Time Stamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:53 - $5 Wood Paddle 1:21 - $30 Budget Paddle 3:38 - $220 CRBN 2X 16mm 5:26 - Close look at Thermoforming 6:27 - Delamination explained 7:51 - Cutting open the handle 10:03 - $333 Labs 006 11:39 - Close up of the Raw Carbon Fiber 13:20 - Taking off the edge guard 15:03 - Examining the inside 16:46 - Detaching the Surface 19:20 - My thoughts & theory
@DN-kz7xl8 ай бұрын
Steve is not an example on how to safely work with appliances and tools. I flinch every time he grabs the chisel.
@georgekelly14523 ай бұрын
Hand down range of chisel
@dragchute1Ай бұрын
Totally agree!!
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
2:06 I'm my local paddle doctor, as word has gotten around that I'm handy with a dremmel and can reduce handle grip sizes down to customized smaller circumferences for people. So I'm very familiar with the internals of paddles. And those staples you found do not connect the handle to the face. They connect the butt cap to the handle. (At least in my experience). Also, unibody means that the entire carbon fiber surface (or whatever material - but typically this is thermoformed carbon fiber) goes all the way to the bottom of the handle. It doesn't end at the top of the handle.
@terogan9 ай бұрын
It’s not the weave of the carbon fiber. Those sheets are straight strands and the sheets are layered at 90° to each other. It is the texture of the peel ply embedded into the resin that creates the grit. There are probably 3 layers of carbon at 0°/90°/0°. Wish you had a band saw for this.
@ScottT1098 ай бұрын
My two cents. Ive taken a couple of paddles apart for destructive testing purposes. Forget about the wooden paddle that we all knew was just plywood. I’d guess that 80% at least of the paddles are made at the same one or two factories in China. That alone tells you a lot about differences between paddles. NOT MUCH. A $333 paddle is actually probably well under $100 cost to make at that Chinese factory. A friend of mine has been buying unbranded paddles from a Chinese distributor just to see how they play (every one of them he was charged less than $75 for) and I can say the fit and finish of these were exactly as good as the pricey paddles ppl are buying here in the states. So that tells me there is huge markup probably to cover all the marketing and distribution cost in the USA. No one should be paying $333 for a stinkin paddle. A $120 paddle is actually a $30 paddle strait from the Chinese factory
@douglasnathaniel77598 ай бұрын
In agreement for the most part. The $333 paddle is a Selkirk, which from my understanding, are made in Idaho. Also more expensive because it's from Selkirk Labs...its like their research and development brand, paying that price comes with some extra benefits for partaking in their program. Have you made any videos for your destructive testing? I would love to see which brands hold up! Thanks.
@tongjieke6 ай бұрын
We only sell products with the same craftsmanship for $39.9, excluding shipping costs.
@mlee90496 ай бұрын
@@douglasnathaniel7759 I bet that the majority of the parts or materials are from China. More like assembled in the USA.
@mauriceb99964 ай бұрын
I spent numerous years in the laptop computer business in the early to late 2000. The majority of laptops were built in China out four factories. Pi kleball paddles are o different. Any change to the existing design requires chaneges to the production line and die casting. Second, you have to pay upfront for a certain number of units. Third, shipping, insurance, customs, delivery, stocking are all cost that have to be paid. Fourth, adminstation and marketing cost. These costsgets amoritized over your expected paddle quantity. Last, figure in profit margin. So, there are differences in paddle design and quality. Not all carbon fiber are the same. Not all honeycomb inerts are the same. There's power vs control vs hybrid, etc. All this affects production cost. If you want a standard run of the mill paddle, sure, they are a dime a dozen. You can buy those off of Amazon, Temu or Alibaba. However, if you are competitive and want a paddle that fits your game, invest in one. You can find quality paddles around the $100.
@wangys5533 ай бұрын
I bought two paddles from a factory in China. The paddles look the same as joola ben johns series except without a brand, and I spend less than $60 for 2 including transportation costs. I am not sure if the unbranded paddles have the same level of performance as the $250 one does, but personally I don't like the way it feels. I want to figure out if I just get what I pay for, or I got a really nice deal.
