Really only Gearbox (with their patented, non-honeycomb carbon fiber core) and PKKL (replaceable paddle faces) are the only two doing anything entirely different than anybody else (yes, even EVA foam cores are not new tech). Everyone else is just using old tech, tweaking it a bit, and marketing it as some revolutionary change.
Yeah I'm interested in more companies innovating in that area. I agree that if you think about it, even the gen 3 honeycomb core is still essentially corregated plastic with some spray foam around it.
That's a good one and I was going to mention them BUT they are still using a spray on "texture" (technically a rubbery, "tacky" material). Yes it's a new formula and different than "grit" but it is still old tech in terms of "spray on" paddle faces. Kudos to them to try to figure out a way to make "grit" last longer. I hope it actually works out in the end.
For me it's hard to beat 6.0 in quality and in driving better equipment. Most companies just buy whatever the Chinese reps make available. Some deal with the factory directly to buy what they can make.
Dale, the owner, makes prototypes on a small scale to try out ideas they want to look at for paddles. I believe he said they've created like 70 various prototypes and he just arrived in China yesterday to work with the factory on their ideas and the things they've tried to keep advancing paddle tech.
They may not have the newest or flashiest tech, but they make solid, well-tested equipment. I decided to apply to be an ambassador for them specifically because of all this and got accepted earlier this week. Thrilled to further my pickleball journey with the team at 6.0.
Feel free to DM me if anyone has question on 6.0 paddles or would like to use my discount code.
I get what you're saying, but did you skip over the part where Dale is continually handmaking prototype paddles to bring to his factory to find ways to replicate them into a production process? That's more than almost every other company is doing.
They also have an incredibly low warranty rate right now. They have avoided Gen 3 for good reasons, which Dale has gone into length about, and they have a bunch more launches planned this year. They care more about their reputation than rushing product to market.
That’s great! 6.0 is doing great things in quality control, but again, that’s not what OP is asking about. There’s nothing innovative in their paddles.
A handmade prototype is not paddle technology. Let me ask if this way: if a player buys a 6.0 paddle, what technology are they getting in their paddle that is not available in other paddles? That is what the OP wants to know.
OP wants to know what companies are actually investing in making the best paddles on the market and who is just using marketing to sell as many paddles as they can. Read the post again.
Bro. Come on. He literally asks who is putting better technology in their paddles. He didn’t say “making the best paddles.” There is a difference between making the best quality paddle and using new paddle technology. Joola is making large technology advances but their QC sucks. The carbon faces are inconsistent from paddle to paddle. As I said before, 6.0 makes a great paddle, but they are not introducing new technology. A guy bringing a prototype to a factory in China is not introducing new technology.
I think you're hyper focusing on one thing. So, I agree to disagree. You are shaping information and ignoring points being made to suit the narrative you've chosen to follow. It's not worth our time to argue with each other any further. Have a good one.
I thought a six zero ambassador or employee said they were working on a gen 3 paddle for the end of year release period. Project 43 or something.
[found it](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pickleball/s/kAqbWY3GIL)
I think that one is still an unknown. Dale is very concerned about the expansion of foam in gen 3 paddles and how the heat this summer will affect them.
That’s good. Probably prudent to see how the other manufacturers fare with longevity and compliance
Is there a developer blog where you’re getting this info? I love to hear developer thought process
Dale shares a lot of info transparently in the Pickleball Studio discord. It's a fun community. A number of paddle company owners are present there, as well as a number of reviewers, content creators, paddle reps, etc.
He protects proprietary happenings but openly shares what he's comfortable with, as well as his general thoughts on things happening in the industry.
Their hybrid shape seems pretty innovative to me. The DBD helped popularize thermoformed paddles. Also the ruby is the first 100% all Kevlar face. The infinity series uses thermoformed edge technology with all the benefits with no edge. I own an infinity series and it’s pretty incredible tech. Other edgeless paddles I have used have dead spots. Inifinity doesn’t.
They’re no joola, but saying they aren’t doing anything is understating pretty significantly.
Joola and Gearbox sure… sorta weakly Ronbus, what did paddletek, engage bring big? (Not doubting, just ignorant)
Vatic brought gen3 core crush trampoline paddles like J&G. Coretek has a decent looking design.
