Gen 4s and the Full Foam Core

Gen 3 technology was undeniably the most revolutionary development for paddle playability. The trampoline effect of these “diving board” paddles — especially after break-in — created huge power, spin, and dwell time. They had issues though, most notably, too much power without enough control, and durability. Gen 3 paddles were prone to pop-ups, core crushing and would become hotter and less controllable as they broke in even before a fatal durability issue.

Brands started working on the next big thing, and we got our first taste of Gen 4 technology with the CRBN TruFoam Genesis paddles. These were the first full foam paddles on the market and CRBN made huge durability and control claims that have held up since they first released the technology. A full foam core means there is less potential for delamination and instead of breaking down, the foam will break in but not to the extent it does on Gen 3s.

It’s important to note that TruFoam is just CRBN’s proprietary foam technology and not the actual name of these paddles. They plan to do much more work with TruFoam in the future (which we’re very excited about) but this line of paddles is actually called the ‘Genesis’. True to its brand, CRBN initially released the Genesis in three shapes, the CRBN1, CRBN2 and CRBN3, but recently unveiled a fourth shape, the CRBN4, which has been very well received.

As the first Gen 4 paddles, the TruFoams shook up the market and forced other brands to start developing their own full foam cores and the next big hitter was Honolulu Pickleball.

Having already knocked it out of the park with the J2K a couple of years back, Honolulu built off the success of that shape and designed the J2NF line and the J2FC+. In total, there are four foam Honolulu paddles; the NFK, the NFT, the NF and the FC+, and each offers unique playability.

The NF, NFK, and NFT share the same core but have different top sheets; the standard NF’s is made of carbon so it’s the most powerful, the NFK’s is Kevlar so slightly more dynamic and flexible, and the NFT is made from PET Electroplated Fibre and is by far the most muted and controlled.

Compared to the FC+ though, all of the NF paddles are significantly more powerful — the FC+ is the softest and most forgiving, and we recently rated it the best control paddle on the market right now. It’s a different take on a Gen 4 core but it shows that Honolulu Pickleball has nailed their development of a Gen 4 design because they can adapt their paddles’ playability to the needs of the customers.

The FC+ is making its way into the store very shortly, and the NF, NFK, and NFT are already here so come grab yours today!

Now the J2NF is more powerful than the rest of the line and significantly more than the FC+, but its power is still not quite as high as the power we had with Gen 3s. This is a perfect time to explain that, while Gen 4s are certainly dynamic in their playability, they are generally less powerful than 3s because the foam is denser, more durable, and has less of a trampoline effect.

Well… Other than the Boomstick…

While I haven’t yet finished my full review of the Selkirk Boomstick, I did release an initial impressions video, and to sum it up; it’s an insane paddle.

I really believed that Gen 4 technology would never reach the same power as Gen 3s, but the Boomstick proved me wrong. It has a full foam core, but it also has a unique Gen 4 diving board construction where the perimeter foam is softer — more like a Gen 3’s. The resulting power is off the charts but without the problematic break-in of a Gen 3, and the sweet spot size, stability and consistency is also significantly better which helps the control game.

Then there’s the spin, which is a standout feature of any Gen 4 paddle, but it’s truly astonishing on the Boomstick. Its dwell time combined with Selkirk’s Infinigrit technology creates a pocketing sensation that allows you to shape the ball like you would with a tennis racquet. This is proper groundbreaking stuff I’m talking about here and other companies will have to get back to the drawing board if they are to keep up with such a revolutionary paddle.

It may have taken Selkirk years to develop a proper power paddle but they finally did and needless to say, it lived up to the hype. Our first batch sold out in less than a day. We are getting more very soon though so stay tuned!

 

Prior to releasing the Boomstick, Selkirk quietly released another Labs paddle; the 008. This is another full foam Gen 4 but unlike the Boomstick, it’s primarily designed for control. Testing the two back to back is quite an interesting experience because it shows just how much variety you can achieve with this core design; the 008 is one of the softest and most muted paddles I’ve ever tested. It’s perfect for you control freaks, as we talked about in our Top 5 Control Paddles of 2025 article from last month.

 

Gearbox also recently updated their GX2 line and released the GX2 Power. The GX2 Power comes in two shapes; a Hybrid and Elongated version and, as its name would suggest, it is very powerful.

Gearbox has developed their own, unique Gen 4 core opting for softer, springier foam than most brands to achieve that extra power. It certainly works, although it does take some time to get used to the pop especially if you’re coming from the original GX2, but once you do, you can take control of points from anywhere on the court.

This is also, by far, Gearbox’s most stable paddle ever. While the brand has maintained its eye-catching edgeless design in many of its current paddles, it’s no secret that these were also known for being quite punishing, especially on off-centre shots. That’s not the case with the GX2 — this is Gearbox’s biggest sweet spot ever so it is more forgiving than paddles like the Pro Ultimate and Ultimate Power.

The Ronbus Refoam is another full foam Gen 4 that’s come into the store recently and while I haven’t actually gotten the chance to hit with it, my initial impressions are positive, just bouncing a ball on the face. It feels stable, soft and it seems to have a really long dwell time, and for $280, it’s certainly not pushing the astronomical prices of some of the other Gen 4s.

 

The new Bread & Butter Loco will also be here soon and while it keeps the name of that paddle that came out almost two years ago, it definitely won’t play the same. That was a Gen 2 thermoformed paddle, the new Loco is a full-foam Gen 4 that will come in three different shapes, Widebody, Elongated, and Hybrid (the same shape as the previous Loco).

That’s it for the incoming Gen 4s, but the new paddles don’t stop there!

Owl Paddles

One of the major negative side effects of pickleball is the sheer amount of noise that it makes. It’s annoyed many a bystander and is a particular problem at courts surrounding residential areas. While efforts can be made to soundproof the courts themselves, the reality is, that “pop, pop, pop” will usually win out, so Owl Pickleball decided to take matters into their own hands and make the world’s first quiet paddle.

Instead of a hard face material (like carbon) Owl Paddles use a much softer cloth-like textile that completely mutes the sound of the ball coming off the paddle face. It’s about a tenth as loud as a normal paddle, so it certainly does its job. The real question is, are these paddles any good?

Yes.

They are very good paddles. In fact, Owl has slowly built up quite the pro roster for the upcoming season. During a conversation with the CEO, he mentioned that Owl paddles take about 10 days to get used to and “unlearn” your feel for other paddles, but once you do, transitioning back feels as weird as trying these out for the first time.

And it certainly does feel weird. The lack of sound is the most bizarre sensation that Owl paddles provide compared to “normal” paddles, but it’s actually pretty important for the whole feedback experience with pickleball. It certainly took me some time to get used to and while I’m not ready to switch to an Owl paddle quite yet, if it ever means the difference between playing vs. not playing pickleball, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.

Spin is off the charts with these paddles. The cloth material grabs onto the ball just as effectively as any Gen 3 or 4 paddle, and they’ve also got two different cores, one for power (PX) and one for control (CX). The CX is very soft, while PX is one of the most powerful paddles I’ve tested. It feels springy (like Gen 3s), but it has the spin you need for control.

Owl has certainly done their homework with these paddles. Marketing them as “quiet” paddles may not be as appealing as power or spin paddles, but it’s a characteristic that could become very important in the future.

Coming Soon

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If you would like to demo any paddles, you can visit our paddle specialists in-store, or, of course, you can always shop online.