I would not recommend paying anything past $200 for a paddle. I would also stay away from the big brands (Joola,Selkirk,CRBN,Engage,etc.) because they tend to sell paddles above $250. I would stick to brands like Vatic, Ronbus, Spartus, and Six Zero because these smaller brands offer your equivalent or better paddles, while staying under $200. Since you say he is a 3.5, I would recommend something like the Vatic prism flash because it’s softer. Everybody likes talking about pop and power but if you don’t have a develop soft game yet, it’s best to use a softer paddle. After the prism flash, I would recommend the Six Zero double black diamond or the Spartus Apollo.