The Best Pickleball Paddles Right Now
A lot has changed since our last best-of roundup. We've brought in several new brands, Thrive, SpeedUp, RPM, and Enhance, and the paddle landscape has also shifted. Today I'm sharing my picks for the top three paddles in each of the three core categories: power, spin, and control.
Before getting into the picks, I’d like to discuss an important theme that you’ll see throughout this article.
The game of pickleball has moved on from a one-dimensional style of play. If a paddle is so powerful that it’s uncontrollable, it won’t make the cut, and same goes for a control paddle that can’t generate enough power and spin. The control paddles on this list may not be as plush as older designs, but they're competitive in all facets of the game, and that’s an essential trade-off nowadays.
Spin
Spin is the most complicated characteristic to evaluate right now. It's easy to take a radar gun, hit some hard serves, and measure top-end spin, but at this point most Gen 3 and Gen 4 paddles produce similar amounts.
What separates paddles now is spin variety: how does it perform when you hit a spinny drop, a low dipping passing shot, and rolled dinks or volleys. That’s harder to quantify and depends heavily on feel, dwell time, and spin modulation.
I'm also conscious of durability. Several paddles now use exotic grit materials for longer lasting spin, but we don't carry all of them. There are also still several raw carbon paddles that perform exceptionally well in the spin game, so I’ve decided to include one, but if durability is your priority, lean toward the other two.
Honolulu CR Line
The Honolulu Pickleball CR Crystal Blue line is the best for spin of all the paddles I’ve tested to date. High trampoline effect combined with fantastic grit is the current recipe for elite spin generation and the CRs tick both those boxes. On big groundstrokes and serves, they amplify spin onto the ball to the point where it pops up off the ground, making it harder for opponents to pick up. In singles, that pushes opponents back and prevents easy approaches which is extremely valuable and can be used as an offensive weapon.
What really separates the CR from other Gen 4 power paddles is modulation. It has a noticeably longer, more well-defined dwell time than stiffer power paddles, so you feel the ball better and can shape it more effectively. I'm especially confident with it on spinny drops and low dipping passing shots where I'm generating a lot of paddle head speed without swinging full.
Up at the net, the high power means you can overhit rolled volleys and dinks, but the CRs feedback is so good that you quickly learn what adjustments to make. The Crystal Blue surface gives so much purchase over that you don't need to swing hard to generate spin, so once you’ve dialled in your power, you can hit very consistent soft spin shots.
RPM Friction Pro V2
The RPM Friction Pro V2 is a recent addition to the store, and one of the very best paddles if you’re looking for that true Gen 3 feel with class-leading spin. It is the only paddle on this list without a next-gen grit surface, so spin performance does drop over time but I had to include it because of how well it performs in the spin game.
The CR I just mentioned has excellent feel for a full-foam paddle, but the Friction Pro V2 gives you even better feedback, and a crisper, more connected feel that I prefer for precision-oriented spin shots. When you're hitting on the margin, you want to trust your paddle completely, and that's what I get with this Gen 3 feel that I still don't quite have with full-foam Gen 4s.
Objectively, the CR is still the better overall spin paddle, but when I'm locked in, this is the one I play best with. Compared to other Gen 3s, it's the most consistent in the spin game, both for soft spin and powerful spin. It gives you that springy spin on groundstrokes that's lacking on some of the softer, more muted Gen 3s like the Pro V.
Selkirk Boomstik
Having just talked about the importance of spin modulation, the Boomstik may seem like a weird addition here. It is a very stiff power paddle which which shortens dwell time and makes modulating spin more difficult, yet this is the paddle that gives me the most confidence for any type of spin, slow, medium, or fast.
That's because it's the most responsive paddle on the market. Once you've figured it out, it never lets you down, never feels random, and it has an enormous, forgiving sweet spot.
Because it’s so stiff, you can’t use quite the same technique for soft spin that you would on other paddles. You don't feel your way through the shot; instead, you brush up on the ball and “tap” it and trust that the grit and core will add the spin you wanted. It may feel strange at first, but eventually, you’ll understand that the paddle responds so well to your input that you can hit any shot you want. It's the most consistent spin paddle out there, even if it demands a little more finesse from the player.
For top-end spin, it’s simply the best. No other paddle combines this much spin with this much power, producing that loopy ball that jumps off the ground. The Infinigrit surface holds up well too; not quite as long as the CR's crystal blue, but it’s very durable.