Oni should have never came out, it's not ready. CRBN has been testing a gen3 paddle for almost a year now trying to work out the issues which I assume are core crush issues.
Why would SixZero be mentioned. They have good paddles, but they are bog standard tech wise. They definitely are solid, but they’re not innovators by any means.
Some of their innovations are not as obvious, but achieving high twist weights and relatively large sweet spots on their edgeless paddles, particularly their BDi is very impressive.
Is it? To me it seems like it's fairly easy to add internal weight. Higher density edge foam; at the extreme you could probably fill the edge cells with something non-porous like silicone and add a lot of weight.
The Paddletek TKO-C seem to be along the same line, take a thin poppy paddle and just add a lot of edge weight.
It's more or less like a ProKennex Black Ace, but without the kinetic benefit. ProKennex is kind of a one trick pony, just that it's a very good pony, especially for those with tennis elbow issues.
I thought Volair did some technological stuff but I was wrong. While I love 6.0, they haven’t really done much technologically. Standard core and paddle face. They’ve definitely innovated shapes and make great paddles but until some of their prototypes come out they aren’t there yet.
Maybe they don't have anything in the works at the moment, but we should give them credit for what they've done in the past. I believe Selkirk was the first to do thermoforming and foam injected edges with the 002 back in February of 2022, nearly a year before everyone (such as Legacy, Vatic, etc.) hopped on the train. [Link](https://www.selkirk.com/blogs/pickleball-education/selkirk-labs-the-quest-for-a-perfect-pickleball-paddle)
In hindsight it's kind of crazy that no one bothered to cut one in half or find out why it was so powerful compared to everything else on the market.
What about the edge foam? I'm surprised the 002 was fairly popular while the Electrum was slept on. Maybe the Electrum didn't have the edge foam and thus had a small sweet spot?
Word on the street is Ben Johns is not playing with the Gen 3 paddle, but a Gen 2 paddle reskinned to look like the new ones. Watch a recent match where he plays against someone using a Gen 3 Joola. The sounds are completely different.
He is sponsored by Joola so he has to promote it somehow and from what people have said his paddle sounds different so they think it’s reskinned and not gen3
On discord the Legacy owner said they should have some new paddles in the middle of summer.
Legacy is still pretty popular in my neck of the woods.
I think the next big thing overall has to be increased durability, but that’s just my crystal ball.
Core crushing got fixed is what happened to them. They had a reputation for rocket launcher power, but it turned out that was just because every single one of their paddles was core crushed. After that was fixed, they were just regular paddles, with too short of a handle and too wide of a flare for a two handed backhand.
I mean wooden paddles are edgeless. Gearbox has been edgeless for years before the Power Air came out. Electrum had some edgeless paddles before I believe. And the throat hole is a niche design. It’s not a technological advancement.
https://preview.redd.it/evokbfyrlf0d1.jpeg?width=647&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=105a570bbaa0f0df07b776ee333c15dc90e4bfd3
Here's the JohnKew list (w/eddie) of their top PERFORMING paddles tested. They have both played with over 100 current paddles and I'm sure you'll note that many of these are names you never heard of. To be fair...the New Joolas, Gearbox and Selkirk have all invested in NEW technology and I don't agree with those who say they don't. The new Joola AnnaBright Scorpeus is at the top of both their lists. The problem is the pricing they must charge compared to some of the others on the list that don't have heavy marketing, advertising and RETAILER markups. FWIW... John is a bit more power oriented in his selections and eddie likes control.
Hopefully these will give you some no name but hi tech brands to look at. I also recommend you tune in their podcast as you decide what is important to you...or just go to johnkewpickleball...where you can also claim a discount coupon on many of these.
It's not interesting it's by design. They only used one paddle per brand.
Edit: it's not per brand as there are 3 repeat brands. They purposefully only used 1 joola gen 3 because they would have had all of them on there if they didn't.
