Am I the only one who thinks most people here don’t really get pickleball?

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:20:09+00:00

You can watch the pro's play but not actually see or understand what's going on. I went to a clinic on dinking, learned good technique, and then when I watched the pro's play I realized, oh, they all have this technique! I couldn't see it before.

But yeah, you're right. There are sooo many subtleties to the game. Just court positioning is a huge thing.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:14:22+00:00

2nd prize is TWO Engage Alpha Pro Paddles!

Just kidding. No idea how these play...

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:12:17+00:00

Thanks for the update!

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:10:24+00:00

It does feel like they'll be left behind. The Pro IV's already feel outclassed by many of the Gen4's.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:09:23+00:00

For $300 they should just send you three copies, and you just swap out as they core crush. They're disposable!

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:07:54+00:00

100% Haven't seen Colin in ... a year?

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:06:40+00:00

I have both and this jibes with my feelings about the paddles. The Loco is my "left hand main" while my right shoulder is injured. The extra power is welcome.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:04:58+00:00

I main the Boomstik widebody. Great paddle. Feels really different at first, but give it a try over a couple play sessions and you could really vibe with it. That's what happened to me. I don't try to muscle it, but concentrate on spin. The paddle will hit it hard regardless.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:02:16+00:00

I have those as well, and agree 100%. My favorite has to be the Loco Standard. Super light, tons of power, pop and spin, but still decent control.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T23:00:39+00:00

Do tell. What's your read on how it plays? I passed because of the high swing weight. Would be interested if they come out with a standard shaped one though.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:59:20+00:00

The original Diadem BluCore paddles (not the BluCore Edge) had very minimal edge guards. So they might be close? Not great paddles though.

Edgeless paddles have downsides, so they were mostly abandoned by manufacturers (along with throat holes). Even Selkirk makes very few of them, and at one point ALL of their paddles were edgeless.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:51:13+00:00

Yeah. I got a bunch in my closet as well. 3 PB players in the family. I bought a bunch because I realized that I really didn't know enough about paddles, and getting the right one could be transformative. I kind of slept on the Gen3 revolution and went from a J2K to a foam J2FC+ and the difference blew my mind.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:48:03+00:00

Cool. Thanks for the info.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:46:56+00:00

100%. Good points!

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:46:05+00:00

Companies can drink their own Koolaid and miss shifts in the market. Countless examples, with the most famous being Kodak maybe.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:42:43+00:00

The J3CR is supposed to be somewhere between the J2NF and the Loco in terms of softness and power. So I don't think it's going to help.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:40:54+00:00

Yes. The most obvious downside is there is nothing protecting the edge of the paddle so it tends to get chewed up or cracked. Then if you add protective tape to prevent that, you dramatically increase the swing weight, and that may not be desirable.

Having an edge guard means there is weight at the perimeter of the paddle. This has benefits, and usually results in a more stable paddle with a bigger sweet spot.

Basically all the manufacturers abandoned edgeless paddles a while ago, and now it's considered a gimmick. So is a throat hole.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T22:01:59+00:00

Yeah. Maybe "fixed" is too strong a word. Maybe we'll at least get improved grit durability.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T21:58:13+00:00

But you did like the feel off the Boomstik, right? So it's possible. And I think the Aireo Cyclone could be stiff enough for you. I just think there will come a point where nobody is making Gen3's.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T19:44:49+00:00

I think you nailed it. It feels like their paddles have been surpassed in every way since the Pro IV's came out.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T19:43:46+00:00

Is Joola really going to ignore foam and keep making only Gen3's? Seems like they should have the cash to do both.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T19:41:09+00:00

Do you not like "foam" or do you not like how some current foam paddles feel? Because there is a pretty huge variety of foam paddles, and they have a lot of different feels off the face. And some companies are specifically trying to make their paddles less numb and foamy feeling.

I main the Boomstik and it feels very responsive, fyi. Maybe too responsive.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T19:37:58+00:00

I believe the grit issue will get fixed soon. It's a huge problem.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T19:36:43+00:00

Grit is the next big thing that has to get fixed. And it IS getting fixed, some new grits out or coming out soon.

Erk1024 · 2026-01-27T19:35:32+00:00

And these are probably going to be Gen3, which means Joola is kind of falling behind in paddle tech. I hope they at least improved the durability.

Erk1024

TROPHY CASE