP theft (aka China!)

if the lawsuit works, i can see temu having an uptick in replica paddles (which us recreational players will be more than happy to buy cheaply...)
 
nyta2 said:
yeah, saw that... ronbus not on the list.... so $100 paddle per year is still in my future ;P

too bad WTO can't do this (effectively) against international IP theft (aka China!)

if the lawsuit works, i can see temu having an uptick in replica paddles (which us recreational players will be more than happy to buy cheaply...)
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Only 3 left standing at the end :-D

JOOLA $500
Selkirk $500
Alibaba $50
 
Gen3 > Gen4

Foam sucks (at least the ones I've tried). Most of them are stiff; all the compliance is coming from the perimeter EVA, not the hitting surface itself. I have a Friday Aura, and the reviews all tout how plush and soft it feels. It's not. Any of the broken in Gen2 or Gen3 paddles I've tried had noticeably more ball pocketing.
 
PistolPete23 said:
Gen3 > Gen4

Foam sucks (at least the ones I've tried). Most of them are stiff; all the compliance is coming from the perimeter EVA, not the hitting surface itself. I have a Friday Aura, and the reviews all tout how plush and soft it feels. It's not. Any of the broken in Gen2 or Gen3 paddles I've tried had noticeably more ball pocketing.
Click to expand...

Following turned into TLDR … short version is I hated feel of CRBN Truefoam coming from gen 3, and like feel Vatic V Sol Pro “good enough”. I have played my best ever with it … those tend to end up feeling good to you. ;)

All foam paddles are not equal … but feel preferences will always vary. I find JOOLA Pro IV very stiff, my V Sol Pro less stiff or equal.

TLDR:

No paddle feels good (big part of that is the wiffle) to this retired tennis player … and I have a bag full of them. So for me … I am picking preferences within rudimentary equipment, and feel isn’t at top of my list except for grip.

This is my current preference order in importance (more explanation follows the list)
1) spin
2) grip
3) paddle shape
4) static weight and balance
5) swing weight and twist weight
6) feel
7) power/pop

If I could buy legal non-grit 3000 RPM (and grab) today I would. I don’t do DUPR or play tournaments … only reason I say legal is many of the guys I play round robin leagues with do. I’m just avoiding any whining. :-D I want the 3000 RPM for baseline lobs in doubles. I am very close to low error rate … give me 3000 RPM and good to go. After saying all that … more grab regardless of spin would make the game more enjoyable to me. Grit is sh.!.t … I’m hearing rumors non-grit spin may not be that far off. Much of it comes down to if the rules continue to restrict evolution.

I bolded first two because they are significantly more important to me than the rest. If I don’t like how the grip feels in my hand it doesn’t matter how good the paddle plays. I love Vatic grips, don’t like JOOLA grips. Tennis grips did not need to be reinvented (did I mention rudimentary equipment).

The rest of the list is more of a “I know what I prefer now after way too many paddles $$$”

I like a long handled extended paddle (played every shape), start at 8.0 oz so I can customize with tungsten, final swing weight 120 or less is good to go (now I choke up when I move to kitchen). I can generate my own power but now wouldn’t want to play with less than the V Sol Pro power … I am not having any trouble controlling it (wiffle control will never equal tennis ball/strings control). I used to prefer lower pop at the kitchen, but 3 years later that has changed. You win a lot of points at kitchen with the extra pop firepower … playing against Boomstiks with my old Vatic Prism would be taking a knife to a gun fight.

Other than that I have no opinions on paddles. :cool:
 
PistolPete23 said:
Gen3 > Gen4

Foam sucks (at least the ones I've tried). Most of them are stiff; all the compliance is coming from the perimeter EVA, not the hitting surface itself. I have a Friday Aura, and the reviews all tout how plush and soft it feels. It's not. Any of the broken in Gen2 or Gen3 paddles I've tried had noticeably more ball pocketing.
Click to expand...

Best I have seen attempt to quantify paddle feel is Johnkew Pickkeball youtube channel. Feel map … Stiff vs Soft, Dense vs Hollow … many more popular paddles are Stiff and Hollow.
 
ChaelAZ said:
I am playing enough to a) have graduated from my A-zon China special, because b) I his with a PB friends paddle and it definitely made a difference. So what is your weapon of choice and why?