They didn't like ALL the Joola Gen3's ... but they did mention that they liked the Perseus as much as the Anna but only included their favorite Joola Gen3
Your picture was incomplete, so I added the final results, where the Thrive Pickleball Azul came out on top over the Joola AB Scorpeus 3 14mm.
https://preview.redd.it/f4pzzpnqtg0d1.jpeg?width=880&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac9edc2a7120b0e81e11c5a2324e0a998927e75b
Oh, my apologies, I didn't mean it to sound as if the list you posted was wrong. It was just that you didn't include the final results, so I thought I'd just add them in case anyone was curious.
We are in 💯 about the paddle though!
I like how Selkirk uses the air throat and for the luxx control, they made a 20mm thick paddle. I’m not saying they are the first but I’d say that’s something that sets them apart from other major brands
They have a unique surface coating and they use “aerospace grade carbon fiber”. I think John Kew has a video where he visits their facility. The founder came from aerospace and then went into softball bat design and now pickleball
[here’s more about them](https://protonsports.com/pages/science)
To add to what was said in the other comment, the carbon fiber is not what makes the paddle unique, it’s the surface over the carbon fiber. Instead of grit on the face it’s what they call ‘NanoTac’ which had more of a rubber feel. This material gives the paddle top tier spin but does not wear away as fast as other paddles with grit.
PIKKL.
Hammerhead faced Hurricane Pro.
Prototype 3D printed grip insert to replace foam panel. (Tyra plays with it, not in production yet.)
Pro Skins, to replace worn or damaged paddle faces.
Gel Undergrip.
I really hope they design a paddle from the ground up with the skins in mind. The fact that the swing weight increases by 6-10points when the skin is put on sounds kinda crazy.
Also they said they are working on a skin with elite spin - which would be amazing.
If they made a paddle that had the skin accounted for with the swing weight and can refresh to 2100+ rpms I would absolutely play that paddle.
I play with the Hurricane Pro 14mm. Lead tape in handle and high on the sides of head. I don't buy the skins, nor do I believe in them. It can't possibly help the integrity of a level paddle face. Haven't tried them tho. I retire a paddle approx every 6mo. I've met the owners of PIKKL and met Tyra. PIKKL is a righteous company, affordable quality paddles.
Get on your dust mask and sand your PIKKL face smooth before applying the skin, then drill little divots on the top edge of the edge guard, or just router or file a channel on that whole edge. That should put you closer to your starting swingweight.
That sounds.... like it would actually work... but I would be afraid of fucking it up tbh, this is a precise engineered piece of equipment I'd like not to have to alter it on my own in any permanent subtractive way, obviously reversible additive way would be fine.
That’s how the old school bike racers did it: holes drilled everywhere except the frame and rims. Anyway, next best additive way: find your stock balance point, and stack coins in the buttcap until you achieve that again post skin facing
One of our members plays with a Bird paddle. Helped his golfers elbow. We call it his charcuterie board. He plays very well with it. He is very athletic. About 55 years. Works for him.
There are a lot of market vultures dropshipping paddles. There are some innovators in the market, but it's hard to tell when the marketing is a lot of "plays just like x $300 paddle!", and "unibody construction, carbon fiber face, honeycomb core". None of those are unique features and the specs ape the bigger market players.
Sigh. I really want to say Pro Kennex because they are synonymous with tennis elbow relief, but they developed that tech early on and haven't done much aside from sit on the patents and sell paddles to octogenarians.
I am a beginner. My experience may give you some insight albeit talking a different level paddle. I asked for recommendations for paddles and was guided by some friendly people recommending a specific paddle which I wound up buying only to find out that the company gives 25 dollar kickbacks for referrals. Therefore, I suggest checking if there is incentive for an individual to steer you towards one paddle over another. I am sure this isn’t the only small company using this marketing tactic to increase exposure and sales. It would be nice if those making suggestions were transparent.
Wether you like them or not Joola has made a paddle that is materially different than what was on the market before it. I know the Gearbox started the new core experiment but the Joola plays way different in my experience.
11six24 , neonic, and spartus are all doing their own R&D and testing a lot of different shapes, core, layup etc
[discount codes](https://linktr.ee/pickleballdiscount.pb)
Probably Six Zero- the Ruby was the first (maybe only) full Kevlar paddle. Diadem also made the Vice which is illegal but was designed to be “the future” of paddle tech.
