PRODUCT REVIEW
WHAT’S THE
Right
Paddle
FOR ME?
BY WAYNE DOLLARD | PICKLEBALL MAGAZINE
WITH ASSISTANCE FROM ROBERT ELLIOTT (ENGAGE
PICKLEBALL) AND JIMMY BLUE (PICKLE-BALL INC.)
2015 marks the 50th anniversary of our
beloved sport founded on Bainbridge Island,
WA, back in 1965. Pickleball experienced
very mild growth until a few years back when
everything really took hold. According to
the Sports and Fitness Industry Association
(SFIA), pickleball now has over 2,460,000
players... and it’s still rapidly growing. Just
five years ago, that number was 100,000
players.
Last month, Pickleball Magazine contacted
the USAPA and learned that there are 39
“Approved” manufacturers for the sport.
Furthermore, the market is currently flooded
with 400 to 500 paddles to choose from.
Four of the 39 manufacturers control the
vast majority of the paddle business – maybe
even as high as 80% of all paddles sold. They
are: Pickle-ball, Inc., Paddletek, Pro-lite, and
Escalade Sports (Onix). At the same time,
there are over a dozen other paddle producers
that are rapidly growing due to high quality
and technological improvements. These
include: Gamma, Wilson, Franklin, Viking,
Engage, Riverstyks, Wolfe, PAC, Manta,
Uniker, POP, Whippersnapper, Selkirk,
Harrow and Gearbox.
So what characteristics make a paddle
unique? The short answer is three things…
the core, surface (also called the skin or face)
and weight. Depending on the materials
and layering used, every paddle will play
differently by manufacturers tinkering with
these three things.
Continued »
28
ENGAGE
ENCORE
ENGAGE
POACH
ENGAGE
PULSE
Weight: 7.2 - 7.7 oz
Length: 15.375" Width: 8"
Core: Polypropylene /
Polymer Honeycomb
Surface: Specialized Fiberglass
Price: $75
Weight: 8.3 - 8.5 oz
Length: 15" Width: 7.875"
Core: 'Dual' Aerospace
Aluminum Honeycomb
Surface: Composite
Price: $85
Weight: 7.7 - 8.0 oz
Length: 15" Width: 7.75"
Core: Aluminum Honeycomb
Surface: Composite
Price: $70
FRANKLIN
SPORTS
BANSHEE
FRANKLIN
SPORTS
CHALLENGER
FRANKLIN
SPORTS
VOLT
Weight: 12.7 oz.
Length: 16.5" Width: 8"
Core: Wood
Surface: Painted Wood
Price: $10
Weight: 11.4 oz.
Length: 16.5" Width: 8"
Core: Aluminum
Surface: Aluminum with Screen
Paint
Price: $20
Weight: 12.7 oz.
Length: 16.5" Width: 8.25"
Core: Wood
Surface: Painted Wood
Price: $10
GAMMA
SPORTS
VOLTAGE
MANTA
SPORTS
4G
MANTA
SPORTS
LIBERTY XL
Weight: 7.6 oz +/-0.3 oz
Length: 15.6" Width: 8.25"
Core: Aramid Honeycomb
Surface: Carbon Fiber
Price: $110
Weight: 7.9 oz
Length: 15.25" Width: 8.125"
Core: Composite Honeycomb
Surface: Composite Resin
Price: $130
Weight: 7.3 oz
Length: 15.625" Width: 8.25"
Core: Nomex Honeycomb
Surface: Graphite/Carbon
Price: $100
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