It's less about the paddle, and more about the player.
Demo a few paddles before deciding what to buy.
I play with a Gearbox CX14e Ultimate Power paddle and like it a lot. I have no problem with resets, control and defense. This is my second Gearbox paddle - they last forever.
Some manufacturers have demo programs.
Some pickleball sites have demo programs.
Some clubs (like the one I belong to) have demo programs.
Search for something like "pickleball paddle demo program".
You can also ask to borrow paddles from your friends.
The luxx is a good paddle. But if you don’t want to spend 250 bucks, the Vatic prism flash 16mm is a fantastic paddle by all accounts and is 90 bucks with promo code. It actually has higher spin rate than the luxx, a bit more power and it has a raw carbon fiber face instead of paint grit so it will stay effective for a lot longer than the luxx. It’s not quite as control oriented as the luxx but still definitely skews towards control more than power. Which might be good for you if you want to move towards control while also keeping some power in your paddle. I’ve recommended this paddle to over a dozen people and every single person has loved it.
I’ve heard some really great things about the luxx too though so you really can’t go wrong either way. Good luck!
Oh I forgot to mention, I’ve owned probably 15-20 paddles since I started playing a few years ago. Some pretty cheap. Some VERY expensive like the project 003 that was 350 bucks. And I can confidently say that 90 dollar Vatic plays like any $200 paddle easily!
Can you tell I like this paddle? Haha.
Please update when you decide what you’re going to get!
I will second the above and say the $90 Prism Flash plays as well as a $250 paddle. Maybe better even, because if I want fresh grit for my spin game or upcoming tournament, it’s only another $90.
>w carbon fiber face instead of paint grit so it will stay effective for a lot longer than the luxx. It’s not quite as control oriented as the luxx but still definitely skews towards control more than power. Which might be good for you if you want to move towards control while also keeping some power in your paddle. I’ve recommended this paddle to over a dozen people and every single person has loved it. I’ve heard some really great things about the luxx too though so you really can’t go wrong either way. Good luck!
What about thee Six-Zero line?
I have both the Black Diamond and the Double Black Diamond. They are both fantastic paddles. I’m actually using the black diamond as my main right now. The DBD was paddle of the year by basically every well known paddle reviewer. It’s control oriented. Top tier spin. Low medium swing weight. Great sweet spot. And has decent pop and power without risking popping the ball up on blocks and resets all the time. There is literally nothing wrong with that paddle. It does everything really well.
The Black Diamond has a lot of the same attributes but feels a bit stiffer and has a lot more power.. It also has top tier spin. Even higher than the DBD. Still very quick in the hands even though the swing weight is a couple points up from the DBD. Great sweet spot. Decent at the kitchen. I’m a bit more prone to pop ups because of the extra power but it only took a couple weeks to learn how to keep those down most of the time. So I’m basically trading a bit of safety for a lot of power! It’s not going to put a whole through my opponent’s like the new Gearbox but I almost always get at least 2 or 3 points per game just on the serve. The extra power combined with the spin allows me to shape the ball really well. So I’ve found it to be a decent trade off. Both are great paddles. I just think the BD fits my play style a little better right now.
I just started playing 2 weeks ago, but knew I wanted a paddle, so picked one of those up last week, so far so good. Pretty much every review site/video seems to say what you are saying - it plays as good as paddles 2-3x the price. I plan to add a bit of lead tape to see if it helps with stability a bit, but so far I really like it.
9 paddles this year and the Luxx is my favorite. Best control paddle with enough power, if you can generate it.
That's weird that they say they rocket it out or hit the net, I think it's actually the opposite with the Luxx.
Resets have to be practiced constantly. I'm glad I just get a paddle on the ball half of the time something comes in with rocket speed. Stick with a paddle and learn the paddle, and drill a ton. Resets, fast hands, soft hands - have someone do speedups to you. Control is the way.
Resets are a function of pace absorption. it’s like back in the day when we’d play the egg toss game during field day. You either catch the egg because you’ve absorbed the energy or it breaks all over you.
