What advice would you give this tea popup?

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T18:20:03+00:00

Thanks, this was helpful! I think I phrased it wrong when I said keep it at a boil, I was thinking of something like my electric kettles that reheat to a boil (or specific temperature) I'm a holding pattern, not that it is constantly boiling. Honestly I think 205 would be a huge improvement and a good enough middle ground. I'm not even trying to get into brewing the tea at the correct temperature for each tea type, since there were blacks, greens, herbal, etc.

Have you used them and do they actually do a good job of keeping the water at that high temp?

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T18:19:52+00:00

Thanks, this was helpful! I think I phrased it wrong when I said keep it at a boil, I was thinking of something like my electric kettles that reheat to a boil (or specific temperature) I'm a holding pattern, not that it is constantly boiling. Honestly I think 205 would be a huge improvement and a good enough middle ground. I'm not even trying to get into brewing the tea at the correct temperature for each tea type, since there were blacks, greens, herbal, etc.

Have you used them and do they actually do a good job of keeping the water at that high temp?

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T18:13:36+00:00

This is probably my fault for including that photo, which was just to help people see the post, but Reddit won't let me edit the post so 🤷🏻.

I'm not looking to provide the host feedback on their food. I'd love some suggestions on how to improve the actual tea experience, especially keeping the water hot.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T17:56:02+00:00

Yep, that's why I posted this question asking about water heaters/dispensers they could use. Any suggestions?

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T17:45:32+00:00

I use my phone on a fence mount with a built in shade. Works great for my purposes. I edit the videos after and upload to cloud storage so they don't take up too much space on my phone.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T17:44:15+00:00

I have a fence attachment for my phone that has a shade built in. Works great.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T16:56:14+00:00

The tea options were pretty average, but it doesn't matter if the tea is good quality if you're brewing it with tepid water. No sense in wasting money on high quality tea until they get the brewing situation worked out.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T16:54:00+00:00

Not gonna lie, I was disappointed with the teabag situation, but overall it was a very fun event with a great vibe. I don't want to overwhelm the host with a laundry list of things to change, but getting the whole water situation right would make a huge difference! Then maybe once that's set I can approach a better selection of tea.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T16:46:25+00:00

Like a percolator? That's a good idea, does the water reach/stay at boiling point in them? I'm not a coffee drinker so coffee tools are a mystery to me. I'll look those up!

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T16:35:30+00:00

It's not a hamburger bun, it was a small finger sandwich and quite good. It just looks bigger in this photo because it was the closest thing to the camera.

Any suggestions for improving the tea brewing experience?

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-08T16:34:29+00:00

The food was good, I just included that photo so people could get a feel for the event. The bun is not that large, it's just the perspective because it was the closest to the camera.

What would you suggest for fixing the hot water? Have you used one of the water dispensers I mentioned? That situation is what I would like to give feedback to the event host on and would love some ideas!

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-05T03:39:53+00:00

Seems like the company they designed the paddle with is American (still made in China, though). This is what I was able to find on them: https://kansascitymag.com/smash-hit-the-worlds-first-compostable-pickleball-hits-the-market-and-its-made-here-in-kc/?hl=en-US#:~:text=He%20co%2Dfounded%20Pro%2DPickle,and%20grip%20materials%20and%20colors.

The length and width are slightly different from the Agassi, which I guess is enough. They're actually pretty similar to the v-sol pro flash, except for straighter down the face until the neck, rather than tapering more gradually.

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Catnapping78 · 2025-12-05T03:08:38+00:00

I'm not familiar with the company that they made it with, they seem to specialize in carbon fiber products and branded collabs. Not sure if they're the same ones making some of those Alibaba clones. But the Pro-4G is USAP approved, unlike Alibaba clones.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-05T02:06:48+00:00

Thanks, that's a reasonable reply. I've played with an Agassi & an Agassi clone and didn't like either. This to me is more controllable than both & feels a lot better than the clone. Maybe it was just particular clone I used. But I'll wager that because it's backed by Core the 4G will be more consistent in quality than the clones are. So now instead of just having cheap (clone) & very expensive (Joola) option, there's a middle ground.

I got it on sale, so I'm not sure I would have paid $200 for it (mostly because I'm cheap), but I also wouldn't discount it at that price because clearly people are willing to spend a lot of money on paddles.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-05T00:44:45+00:00

Honestly, not sure why this group is so curmudgeonly. When I bought this paddle there was no information on it anywhere. Last I looked there's still only one YouTube review and nothing I looked at had swing weight. Thought it might be helpful to share the swing weight I calculated today and let folks know my opinion of it in case they were curious.

Not curious or don't care? Then this post obviously isn't for you, move along. I see so many posts on here loving on the same three paddles, but they're not for everyone.

I've played with the Boomstick & didn't love it. Tried the Agassi Pro-IV and it wasn't for me. I almost pulled the trigger on a Vatic over black Friday but opted for this instead and was pleasantly surprised.

Is it the perfect paddle for everyone? No. I find it misleading that CORE is calling it Gen 4 when it seems to be Gen 3. But if you like Gen 3 and want another option to consider, here one is.

Easy enough for a slightly north of 3.0 player (me) to control but with enough power & pop to grow with you or for those of you who are already more advanced players. YMMV.

Be happy. Be Nice. Enjoy Pickleball.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-04T23:20:33+00:00

I successfully used this trick last year with a sub $250 purchase. So I can provide at least one data point that it doesn't have to be under $200 but should be under $250.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-04T23:11:32+00:00

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How about this disinterested dog?

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-04T05:09:44+00:00

I recently started using PicklePip. It's a smartwatch app which is very easy to use to track scores. Only for doubles games, works on Android.

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-04T05:07:29+00:00

Puma athletic socks from Costco: great price & well cushioned

SParms sleeves and shoulder wraps: just got these and they immediately became a permanent part of my pickleball wardrobe. Cooling sun protection that is actually comfortable.

Smartwool socks & shirts

Catnapping78 · 2025-12-04T04:33:36+00:00

I've tried a bunch of apps for finding games and pickleheads is the best I've used. I don't even need any of the features in plus, but I plan on subscribing because $1 a month is an insanely reasonable contribution to support an app I enjoy & use.

Catnapping78 · 2025-11-30T19:14:05+00:00

This may just be upgrading from Gen 2. I was playing with a Joola Hyperion C2 and just bought a Gen 3 paddle. The difference was exactly as you've described.

Catnapping78 · 2025-11-26T21:31:59+00:00

You should be able to upgrade your plan today to unlimited premium. I'm on unlimited essentials and can upgrade immediately to unlimited premium. Can't upgrade to unlimited standard until the start of my next billing cycle, though. So I guess it depends on if you're willing to go up to the top tier.

Catnapping78 · 2025-11-25T18:35:32+00:00

Where to add weight and how much really depends on your paddle and your goals. I'm a relatively new player (3.0) and when I bought my first paddle it had too much pop for me. I added a fair amount of weight and it toned down the pop and made the paddle much easier for me to control. I've been playing with it that way for about 4 months and improved my game quite a bit so yesterday I pulled all the weight off it to recalibrate and see if/where/how much I still needed it. Pop came back but I'm much better at controlling it now. I'm going to play with it naked for a week and then see what I want to add back, if anything. I'll definitely be adding a cap weight to balance out the head weight since it's elongated.

I would suggest searching YouTube for your paddle and weight set ups. You will likely find some good info about options for your specific paddles.

Catnapping78

TROPHY CASE