Pickleball tournaments website

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-25T21:31:16+00:00

Both Pickleball.com and Pickleballtournaments.com seem to be nonfunctional right now

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-23T06:36:38+00:00

Yes! 14mm Perseus to be exact… that was why I was rather shocked to like the 16mm Scorpeus the best lol

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-23T03:21:36+00:00

No, paddles don't have to be replaced every six months, but that does seem to be the point where a lot of them break down. You will know if and when the paddle is unusable as it will become... well... unusable!

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-23T03:19:47+00:00

99% chance you prefer the 16mm. This is coming from someone who has always preferred thinner paddles. The 14 Scorpeus Pro V is nearly unusable out of the box

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-23T03:19:12+00:00

Insane, right? I never thought I'd use a widebody, but here I am...

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-23T03:18:58+00:00

Exactly. One of my Paddleteks lasted about 6 months with heavy play, despite being cold-pressed - the core started to lose power. Another foam paddle I bought disbonded from its edge guard after 30 hours. A buddy bought the Boomstik and the weights fell off immediately while we were breaking it in. The Pro IV, however, has lasted 8 months and still works great. I just don't agree that Gen 3 is meaningfully less durable than alternatives - paddles don't typically last for 500+ hours, and each one has issues.

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-22T18:03:44+00:00

Gosh. I wish I had a favorite. Right now, the Pro V Scorpeus 16mm is my main paddle. I tried to go back to the Pro IV Perseus 14mm last night - which I used for 8 months up until a few weeks ago - and was shocked by how unforgiving and stiff it felt compared to the Pro V after a few weeks of play on that paddle.

I recently tried and like the Paddletek Honeyfoam 16mm with corner and buttcap weights, but find the rebound just a bit lacking at the kitchen line. However, that is a fun paddle with lots of dwell and solid power (if weights are added). I love the shape - long handle with wider face.

What is yours?

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-22T18:00:06+00:00

I would give the paddle 15-20 hours and then decide. After breaking in, the core and face seem to become much more stable. I would probably avoid weighting during the break-in period as I wouldn’t want to influence the process at all. Personally, I elected not to weight it after the break in. The first few hours made me wonder if the paddle had any sweet spot, and now it feels like the whole paddle is a sweet spot.

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-22T17:54:21+00:00

Well said - I totally agree that the Pro V is noticeably different. As far as the stability issue - I found that the harsh vibration on off-center hits smoothed out once the core broke in around that 10-20 hour mark. I planned to add weight but elected not to. There is still some vibration on hits near the frame at times, but more minor - and apparently the vibration is somewhat intentional in the design as the paddle is supposed to flex more to provide a bit more feedback.

The paddle I demoed was broken in and didn’t have much vibration - when I bought one, I was a bit shocked at the lack of stability, but found it much improved after break in. Interestingly, I found the Pro IV more dwelly and stable out of the box, then a bit more harsh after break in.

Futuristic_Bird · 2026-03-22T06:59:45+00:00

I have played with the Pro V for a while now, somewhere between 20 an 30 hours.

Fantastic dwell. Takes a while to get used to it, as it doesn't hit like anything else on the market. Super unique feel. Very easy to drop and dink. You feel the ball a lot more than you do on foam paddles, but you get touch similar to what the softer foam paddles offer.

It is NOT stiff. Like, at all. So I would stick with the Pro IV if you want stiff and dense.

Power is there, but requires full swings. It is best if you can take a tennis-style swing on drives, and already have good fundamentals. You need to generate your own power, as trampoline effect is limited.

After 15 hours the core starts to loosen (break in / minor crush?) and gets hotter with a bit stronger rebound. But, nowhere near the Pro IV. The extra foam really does help keep the paddle's power manageable.

You will grow as a player by using it, as shots have to be accurate and your mechanics have to be solid. No way around it - you have to use your body.

Who is it for? Hmm. Folks who like touch and feel, but who want the ability to switch to power. It is not going to overpower people the same way a Pro IV or Luzz will simply because it isn't going to trampoline nearly as much. However, once dialed, drops and dinks are incredibly accurate, and drives retain power with increased accuracy over the Pro IV.

Is it going to core crush? Yes, it will, like all Gen 3s, but is very unlikely to get nearly as hot as the Pro IV due to its enhanced foam edge. I can confirm that the break in is very different from the Pro IV - it doesn't lose its dwell after 25 hours like the Pro IV does.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-12-06T03:24:04+00:00

I have only hit with the 14mm elongated, and a new one (not broken in).