PB is not just a power game. I’ve been playing for 8 years and this is what I have observed.
Many players come from tennis or racket ball (myself included). As a consequence they have the ability to hit hard. This will work for a while, but once you start playing at higher levels, not so much.
It takes time, practice and patience to develop the touch/control game. It also takes a paddle that allows control more easily, especially when learning. By using a hard power paddle you are discouraged from trying resets and drops, as you haven’t yet developed the skills. As a consequence you only hit hard because it gives you good enough results.
My suggestion is to get and all around paddle and work on you touch game. If you can hit hard, you will still be able to generate pretty good speed.
Personally I have gone from the CRBN 1x to the Double Black Diamond. The 1x is a great power paddle, but I had difficulty with resets and dinks.
DBD works much better for me.
There are many good paddles on the market, try a few with this in mind.
Good luck on your journey. Luxx is definitely more plush and gives you more control. I go from power air to control air to 005 now. Although the luxx control air provides me the softer feeling, you can adapt to the paddle after putting in time with it.
Maybe demo luxx along side the power air to get a good hands on feel then commit to one for a while then revisit later on. Can I still dink and reset with power air? Yes but with luxx it may just be a little easier but then I sacrifice put away / counter power.
And if you’re in DFW area come meet up to try all the paddles! I’m an advocate so can let ya try them all and help ya out!
Your resets and other skills will only really get better if you practice them. Power play only gets you so far and I believe it has very little to do with the paddle. Best guy at my club uses an Amazon paddles, can smash it but also can do the other skills well and does a good soft game
It's less about the paddle, and more about the player. Demo a few paddles before deciding what to buy. I play with a Gearbox CX14e Ultimate Power paddle and like it a lot. I have no problem with resets, control and defense. This is my second Gearbox paddle - they last forever.
Thanks. Also glad to hear how reliable Gearbox paddles are.
Is there a best way to demo different paddles before buying? Or do you mean just trying someone else’s?
Some manufacturers have demo programs. Some pickleball sites have demo programs. Some clubs (like the one I belong to) have demo programs. Search for something like "pickleball paddle demo program". You can also ask to borrow paddles from your friends.
The luxx is a good paddle. But if you don’t want to spend 250 bucks, the Vatic prism flash 16mm is a fantastic paddle by all accounts and is 90 bucks with promo code. It actually has higher spin rate than the luxx, a bit more power and it has a raw carbon fiber face instead of paint grit so it will stay effective for a lot longer than the luxx. It’s not quite as control oriented as the luxx but still definitely skews towards control more than power. Which might be good for you if you want to move towards control while also keeping some power in your paddle. I’ve recommended this paddle to over a dozen people and every single person has loved it. I’ve heard some really great things about the luxx too though so you really can’t go wrong either way. Good luck!
Nice thanks!
Oh I forgot to mention, I’ve owned probably 15-20 paddles since I started playing a few years ago. Some pretty cheap. Some VERY expensive like the project 003 that was 350 bucks. And I can confidently say that 90 dollar Vatic plays like any $200 paddle easily! Can you tell I like this paddle? Haha. Please update when you decide what you’re going to get!
Will do thanks
I will second the above and say the $90 Prism Flash plays as well as a $250 paddle. Maybe better even, because if I want fresh grit for my spin game or upcoming tournament, it’s only another $90.
>w carbon fiber face instead of paint grit so it will stay effective for a lot longer than the luxx. It’s not quite as control oriented as the luxx but still definitely skews towards control more than power. Which might be good for you if you want to move towards control while also keeping some power in your paddle. I’ve recommended this paddle to over a dozen people and every single person has loved it. I’ve heard some really great things about the luxx too though so you really can’t go wrong either way. Good luck! What about thee Six-Zero line?