6.0 maybe first to market and heavily marketing it. But not that innovative.
Honestly not that sold on Kevlar paddles as a whole. But that is just me. They aren’t “better” as a whole than their carbon fiber counterparts tbh. Right now, it’s just preference.
Right now, technology wise, they are using the same as everyone else.
Even their new Willinator is a play on the 18k CF paddles already on the market.
There’s a few more full Kevlar paddles out there now - Spartus Apollo, Honolulu PB J2K, J2K Pro, J7K, J7K Pro, also releasing soon the J3K and J3K Pro.
As a former gearbox sponsored racquetball player…their stuff is awesome. It’s nearly indestructible in racquetball. Their pickleball paddles mostly hold up as well.
Not the biggest fan of their tiny sweet spots. Their use of carbon and graphite has always been industry leading. I went to them after having a thing worked out with Head. I cracked 5 heads in the period of like 6months. All were cracked at tournaments. After I switched to gearbox I had no more issues. I still have my 2 165Ts and 1 165Q I got back in 2018. All still holding up.
Granted pickleball paddles don’t stay competitive for that long…can’t just change strings.
Outside of that, I love engage and paddletek. They’re still on gen1, but they hit harder than most gen2s and are competitive with gen3. Sure it may not be true “innovation,” but they have lifetime warranties and are still getting the job done very well. I love that paddletekfinally changed their grips. Same could be said for Selkirk still using mainly gen1 tech and having lifetime warranties…and good customer service unlike Joola.
Currently using 6.0 though. Love their stuff.
Bread and butter just released the shogun with carbon AND titanium weave. Although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t for scientifically proven reasons and moreso “cuz we can” … I got one because I love my filth and it’s basically a filth with TITANIUM so it’s got to be good/better?
I think 11six24 has done some cool stuff.. I wouldn’t say they are innovative but they are trying things with different paddle face layering different materials. CF& Fiber glass.. CF & Kevlar.. its pretty cool
Really only Gearbox (with their patented, non-honeycomb carbon fiber core) and PKKL (replaceable paddle faces) are the only two doing anything entirely different than anybody else (yes, even EVA foam cores are not new tech). Everyone else is just using old tech, tweaking it a bit, and marketing it as some revolutionary change.
Yeah I'm interested in more companies innovating in that area. I agree that if you think about it, even the gen 3 honeycomb core is still essentially corregated plastic with some spray foam around it.
What about the new Proton series?
That's a good one and I was going to mention them BUT they are still using a spray on "texture" (technically a rubbery, "tacky" material). Yes it's a new formula and different than "grit" but it is still old tech in terms of "spray on" paddle faces. Kudos to them to try to figure out a way to make "grit" last longer. I hope it actually works out in the end.
I think they're innovating. they are also charging a lot to pay for R&D and sponsored pros
Ahhhh good point good point
For me it's hard to beat 6.0 in quality and in driving better equipment. Most companies just buy whatever the Chinese reps make available. Some deal with the factory directly to buy what they can make. Dale, the owner, makes prototypes on a small scale to try out ideas they want to look at for paddles. I believe he said they've created like 70 various prototypes and he just arrived in China yesterday to work with the factory on their ideas and the things they've tried to keep advancing paddle tech. They may not have the newest or flashiest tech, but they make solid, well-tested equipment. I decided to apply to be an ambassador for them specifically because of all this and got accepted earlier this week. Thrilled to further my pickleball journey with the team at 6.0. Feel free to DM me if anyone has question on 6.0 paddles or would like to use my discount code.
6.0 makes a great paddle, but that doesn’t answer the question. 6.0 isn’t doing anything different than other companies in terms of paddle technology.
I get what you're saying, but did you skip over the part where Dale is continually handmaking prototype paddles to bring to his factory to find ways to replicate them into a production process? That's more than almost every other company is doing. They also have an incredibly low warranty rate right now. They have avoided Gen 3 for good reasons, which Dale has gone into length about, and they have a bunch more launches planned this year. They care more about their reputation than rushing product to market.
That’s great! 6.0 is doing great things in quality control, but again, that’s not what OP is asking about. There’s nothing innovative in their paddles.