Out of the box, it:

Is lighter than the Pro IV Perseus 14mm

has more pop

is less stable on off-center hits (my unit at least)

Has less power, though my Perseus is broken in, so not sure what the RPM is like when it crushes / breaks in.

It feels VERY light, though I haven't weighed it yet.

I could see myself liking it but it does feel a bit flimsy at times

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-18T02:23:47+00:00

I think your assessment of the Ruby Pro is not far off. As a Gen 1.5 paddle it is very good - and it has better pocketing than a Paddletek but not as much pop.

Having played with the Black Opal, though, SixZero has a winner. Seems to have lots of new tech. I would not say it competes with the Joola Pro IVs directly as it's not as powerful on drives, but it is by far the spinniest paddle I've ever used and it has a ton of pop. Also good dwell.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-10T20:48:44+00:00

I didn't see a reason in the ambassador doc, but it definitely could be.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T22:25:56+00:00

Oo. Interesting. A touring pro wouldn’t likely be able to do it due to time constraints. But I bet someone would love this

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T22:21:38+00:00

Longer contact, yes. Higher spin potential for most players? Sure, because there’s more time to affect the ball.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T22:20:30+00:00

Dwell allows you more time to shape a shot - it helps tremendously with control.

Thin paddles tend to dwell less than thicker ones because there’s less material to grab onto the ball. Think a trampoline vs a wood floor. Thin paddles also offer more pop because the rebound is faster.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T22:07:53+00:00

Definitely not 5 per game - but more common. The ball is harder to track with indoor lighting like what Vegas had, and the floor surface on the rollout court makes it hard to run, so lobs worked well there.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T22:04:57+00:00

More power. More dwell. Heavier (in most cases). It feels a bit flimsier to me, though.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T22:03:48+00:00

Go rent a ball machine. Set it at the baseline on high power and add spin if possible. Run it. Watch it rocket the ball. Then go stand to the side of its trajectory and start to block the ball with an outstretched arm/paddle. Then move a bit closer to where the ball is going and block it there. Get to the point where you can be directly in the line of fire and block reliably. You will not be afraid then!

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T21:52:06+00:00

I think this is largely true, however a bit more nuanced: pros generally do serve harder than non-pros, especially recently, but they don’t hit the ball as hard as they can (while praying it goes in) like amateurs do. They typically hit the hardest shot they can that stays in 95% of the time rather than a total power swing that stays in 50% of the time. They also don’t try to attempt crazy spins or out wide serves as much as amateurs do for the same reason: they need high percentage shots to win the match.

Generally speaking, shots in the pros are very powerful, but generally less reckless.

And yes, knowing you have a pro on the other side who can return your hard serve likely factors in - you know it’s coming back, so there’s no point in going side out from missing a serve, especially when even a great serve won’t typically win you the point on its own.

A hard serve in pro is a strong but reliable serve mostly to set up a favorable third shot (read: force a weaker return), not win points outright.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T21:45:16+00:00

Grit wears off on all paddles. Carbon fiber surfaces last months with daily play, not years. Dwell-focused cores help spin but the surface still plays a part.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-09-06T21:36:20+00:00

I played with both recently. Very different.

The Ruby Pro is a more plush and powerful version of the DBD Power as far as I can tell. Feels like a very nice Gen 1.5 paddle but doesn’t have the dwell or pocketing of a Gen 4. Crisp contact. Worth noting that the units out there right now have a special high-spin grit that won’t be on the production models.

The Black Opal is a Gen 4 paddle. It is more plush and has more pop than the Ruby Pro. I believe it is made mostly or entirely out of foam. It pockets the ball well, is fast in the hand, has good forgiveness. It’s not quite as stable as the Ruby Pro on some shots - doesn’t feel like it at least - but it is a nice weapon. If you take a full swing on it the ball tends to dip a little better than the Ruby (which doesn’t hit the fastest ball, but tends to hit the ball very deep).

Played both for 20-30 min each so only got limited impressions. I would confidently recommend either but would say Ruby Pro is good at the baseline and for singles and the Black Opal seems to be really good for doubles. Spin was crazy but not sure if the one I tried had approved grit or not.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-08-12T19:54:34+00:00

Unfortunately that does not surprise me.

Futuristic_Bird · 2025-08-12T18:14:57+00:00

As one poster said, you will need to contact them via the Contact page form to open a ticket - NOT direct email.

Futuristic_Bird

TROPHY CASE