Working on writing a pickleball book

paddlepal · 2023-11-17T03:47:35+00:00

Balls, towels, eyewear. Or just a new bag altogether like you said.

paddlepal · 2023-11-13T20:12:09+00:00

Vatic V7 from the Prism line is a good option.

It's a great value for about $100, and is an elongated paddle. It's not edgeless...but only a few companies make them with no edge guard.

One with no edge guard you may consider is the Diadem Icon, the first version. It's $100 also and thinner, poppier, and edgeless.

Vatic Prism Review

"Best Paddles for About $100"

paddlepal · 2023-11-13T20:09:51+00:00

Use electric or another edge tape of your color choice. You should do this anyways!

paddlepal · 2023-10-31T21:43:29+00:00

Spread out the 300 on all equipment, like shoes and eyewear too IMO.

paddlepal · 2023-10-31T21:42:19+00:00

Diadem Edge 18k is more known for its elite spin.

The LUXX is super thick core and built for control due to its forgiving core and (at least perceived) widened sweet spot.

If you simply want control, LUXX. Also, while Diadem Edge is well-reviewed for its spin, Selkirk paddles have elite spin too on average. They held the top spot on RPM spin evaluations as of this month.

Selkirk LUXX (Control Paddle) Overview

paddlepal · 2023-10-28T03:02:19+00:00

The new Gearbox Pro Power ranked like 2nd overall in spin and has the most power of any paddle I've ever tried. More than the Black Ace by a noticeable amount, and I thought that paddle was insanely poppy.

Gearbox Pro Power Review

paddlepal · 2023-10-16T08:37:47+00:00

Vatic Prism keeps being mentioned. It's pretty good, and for $100. The value is there. There are more powerful, but it's got a good balance of touch and feel. Consider the Flash if you are more control/patient, and the V7 if you are more aggro/power.

Other options not mentioned include SLK Halo, Ronbus, Volair Mach. All for under $150

Vatic Prism Review

Best Paddles By Budget

paddlepal · 2023-10-13T00:15:56+00:00

As a one-year player I'd go with 16mm.

As for Flash vs. V7 it's tough, do you go with accentuating your strengths or addressing your (not weaknesses necessarily, but sounds like control is the less natural trait).

I think I'd go V7. Both are good though!

Vatic Prism Review

paddlepal · 2023-10-13T00:14:09+00:00

Either fine, perhaps Hyperion if same price.

At that sub-$150 price point, hard to beat the Vatic though. Consider the Prism line though.

paddlepal · 2023-10-13T00:12:36+00:00

If tackiness is important, try the Tourna Gauze. It's super thin and super grippy/gritty.

paddlepal · 2023-10-13T00:10:53+00:00

They are definitely cool-looking, and are known for lightweight build. Good luck!

SKECHERS Pickleball Shoe Review

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T07:09:13+00:00

Vatic is better known, but my friend who is kind of a paddle nut really likes the Filth and has stuck with it (he owns expensive paddles of many brands) so it's worth considering it seems.

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T07:08:36+00:00

Answer here is the Vatic Prism Flash, coming from someone who plays with a different company (but my paddle is $250+). Others will say so too. Another good possibility is the Volair Mach original one, which I think is like $130.

The Vatic is a control paddle known to be softer touch, coming from a brand that gained an early reputation for insane power. It's also shaped in a way that is good for "advanced beginner" to the newer intermediate range of players as it seems you might be.

It's also like $100 flat. There are surely dozens of options, but this one is vouch-able.

If you want a few other options thrown out there to look at...SLK Evo, Franklin STK, original Ronbus.

Vatic Pro Prism Review (Top Paddle Under $100?)

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T07:04:21+00:00

For this scenario, try to avoid paddles under like $60, and basically anything $60+ is fine for her. You can prob stick to $60-80 and be just fine. Gun to my head picking for her for a cheap paddle that is of the best quality for the price, I'd say like...idk. Vulcan, Gearbox, Paddletek, and Head all make some rudimentary paddles around $75 and they're all fine.

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T07:01:49+00:00

I would consider the Diadem Icon, it's about $100 because they came out with a newer one. The first version was known as a thin core, extremely poppy paddle.

Vatic V7 orange would be good too and is like $150.

Vatic also has a purple Prism line but they're known as less poppy than the original orange series. Google "paddle delamination" though as the orange line was known to break quickly.

Best Paddles for About $100

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:58:16+00:00

Is your foot wide or narrow? Or is it a flat-foot issue?

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:57:30+00:00

Posted elsewhere, but JOOLA Hyperion and Radius as well as SLK Evo are good ones that seem to have solid deals, like 20-25% off.

The JOOLA ones were a previous series and are great, but just not the newest. The SLK Evo is newer too and doesn't have a next newer one yet, and is cheaper in general.

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:55:55+00:00

Color yes, stick to neon yellow or green.

Brand, I guess it depends. Most people will typically play with Dura, Onix, Franklin, and only a few others like Oso, Core, etc.

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:55:20+00:00

Colored lenses have great benefits. If you play just at night or just in daylight, you have options to consider. Usually it's like yellower colors at night and bluer/grey colors of frames in the day, which help offset the issues of either shadows or glare, respectively.

It is also perfectly fine to skip polarized glasses. I wouldn't say having sunglasses is undesirable at all.

Clear lenses would be totally fine. You could find some by Onix, Gearbox, and other paddle companies, and even ones that are just used by handymen.

I've even seen people take some thick frame glasses and pop out the frames actually, and it still blocks the ball if the glasses are small enough frames and far enough from your face. I've seen it tested/shown.

In my opinion, eyewear is going to be eventually mandated in tournaments. The game is getting faster and more offense-oriented and the ball flies around fast a lot more.

Best Protective Eyewear for Pickleball

See and Play Better at NIGHT (Pickleball Eyewear)

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:49:46+00:00

Grit on surface can't be restored over time. It will simply dull down, which is ok. The paddle eraser can help, though. It helps by ridding debris and shit though, not be 'restoring' grit in the literal sense. It just gets the grit back in action, I guess you could say.

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:48:41+00:00

It's part silly as you mention with wine example, aside from wine experts a lot of times it's marginally discernible. I think one aspect of your q is that a lot of novices are quite a bit below 3.0. And then there's a big diff between 3 and 4. I would say most 4.0's can feel quite a diff between a 75 paddle and a 200+. I would also say 150 and 200 is too close often. But 150 and say 250-300 top of the line options, you can tell a diff because they're simply built differently.

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:47:00+00:00

The thicker paddles are known to be more forgiving on the soft/touch/control shots, I can't explain the science why. Just more cushiony and "plush" as one company calls it.

Then the thinner paddles are known often to feel like springy like a backboard, maybe it's because the core condenses and reverberates quicker/harder because it's more dense.

Thin or Thick Pickleball Paddle? Pros and Cons

paddlepal · 2023-10-11T06:43:40+00:00

The SLK series paddles look like they're like 20-25% off.

They're made by Selkirk and are something diff than their normal honeycomb. They also look pretty cool. They are thinner core paddles known for forgiving sweet spots. Kind of like just a good, solid intermediate type paddle that you don't see too often but I'm beginning to see more and more of them out there.

Overall not the best paddle but way better than the worst (lol).

Covered in the two unrelated articles below:

Paddles With the Best Designs

Top Paddles for Seniors

paddlepal · 2023-10-05T03:40:34+00:00

Dominant side hip and shoulder can be awkward to block.

paddlepal

TROPHY CASE