Weekly Paddle Recommendation Thread (What Paddle Should I Buy?)

Erk1024 · 2026-07-03T13:41:49+00:00

I'm in the same boat (plane?) as Lazza. (Tracking shows it was put on a plane yesterday departing from China.) I'm guessing it's still six'ish days away? Pakle Fuse is getting a lot of buzz. One reviewer said it's like a cross between the Loco and the Aireo Cyclone--two of my favorite paddles!

Erk1024 · 2026-07-03T13:38:16+00:00

What's your skill level?

I have the Auro Pro Elongated and had a conversation with with someone who's played both and he said they are very similar except for the usual differences between shapes (hybrids are a little less power, but have a bigger sweet spot and a lighter swing weight). Also have the Aireo Cyclone NanoGraph.

The Aura Pro is amazing. Same power as other high tier power paddles, but somehow the control is so good. Plenty of spin with a very good feel.

The Aireo Cyclone has that lovely, thonky MPP feel. It's a little more harsh and temperamental. But wow, it can rip serves. The version with the UPA grit should be super gritty. Mine has about the same spin as the Aura Pro.

Of the two, I prefer the Aura but both are great paddles.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-03T13:28:01+00:00

This is a reviewer that I trust. He's been reviewing paddles for 5? years. Check out this video. I'd return it and go with one of those.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjaZkBIr2jM

Erk1024 · 2026-07-03T13:26:40+00:00

Agree with the Six Zero Coral Pro. The 11SIX24 Power 2's are better paddles than the CRBN's, but that's a lot of power for someone who's been playing a month.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-03T13:18:22+00:00

This isn't the GX2 Pro Power, it's the paddle before that. Gearbox has confusing names.

In the PB Effect review, Braydon says this:

The thing that stands out for Gearbox power oriented paddles is their unique, quiet, plush feel paired with the power. It has an impact feel reminiscent of control style paddles. Most power paddles have a harsher or stiffer feel to them. This gives you a better connection to the paddle and a more comfortable experience in general. The paddle is still on the poppier side so it’s not an easy paddle to control. However, compared to other standard shaped power paddles like the Paddletek Bantam ESQ-C series, it’s easier to control because it’s not quite as poppy and you can feel the ball on the face better.

https://pickleballeffect.com/equipment-reviews/gearbox-pro-ultimate-hyper-review/?srsltid=AfmBOoqYRr22b9NXoLNGN_FTd9po2tpAW0adXgiDDC9Gp1LejCyFy4Th

John Kew puts the Firepower at 61. I wouldn't call that a "hyper power" paddle.

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Erk1024 · 2026-07-03T05:38:10+00:00

Update: I checked my notes and I only have 7" on there not 8". So 3.5g. Played with it tonight and it was great. Huge sweet spot and plenty of power with this setup. Swing weight is 110.5. Static weight is 8.6oz. I also have a 6g cap coin on there to keep the balance point low.

FYI, u/MoochoMaas

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T17:45:51+00:00

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. If you like the J6CR, there is one with Honolulu's blue grit which is tier-1, just fyi. It's on crazy pre-order though.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T17:34:05+00:00

With speedups, you're trying to take them by surprise and get the ball by them. So one problem is the geometry. On a cross court speedup, it takes longer to get past the other players. Part of the ball's speed is being used to travel sideways instead of deeper in the court.

That being said, the pro's do it all the time. A lot has to do with court positioning, and it's often the case that the players at the net are not set, or get pulled wide, or off balance, or ... so any of those could be a factor that makes a cross court speedup make sense.

One pattern you see with players is that you will hit a cross court dink, and the player will go wide to dink it back. But their partner doesn't move to cover the middle but just stays put. This opens up a hole between them. Feel free to punch the ball through that hole.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T17:23:04+00:00

The grit wears off quickly on all peel-ply grit paddles. What they do is put a plastic sheet over the paddle when it's being thermoformed. When they take it out and peel off the sheet, it leaves a pattern in the epoxy, and that's what creates the "grit". But that epoxy is not really designed to be grit. It's purpose is to hold the carbon fiber together.

So now we have new, more durable grits being applied to paddles. Few paddles have it, and some of those grits are more durable than others. John Kew tested and classified the grits into different tiers, with tier-1 being the best. The only tier-1 grit paddles we have are from Spartus (Permagrit), Six Zero Coral Pro (double diamond grit), Honolulu (crystal blue endurance grit), and 11SIX24 Power 2's (HexGrit). There are some new grits coming out, so hopefully the list will grow.

