The truth behind 90% of pickleball paddles on the market right now

[@92Raulb]

I bougt THREE of the new GB power pros and 2 had dents and one came in at 7.7 oz ....keep in mind i have played with BOTH the previous CX14s the regular and ultimate but after this GB mishap i have switched to Ronbus

[@WisdomInsightReality]

Yes, this new, segmented, pressurized core, separated by air gaps, has compromised the overall structural integrity of the new Gearbox Pro Paddle. And it's pricey, what's your next price point, $375 USD?

[@kimleith1378]

@@WisdomInsightReality Gaps?? Where?

[@BJJandBS]

this is an ad.

[@WilkesFamilyPB]

And gearbox is sending out some pretty crap paddles. Many reported defects from factory…. And gearbox offers a military discount!!! However, when you ask them how to get it, and all the strings attached, you will feel insulted.

[@stratelyze2095]

I think it is poor judgement to destroy a competitors paddle while interviewing the Gearbox owner and then have him insinuate that they will have to be replaced every 1 month. You should give Vollair a chance to defend this interview and know that Gearbox's statements are largely to early to be proved as well as their Pro line that is getting some quality control comments of their own. I have had my Vollair for 3 months without any problems and love it.

[@buildingpickleball]

That is not Rafael, that is me.

[@WisdomInsightReality]

@@buildingpickleball There's no distinction, Raphael is the main focus of your video/interview, so he's now most definitely associated with the destruction and criticism of the Volair paddle, as well as putting 90% of the his competitors(thermoform) in the paddle industry on blast.

[@gunnarsworld4126]

I don't care what the situation is, Volair just gave me the best customer service I've ever experienced in a company. I'll be a customer of Volair for the rest of my life. You're interviewing a guy with a Gearbox shirt on..... He's backpedaling on a combo with thermoform. Yeah ... Just not a good interview, period

[@LatiNoble]

I still have a first gen gb g2. It must have been a version that has zero planned obsolescence because it’s still like new after 7 years.

[@buildingpickleball]

That’s amazing

[@zandemen]

Your own return rate is low because you keep refusing returns when my Gearbox paddles are dented in the sweet spot after 2 or 3 hours of hard play.

[@nicholasnguyen6001]

which paddle did you have?

[@aldrive622]

The truth is more than 90% pickleball paddles, Gearbox included, are made in China. They source their paddles in accordance to their specifications such as shape, size, material...so all these paddles are of the same material, polypropylene honey comb, torray t700 surface and such...these paddles are 95% the same, the only difference is the deviation of the shape and size...to most rec players they are essentially the same. Truth to be told.

[@michaelfargarsonpickleball9707]

Simply not true! You need to do some research. Gearbox's SST paddle are different from the other guys. They don't have poly cores, and they don't simply spec their paddles. They are totally designed and engineered in house. Yes, they do have some traditional style paddles but the Pro, CX, and GX series are not. Gearbox paddles are the most unique on the market, and are far more innovative than the other paddle companies.

[@mauriceb9996]

You're assuming that everyone is using the same materials. There are different densities of the polypropylene core, different foam composition and densities.. There are different honey comb diameters. There are different layering of Carbon fibers i.e. one vs two vs three layers. So, perhaps lower tier/cheep paddles are likely very similar, but higher tier typically have unique specifications.

[@sTeBoski]

I ordered one early on launch day and it still hasnt shipped. Now im thinking its not so much of a bad thing.

[@zandemen]

Hmmm, interesting, but I only get a few weeks out of my Gearbox paddles, so what' the difference? Get the playability, and same longevity?

[@Syndrome88]

Good stuff there rafael! Totally agree! I really hope paddles would go the gearbox way. It shouldn't break after 3 months

[@ryanedward7508]

The hype on these GB isn’t for real folks…..him talking about manufacturing bs while his paddles are being or trying to be warrantied like none other

[@MarkDoehrman]

Still have a gx5 control about 4 years old. Still looks and plays great, i get it on the courts here and there to keep my soft game good, then go back to my B&B Filth power paddle. Gx5 does well in 3.5 play even into 4.5 players. Know some with cx14 theyve had for a couple years and thier power players. Would like to try thier newest power paddle, im guessing it will a couple yrs maybe more, those cx14s are built tough!

[@PhoenixRugerRedBird]

Title should be called.. " What Rafa thinks is the truth". Glad you put out this content though. Gearbox gets knocked for their poorly constructed handles. Maybe Rafa should be more focused on fixing that. Just my 2 cents.

[@jeremypuckett3382]

poorly constructed handles? what are you smoking? Gearbox has some of the best handles on the market.

[@aronisink1]

LOL.. Pickleball studio has stated Gearboxes newest power paddle is great but one major flaw of breaking very easily..

[@NOT_A_TOP_FAN]

He potentially could have had HUGE success if he stopped his interview after describing his paddle. But going the extra step not only commenting, but basically criticizing the rest of the paddle companies (right or wrong) was a real bad look. I guarantee there are a lot of people who may have given GB a look won’t touch one now, simply because of the perception of GB owner and the first batch of paddles. Not all social media is good social media, folks… But in this world of being overly critical or judgmental towards others, maybe it’s a bit of karma….

[@billtaber5093]

I have used a CX14 for about a year. I bought the new Fusion Pro and it is awesome. I have a professional background in engineering and gluing anything to polyethylene or polypropylene was a challenge we never satisfactorily solved. The Gearbox SST core all carbon design is an obvious superior approach. I feel that the longitudinal tubular cores are a key factor in how I generate topspin. My recommendation is buy any of the four new design paddles and enjoy.

[@rdelnaja2558]

Nothing wrong with providing more details and in insight into the industry especially companies not willing to talk about and only try to sell you a paddle.

