Help, too many paddles!

Selecting a pickleball paddle can feel overwhelming, especially with so many choices available. To help you find the perfect paddle, we’ll go through a clear, step-by-step process to narrow down your options.

If you’re new to pickleball and buying your first performance paddle, follow each of these steps. But if you're an experienced player seeking an upgrade, feel free to skip to step 4, where we dive into specific playability features and the hands-on testing phase.

For added perspective, I’ll be sharing insights from my friend Mark, who is also shopping for his first paddle. I’ll refer to his experience throughout the guide, and you can find his full comments in our video buyer’s guide below.

 

 

Step 1: Understand the price ranges

At Rackets & Runners, we carry quality paddles at every price point and figuring out your budget is the first step to narrowing down the list.

Quick disclaimer: our paddles start at $120 which we understand is steep if you are playing infrequently or you're new to the sport. There are paddles that cost less, but as a performance equipment store we have decided to only stock paddles that are competitive for pickleball at a high level.

The difference in playability between our price points comes down to technology and materials used. Less expensive paddles will use older tech and cheaper materials.

At the $120 - $180 price point, you will find a combination of thermoformed and non-thermoformed paddles. Thermoformed paddles (constructed through a unique molding process involving heat and pressure) like the Neonic Force and Neonic Flow feel stiffer and therefore more powerful, while traditionally molded paddles like the Vatic Pro Prism line and SixZero Quartz are softer and better for control.

 

 

These are a couple of the hidden gems we love at this price point, however, you are limited in your options and may not find the perfect paddle. This won’t be an issue if you plan to use it for a few months and get something more tailored later, but if you are purchasing a paddle you hope will last a while, we do recommend at least looking at some more expensive paddles in case one of these doesn’t work.

Shop all paddles between $120 and $180

 

There is a paddle for everyone between $180 and $250. These paddles are competitive with the most expensive ones, the only difference being that extra 1% of playability that requires a lot of R&D. A thermoformed construction is standard at this price which means better durability, more spin, and more power but you will also find some control-oriented thermoformed paddles.

These use more exotic materials like Kevlar in the Honolulu Pickleball J2K, or innovative technologies like the Carbon Grid in the Ronbus Nova series. You will also find a wide range of shapes and sizes which you don’t necessarily get at the lower price point, and we’ll discuss how to chose which is best for you in steps 2 & 3. This is the price range most players should look at, if you don’t demand the unique properties of the most expensive paddles.

 

Shop all paddles between $180 to $250

 

If you are open to spending more than $250 on a pickleball paddle that’s either because you already own one and know what you want to change, or you’ve done your research and understand the unique playability you can find here. There are some very impressive paddles at this price, but like I mentioned earlier, we’re talking incremental improvements compared to the $180 - $250 paddles. Advanced players will feel these differences, beginners not so much, so find out where you fall and go from there.

Step 2: Seek out advice

Turning to resources for help can be a great way to narrow down your list. You can watch online reviews or talk to experts such as our paddle specialists at Rackets & Runners. There is a plethora of information out there and those resources can help you determine which direction to go based off of your goals in pickleball, sports history, as well as a number of other factors.

These resources can also help define important paddle terms that you need to understand once you get to step 3.

Wide-body paddle: A paddle that is at least 7.8” wide and no longer than 16”.

Elongated paddle: A paddle that is at least 16.5” long and no wider than 7.5”.

Hybrid paddle: A paddle that falls between 16.1 and 16.4” and varies in width depending on length.

Long handle: A handle that is 5.5” long (sometimes slightly shorter). A longer handle means less paddle face surface area.

Step 3: Identify your strengths and weaknesses to determine which paddle length and design suits you

Every player has unique strengths and weaknesses that stem from innate characteristics and also learned skills from a history with sports.

I’m going to start with players who have a history with racket sports, like my friend Mark who played competitive tennis for most of his life. Tennis to pickleball is a common transition and 90% of “former” tennis players prefer elongated paddles. These provide more leverage over the ball for power and spin and they complement the tennis swing much better than other paddles. They also tend to have longer handles which makes it easier to hit two-handed backhands. Squash players also appreciate elongated paddles.

