The 6 Best Pickleball Paddles of 2023
Best Pickleball Paddles
Pickleball paddles are the best sport ideal for both leisure time and as a serious sport. Many people are wanting to pick up this sport as their full-time activity and are looking for a decent paddle without spending a lot of money. With the rapid growth of pickleball as a sport, there are also a number of new paddles that are been launched.
The choice of new paddles is overwhelming and there are many options within one’s budget to buy. We have listed some of the best pickleball paddles for our reader to make their search simple and easy.
This fun sport involves several elements of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton and demands a special type of paddle to play with. Choosing the right type of paddle is surely a daunting task and we hope with the help of our buying guide our readers will be able to choose the right equipment. Remember that the right tool is crucial for a sport and decides the winning point.
The 6 Best Pickleball Paddles – [2023]
- Onix Z5 Graphite Pickleball Paddle
- Rally NX Graphite Pickleball Paddle
- PaddleTek Tempest Wave Pickleball Paddle
- Paddletek Bantam EX-L Pickleball Paddle
- Apollo Pickleball Paddle with 2 Pickleballs
- Engage Poach Extreme Pickleball Paddle
Best Pickleball Paddles
Best Pickleball Paddles Reviews
#1. Onix Z5 Graphite Pickleball Paddle
Features:
- Weight: 13.4 ounce
- Grip Circumference: 4 ¼ inches
- Popular among pickleball players
- Features high-quality neoprene paddle cover
- Honeycomb core
- Graphite face
- Medium weight
- Widebody paddle shape
The graphite pickleball paddle is one of the famous paddles among pickleball players of all the times. The paddle features a high-quality protective neoprene paddle cover. This cover prevents damage to the paddle surface even if it comes in contact with rough surfaces. The paddle features Nomex honeycomb core, which is a common technology in modern-day paddles. The honeycomb core shape renders excellent strength for the paddle interiors. One important benefit if this honeycomb structure is that it helps to resist damage and absorb energy during play.
The paddle has a graphite face for excellent overall control of the ball. The player is able to render competitive serves and return a serve efficiently with its reflective surface. It features a wide body shape with a grip circumference of more than four inches. Its moderate weight renders the paddle easy to maneuver by both novice and professional players.
#2. Rally NX Graphite Pickleball Paddle
Features:
- Dimensions: 14 x 10 x 1.5 inches
- Weight: 8 ounces
- Graphite face and Nomex honeycomb core
- Winn dry grip
- Ideal weight
- Head size: XL
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
The Rally NX Graphite pickleball paddle features a graphite face with Nomex honeycomb core. The paddle has the perfect blend of power, control, and strength. As the paddle features a durable core it will not dent like Aluminum. The paddle is lighter and also offers more pop than polymer material. The paddle has a win dry grip of size 4 ¼ inches. It also features ergonomic cushion grip. It has a perfect shape and fits most of the hands comfortably. The paddle also reduces slipping considerably.
The paddle is of the perfect weight and is thus ideal for players of all levels. It has a wide head size and thus minimizes the edge guard hits. They also offer a bigger sweet spot for the players. The paddle is 100% original and if the customers are not satisfied with the product they can benefit from the customer support team of the paddle makers.
#3. PaddleTek Tempest Wave Pickleball Paddle
Features:
- Weight: 8 ounces
- Grip circumference: 4.25 inches
- Length of the paddle: 16 inches
- Width of the paddle: 5 inches
- Limited lifetime warranty
- It meets all the tournament guidelines
- Engineered for quieter play among players.
The paddleTek tempest wave pickleball paddle features the best grip circumference of 4.25 inches. The paddle has the best dimensions of 16×8 inches and has the best weight for all type of players. It meets all the tournament guidelines of the USAPA and also features a limited lifetime warranty from its manufacturers. The paddle is engineered for quieter play among players of all skill levels and is ideal for pickleball play in communities with noise restriction.
The pickleball paddle features a lightweight and a comfortable handle. It does not come with a cover but has a deflective paddle surface for excellent serves and spins. The paddle has the best sweet spot and its weight is just perfect for many players. It is neither too light not too heavy. It features a textured surface, which adds an interesting element to the game. The grip stays good even with repeated play for many days. Most of its users reveal that the paddle is light and responsive as well.
#4. Paddletek Bantam EX-L Pickleball Paddle
Features:
- Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 1.5 inches
- Weight: 8.6 ounces
- Grip circumference: 4.25 inches
- Features propoly core
- Vibration dampening technology
- Goes easy with put away shots.