@760Piper9 ай бұрын
Admire your intent but using the first 2 paddles didn’t tell us much. Would have liked to see a comparison between the CRBN, Selkirk and some of the 100.00 offerings like Hudef, Vatic, etc. but thanks for doing this.
@guittadabe52149 ай бұрын
Most if not almost all paddles will have the honeycomb...except the latest Gearbox. As such, once you get a hold on a Gearbox that's "done its duty", I would be most interested if you could cut that open.
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
Even earlier Gearboxes did not have a honeycomb core - as almost all of them use their "SST" carbon fiber columns. The new Power line just does it in a unique grid configuration instead of unidirectional columns of carbon fiber. The only exception to my knowledge is that GB2 that was a total flop, and maybe way earlier paddles.
@n-da-bunka26509 ай бұрын
How many of you got nervious seeing him attempt to chisel TOWARDS his other hand instead of away from it? You can tell he was never a boy scout
@tomdillon67588 ай бұрын
I had to turn away. I'm creeped out now just thinking about it.
@Simplentertainments5 ай бұрын
That and bending the carbon surface toward his face…
@JM-md4ux9 ай бұрын
I've bought Labs,Gearbox Ultimates, Perseus, Power Air - pretty much every dollar after $150 is marketing, i've ultimately landed on a Speed up 16mm, other things besides hype to consider in paddles 👀👀
@0RANGOTANG9 ай бұрын
Agreed. The price of some of these paddles is ridiculous lol. I don’t want to pay more than $150 for a paddle anymore. I bought a Hyperion 16MM CFS and a vatic prism flash 16MM
@williehiew34759 ай бұрын
Very interesting. The paddles I'm interested to know are Selkirk Power Air Invikta, Vatic Pro V7 and Ronbus R3 Nova.
@joseluisrodriguez17268 ай бұрын
And the new Gearbox please 😊
@863099 ай бұрын
Would have been sweet to see the Gearbox Pro cut in half like the others
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
Pickleball Central has a video where they show the inside of both configurations of the new Gearbox Power/Control and Elongated/Fusion. Very interesting. But also clear that they exaggerated their marketing sketches.
@KbalzАй бұрын
omg when he's running that chisel towards his open hand!!!
@mikb2779 ай бұрын
This needed to be done!!! Thank you.
@TheLetsboogiedown7 ай бұрын
Excellent work 👍🏼. The paddle review we've been waiting to see!
@BxCortez20507 ай бұрын
I was so hoping to see a 5 dollar paddle inside the 300 dollar paddle orva few glued together
@jeremysmith96949 ай бұрын
Just what i expected. They're all made of the same thing and have no differences whatsoever. Fantastic.
@tomdillon67588 ай бұрын
I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. Maybe you're replying to some other video.
Unibody typically refers to having a band of carbon fiber that runs around the perimeter of the paddle and down the length of the grip. That band connects the paddle faces together and makes an overall stronger structure than simply having the polymer core sandwiched by faces only. Also, it is possible to have a unibody paddle that is not thermoformed. An example of this would be the Prism series paddles from Vatic.
@bart14769 ай бұрын
And if you hit hard thermoformed paddles, because of all the heat used, have cores that don't last very long.
@WessAdamsTube9 ай бұрын
PELLO, relatively new company out of Texas. High temperature, high pressure is said to be unique in the manufacturing. I love mine, came from Joola too paddle, had kinetic paddle, paddle tech, head.
@danschraufnagel57588 ай бұрын
Excelent video. Thanks.
@sethdenny93919 ай бұрын
It looks like the honeycomb core of the CRBN is damaged from the thermoforming process and already looks like there’s core crushing going on. I wonder if this and the face being so thin are why it has more power (more flex and trampoline effect). Must be why there’s so many delaminated CRBNs. I would love to see other thermoformed paddles cut open as well to see how they compare!
