Top 10 Pickleball Paddles for Spin

[@PickleballStudio]

Sorry about the text typo on the placements. Rookie mistake while on vacation haha.

[@Nix27.]

Love your video! Paddle reviews are pretty bad because pickleball is still new but your channel is the exception, your videos are great quality and very informative!

[@EpicRev1]

I would add a few additional thoughts... Now retired I owned and operated a tennis shop at a club with 3500 members for 35 years. On average we would string up to 40 frames a day and sold over 10,000 frames per year. To me the surface texture is not that important, creating spin is 90% technique. With that said technology can help. In the world of tennis, the technology that provided the most spin was the FLEX of the racquet. The flex allowed the ball to stay to the face of the racquet strings a split second longer. While the surface texture may vary in paddles it's the paddle thickness that controls the ball impact. 16-20mm will help dampen the impact allowing the ball to stay on the paddle for a split second longer, which is huge in the tennis world. You play with a poppy powerful paddle the ball leaves the face at a much faster rate making the creation of spin more difficult. In the world of tennis, the type of string and tension is another factor that can help enhance spin, but on a stiffer frame the ball is gone and the effectiveness of the strings is limited. In a world where technique is king is it really the SURFACE material or the flex of the paddle along with the dampening qualities that provide the most spin. Point... wonder if your test should focus on the dampening and flex of the paddle? FYI this a great video, thanks for the service!!

[@oceanbreak387]

Old timer, respectfully, you're comparing a strung tennis racquets to flat surface paddles. Apples and oranges. And yes, of course technique matters.

[@brettwwarner1]

Respectfully disagree. Surface roughness makes a significant difference to generate spin and deliver options for players. Many pros play with a new paddle every tournament. Most paddles lose surface roughness within days and the RPMs drop dramatically… same paddle… new vs used is night and day.

[@daviddab6635]

Thank you for a great description! I've just started using the gearbox 14h and it's soft face design I feel is similar to lower tension stringing. Lots of control and spin.

[@rossthoughts]

@@oceanbreak387 Did you not read the Dude's comment, Donny? He's talking about something common to both rackets and paddles: how long the ball remains in contact with the surface during the striking of the ball. The hypothesis being: the material and thickness of a paddle may change the duration of contact (increased) and thus impart an improved ability to create spin. The hypothesis, as I've read it, doesn't discount the importance of surface texture on the ability to produce spin.

[@testing316]

Strings also make a huge difference in spin on a tennis racquet

[@Squaredot01]

Amazing job with this! I was blown away by your attention to detail and the amount of research put into this video. It was awesome to have a legit roughness test also, I was curious why the pursuit tested high at one point and then tested low another point. That explains it. Well done!

[@PastPresentFuture360]

Thank you for your objective, comprehensive and painstaking approach to paddle reviews.

[@VictorSWhyte]

Chris. You are real Pickleball paddle scientist! Great research that has produced a wealth of useful data. Thank you!

[@danmartin3714]

Your stats are amazing! Love the spreadsheet and I really enjoy the lengths that you go through to explain these paddles. Great Work!

[@JohnClem56]

Thanks for the excellent job testing the paddles but also for the organization of the data in a way that provides information to the user. Great work, great channel!

[@nvr2old700]

As a paddle geek/nerd thoroughly love this! Thank you!

[@kennethwong7243]

Since a current issue is how paddle spin decreases even after 3 months of use, it would be interesting to see a test after 3-6 months. I know this is difficult to create a valid scientific test as you personally can only play so much. Perhaps you could have volunteers/friends send you videos on day 1 and day 180. You would have to send them your special marked up balls. Or at least do a video of you testing the day 1 and 180 spin for major surface types like carbon fiber v fiberglass to get a sense as to which surface type is more durable. Thx for your great videos!

[@cmbind55]

Great point. I would love to see a periodic comparison of this effect over time. I suspect this will dictate the purchase of two or more paddles a year to retain the initial performance. It's a hidden subscription model. Ha!

[@voiceofreason9238]

I appreciate the work you and your testers did to accumulate the raw data. More kudos for entering it into an easy to use spreadsheet where anyone can use the filters to get the information they want.

[@MCGaar]

I spin so hard with a pro drive I make people miss. Rhombus is good to.

[@timjohnson6100]

Great Job Chris! Thank you for all you do for the pickleball community. You are a true blessing!

[@jmac430]

Appreciate all your hard work and dedication on this matter. Very thorough and professional 👏 you da man!

[@hkdupcivic]

I know it's not on the list but I can't wait to see a hyperion Cas 16 vs cfs 16 comparison.