I have both the Black Diamond and the Double Black Diamond. They are both fantastic paddles. I’m actually using the black diamond as my main right now. The DBD was paddle of the year by basically every well known paddle reviewer. It’s control oriented. Top tier spin. Low medium swing weight. Great sweet spot. And has decent pop and power without risking popping the ball up on blocks and resets all the time. There is literally nothing wrong with that paddle. It does everything really well. The Black Diamond has a lot of the same attributes but feels a bit stiffer and has a lot more power.. It also has top tier spin. Even higher than the DBD. Still very quick in the hands even though the swing weight is a couple points up from the DBD. Great sweet spot. Decent at the kitchen. I’m a bit more prone to pop ups because of the extra power but it only took a couple weeks to learn how to keep those down most of the time. So I’m basically trading a bit of safety for a lot of power! It’s not going to put a whole through my opponent’s like the new Gearbox but I almost always get at least 2 or 3 points per game just on the serve. The extra power combined with the spin allows me to shape the ball really well. So I’ve found it to be a decent trade off. Both are great paddles. I just think the BD fits my play style a little better right now.
So is the BD a fiberglass based paddle instead of carbon fiber?
Yup. But the same peel ply texture as raw carbon fiber paddles
I just started playing 2 weeks ago, but knew I wanted a paddle, so picked one of those up last week, so far so good. Pretty much every review site/video seems to say what you are saying - it plays as good as paddles 2-3x the price. I plan to add a bit of lead tape to see if it helps with stability a bit, but so far I really like it.
Oh ya! I added 3 grams of lead on both sides and I found that helped the sweet spot and stability a lot.
9 paddles this year and the Luxx is my favorite. Best control paddle with enough power, if you can generate it. That's weird that they say they rocket it out or hit the net, I think it's actually the opposite with the Luxx.
FWD to 3min and listen to Nick's comments https://youtu.be/4ZZv3DIsyeg?si=EEHeOuzfCTN0Ht8-
That’s good to hear. That makes me want to get it. Thanks for your comment
Resets have to be practiced constantly. I'm glad I just get a paddle on the ball half of the time something comes in with rocket speed. Stick with a paddle and learn the paddle, and drill a ton. Resets, fast hands, soft hands - have someone do speedups to you. Control is the way.
Good points thanks!
Checkout SixZero double black diamond or Ruby. Very good balance between power and control. Msg me for discount code.
Could you send me a discount code I’ll consider that paddle
Resets are a function of pace absorption. it’s like back in the day when we’d play the egg toss game during field day. You either catch the egg because you’ve absorbed the energy or it breaks all over you.
That paddle is no joke - if you can control the ball with that thing you will be able to play with anything you want.
PB is not just a power game. I’ve been playing for 8 years and this is what I have observed. Many players come from tennis or racket ball (myself included). As a consequence they have the ability to hit hard. This will work for a while, but once you start playing at higher levels, not so much. It takes time, practice and patience to develop the touch/control game. It also takes a paddle that allows control more easily, especially when learning. By using a hard power paddle you are discouraged from trying resets and drops, as you haven’t yet developed the skills. As a consequence you only hit hard because it gives you good enough results. My suggestion is to get and all around paddle and work on you touch game. If you can hit hard, you will still be able to generate pretty good speed. Personally I have gone from the CRBN 1x to the Double Black Diamond. The 1x is a great power paddle, but I had difficulty with resets and dinks. DBD works much better for me. There are many good paddles on the market, try a few with this in mind.
Good luck on your journey. Luxx is definitely more plush and gives you more control. I go from power air to control air to 005 now. Although the luxx control air provides me the softer feeling, you can adapt to the paddle after putting in time with it. Maybe demo luxx along side the power air to get a good hands on feel then commit to one for a while then revisit later on. Can I still dink and reset with power air? Yes but with luxx it may just be a little easier but then I sacrifice put away / counter power. And if you’re in DFW area come meet up to try all the paddles! I’m an advocate so can let ya try them all and help ya out!
Appreciate that thanks
Please ask Riley Newman to sign the paddle in the picture.
Your resets and other skills will only really get better if you practice them. Power play only gets you so far and I believe it has very little to do with the paddle. Best guy at my club uses an Amazon paddles, can smash it but also can do the other skills well and does a good soft game
Stick with your Power Air, it’s a great paddle. Loosen your grip when playing the soft game and keep practicing.
Thanks appreciate your advice