@sethdenny93919 ай бұрын
Are you guys able to crush the cores at all? Is one softer than the other
@annmaes75508 ай бұрын
I bought all the CRBN models. Never had a delam issue.
@nildar59049 ай бұрын
The Gearbox pro would be interesting. Also, Bread & Butters new paddle.
@annmaes75508 ай бұрын
Have loved the CRBN since they started, it’s a great paddle. It’s all personal preference. If you’re a beginner, don’t spend more than $80 until you’re sure you’re addicted. Take some lessons. Learn correct technique. Then in 6 months reward yourself. But only buy a paddle with a 100% return policy so you get to try it on the courts for 30 days.
@romanhernz38399 ай бұрын
Excellent video very interesting!!!!
@guittadabe52149 ай бұрын
The extra $ for the Selkirk lab seems to be for the name "Selkirk"! LOL! Hey, somebody has to pay for all of their marketing, sponsoring most of the top players, etc!!!
@donnatillman80349 ай бұрын
Selkirk also gives massive discounts and supplies to a lot of communities and schools - in the US and abroad.
@Dmc9633 ай бұрын
something i did notice is that the honey comb is thicker in selkirk than the other brands
@tgodiver5 ай бұрын
this is madness to be cutting up perfectly good paddles when I don't even have one paddle.
@LukasLwM9 ай бұрын
Please cut the gearbox power pro lol
@nicholaswittendorf72303 ай бұрын
@edjupickleball Please do the Project 002. I am dying to know why that paddle is so poppy
@edjupickleball3 ай бұрын
You got it.
@JflipJedi9 ай бұрын
Not to get picky… but that’s actually not what people are referring to when they talk about “delamination.” We used to think the extra power was coming from the face separating from the core. We now more accurately call it core corruption because we know the extra power was actually coming from the core itself crushing which was creating the springboard/ trampoline effect.
@Natefirethemagnets3 ай бұрын
It's all mark up man, some of the materials are fancier than others but none cost all that much. Could sell the $300 one for $50 and still turn a nice profit.
@kimleith13789 ай бұрын
Glad to see this. Would have liked to see the inside of a Gearbox SST. You said "grit" is created by the weave. NOT so. Peel Ply creates the grit for spin. Also would liked to have seen more on peeling the face from the core. Some adhesives are better than others.
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
There are videos from Gearbox showing the classic, standard SST core. And a newer video from Pickleball Central showing the interior of the new Pro Line SST "grid".
@kimleith13789 ай бұрын
@@AllHijinksNoHighDinks Ive pretty sure I've seen those vids, but actually "cutting" the Gearbox paddles open???
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
@@kimleith1378 Well they don't show the cutting process but they clearly show the insides after they cut.
@TheZzaak7 ай бұрын
Good science here :D
@Bee-of5xz4 ай бұрын
Ed. Why? One day I’m hoping to have a Selkirk paddle one day…
@jppbkm9 ай бұрын
Glad y'all were wearing goggles with those carbon needles flying!
@masterspin77969 ай бұрын
I have 2 table tennis rubber/blade combo's that cost over $400.00.....the difference from a $150.00 set up is marginal at best un-less you are a professional player.
@HKBoba5 ай бұрын
shouldve included a $100 paddle lol
@BigNatorStrength4 ай бұрын
This why im busting ass with a $10 amazon paddle lol
@allenfriedman77769 ай бұрын
Gotta do the Selkirk Air and Lux
@ryanedward75089 ай бұрын
Soft and full?! From thermoformed and edge foam?
@pickleballnic9 ай бұрын
A moment of silence for the Labs 006 sacrifice. Maybe a Labs 002 next time? 😂
@jro9379 ай бұрын
Speedup paddles and two Hudef paddles have unique handles compared to the market. I'm curious what kind of material they actually use.
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
What do you mean? In what way are they unique if you don't even know what the material is?
@robgoldberg43979 ай бұрын
I would love to see the inside of a Pro Kennex Black Ace. Great video!!