[@peterprodanov8119]

Look into Rapsodo and use that to get an accurate RPM using a machine that measures spin rate. It is used primarily for baseball and golf but should work for a pickleball. Swing speed is also a major variant, the higher the swing speed, the higher the rpm's will be. Rapsodo also can measure that.

[@brianschmitz4972]

Excellent spreadsheet with filters and sorts. Would like to see greater than (>) operator on grip length filter. Thanks.

[@mitchellt7868]

Do you have a video where you describe how you measure spin? I missed that. I think commentary on spin durability are helpful too.

[@bmaggis7777]

Wish you would test paddles that were used for 2 months as most of us do not get new paddles all the time and knowing how they do after usage would be EXCELLENT! Now my dumb question is how do you link to the spreadsheet? Thanks for making these great vids.

[@PickleballStudio]

The problem is that my two months of use is not the same as most people. I play almost 5 times a week, sometimes playing twice each day. For someone else, 2 months may mean 1-2 days a week for 1 hour, in which case the paddle would last much longer. Spreadsheet should be in the description.

[@RileyReneau]

Im subbing simply because of the length you went to to make this video and provide this info .

[@jakerandall24]

The spreadsheet is amazing thank you

[@uvmurs]

please review the joola vision 14 and 16mm!!!

[@USMC_]

I prefer my Joola Hyperion CAS 16 over the Selkirk Power Air Invicta for spin, etc

[@hitsofmisses]

Fantastic work. Can you please add Control, Power & Sweetspot ratings to the spreadsheet?

[@coachfezz1137]

Power Air is a MONSTER, i added laed tape to get it to 0 oz , moving on from the 002 which I loved

[@daespring]

Data on the Joola Vision 16mm RPM is missing from your spreadsheet. Great Information! thank you

[@shawnmaloney6845]

Thanks for doing these awesome informative and accurate video's. Been great help. Been using the Carbon and Engage Pursuit EX 6.0. I'm more of a ping pong player as tennis was never my game. Love both in doubles with the Engage that has little more "pop" than the Carbon. Both lack little bit in power. Been trying to find a singles paddle and just bought the Vanguard Power Air S2 should have within the week. (little nervous as it seems more of a tennis lovers paddle). Love to spin and the power should be much better than my other 2 paddles correct? Question is where should I put the Lead tape on this new paddle? Might add I've had some issues with "Golfer's elbow pain". Just little concerned on control and accuracy with new paddle. Any suggestions appreciated, keep up awesome work.

[@DevotedtoTruth]

Please come back give an update on your feelings about the power air! I too have a table tennis background

[@PastPresentFuture360]

Coming from table tennis and tennis, with a preference for a spin and touch based game. I love the Joola Radius.

[@dychax707]

Crbn is supposed to be a pretty poppy paddle already, I have used both and didnt notice a huge difference.

[@banksy4948]

Yesssir! Saw you recently at the tournament in griffin GA it was so nice to meet you man 😌

[@brianporter9633]

Electrum just released the Model E in 13mm. Would be super interested to see how this ranks on the spreadsheet when you get a hold of one.

[@dudeman5918]

Really would like to hear your thoughts on the new spin paddles from prokennex and to see the data on your spreadsheet..... excellent work on that by the way

[@PickleballStudio]

I did some rough tests. I want to redo them though because it was in windier conditions than I prefer. It was only around 1460 RPM. John Kew Pickleball also tested them and got 1477

[@davidsellers5726]

When will you be testing the approved CRBN paddles and the new Joola paddles.

[@tonygareth221]

I’d like to spray something on the paddle face for more spin! 😂 I’ve only used Diadem and I play well with them but I’d like to try others and see what they’re like.

[@sembaraadinugraha1599]

very great content, love this!!! I was wondering, have you ever tried niupipo? what do you think about their paddles? Thanks again!

[@PickleballStudio]

The Explorer Pro is a very solid budget option, not great for spin though. Much better than an Onix Z5 in terms of performance per dollar in my opinion.

[@spiper01]

What about joola CFS?

[@mattdunfee107]

thanks for addressing. I think the engage pursuit face is junk after some good use I have a new carbon 1 and its noticeably better than the pursuit was out of the gate

[@taklatt]

The Carbon is great.

[@danmartin3714]

Would you buy the V7 or the Ronbus R1.16? I love the most spin but I'm afraid that the Ronbus might not have the control. Any help is much appreciated!

[@DavidSmith-zy9mm]

You need to try out the new prototype. It is amazing

[@laniweisbart3439]

Just thought it would be worth while to point out that Engage describes the pursuit surface as "The Pursuit skin is a proprietary Graphite skin developed specifically for this paddle", so it seems that it's not exactly a raw carbon fiber surface. Maybe that explains a little about the results in addition to your inconsistency findings.

