Gearbox Pro Ultimate Hyper Paddle Review

[@kimleith1378]

Great review. Congrats on the win with John. Will certainly be adding the HYPER to my Gearbox Collection. Waiting to see if any QC issues show up in the months to come.

[@JJPickleball]

Glad to hear that. Certainly hoping that isn’t that case.

[@OnBorrowedTime]

A comparison to the new ESQ-Cs which are wide body power paddles would be awesome.

[@JJPickleball]

Good idea. I’ll definitely mention some of my thoughts on the podcast. Quick thoughts are the sweet spot and power is much higher on the Hyper, and the pop is very similar. These paddles feel very different. Lastly, the esq c is much lighter stock.

[@billpierce1788]

JJ: I've been playing the Pro Control for nearly a year. Love the paddle, could use maybe a touch more power. Is this the solution?

[@JJPickleball]

They are fairly similar. The ultimate has a better sweet spot in my opinion so that may help with drives as well.

[@SukieNau-r1t]

How does the power/pop/control compare to the Joola 3S Scorpius 16mm after it's broken in?

[@JJPickleball]

They both are similar, but I would give the edge to the hyper over the scorpius if you achieve the break in. The pop and roll you can do on drives and flicks is really hard to defend. My friend just purchased the hyper and has been loving it.

[@SukieNau-r1t]

@@JJPickleball Awesome, thanks for your valuable insight!

[@M0stlyHarmless9]

I’m between this and the ripple r2. Leaning toward the ripple due to the lower sw, bigger sweet spot, and additional power

[@JJPickleball]

Ripple certainly is the best paddle ever made if it passes all the certifications going forward.

[@justanothernicedude]

I have the pulse S, Scorpeus 3s 16mm and ESQ 14.3. I prefer the scorpeus the most of those listed because of the power while not sacrificing too much control. ESQ was comparable but that sweet spot was tiny in comparison. Should I stick to my scorpeus, get the ultimate hyper, or hold out for the ripple?

[@JJPickleball]

I really liked the Hyper but if the Scorpeus is your favorite I would say the best upgrade would be the Ripple. However, if you want to maintain control with the power then I would say Hyper over the Ripple. Reason being the new Ripple that I have played comes hotter and if it continues to “break in” I don’t know how the control will be long term.

[@kylepickleball]

I'm maining the Pulse V, bought the R1 Ripple and sold it, too much of an adjustment to my game and the new production model has more power/less control than the betas. For me the Hyper is a step up in power/pop vs. the Pulse but with some nice control baked into it. I ordered the Hyper to see how it stacks up but based on reviews so far it should be a popular paddle if you're looking for controllable power.

[@russelllew1139]

Where to buy slice caps for GB hyper?

[@JJPickleball]

They are waiting on confirmation for the hyper.

[@jasonchen2107]

Short and sweet review, congratulations on the win with johnkew! I was just wondering if you could elaborate or give a suggestion for someone who is switching from an elongated/hybrid power paddle to a standard/wide body paddle. I’ve been using my paddle for 6 months and I’m not in a rush to switch right this minute. I want to invest in a new paddle that I know will be the best that I can get tech wise. I’ve been looking into the paddletek esq 12.7m for a while but now that gearbox is out, what would you say is the best option in the standard shape for a power option? That also will be tournament certified… I’m worried about the ripple r2 becoming delisted. Thank you in advance!

[@JJPickleball]

Thanks for the comment and well organized thoughts. I am definitely worried about the Ripple being delisted with the new version that was just sent out. I think the paddletek ESQ-C is an awesome paddle. I did a review on both. The paddletek is crazy light and I didn’t think the power was anything crazy, but the paddle has crazy pop at the net. The ultimate hyper is a great power paddle that is easier to control than the ripple r2. That’s comparing a broken in ripple to a broken in hyper. The hyper does change quite a bit and for the better so be patient if you go that right. If you have hit a gearbox paddle in the past like a pro power or a pro ultimate elongated and liked the feel then I would suggest the hyper based off what you are looking for.

[@jasonchen2107]

​@@JJPickleball Thank you for the thoughtful and well-written response, I really appreciate it! Hm... okay okay, that makese sense. I watched your ESQ video review already! I do appreciate the break-in making the hyper better. For more context, I'm coming from an Engage Pro1 6.0 Lite, and I think I'm slowly breaking the 4.0/4.5 range. I'm looking for a thin/poppy/light standard shaped paddle since I'll hopefully be spending more time at the kitchen haha! Also looking for a thin paddle that will force me to "shorten" my swings hahah That being said, what are your thoughts between these paddles? I know some of the names of the paddles, just by checking the USAPA approved paddle list, but if you can't talk about them, no worries at all! - Gearbox Hyper (assuming they don't come out with a pro power hyper version) - Joola Anna Bright 3s - Paddletek ESQ 12mm - PB Apes (Max/Enerfgy) - Proton Series 1 Type A/B 11mm (assuming they'll be certified again, I'm only considering this because of the lifespan of the grit, unfortunately i don't have unlimited money to spend on paddles, that's also why the Gearbox Hyper is applied to me, since it'll get better as you break it in) - Chorus paddles (Fire/Echo SX) - CRBN Trufoam 2 Genesis Thank you so much for letting me babble, as I stated earlier, I just don't have unlimited money and really want to invest in my next paddle. Whether or not you can help me out with my decision, you've earned my subscription and the use of any of your affiliate codes on my next purchase haha! Keep up the great work!