@georgegentry9178 ай бұрын
get a prokennex cut up that should be interesting
@lesterma16089 ай бұрын
Delamination also happens from core crushing!
@JD-nu1fw6 ай бұрын
Next time put some tape over the cutting area. Should prevent the splinters a bit
@edjupickleball6 ай бұрын
Good idea!
@panama-canada3 ай бұрын
All paddles are unibody because of manufacturing process.
@panama-canada3 ай бұрын
Wow you guys. Somebody is making a killing selling those because it costs $3-$5 to make those LOLs.
@ADA5138 ай бұрын
After that first minute i thought you were cutting open a power air.
@rdhalim8 ай бұрын
You should cut open gearbox and pro kennex since both are not honeycomb.
@Simplentertainments5 ай бұрын
Players pickleball ! They have gel-core technology not heard of on other paddles! Supposedly good for tennis elbow. Same as Pro Kennex
@rgrost18 ай бұрын
It is not called beehive...it is structural Honeycomb...
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
Just FYI Shea Underwood already made a very similar video to this, just with elbow grease instead of power tools, and before the advent of thermoforming. I would post a link to it but KZbin blocked me from commenting last time I did that. Video is: "Shea Underwood - Pickleball Road to Pro: What's inside of a pickleball paddle? (Joola Ben Johns Hyperion Teardown)"
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
You can't break any thermoformed paddle over your knee. It's not just the CRBN 2X.
@rdelnaja25588 ай бұрын
I'm more concerned with the surface face of the paddles. The wear is very noticeable especially on the Selkirks Power Air, I have photos to prove it. Got small chips in 41 days of having it. $250 +tax.... ooof!
@douglaslee86199 ай бұрын
How about getting a materials expert who knows what they are talking about? The "cores" of the expensive paddles are probably nomex honeycomb, and various densities of foam are used for the handle and the edging. The splintering carbon fibres are probably pre-preg material.
@chrislaws82459 ай бұрын
You are confusing delamination with disbonding.
@sherylbuck73778 ай бұрын
could please do:ALW-12.7mm, DBD six zero and bread and butter 166mmm filth
@brentmcculloch9 ай бұрын
I'd really like to cut about an inch and a half off the handle of my Gearbox Pro Fusion Control paddle, but I am scared I will somehow ruin a very expensive paddle in doing so. Anyone tried anything similar? It's setup for a 2-handed backhand, which is not for me. I love the gearbox pro, but i find it a bit heavy. Only thing it lacks is good hand speed.
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
Pickleball Central has a video where they show the inside of both configurations of the new Gearbox Power/Control and Elongated/Fusion. Very interesting. But also clear that they exaggerated their marketing sketches.
@863099 ай бұрын
@@AllHijinksNoHighDinksI saw that as well but when I looked close they cut it in half lengthwise , but were way off center. So a cut in half like Davis did would be good to see the carbon core tubes vs the polymer honeycomb core.
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
@@86309 Gearbox has another video where they cut one of their older SST paddles in the other orientation. That might be interesting for ya?
@giffy57759 ай бұрын
Could you please send me the wood paddle so i can glue it back together and use it?
@DCDannyEfilms9 ай бұрын
Have Selkirk send Steve a 006… he deserves it
@edjupickleball9 ай бұрын
On it 🫡
@GameKartParty9 ай бұрын
Wow, just wow. Weave of carbon fiber? My understanding is that sheets of carbon fiber are not woven and that the strands run in one direction. Perhaps an understanding of peel ply and the manufacturing process would be helpfull information. Thermo foam? I also don't believe the edge gaurd serves as a seal. The thermoforming provides the seal. Nice effort. Good try. At least no one was seriously injured in the making of this video!
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
Haha yeah he gets a ton wrong, which I have no issue with - at least he's curious. But there is tons of readily available content already explaining all this stuff and with accurate info.