- velvet textured poly surface
- USAPA approved for tournaments
The paddletek Bantam paddle is extremely popular among intermediate and advanced pickleball players. It offers its players an amazing balance of power. Players enjoy the control it offers owing to its standard weight. The paddles support professional players with more power with its oversize playing surface. It features a hard wearing polymer core which enables the paddle to absorb all undue vibration and helps them with a quiet play.
The paddle is ideal to play in communities with noise restriction. It features a wonderful design. For comfortable hold, it features a Gamma ultra-cushion contour grip in its handle. The paddle’s face has a velvet finish that adds to the spin of the ball. It is available in three different colors, blue, red and purple for the handle. It has USAPA approval and is thus ideal to use in tournaments.
#5. Apollo Pickleball Paddle with 2 Pickleballs
Features:
- Paddle weight: 1.7 pounds
- Balanced paddle
- Honeycomb core
- Graphite face
- Ergonomic grip with extra comfort
- Additional paddle guide with cover
The Apollo pickleball paddle is extremely lightweight at only 8 ounces and strikes a perfect balance with excellent gameplay, power, control, and maneuverability. It features a fine grade honeycomb core at its interiors which renders the racket the best strength, optimal performance, and excellent durability. Its graphics cover on the paddle surface renders a from and a long-lasting paddle surface.
The design offers the perfect accuracy for taking even the difficult serves at ease. For additional comfort, it features an ergonomic grip. It is designed specifically to minimize slipping. It also helps the player with the best control and balance during all game plays. Along with the product, the users can also enjoy an online paddle guide and a neoprene cover. The online guide with help players with the different techniques of the game and how to perfectly grip and swing the racket.
#6. Engage Poach Extreme Pickleball Paddle
Features:
- Dimensions: 17 x 7 inches
- Weight: 7.5-8.3 ounce
- Core: proprietary polymer composite
- Pro black technology
- 6-layer fiberglass polymer composite
- Optimized for quiet gameplay
- Approved by USAPA for tournament play
Engage pickleball paddle features the optimal amount of skin layers to render incredible responsiveness resulting in a soft feel at the net. It also renders the maximum power for fast swings. The long face of the paddle holds the ball longer for accurate placements while allowing greater coverage of the court. The light texture of the paddle helps to add excellent spin to the hits.
It unique polymer core with variable release technology that results in a smooth transition from serving to smashes. The paddle features a medium grip circumference and the length of the handle is about 5 inches. The user can choose between standard and lightweight options and it is optimized for quite a gameplay. It has approval from USAPA for tournament play as well.
Pickleball Paddles Buying Guide
Paddles are important parts of the Pickleball game and have to be made of tough and reliable material. Apart from certain parameters such as the paddle material, surface and grip there are other factors to be considered before making a purchase decision.
- Price of the pickleball paddle
- Paddle technology
- Weight
- Grip size
- Paddle materials
- Facing Material
- Colour
- Length of the handle
- Durability
- Paddle deflection
Price of The Pickleball Paddle:
At present, the cost of pickleball paddles can range between $10 and $150. The quality of the paddle is in tune with its price, for those planning to play the game regularly, it is good to invest in a paddle that has the best specifications irrespective of the cost. Buying cheaper models is only a waste of money as they get to wear out often.
Paddle Technology:
The power and control factors determine the impact of the game regardless of how well one plays. These are critical performance measures and a paddle that offers enough power to send the ball as far and fast as the player intends is the best fit. The weight of the paddle also influences its control and power more than any other factors. Its materials also could impact its function. In short, the performance metric of the pickleball paddle is the combination of it’s surface and core materials, grip fit, overall weight and the effectiveness of each swing.
Weight:
The weight of the pickleball paddle ranges between 6 ounces to a heave 12 ounces. Though the player should not choose a paddle based on the weight alone, the lighter paddle is easy to handle and offers more control. A cumbersome paddle renders more power but can also be rough on the elbow especially if there is a pre-existing injury. Experienced pickleball players should look for a paddle that is in the weight range of 7 to 8.5 ounces. A heavier paddle is helpful for new players who require help in driving the ball.
Grip Size:
There are sizing differences between the paddles. Each paddle grip has a different circumference. Those with large hands will face trouble in managing smaller paddles, as it won’t fit properly in the palm. However, larger handles can strain the hands and results in injury, especially while playing for extended time periods. The solution is to choose a grip size based on the height of the player.