[@buildingpickleball]

What are your thoughts? Stick around until the end to hear about how Rafael intends to combat this problem with Gearbox. Remember to visit vuori.com/buildingpickleball for a 20% discount off your first purchase.

[@rdelnaja2558]

Folks are not having this conversation, Wear of the paddles are noticeable. Unlike tennis you can restring your racquet at a low maintenance cost rather than having to buy a brand new Racquet every 3 months.

[@buildingpickleball]

100%

[@nickbicanic6910]

This is sadly nonsense. Rafael either doesn't know better (when he should) - or he does know better and he's flat out lying. The reason why Thermoformed paddles (Gen 1 - or Paddlegate 2.0 as it was called) were breaking down was NOT to do with the "weakening" of the center part of the paddle at the expense of the edges - as he puts it. But it specifically (and demonstratably) was to do with a combination of (a) too much heat for too long a time in an individual mold (as opposed to heat applied for large sheets) (b) bad supply chain tolerances in thickness of PP core This led to core deformation "during manufacturing" not after playing - specifically the core PP components would disbond from each other in the vertical axis. It took time for the industry to identify, iterate and fix those problems - but they are fixable and Gen 2 thermoformed paddles are not disbonding under significant stress tests.

[@ryanedward7508]

Exactly 👊

[@buildingpickleball]

Appreciate this comment and sharing this information.

[@nickbicanic6910]

@@buildingpickleball lemme know if you want more data than you know that to do with ;)

[@buildingpickleball]

Definitely. Admittedly, I’m not as knowledgeable in the paddle tech as others but happy to learn as well as hear what ideas you may have for dispersing the information/data. Drop me an email when you get a chance: [e-mail]

[@WilkesFamilyPB]

And his “flex” core may not be too good long term either….

[@rdelnaja2558]

Picked up the new Gearbox Pro Power Elongated, it's a beast.

[@buildingpickleball]

Ayyy

[@andrewmorgan4510]

This just hasn’t proven to be true. Gearbox has its place but, I can buy 2-3 thermoformed paddles for the price of a gearbox. The limiting factor I’ve experienced on most paddles is grit loss.

[@WStar4Life]

Hopefully the Proton doesn’t get delisted bc their NanoTac coating that they use on their bats is also on their Series One paddles and once broken in the grip is amazing and lasts forever. Also, the fact that the Owl paddle is approved for USAP tournaments is crazy bc that carpet like material puts absurd amounts of spin on the ball and I’m sure it lasts longer than T700 grittiness.

[@NathanBrantley]

Thanks for posting this! I’m convinced again not to spend $200 plus on a paddle.

[@gg80108]

There is a reason Gbox paddles other than the new Pros, are not popular. They are attractive to racquetball players cuz of the bar for a string in the grip. Great gimmick. Pickleball is a cheap sport even for equipment still. A good pair of hiking poles can cost more than a paddle.

[@rdelnaja2558]

Did you just compare Hiking to pickleball?

[@gg80108]

@@rdelnaja2558 wear a watch to keep track of your steps, when better at pickleball your steps will be 50% less than you started as a beginner will be at least a 4.0. If not your just out for the exercise and still suck.

[@richwilson4470]

BULLSHIT from a paddle salesman. Could have been the tag line here. I have been playing with my Six Zero for a year already and still plays as well as when I got it.

[@123BV8]

Stop, the spin has to have degraded, they all do, 3 months max if you play much….

[@WisdomInsightReality]

Really, you're putting the entire industry on blast? Please, based on what empirical data? Your trashing of the thermoform process was articulate, but has no basis in fact, nice magic trick. How about you be more positive about pickleball and growing this wonderful sport and stop attacking other brands. Market your paddles, promote the positive attributes as best you can, and let the the market decide if 90% of your competitors have major problems. I think not, but let's let the market decide.

[@zeruth467]

Exactly, especially when his most recent paddle is dangerous first off, 2nd, it’s a MASSIVE topic that his new ones are inconsistent, come in dented, different weights, cracks, etc. He is just ANOTHER brand owner that’s out of touch.

[@seanwilson512]

Did you see the interview with the Vatic Pro CEO. He was very transparent with the life span of paddles at around 3 to 6 months (maximum performance). He also said that their $100 Prism Flash would last longer than their thermoformed paddles - due to the additional heat during the mfg process.

[@AJCsr]

Actually, he's not wrong !

[@bobbydigital7482]

Yeah this guy is full of shiiit…it was a heating up the glue and not giving it the proper time to cure problem…I haven’t heard of anyone having any problem since ronbus and 6.0 solved the problem…this guy says multiple bullshiiit things through out this interview…I’m a fan of these independent companies and was a fan of gearbox(would never use their products cause they’re garbage at least for me)…but he lost a fan during this interview…the reason why the paddles were failing is that ppl rushed new tech to the market without properly testing the product…I don’t know of anyone in the last few months that has had a problem with a thermo formed paddle including me and I’ve hit thousands of balls with my thermo paddle 0 breaking down

[@bobbydigital7482]

@@AJCsryeah he is…what facts does he present here…he’s saying a lot of stuff without offering any facts to back it up…I don’t know anyone who’s had any problems with their paddles since ronbus and 6.0 have solved the heat and glue problem

[@73monochrome]

Youre identifying a problem that may affect 1percent of the pickleball playing population. Most players are recreational and not professionals. They will not notice the miniscule difference between high end and the average paddle. It makes no difference to their games.

[@gg80108]

And the pros dont play GearBox even though they could get em for free.

[@PKB-AG]

I agree - what makes the most difference is the skill of the user and their ability to hit the right shots. Once your shots are down solid, then maybe try different paddles. The difference will be on the margins.

[@Flying_Family]

disagree