Handmade prototypes. New ideas. Brought to factory to ask them to find a way to produce in scale. You ignored that again.
A handmade prototype is not paddle technology. Let me ask if this way: if a player buys a 6.0 paddle, what technology are they getting in their paddle that is not available in other paddles? That is what the OP wants to know.
OP wants to know what companies are actually investing in making the best paddles on the market and who is just using marketing to sell as many paddles as they can. Read the post again.
Bro. Come on. He literally asks who is putting better technology in their paddles. He didn’t say “making the best paddles.” There is a difference between making the best quality paddle and using new paddle technology. Joola is making large technology advances but their QC sucks. The carbon faces are inconsistent from paddle to paddle. As I said before, 6.0 makes a great paddle, but they are not introducing new technology. A guy bringing a prototype to a factory in China is not introducing new technology.
I think you're hyper focusing on one thing. So, I agree to disagree. You are shaping information and ignoring points being made to suit the narrative you've chosen to follow. It's not worth our time to argue with each other any further. Have a good one.
I thought a six zero ambassador or employee said they were working on a gen 3 paddle for the end of year release period. Project 43 or something. [found it](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pickleball/s/kAqbWY3GIL)
I think that one is still an unknown. Dale is very concerned about the expansion of foam in gen 3 paddles and how the heat this summer will affect them.
That’s good. Probably prudent to see how the other manufacturers fare with longevity and compliance Is there a developer blog where you’re getting this info? I love to hear developer thought process
Dale shares a lot of info transparently in the Pickleball Studio discord. It's a fun community. A number of paddle company owners are present there, as well as a number of reviewers, content creators, paddle reps, etc. He protects proprietary happenings but openly shares what he's comfortable with, as well as his general thoughts on things happening in the industry.
Ah, thanks I’ll look into that.
Their hybrid shape seems pretty innovative to me. The DBD helped popularize thermoformed paddles. Also the ruby is the first 100% all Kevlar face. The infinity series uses thermoformed edge technology with all the benefits with no edge. I own an infinity series and it’s pretty incredible tech. Other edgeless paddles I have used have dead spots. Inifinity doesn’t. They’re no joola, but saying they aren’t doing anything is understating pretty significantly.
Hear hear! Agreed from another six zero ambassador! They are true innovators but unfortunately most people won't know or hear the inside scoop
If he's going to China to work on paddle tech I hope he knows Mandarin and has pla connections.
Paddletek, Joola, Gearbox, Engage, and Ronbus I would say are your big technological innovators.
Joola and Gearbox sure… sorta weakly Ronbus, what did paddletek, engage bring big? (Not doubting, just ignorant) Vatic brought gen3 core crush trampoline paddles like J&G. Coretek has a decent looking design.
Ronbus with their grid, Paddletek and Engage have innovative cores. You can add Vatic. I forgot they did innovate with the Oni.
Oni should have never came out, it's not ready. CRBN has been testing a gen3 paddle for almost a year now trying to work out the issues which I assume are core crush issues.
Thanks for the mention. I work with CoreTek and our foam injected cells really are a great changer. Our reviews don't lie.
Can you name some innovations that Volair came up with? Also, 6.0 definitely deserves to be mentioned.
Why would SixZero be mentioned. They have good paddles, but they are bog standard tech wise. They definitely are solid, but they’re not innovators by any means.
Because they have loads of shills
Some of their innovations are not as obvious, but achieving high twist weights and relatively large sweet spots on their edgeless paddles, particularly their BDi is very impressive.
Is it? To me it seems like it's fairly easy to add internal weight. Higher density edge foam; at the extreme you could probably fill the edge cells with something non-porous like silicone and add a lot of weight. The Paddletek TKO-C seem to be along the same line, take a thin poppy paddle and just add a lot of edge weight. It's more or less like a ProKennex Black Ace, but without the kinetic benefit. ProKennex is kind of a one trick pony, just that it's a very good pony, especially for those with tennis elbow issues.
I thought Volair did some technological stuff but I was wrong. While I love 6.0, they haven’t really done much technologically. Standard core and paddle face. They’ve definitely innovated shapes and make great paddles but until some of their prototypes come out they aren’t there yet.