@jdannug5172 ай бұрын
should cut at a 45 degree
@edjupickleball9 ай бұрын
EDIT: my bad guys, when I mentioned “weave” I was mistaken. The “weave” that I refer to is actually the weaves of the fabric peel ply. Here’s something that I found to help understand what peel ply does: “peel ply helps to improve adhesion between layers of composite material. The textured surface created by the peel ply enables the resin to flow into the fabric’s weave, creating a stronger bond between the layers.” medium.com/@nitprocomposites/what-is-peel-ply-carbon-fiber-83a205806402#:~:text=Peel%20ply%20is%20a%20thin,material%20during%20the%20layup%20process. Tons I still am learning about the material science of paddles, so I appreciate the corrections
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
Tell me you don't watch JohnKew Pickleball without telling me you don't watch JohnKew PIckleball.
@MP-tf7cc8 ай бұрын
SAFETY GLASSES !
@AnnMitt9 ай бұрын
Wonder how much manual labor goes into manufacturing these paddles.
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
They use giant machines to do all the word essentially. But there is a lot of manual labor moving the paddle from one machine to the next in the process (e.g. cutting out the paddle shape of honeycomb, applying the sandwhich faces, the peal ply, then depending on if it's thermoformed - they form the paddle into a unibody sealed shape under high heat and pressure - let cool, foam inject, the printer/etcher/lazer for the design, etc etc. The handles are probably the most manual part.
@bart14769 ай бұрын
Needles like fibers fly out of the crbn, and the little skinny guy is scared.
@shawn43579 ай бұрын
so in conclusion, The paddles are all made in China And there's not much difference between them.
@863099 ай бұрын
GLOVES, carbon fiber splinters through the skin are not to be taken lightly .
@iroamaround_9 ай бұрын
please wear safety gloves😮
@88joshuajohnathan9 ай бұрын
Imagine not understanding how bad carbon fiber can be without using any PPE. Especially when cutting and feeling the fibers. Oh well. Not my hands or health lmao.
@annmaes75508 ай бұрын
And carbon is not biodegradable!!
@bart14769 ай бұрын
Faces detach hardly ever, cores fail on heated thermoformed paddles creating a trampoline effect. Thermoforming is a dumb way to try to make a more powerful paddle. Thats why these paddles have crappy warranties. The manufacturers know they won't last.
@mikehoyt75928 ай бұрын
Pretty pointless. You discovered the number of different materials increases with price point. Shrug. What do those materials do? How do they change the performance of the paddle? Does the ball come off one faster than another? Does one allow for more spin? Scientfic investigation requires posing a question and answering it. All you did was (somewhat unsafely) cut some paddles in half and giggle.
@user-wh1cv5vh5n9 ай бұрын
Cool video. Interesting! Except for the wooden paddle they all look pretty much the same. I bought a few paddles from the same factory in China that Vatic and Ronbus use and they are all pretty much the same pieces. Not much difference in any of them. The Gearbox Power Pro was supposed to be different but it was an absolute piece of crap. No power and less pop. DO NOT BUY IT!!!
@JustinBennettSFS5 ай бұрын
which factory was that?
@lifesabeach81335 ай бұрын
The guy doing the cutting... no gloves, no safety goggle, no clamps. This was interesting but hard to watch. "They put a breadstick in the handle!" Well, everyone likes a snack, right?
@garagesale59487 ай бұрын
These two idiots do not know you should use carbon fiber specific cutting blades.
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
I bet this safety expert forgot that there was still lead tape on the edge and tattooed lead right into his bloodstream directly with shards of lead needles.
@myra94959 ай бұрын
Total amateurs
@barbrasosi9 ай бұрын
he needs to wear gloves..
@ABCDEFG-xd3le9 ай бұрын
ALL HONEY COMB PADDLE ARE THE SAME - MADE IN SAME FACTORY IN CHINA AND REBRANDED
@AllHijinksNoHighDinks9 ай бұрын
I wrote one of the top 10 most popular posts in the history of /r/pickleball about this subject, and while many paddles are made in the same few Chinese factories, there are more than 1.