Paddle Materials:
Traditionally paddles were of carved wood. But now it is possible to buy a paddle with a responsive inner core and a sturdy face material. Wood paddles are available even in modern days but appeal to only a specific set of players. Core material renders the paddle its strength and can also affect its responsiveness. Modern-day paddles use a honeycomb core as the shape offers its inherent strength regardless of the materials. Honeycomb structures absorb energy and resist damage as well. The three different core materials are,
- Aluminum: Paddles that are of Aluminum core are dense and heavy, they are also strong and render good control.
- Nomex: Nomex is lighter than aluminum but is dense. It also offers better control compared with paddles of polymer construction. It is also damage-resistant owing to its honeycomb structure.
- Polymer: paddle cores that are of the polymer are not that dense as Nomex but are highly resilient than aluminum. The players can lose some control in exchange for the durability of the paddle.
- Wood: solid wood paddles are still available in the market and they offer excellent performance quality as well. Young kids and casual players appreciate the paddles the most. They are inexpensive and are also widely available. But wooden paddles are not a very competitive option as they are heavy and unwieldy in comparison with modern materials. Some paddles also use wood as part of their construction but incorporate other performance elements as well.
Facing Material:
Facing Material is the outer surface of the pickleball paddle. This facing material influences the swing as much as the inner material and also has the power to impact the trajectory of the ball. Some of the most common facing materials for pickleball paddles are,
Graphite: These paddles make use of a thin layer of graphite facing that is strong and competitive. It is the top layer of the paddle that keep it quick and lightweight.
Composite: The composite facing material is of fiberglass covering which is the common facing material of modern-day paddles. These paddles make a satisfying popping noise when it hits the ball.
Colour:
Pickleball paddles are available in a variety of colors and styles and the player can choose one based on their preference. Basic paddles that are of wood have vanilla color looks and some fo the high tech paddles are available in bright color schemes. They also render the impression of an advanced player for the user.
Length of The Handle:
Paddles with longer handles tend to short the face of the paddle. Novice players who wish to enjoy the sport benefit from a longer handle length to enhance their control and comfort. Some players use a longer handle to improve the paddle balance and to enhance their stability.
Durability:
As this game can be played both indoors and outdoors, it is important for the paddle to be durable. It is good to buy high quality and durable paddle that is of tough materials. For outdoor use prefer a paddle with a protective edge so that it can withstand the damage even if it hits rough surfaces. Some of the latest paddles feature UV protection to decrease their damage from the sun.
Paddle Deflection:
Deflection is the term to measure the rigidity of the paddle. It is measured by putting a weight on the center of the paddle and measuring how much the paddle bends. Most of the composite paddle has heavy deflection owing to their textured surface.
Different Kinds of Paddles
There are different types of pickleball paddles available and are generally categorized based on their materials. It is the material of the paddle that renders its different attributes, strengths, and weaknesses. Some of the most common paddle types include,
- Wooden Paddles
- Graphite Paddles
- Composite Paddles
Wooden Paddles: Wooden paddles are a decent choice for beginners who have just started to play the sport. These paddles are lightweight and also render a better grip. Wooden paddles are also inexpensive compared with other materials and are also ideal for children without taking any damage.
Graphite Paddles: These are the most popular paddles available in the market. There are no 100% graphite paddles and these consists of different grades of graphite. They tend to weigh less, some players feel that these paddles improve performance. They are easily available in the market as well.
Composite Paddles: Thee paddles consists of a fiberglass hitting surface and are generally available in combination with an aluminum or polymer core. They offer an incredible combination of feel, strength, and spin that is not found anywhere else. They have a good texture on their surface that grabs the ball momentarily and adds spin to the serves. These paddles are lightweight and are easy to maneuver. Their trademark pop sound is inevitable and most players love this sound. These are generally for professional players who wish to enhance their power and performance.
Bottom Line:
Picking up a high-quality pickleball paddle is crucial for both novice players and experienced sportsperson. There are different types of paddles available in the market and we have tried out best to reduce your searching time in picking up the best paddle for pickle ball.
For more of our top gear recommendations, check out these popular outdoor gear guide links: Best Kids Scooters | Best Longboards | Best Electronic Skateboards | Best Outdoor Basketballs | Best Inline Skates For Kids | Best Adult Scooters | Best Hunting Crossbows | Best Recurve Bows | Best Polarized Sunglasses | Best Inline Skates For Kids | Best Adult Scooters | Best Travel Cameras | Best Outdoor Basketballs