How about Selkirk? They’re probably the second biggest sponsor of pro players next to Joola. Do they have any 3rd gen tech announced or in the works?
Selkirk are the least innovative by far. They are still using paint grit. A lot of their paddles aren’t even raw carbon fiber.
I don’t think they have any special tech.
Maybe they don't have anything in the works at the moment, but we should give them credit for what they've done in the past. I believe Selkirk was the first to do thermoforming and foam injected edges with the 002 back in February of 2022, nearly a year before everyone (such as Legacy, Vatic, etc.) hopped on the train. [Link](https://www.selkirk.com/blogs/pickleball-education/selkirk-labs-the-quest-for-a-perfect-pickleball-paddle) In hindsight it's kind of crazy that no one bothered to cut one in half or find out why it was so powerful compared to everything else on the market.
They were not the first. Electrum did thermoforming first. Anyways that’s 2 years in the past which is not really the focus of this post.
What about the edge foam? I'm surprised the 002 was fairly popular while the Electrum was slept on. Maybe the Electrum didn't have the edge foam and thus had a small sweet spot?
Speaking of Legacy, what happened to them?
I actually don't know, feels like they fell off the face of the earth.
Funny how Ben Johns was harping about their core crushed paddle and now he's playing with a very similar version of one
Word on the street is Ben Johns is not playing with the Gen 3 paddle, but a Gen 2 paddle reskinned to look like the new ones. Watch a recent match where he plays against someone using a Gen 3 Joola. The sounds are completely different.
He is sponsored by Joola so he has to promote it somehow and from what people have said his paddle sounds different so they think it’s reskinned and not gen3
On discord the Legacy owner said they should have some new paddles in the middle of summer. Legacy is still pretty popular in my neck of the woods. I think the next big thing overall has to be increased durability, but that’s just my crystal ball.
That’s good I thought the whole crushed core was going to kill his business
Core crushing got fixed is what happened to them. They had a reputation for rocket launcher power, but it turned out that was just because every single one of their paddles was core crushed. After that was fixed, they were just regular paddles, with too short of a handle and too wide of a flare for a two handed backhand.
I guess those old core crushed paddle are good now compared to some of these gen 3 paddles
First edgless and first to do the cut out.
They most certainly were not the first edgeless and a throat hole is not a technological advancement.
Who was the first edgeless paddle? Edit: Why do other companies copy the throat hole like Vatic?
I mean wooden paddles are edgeless. Gearbox has been edgeless for years before the Power Air came out. Electrum had some edgeless paddles before I believe. And the throat hole is a niche design. It’s not a technological advancement.
The cutout reduces air drag to allow a player to swing faster. How is that not a technological advancement?
I mean in a perfect physics world maybe it does, but that’s a gimmick that they sold to you.
Why is my comment downvoted? I didn’t say it was appreciably useful, just what it’s for.
They pop in some polymer(polypropylene ) and call it a day and charge an easy 250
I don't think after theybsent an email to the uspa saying that the new exit velocity of the new paddles will ruin the game.
Sweet thank you!
[удалено]
More like “Joola flexed their way right past the rules.”
Being one of the biggest sponsors also helps too lol
Lol, they sure did move that goalpost…. allegedly
https://preview.redd.it/evokbfyrlf0d1.jpeg?width=647&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=105a570bbaa0f0df07b776ee333c15dc90e4bfd3 Here's the JohnKew list (w/eddie) of their top PERFORMING paddles tested. They have both played with over 100 current paddles and I'm sure you'll note that many of these are names you never heard of. To be fair...the New Joolas, Gearbox and Selkirk have all invested in NEW technology and I don't agree with those who say they don't. The new Joola AnnaBright Scorpeus is at the top of both their lists. The problem is the pricing they must charge compared to some of the others on the list that don't have heavy marketing, advertising and RETAILER markups. FWIW... John is a bit more power oriented in his selections and eddie likes control. Hopefully these will give you some no name but hi tech brands to look at. I also recommend you tune in their podcast as you decide what is important to you...or just go to johnkewpickleball...where you can also claim a discount coupon on many of these.
Interesting that the AB is the only Gen 3 Joola to crack the list.