Badminton players are tougher to categorize but generally prefer shorter, wide body paddles. These are short and nimble so they feel more like fast, whippy badminton rackets. Recently, there has been a trend toward long-handled 16” paddles which play even faster than standard wide body paddles in exchange for a slight loss in sweet spot size. Most badminton players will gladly sacrifice user-friendliness for even better maneuverability. Table tennis players also generally prefer shorter paddles.

If you come from an athletic background but have never played a racket sport, you can still narrow down your list at this step. Taller, stronger players will have an easier time maneuvering long paddles while shorter players will feel more comfortable with shorter ones. For those of you who fall somewhere in between, hybrid paddles like the SixZero Double Black Diamond and Ruby are great options.

 

Your coordination level and reaction time can also help determine what paddle design to go for. Long paddles have narrow, punishing sweet spots so they are quite demanding especially if you don’t have the coordination to hit that sweet spot every time.

What 16” wide body paddles lose in leverage they gain in user-friendliness and forgivingness. For those of you who don’t have the highest hand-eye coordination, a widebody paddle is a great place to start. These short paddles also tend to have much better “hand speed” which quickens up your reaction time.

Now, don’t worry if you don’t have much of a sports background! One of the main reasons we love pickleball is that it’s not hard to pickup especially with the right paddle. Widebody paddles with short handles have a ton of paddle face surface area which makes it easier to make contact with the ball and that will help you develop as a player.

Here is a quick rundown of step 3:

Players with no sports history: Wide-body paddles with a as much surface area as possible (short handle).

Shorter players with a history of non-racket sports: Wide-body or hybrid paddles (any handle length).

Taller players with a history of non-racket sports: Hybrid or elongated paddles (any handle length).

Badminton players: Wide-body paddles with long handles.

Tennis players: Elongated paddles with long handles.

Step 4: Test paddles to determine what you prioritize between power and control.

Once you’ve chosen a paddle shape, the next step is to identify which playability characteristics matter most to you. This is where it gets both exciting and a bit complex—and it’s the most crucial step in finding your ideal paddle.

A paddle’s playability can be boiled down to a spectrum of power and control. Generally speaking, more powerful paddles are less controlled, and visa versa.

It is absolutely crucial that you try both a control oriented paddle and a power oriented paddle because you may be drawn more to one than the other, but playing with both will tell you which is actually better for your game.

Helping Mark find his paddle, I was really curious to see how he responded to step four because I presented him with two very different paddles: the Ronbus R1 Ripple for power, the Volair Control 1 Forza for control.

As expected with the Ripple, he was basically playing pickleball as if it was tennis. He was taking big cuts of the ball hitting groundstrokes almost every shot — sometimes they were deadly, other times they floated high and I was able to end the point quickly with a volley.

Then I gave him the Forza Control and things changed drastically. In fact, he was shocked as to how different it felt. While he didn’t hit as many passing shots, he was dropping the ball into the kitchen a lot more because the paddle’s softer feel made that easier. I’ll let you skip to 10:10 in the video to hear what Mark had to say about this experience because I think a lot of players can take something from it:

 

 

Mark’s experience with the Ripple and Forza Control is crucial to understand especially for those of you who come from a racket sports background. You will initially appreciate power-oriented paddles because they respond better to full strokes, but that’s not all pickleball is about. Power can be a weapon, but once you get to a certain level, you need to develop the soft game. It may be better to force yourself into using a control paddle rather than going for the more instantly gratifying power paddle — that was Mark’s experience.

Control paddles make the soft game easier, power paddles makes the power game easier. If you are choosing your first paddle you should go for the one that makes your “weakness” easier, and for most people, that will be the control game.

Here is a list of control paddles in various shapes and sizes:

Wide-body Control Paddles

 

Check out the rest of our wide-body control paddles here!

Elongated Control Paddles

 

Check out the rest of our elongated control paddles here!

Hybrid Control Paddles

 

Check out the rest of our hybrid control paddles here!