Power
Selkirk Boomstik
As you probably expected, the Boomstik is the also the best power paddle on the market. Power in pickleball is threefold: plow-through and spring effect on big shots, pop at the net, and, crucially, the ability to control that power through spin and consistency.
The Boomstik checks every box. We've already covered the spin, and in terms of controlling your power, the firm core and enormous sweet spot mean it maintains consistent power all around the face. Finally, for raw power and pop, it’s among the top two in each category.
RPM Q2
The Q2 is the Boomstik's closest competitor, in fact, these are probably the two most similar paddles on the market. The key difference with the Q2 is that it has a slightly longer dwell time. That extra dwell makes for slightly more trampoline effect on full swings because the ball sinks deeper and you can slingshot out it harder. This makes it marginally more powerful than the Boomstik on groundstrokes.
The small trade-off is in pop. At the net, you don't have time to swing big and benefit from that trampoline effect, and because the ball sinks in more, it feels less solid. So the Boomstik is slightly better for pop; the Q2 is slightly better for raw power. The longer dwell and muted Gen 4 feel also make the Q2 marginally less consistent, so I'm a bit more confident controlling power with the Boomstik.
These are subtle differences, though. Both are exceptional so go for Boomstik if you want the most responsive paddle, go for Q2 if you want more dwell time and ball feel.
Bread & Butter Loco
The Loco isn't in the same power tier as the Boomstik or Q2, but what it does better than both is balance power with all-court playability. I also recently ranked it lower than the CR in terms of power and pop, but I’ve chosen to include it here because of its user-friendliness.
It's the easiest power paddle to play with right now. It has a more no-nonsense feel than the CR, so a shorter learning curve, and it’s not consequentially less powerful in real-world play. If you're a very high-skill player, the CR might suit you better, but for the vast majority of players, this is the power paddle to go for. Nothing else gives you this much power for free without being difficult to play with, and it’s still one of the first paddles I go for when I'm not playing well and want something I trust.
Control
True control paddles are few and far between nowadays, but all three on this list are elite and very easy to control. None are as soft and plush as old-school control paddles like the Selkirk Luxx Control Air, but they let you compete when points speed up, and that's crucial in the modern game.
Carbon TruFoam Genesis
The TruFoam Genesis has all the ingredients for elite control: a huge sweet spot, a very consistent response, and a much plusher feel than most powerful Gen 4s. It's one of the few Gen 4s without EVA foam in the core, which is why it feels so consistent and has no consequential spring effect. There's no risk of overpowering a shot with the Genesis which makes it very easy to control.
Beyond soft flat control shots, it's also exceptional for soft spin. Very few paddles are this soft while still giving you fantastic purchase on the ball.
Honolulu Pickleball J2FC+
In a lot of ways, the J2FC+ is similar to the Genesis, though not quite as soft. It has a slight spring effect; but much less than true power Gen 4s, and less than the J2NF, which is more power-focused.
Like the Genesis, it gives you great soft spin. Maybe not quite the same confidence in perfectly modulating soft spin shots, but on the flip side, a bit more top-end spin. It has a plush feel, and another massive sweet spot, which matters a lot in the control game, because it lets you mishit without being punished by a pop-up or a bad dink.
Enhance Duo
The Enhance Duo is new to the store, and one of the most unique and impressive paddles I've tested in a long time. It would hold its own in a conversation with the best power Gen 4s, but it produces that power very differently.
Most classic Gen 4s with an EVA foam ring have a somewhat hollow, springy feel. The Duo doesn't. It has a dense, EPP-dominated feel with that chalky pocketing you get on paddles like the Genesis, which makes it much easier to control. The dwell time feels more linear, so it doesn't punish you the way standard powerful Gen 4s do. It's quite soft for touch shots, although not as soft as the Genesis or FC+, but most players will be very comfortable controlling it.
The best part of the Duo is how competitive it is in the power game. You feel that chalky compression throughout the swing, and as it firms, it produces more power and a lot of spin. It has a slightly lower launch than hollower power paddles, which tames that “wild” powerful feel you can get on a lot of those. It’s one of the most well-balanced paddles on the market right now; you can play any style with it and it feels at home.
If you do want to demo any of these paddles you can come visit us in-store, or you can check them out online at racketsandrunners.ca.