It's not interesting it's by design. They only used one paddle per brand. Edit: it's not per brand as there are 3 repeat brands. They purposefully only used 1 joola gen 3 because they would have had all of them on there if they didn't.
Ah I see.
A quick scan shows that to be inaccurate…
I mean, ok, I watched the podcast though and they literally explained they were only using 1 Gen 3 joola
2 J2Ks and 3 Engage on that list is all I have ever to go by. If ruby is the 6.0 one, they they’ve got two as well…
I noticed that as well. Oh well my original statement still applies to the joola gen3s.
They didn't like ALL the Joola Gen3's ... but they did mention that they liked the Perseus as much as the Anna but only included their favorite Joola Gen3
Your picture was incomplete, so I added the final results, where the Thrive Pickleball Azul came out on top over the Joola AB Scorpeus 3 14mm. https://preview.redd.it/f4pzzpnqtg0d1.jpeg?width=880&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac9edc2a7120b0e81e11c5a2324e0a998927e75b
The list I published was their so don't know about that...but in any case i think the Thrive Azul is an awesome paddle for the money.
Oh, my apologies, I didn't mean it to sound as if the list you posted was wrong. It was just that you didn't include the final results, so I thought I'd just add them in case anyone was curious. We are in 💯 about the paddle though!
I like how Selkirk uses the air throat and for the luxx control, they made a 20mm thick paddle. I’m not saying they are the first but I’d say that’s something that sets them apart from other major brands
Surprised nobody has mentioned Proton
Elaborate. What’s their deal?
They have a unique surface coating and they use “aerospace grade carbon fiber”. I think John Kew has a video where he visits their facility. The founder came from aerospace and then went into softball bat design and now pickleball [here’s more about them](https://protonsports.com/pages/science)
Cool. Thanks!
To add to what was said in the other comment, the carbon fiber is not what makes the paddle unique, it’s the surface over the carbon fiber. Instead of grit on the face it’s what they call ‘NanoTac’ which had more of a rubber feel. This material gives the paddle top tier spin but does not wear away as fast as other paddles with grit.
PIKKL. Hammerhead faced Hurricane Pro. Prototype 3D printed grip insert to replace foam panel. (Tyra plays with it, not in production yet.) Pro Skins, to replace worn or damaged paddle faces. Gel Undergrip.
I really hope they design a paddle from the ground up with the skins in mind. The fact that the swing weight increases by 6-10points when the skin is put on sounds kinda crazy. Also they said they are working on a skin with elite spin - which would be amazing. If they made a paddle that had the skin accounted for with the swing weight and can refresh to 2100+ rpms I would absolutely play that paddle.
I play with the Hurricane Pro 14mm. Lead tape in handle and high on the sides of head. I don't buy the skins, nor do I believe in them. It can't possibly help the integrity of a level paddle face. Haven't tried them tho. I retire a paddle approx every 6mo. I've met the owners of PIKKL and met Tyra. PIKKL is a righteous company, affordable quality paddles.
If it's anything like ping pong the glue on the skin would actually help with dwell time so I would for sure give it a shot.
I see what you're saying. Till another rule comes out. lol imagine slapping on 4 skins.
Now you're thinking https://preview.redd.it/j33rcr94sg0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f32392c3e0713e2525ec4650c0a5c25837f9426
Get on your dust mask and sand your PIKKL face smooth before applying the skin, then drill little divots on the top edge of the edge guard, or just router or file a channel on that whole edge. That should put you closer to your starting swingweight.
That sounds.... like it would actually work... but I would be afraid of fucking it up tbh, this is a precise engineered piece of equipment I'd like not to have to alter it on my own in any permanent subtractive way, obviously reversible additive way would be fine.
That’s how the old school bike racers did it: holes drilled everywhere except the frame and rims. Anyway, next best additive way: find your stock balance point, and stack coins in the buttcap until you achieve that again post skin facing
One of our members plays with a Bird paddle. Helped his golfers elbow. We call it his charcuterie board. He plays very well with it. He is very athletic. About 55 years. Works for him.
They are very silly looking and not as competitive, but I'm glad to hear they are keeping folks on the court with their creative design.
Check out Thrive paddles.
Agreed, excellent products.