[@DUPR]

Hey could you do top 10 control paddles

[@ChilLAXCustomDyes]

What would your thoughts or comparisons be on the Head Gravity/Lite and their 3D spin?

[@PickleballStudio]

Very bad. One of the worst in my spin tests.

[@ChilLAXCustomDyes]

@@PickleballStudio Out of personal opinion, which would you use - Radical tour co or new SLK Omega max?

[@MauricioRSFit]

Which did you prefer? The SLK Omega Max or the Gearbox CX14H? I plan to add lead tape. Specs on spin seem very similar and both are edgeless paddles. Would like to hear others' thought on comparison as well.

[@PickleballStudio]

For me, the Omega Max.

[@1965mlayers1965]

lol...I tried all these paddles....not a single one came even close to the Electrum Model E...FACTS!

[@theresabennett6399]

Have you tested the Cheetah E10 paddle

[@kimleith1378]

Selkirk's R&D sure seems to have paid off in results. Hope they get their money back from the added cost.

[@keepmoving7765]

New to your channel. Only play 4.0 singles. Most reviews I see here are for doubles. Have you done any paddle reviews solely for singles? I’ve demo’d a lot but obviously can’t try them all. Any rec’s that come to mind?

[@PickleballStudio]

Singles paddles I like: Head Radical Tour Co Selkirk Vanguard Power Air Electrum Pro II (not personally my favorite, but not bad) Joola Ben Johns Hyperion CFS Singles you basically just aim for a power oriented paddle with lots of spin. So any of the blacked out raw carbon fiber paddles usually work well.

[@harryhoople1684]

Great job with providing specs for different paddles. Could you evaluate the degradation of spin with use? I bought myself a Joola paddle 2 months ago and I'm sensing a loss of spin over time. I just purchased a new Joola paddle for my wife and I can feel a distinct difference in surface roughness between my 2 month old paddle and the new paddle. What good is a high spin rate if it disappears in two months? Is this problem only with Joola paddles or do all manufacturers have this problem? I know Pickleball Studio is aware of this problem as the spreadsheet has this comment: "After using this paddle for about a month I did see a big drop off in spin.

[@PickleballStudio]

Every paddle will have this issue. If it has grit, it will fade eventually. Some are just more resistant than others. It also depends heavily on how often and how hard someone plays. A casual 3.5 player will have the grit last longer than a competitive 5.0 player who drills many times a week or several times a day.

[@harryhoople1684]

@@PickleballStudio My only way to evaluate the ability to spin the ball is to use the fingernail test. There is a distinct difference in sound between a friend's 3 month old Selkirk (very gritty); my wife's new Joola (very gritty) my 3 month old Joola; (medium gritty); and an old $50 paddle (smooth). My guess is that some manufacturers have spin that lasts longer. The pros, of course, get a new paddle every weekend for free and don't have to deal with grit degradation. I can't afford a new paddle every month so I'm looking for a paddle with grit that lasts.

[@adamsalafia6324]

What are your thoughts on the Joola Vision? and will be doing a review on it?

[@PickleballStudio]

Eventually I will.

[@adamsalafia6324]

@@PickleballStudio sweet I enjoy your reviews. The one's I've seen lean more towards the 16mm version but I would love to hear your thoughts on it. I am seriously considering this paddle or a CRBN.

[@davehogan4676]

Was looking for data on the Onix Z5? Where does it fit in for spin?

[@kennethwong7243]

Can we download your file? I'd like to sort differently. For eg RPM v Price

[@theginger5655]

Hey Chris is was wondering if you noticed any lose of grit on the Selkirk invitka power air after a little bit of use? I saw a video on it and didn’t know if they last or wear off quick thanks! Great video loved it 👌🏼

[@PickleballStudio]

Mine has been going very steady. I heard about that paddle as well. I heard that one was possibly defective and it’s still being looked into. I’ve used a Power Air, 002, and two 003s extensively and I’ve seen minor drops, but nothing drastic. I even rechecked my 003 the other day and it was only a 200RPM drop. Still in a high tier for spin even despite the break in.

[@theginger5655]

@@PickleballStudio oh ok that’s awesome to hear, thanks for replying man and keep up the awesome content 👍🏼😁

[@poppinbricks]

Power air lost all ability to spin after about 30 hours of use.

[@bernieaudibert7234]

I used the power air and it was fantastic until...only 1 month later, no more grit left at all. Very disappointing for the price tag. I am a 5.0 player that likes driving and plays 3 times a week. Hope that helps soneone else

[@davidrandall701]

Excellent! Thanks Chris!