That’s not to say no one should go for a power paddle. Some players will have the skill to play the soft game with a powerful paddle and this is why demoing is so important. Theory will only take you so far; you need to see how you actually respond on court. Mark ended up choosing the Forza because it allowed him to stay more competitive in rallies where soft control was involved.

Here is a collection of power paddles in various shapes and sizes:

Wide-body Power Paddles

 

Check out the rest of our wide-body power paddles here!

Elongated Power Paddles

 

Check out the rest of our elongated power paddles here!

Hybrid Power Paddles

 

Check out the rest of our hybrid power paddles here!

Step number 4 is different if you’re an experienced player. I used Mark as an example to explain how a novice may gravitate toward one style more than the other, but once you have developed certain preferences, this isn’t as straightforward.

When I first started pickleball, I grabbed the most powerful paddle I could find because it worked best for me with my tennis background. Because of that, my soft game suffered and over time I came to appreciate control paddles because they helped me develop that part of my game. Now that I have decent touch, I’ve gravitated back towards power paddles because power is still my biggest strength and I want to complement it as best I can.

For experienced players, step 4 becomes more a question of complementing your strengths or eliminating your weaknesses. Ideally you would find a paddle that does a bit of both, and it can be quite a tough journey to get there, but my best advice is spend as much time as possible testing paddles and to be honest with yourself. It took me a while to admit that I played better with control paddles and then when I did move back toward power, I made sure I wasn’t sacrificing any of my soft game to get there.

I’ve also held off mentioning spin until now, because a lot of paddles are very spin-friendly nowadays. Novice players will likely not feel those small nuances that makes some paddles more spin-friendly than others, which is why your initial decision should be more power vs. control focused. Once you do get to a certain level, though, spin can be a real weapon in your game so here is a list of options you can chose from for spin-friendly paddles.

The Honolulu Pickleball J3K and Ronbus R2 Nova are great wide-body spin paddles thanks to their long handles. You can find the rest of our wide-bdoy spin paddles here.

The Ronbus R1 Ripple and Volair Mach 1 Forza are two of the most spin-friendly paddles full stop. They fall in the elongated category and you can find the rest of our elongated spin paddles here.

Finally, the Pickleball Apes Pulse S and Six Zero Ruby are fantastic hybrid spin paddles. You can find the rest of our hybrid spin paddles here.

Step 5: You’ve picked your playability, now narrow down that list to a select few.

This isn’t supposed to be super scientific—we’ve already finished those steps. Once you’ve determined whether you’re going for a power paddle or a control paddle, test the various options in either category and you’ll naturally gravitate to some more than others. This could be for a completely anecdotal reason like: you just happened to play better that day. It doesn’t matter so much why you like some paddles more but that you like some paddles more.

Trust that gut feeling, narrow down your list to two or three, and move on to the final step.

Step 6: Play high intensity games against opposition your level or better to finally choose your paddle!

You’ve narrowed it down to the last two or three, now it’s time to test your paddles in a high pressure situation to determine which one you trust the most. The best way to create high-pressure situations is by playing against someone your level or higher.

This is because you have to make sure your paddle is “nerve proof." When I’m playing against someone who’s a clear level below me, I’ll win most points because I’m usually in control. It doesn’t really matter if I fully trust my paddle because I never get to a point where I’m playing on the margin either on the scoreboard or even in the middle of a point.

As soon as you play against someone your level or higher, you will find yourself in situations where you’re not in control. It’s common to tighten up in these situations and if you accidentally overpower a dink or don’t put your opponent away when you have the chance, they will punish you. You want to be confident that your paddle will respond well in any situation especially when you can't lose a point because of the score.

Enough of these points will make you know pretty quickly which paddle you trust the most. Again, be honest with yourself and once you’ve determined which one is “pressure proof” you have found the right paddle!

Hopefully this article was able to help shed some light on how you should go about choosing a pickleball paddle. It can be quite a long and frustrating process, but if you tackle it in a structured way like this, you’ll enjoy it and come away with the right paddle in the end.

At Rackets & Runners, we have a demo program that can help you along the way. You can test two paddles for up to three days, and repeat the process as many times as you need (within reason of course!)

We look forward to seeing you in-store, and are happy to help with any questions you may have throughout this process. Good luck!