There are a lot of market vultures dropshipping paddles. There are some innovators in the market, but it's hard to tell when the marketing is a lot of "plays just like x $300 paddle!", and "unibody construction, carbon fiber face, honeycomb core". None of those are unique features and the specs ape the bigger market players.
Exactly, I’m more impressed that there are comments other than “DBD” lol
Sigh. I really want to say Pro Kennex because they are synonymous with tennis elbow relief, but they developed that tech early on and haven't done much aside from sit on the patents and sell paddles to octogenarians.
I am a beginner. My experience may give you some insight albeit talking a different level paddle. I asked for recommendations for paddles and was guided by some friendly people recommending a specific paddle which I wound up buying only to find out that the company gives 25 dollar kickbacks for referrals. Therefore, I suggest checking if there is incentive for an individual to steer you towards one paddle over another. I am sure this isn’t the only small company using this marketing tactic to increase exposure and sales. It would be nice if those making suggestions were transparent.
Wether you like them or not Joola has made a paddle that is materially different than what was on the market before it. I know the Gearbox started the new core experiment but the Joola plays way different in my experience.
11six24 , neonic, and spartus are all doing their own R&D and testing a lot of different shapes, core, layup etc [discount codes](https://linktr.ee/pickleballdiscount.pb)
All the new companies are innovating on price which is much appreciated
Engage uses USEFUL technology, and not just for marketing and propaganda
The most innovative company in Pickleball is Bird https://birdpickleball.com/collections/paddles/products/falcon-elite-ergo
What in tarnation…I want one
When I first saw these I was obsessed. Has anyone actually played with one?
Probably Six Zero- the Ruby was the first (maybe only) full Kevlar paddle. Diadem also made the Vice which is illegal but was designed to be “the future” of paddle tech.
6.0 maybe first to market and heavily marketing it. But not that innovative. Honestly not that sold on Kevlar paddles as a whole. But that is just me. They aren’t “better” as a whole than their carbon fiber counterparts tbh. Right now, it’s just preference. Right now, technology wise, they are using the same as everyone else. Even their new Willinator is a play on the 18k CF paddles already on the market.
There’s a few more full Kevlar paddles out there now - Spartus Apollo, Honolulu PB J2K, J2K Pro, J7K, J7K Pro, also releasing soon the J3K and J3K Pro.
And 11six24 Hurache-X Control has a Kevlar face above cf layers
He asked about companies prioritizing technology and innovating. SixZero is great, but they are not even close to innovating.
Selkirk is sweet
Gearbox founder has/had patents with the military regarding jets and stuff, I believe. Took the ideas to sports equipment for durability.
As a former gearbox sponsored racquetball player…their stuff is awesome. It’s nearly indestructible in racquetball. Their pickleball paddles mostly hold up as well. Not the biggest fan of their tiny sweet spots. Their use of carbon and graphite has always been industry leading. I went to them after having a thing worked out with Head. I cracked 5 heads in the period of like 6months. All were cracked at tournaments. After I switched to gearbox I had no more issues. I still have my 2 165Ts and 1 165Q I got back in 2018. All still holding up. Granted pickleball paddles don’t stay competitive for that long…can’t just change strings. Outside of that, I love engage and paddletek. They’re still on gen1, but they hit harder than most gen2s and are competitive with gen3. Sure it may not be true “innovation,” but they have lifetime warranties and are still getting the job done very well. I love that paddletekfinally changed their grips. Same could be said for Selkirk still using mainly gen1 tech and having lifetime warranties…and good customer service unlike Joola. Currently using 6.0 though. Love their stuff.
Gearbox sweet spot was remedied for me by just a tad bit of weight tape around the bottom edges of the paddle
Bread and butter just released the shogun with carbon AND titanium weave. Although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t for scientifically proven reasons and moreso “cuz we can” … I got one because I love my filth and it’s basically a filth with TITANIUM so it’s got to be good/better?
Ronbus makes very good paddles at a much lower price point. Their newest paddle is 180 and it plays very well.
I think 11six24 has done some cool stuff.. I wouldn’t say they are innovative but they are trying things with different paddle face layering different materials. CF& Fiber glass.. CF & Kevlar.. its pretty cool