[@grantbrown6502]

I'm using a Carbon. They have great spin and feel

[@taklatt]

Agree the Carbon has great spin and is not on the list. ????? I guess the numbers were not there for some paddles?????🤔

[@grantbrown6502]

@@taklatt saw the carbons in a different video, I think on this channel? They ended up being top 5 for spin

[@taklatt]

@@grantbrown6502 that sounds a little better. 👍

[@alpal2302]

Does the CRBN 16 1 have the same spin as the CRBN 2??

[@annmaes7550]

Can you add CRBN new 13mm & 14mm CRBN1

[@tommymorgan9293]

Does the evolution max have spray on grit?

[@Gustavo-xz8os]

How is the new legal crbn on spin? I want to buy it soon but cant tell if its going to give me enough spin compared to some other paddles

[@paxtolosi7208]

It has sick spin and if buying one feel free to get 10% off with CRBNPAXPB

[@lesliegoodwin471]

Yes, BUT did you test Gruvn paddles? They are known for spin!

[@PickleballStudio]

Yes. They are in my spin spreadsheet.

[@mrtomgiorgio]

What’s up guys

[@jabroni3814]

Great video! Heads up, your numbering is messed up starting at paddle #8 ✌

[@PickleballStudio]

Face palm. This is why you don’t edit while on vacation 😂

[@jerjerdeals9346]

what's the difference between the yellow vs blue slk omega max?

[@PickleballStudio]

Color

[@Bergarita]

5 months into pickleball and have been using an onix z5. Its a very popular paddle in rec play and i noticed you didnt have an RPM for it. I'm looking to upgrade to a more "spinnier" paddle but just for kicks I'd like to know what the Z5 rpm is.

[@bobmclaughlin3879]

Six Zero has seemingly fallen off the earth. Ordered a Black Diamond Power paddle in early April, but have had no word from them since May 10 saying expect the paddle in late May or early June. Still nothing. Hoping this is not a scam.

[@PickleballStudio]

I believe they’ve been sending out consistent email updates. At least, that’s what I hear from people in my Discord. The owner is quite active there.

[@thomasbottorff9324]

Great video keep it up!

[@richardjones2261]

Keep pickling' !

[@CohenAcademy]

When are the new gearboxes coming out and do you have a link where I could see them?

[@PickleballStudio]

It’s the same ones they’ve been making but they silently added grit.

[@Godofelru]

@@PickleballStudio Do you happen to know as of when? Mine definitely feels like it has a coating on it. Purchased mine in mid august?

[@PickleballStudio]

@@Godofelru Yeah that’s probably pretty close to when it happened. The grit is very apparent compared to previous paddles.

[@dannickel2748]

Any comments on how well these paddles maintain their spin speed after 3-4 months of use. My friend has the Joola Ben Johns signature paddle and after 3 months of use the paddle grit is gone

[@glenrusche8261]

I’ve noticed a huge reduction in spin on my Sellkirk Epic Power Air just after 500 hours of play (2 months for me). It now spins less than both my older gearbox CX 14's without grit and with over 1500 hours on each paddle.

[@dannickel2748]

@@glenrusche8261 so are you going back to the gearbox?

[@glenrusche8261]

@@dannickel2748I got the 003 and loved it until the DBD14 and 16MM. I love the 16mm. I’m a paddle nerd and Perry much get all the ones I want. I recently ordered the GB pro power. Still waiting on it.

[@MrJgoodwin7]

Dink Star Carbon 16?

[@productvisibilitytvshoppin1107]

how often do you update the spreadsheet?

[@PickleballStudio]

I try and keep it up to date, but lately it has lagged behind by a few weeks.

[@FBINA241]

No CRBN?

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Commenting for the allegory of rhythms

[@bicyclethief]

You're the man

[@roguegaston]

You rock!

[@ezcarlos1]

Hi... How can I access the spreadsheet? Thanks

[@PickleballStudio]

It’s in the description.

[@ezcarlos1]

@@PickleballStudio OK thanks you

[@ezcarlos1]

Your spreadsheet is truly awesome, very helpful and informative.. Thank you so much.. I had a quick question that maybe you can help me with, I started playing about 6 months ago playing with a cheap paddle someone gave me. I am progressing very nicely and I am ready to buy a quality paddle and, after research, settled on two possibilities. The CRBN2 16mm and the Joola Radius 16mm. Could you please give me some idea of what you think are the meaningful differences between them and which one you would recommend? I would really appreciate it, thanks. PS if there is any other one you think I should also consider please let me know.