[@JJPickleball]

@@jasonchen2107in all honesty from what you are saying the Hyper or the 3s would be your best bet for what you are looking for. Now if you want a lighter paddle with less power but plenty of pop than the ESQ is great but it does have a smaller sweet spot. The Chorus Fire is amazing, but my EX has had some crazy deflection speed that I haven’t quite finalized my thoughts on.

[@jasonchen2107]

@@JJPickleball Sounds good, I'll probably end up with the hyper then, since i assume it's also usapa approved, compared to the gen 3s which is only upa-a approved? For my local league and smaller tournaments :)

[@JJPickleball]

@@jasonchen2107correct

[@sg19579]

Would like a better comparison v. existing paddles. This review didn't really help with a buying decision regarding existing standard width paddles.

[@JJPickleball]

The pulse V and Scorpeus 3s would be the closest comparisons in my opinion. All 3 are very similar but have different feels. All of that will be up to players preferences. The Ripple R2 has more power and a bigger sweet spot than all previously listed paddles. There also are just not that many power paddles in the standard shape to compare it to. Appreciate the comment and I hope the above helps.

[@kimleith1378]

Stay tuned, much more to come about the HYPER.

[@justanothernicedude]

⁠@@JJPickleballthe ripple R2 has a larger sweet spot than the pulse V and the 16mm scorpeus 3s?!

[@JJPickleball]

@@justanothernicedude it’s marginal but the beta version of the Ripple as it is now being referred legitimately did everything better than any other paddle. As to your question about sweet spot in my experience it had a larger sweet spot but only marginally. However, that paired with more power after break in, and most definitely more spin….this paddle is going to cause problems if it remains legal. Not for me to decide but it is quite literally the best paddle ever made. Only issue with it is if it gets too hot then it’s hard to control even with the spin and sweet spot.

[@PanamaLou-zk3xe]

Great review. Wanted to ask what is the difference between this Gearbox Hyper and the Pickleball Apes Pulse V ? Thank you, happy thanksgiving and Saludos from Panama.

[@JJPickleball]

The Hyper has more power than the Pulse V. The Pulse V has a bigger sweet spot than the Hyper. The Pulse is Kevlar vs the carbon fiber of the Hyper. Both have good control.

[@PanamaLou-zk3xe]

@@JJPickleball Thank you very much keep up the great work and I see you play with John Kew and Willy Wonka STS Pickleball. Happy Thanksgiving.

[@JJPickleball]

@@PanamaLou-zk3xe Pickleball brings great friends!

[@peteherrera1502]

Do you know if gearbox plans to make a Gearbox Pro Ultimate Hyper widebody pickleball paddle; power wise closer to the power of the gearbox Pro Power. That is the paddle I would buy as I already have 2 Gearbox Pro power pickleball paddles and would like a widebody power paddle.

[@JJPickleball]

Shape wise I do not have any information. That likely will be decided based on the success of the Hyper shape. From what I have heard the Propower is likely not to return. It may not pass recertification in April.

[@peteherrera1502]

@@JJPickleball do you have a link where I can read up on the Pro power possibly not being recertified.

[@JJPickleball]

@@peteherrera1502 there isn’t anything official out. Just speculation and may not be true. Just have heard murmurs and is why I believe gearbox shifted to the ultimate line. But purely speculation for now.

[@nsj2kx]

JJ, how do you think my transition from a 3S AB to this would be?

[@JJPickleball]

They play very similar in performance to me. I think this has more power potential with a full break in. It really comes down to if you like the feel of the gearbox or the Joola

[@nsj2kx]

@@JJPickleball thank I appreciate the feedback

[@Mike-n7h7u]

John Kew’s x-ray’s indicate that the “sweet spot” is the same width as the elongated. Meaning the high tech section of the paddle is the same size and shape with a wider frame around it. I would like gearbox to offer a standard shape paddle with a proportional sweet spot by design.

[@JJPickleball]

I don’t think you heard that correctly in John’s review. This sweet spot is noticeably better than previous iterations and from the elongated variants.

[@Mike-n7h7u]

True, John described the sweet spot to be larger when playing with it. However, my statement refers to the X-ray picture of the internal structures . A larger sweet FEEL would naturally be enhanced with this design even if it was installed in the 7.5” wide version because the design redistributed mass to the perimeter. The center core elements were made to be lighter. Gearbox has more opportunity to tap on the 8” width