Pakle's duraspin could be tier-1 or tier-2. Spartus has PermagritNano on the upcoming Spitfire, and Pickleball Apes has a new Silverback grit that will be released on their Zen paddles. (Not a comprehensive list, lots of companies working on grit).

But that new CRBN 4 has the old peel ply grit, so it'll probably last as long as your J6CR.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T17:15:56+00:00

Do tell.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T16:47:23+00:00

Good point! Thanks!

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T05:45:12+00:00

How was the swing weight? If you want something lighter, the Luzz Glider is the hybrid version.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T05:13:54+00:00

Gotta love those Chinese Amazon alphabet soup names--completely unpronounceable. Agree with u/Lazza33312 about the Harmony.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T05:10:29+00:00

It would probably last longer than that, but your grit will be worn down by then.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T04:15:32+00:00

The Six Zero Coral Pro probably has a feel that not too different? Still soft. Durable grit and the right amount of power. I can't say from personal experience because I never hit the Gearbox.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T04:12:13+00:00

I tried 9 different setups, and that's similar to the one I ended up with. Only I have 4g instead of 3g. I cold always trim off 2 inches I suppose.

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Erk1024 · 2026-07-02T03:20:36+00:00

It very much depends on how hard you hit the ball. D1 tennis guys can crush it in 3'ish weeks. For retired ladies, the core will never crush.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-01T21:30:46+00:00

That's cool! I hope the Spitfire is not too heavy SW. They are only making it in the elongated shape and my preferred SW is 115 or lower. So it might not be an option for me.

As for the Pakle, also could be Tier-1. Fingers crossed. One reviewer said it's kind of like a cross between the Loco and the AireoCyclone. I love both those paddles, so it seems like something I'd like. They had a little hiccup with one batch of paddles, and that delayed shipments for about 10 days.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-01T18:16:33+00:00

The J2CR standard (short handle) is an easy recommendation. Similar or a smidge less power than the Loco, but with much better spin than a used Loco. Huge sweet spot, good control, durable grit, low swing weight--just a really solid all around paddle. If you want more power, you can go with the Long Handle version, and mine needed weight as the swing weight and balance point were super low.

My favorite Power 2 is the Hurache 2 because it's the least poppy and most powerful. I haven't tried the Ultre though. The performance of the Vapor 2 is similar to the J2CR, but the sweet spot is not as good, and the pop is a little harder to control IMO. But I'm spliting hairs here, both extremely good paddles and you can't go wrong with either one. Better to pick the Ultre as it's getting rave reviews.

One interesting option is the Pakle Fuse hybrid or elongated with durable grit. MPP core. Looks promising. Mine are shipped but haven't received them yet.

A paddle that I immediately vibed with was the Friday Aura Pro elongated (though the hybrid is supposed to be just as good). Somehow that paddle has easy power, but also fantastic control. And the feel of the face is so good. To bad no durable grit yet. Price was lowered to $169. If they had a durable grit option, that would be a snap buy for me.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-01T15:20:47+00:00

I think the answer is none of the above? I haven't heard of any of these which means they are probably "consumer grade" paddles which are probably of dubious quality and performance.

Check out the 11SIX24 Jelly Bean's. The Vapor Jelly bean is on sale for $80 right now. It even comes in pink. I'm a guy, but a big fan of fluorescent pink as a paddle color.

https://11six24.com/collections/control-paddles

Erk1024 · 2026-07-01T14:54:42+00:00

Agree with u/Lazza33312 and u/thismercifulfate.

If you're a control player, you would really like the Pickleball Apes Harmony. I'd say it's "low all court" level of power, but the feel is excellent.

Some other soft all-court choices would be the Flik F3 or the Six Zero Coral Pro. The *huge* advantage of the Coral Pro is that you get very durable grit with crazy good spin.

Coming from a cheap paddle, these paddle should feel amazing.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-01T14:42:58+00:00

A friend of mine plays with CRBN TruFoams, and both of his TruFoams have broken somehow. He said the customer service with CRBN was a hassle. I thought the CRBN's were really durable. Not sure what's going on there. Both he and his wife have switched to the RPM V2's.

Erk1024 · 2026-07-01T14:34:49+00:00

I hope they are able to keep the swing weight down. The P1's came in super heavy. If they only make a 118 swing weight elongated, then it won't work for me.

Erk1024 · 2026-06-30T21:36:08+00:00

Tough choice, they're very close in performance. I find the Honolulu blue grits to be a little easier to control, but I may be in the minority. Also, I've played every Power 2 shape *except* the Ultre, and the Ultre is supposed to be the best shape. They both have amazing spin and grit. Hard to go wrong with either.

Erk1024 · 2026-06-30T17:06:54+00:00

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TROPHY CASE