[@lethalk9186]

Is it possible for you to do a specific review of the Selkirk Power Air of each model please?

[@PickleballStudio]

I won’t be, but my buddy Pickleball Effect covered some shapes that I didn’t.

[@christianwallace8407]

What would you say are your favorite pickleball content creators outside of your personal circle? Feels like there’s a lot “one easy hack will make you a 5.0” type stuff. Would love to hear other creators you like

[@PickleballStudio]

Shea Underwood Pickleball Will ThatPickleballGuy (Instagram) Enhanced Pickleball Briones Pickleball Zane Navratil Tyson McGuffin Simone Jardim Jorja Johnson (Instagram) Maybe a few others that I’m forgetting as well

[@LegacyLoot]

Where do I find the spreadsheet?

[@PickleballStudio]

Description

[@kento1957]

Link to spreadsheet?

[@PickleballStudio]

Added to description! Good catch.

[@daviewavie112]

Why don’t they use rubber faced paddles like a ping pong paddle?

[@PickleballStudio]

Banned material

[@oceanbreak387]

I wonder if there's a machine that can help test paddles. There has to be something that can be built. Where's Adam Savage??

[@voiceofreason9238]

Suggestion: You might want to consider adding a column for "Date Tested" and maybe "Date Introduced." As you said new paddles are coming onto the market all the time but not everybody likes to be on the leading edge. Some might like more mature technology, like the Onix Z5 introduced in Feb, 2018. It's still the best selling single paddle on Amazon, number 4 overall in Pickleball equipment.

[@PickleballStudio]

I actually agree. I was planning to add that.

[@MrJgoodwin7]

I'm assuming that you tested Crbn, Joola Hyperion CFS, and Gruvn. Very surprised that none of them were in the top 10.

[@PickleballStudio]

They are all in the spreadsheet (except CRBN) so you can see where they rank.

[@MrJgoodwin7]

@@PickleballStudio Yeah I see that. I'm just saying that I was shocked that none of those were in the top 10.

[@PickleballStudio]

@@MrJgoodwin7 Yeah, like I mentioned something like the diNGK probably isn’t much better than a Hyperion in spin potential. Could be part of human error, could be swing weight preference, etc etc

[@jbomx]

You need to update your sheet. You still have CRBN as unapproved, however, Im assuming because you haven't tested the approved serialized version. You should still add a note as you are non-intentionally doing a disservice to CRBN as people may think none of their paddles are approved for tournament play.

[@taklatt]

I'm not buying it. Anyone that has the right swing and enough power can generate rpm's.

[@TheSlimej]

Looks like 8 & 7 got skipped.

[@tomvu7880]

I think its BS that very few mention that these paddles are useless after a few months and there is no way to refresh the spin like there is in all other racquet sports.

[@thewatcher5452]

Don’t believe or trust your testing! Sorry 😮

[@jimalford6359]

Long winded

[@savagesteve5894]

Lot of commentary but little attention to test methods, repeatability test parameters etc. etc. Opinion piece

[@PickleballStudio]

Instead of making snarky comments, you could ask a simple question and have it answered. - Test is done on non windy days so that is not an impact - Camera is filmed in 240FPS for higher accuracy on ball rotation - Tests are usually done multiple times to insure that there aren't big variations. Rarely if ever are there big variations. In fact, MANY times the retests have been almost identical. - Ball is a Franklin X-40 - No the test is not flawless. But until a large company spends hundreds of thousands of dollars, this is the best we have. The test has proven to be accurate enough to show people what is a top tier paddle and what is not. There has never been a paddle that ranked highly that people thought "Wow that doesn't get good spin". - John Kew Pickleball also started using this testing methodology and his rankings end up very similar to me. Hope that helps.

[@savagesteve5894]

@@PickleballStudio Snark Snark LOL. Maybe USA pickleball assoc. will enact standards that can more accurately measure spin taking into account the physics concepts of position, velo., accel, vectors, collisions etc. Not enough standardization and too many variables IMHO to make an apples comparison between manufacturers I'd title your video "Most Abrasive paddles on market improving top spin" something to that effect. cheers

[@taklatt]

He can say and throw whatever numbers he wants to but how does the signature Ben John's paddle that is clearly rough by the touch not even be on the list when the lower end Joola paddle is????

[@PickleballStudio]

What do you mean lower end? They are identical (or near identical surfaces) There’s so many factors that go into spin. Swing speed is a massive part of it. The Hyperion is the most head heavy paddle on the market which makes it hard to generate head speed. If you looked at my spreadsheet, you’ll see the Hyperion still ranks very well.