A few I am looking at are:
Sword and Shield J2K
Neonic Flow or Flame Prime X

Or some other variation of all-court paddle.

What do you use?
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Circulon 8” frying pan. Backup paddle is the Cuisinart 8” pan. Currently play testing the Anolon 10” pan.
 
mad dog1 said:
Circulon 8” frying pan. Backup paddle is the Cuisinart 8” pan. Currently play testing the Anolon 10” pan.
Click to expand...
How do you get any grip on the ball with the nonstick layer? Ive been testing hexclad and it's got more grip with the textured surface. Almost like using a shaped poly
 
ByeByePoly said:
Following turned into TLDR … short version is I hated feel of CRBN Truefoam coming from gen 3, and like feel Vatic V Sol Pro “good enough”. I have played my best ever with it … those tend to end up feeling good to you. ;)

All foam paddles are not equal … but feel preferences will always vary. I find JOOLA Pro IV very stiff, my V Sol Pro less stiff or equal.

TLDR:

No paddle feels good (big part of that is the wiffle) to this retired tennis player … and I have a bag full of them. So for me … I am picking preferences within rudimentary equipment, and feel isn’t at top of my list except for grip.

This is my current preference order in importance (more explanation follows the list)
1) spin
2) grip
3) paddle shape
4) static weight and balance
5) swing weight and twist weight
6) feel
7) power/pop

If I could buy legal non-grit 3000 RPM (and grab) today I would. I don’t do DUPR or play tournaments … only reason I say legal is many of the guys I play round robin leagues with do. I’m just avoiding any whining. :-D I want the 3000 RPM for baseline lobs in doubles. I am very close to low error rate … give me 3000 RPM and good to go. After saying all that … more grab regardless of spin would make the game more enjoyable to me. Grit is sh.!.t … I’m hearing rumors non-grit spin may not be that far off. Much of it comes down to if the rules continue to restrict evolution.

I bolded first two because they are significantly more important to me than the rest. If I don’t like how the grip feels in my hand it doesn’t matter how good the paddle plays. I love Vatic grips, don’t like JOOLA grips. Tennis grips did not need to be reinvented (did I mention rudimentary equipment).

The rest of the list is more of a “I know what I prefer now after way too many paddles $$$”

I like a long handled extended paddle (played every shape), start at 8.0 oz so I can customize with tungsten, final swing weight 120 or less is good to go (now I choke up when I move to kitchen). I can generate my own power but now wouldn’t want to play with less than the V Sol Pro power … I am not having any trouble controlling it (wiffle control will never equal tennis ball/strings control). I used to prefer lower pop at the kitchen, but 3 years later that has changed. You win a lot of points at kitchen with the extra pop firepower … playing against Boomstiks with my old Vatic Prism would be taking a knife to a gun fight.

Other than that I have no opinions on paddles. :cool:
Click to expand...

I missed a glaring one in my preferred preference list … sweet spot goes in the top 3. You might be one of those annoying tennis players that hits center of the strings all of the time … but you won’t hit only center in pickleball kitchen play. Some paddles will still get the ball over on edge and throat hits, some it just dies. Thermoformed paddles (gen 2) fixed most of that, but still some differences. The claim with foam core paddles is bigger sweet spots, but there is debate if it is just a “feels” like bigger sweet spots (vibrations/feedback).
 
Joola Perseus IV or Perseus V is the best paddle on the market, bar none. Furthermore, Joola is not expensive either. Here is an example. You purchase a $250 Perseus V paddle (with discount code), and you can request for three replacements within twelve months. The Perseus V will core crush in less than three months, so you just send it back to get a new one, and you can do this three times within twelve months. If you think about it, you pay $250 to play with a new paddle every three months. That comes out to be $62.50 per paddle. A very good deal to me.
 
sureshs said:
I heard that all the top paddles in 2026 have a foam core, no more honeycomb.
Click to expand...

Most of the current most popular paddles are foam cores … either EPP or MPP. But … many don’t like the feel of foam … and JOOLA is still top polypropylene core paddle.

They went to foam because poly cores tend to crush (break) … foam has shown to be more durable.

So sad I know this :cool:
 
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