After the power chaos of 2024, this year felt like the industry finally settled down a little. Brands didn’t abandon power (far from it), but we’ve seen a clear shift back toward balance. Control matters again, and most of the elite paddles that came out this year have done an exceptional job of blending the two.
Power is still king though, and honestly, it probably always will be. Speeding up the game gives good players an edge, so logically every brand is going to keep pushing that ceiling. Even Selkirk, a company that has historically prioritized control, released probably the best power paddle of all time this year.
But the difference in 2025 is that most of the best paddles are no longer one-dimensional. You can hit big without completely sacrificing the soft game and that’s exactly what this Top 5 represents.
Before we jump in, we need to go over a few important pieces of criteria:
1. I’m only including paddles that we carry at Rackets & Runners, because those are the paddles I’ve been able to test extensively.
2. Every paddle on this list was either released in 2025 or at the very end of 2024.
3. This is still my personal opinion, I expect there to be a lot of disagreement, and that's part of the fun with these top 5s.
#5: JOOLA Pro IV
Fifth place was the most difficult this year. There are a few paddles that could have landed here, notably the SLK ERA Power and the Gearbox Pro Ultimate, but in the end, I landed on the JOOLA Pro IV line of paddles.
Neither the Perseus, Hyperion or Scorpeus are better than the other; shape really just comes down to personal preference, they all suit different play styles.
The Pro IV was a huge paddle for JOOLA in 2025, because it was their response to all the issues they had with Gen 3s in 2024. Their original Gen 3s were delisted for excessive power, the Mod TA models were temporary stopgaps, and the 3S line wasn’t USAP legal. Long story short: JOOLA needed something solid, consistent and legal.
In came the Pro IV: a legal Gen 3 paddle that stayed under power limits without losing the core playability that made their Gen 3s special in the first place.
That also begs the question: with so many Gen 4 paddles on the market, why is an older generation paddle on here at all? The answer is simple: feel and dwell time.
The Pro IV offers exceptional ball feedback with a long, springy dwell time that Gen 4s simply can't replicate. That connected feel allows advanced players to “dial into” their paddle more effectively, particularly in the soft spin game.
This is why many pros still haven’t fully moved on from Gen 3s. Gen 4s are more forgiving, but they’re also more muted. Some players love that. Others don’t.
And for the rest of its playability, power and spin are still elite on the Pro IV. This line doesn't hit the same consistently high power levels as the most powerful Gen 4s, but it is more than competitive. Then for spin, the longer dwell time allows you to shape the ball almost like you’re grabbing it and throwing it over the net which, again, Gen 4s aren't quite as good for.
Now there are two reasons this line of paddles lands at number five and not higher: forgiveness and durability.
Gen 3 paddles have smaller sweet spots than Gen 4s. That’s part of why they feel so good, but it also makes them less forgiving in the control game since mishits are punished more.
Durability is the other issue. Honeycomb cores break in and break down faster than full foam cores. Unless you’re a pro getting fresh paddles whenever you want, Gen 4s are objectively better long-term.
And finally, why the Pro IV over similar Gen 3s? Feel. JOOLA has always nailed feel better than most of its competitors, and that intangible connection to the ball matters more on a Gen 3 than anything else.
#4: Honolulu Pickleball J2FC+ & J2NF
This is where the list starts to get very subjective. Honestly, spots two through four could shift depending on your play style or just preferences in general.
At number four, I’ve got two paddles: the Honolulu Pickleball J2FC+ and the J2NF. They’re equally good, and the difference is simple: FC+ if you want control, NF if you want power.
The J2FC+ is one of the best examples of what a control-oriented Gen 4 paddle should be.
With a full foam core and minimal trampoline effect, this paddle excels in the soft game. The sweet spot is massive, the face is stable across the entire hitting area, and it absorbs the ball beautifully on dinks, drops, and resets.
Everything just feels easier with this paddle. You have more time, more margin, and more confidence, especially on touch shots under pressure.
The NF is the power version of that same platform. It was one of the first Gen 4s that really introduced noticeable trampoline effect, so it performs better on serves, drives, and hand battles.
Yes, it’s poppier and slightly riskier in the soft game, but thanks to the massive sweet spot, it’s still far more forgiving than Gen 3 power paddles. Once you adjust to its power, control is very manageable.
Honolulu’s J2 shape also deserves some time in the spotlight here. The face is wider lower down the paddle than most other hybrids, which noticeably expands the sweet spot making these more forgiving.
You give up a bit of hand speed, but these are still quick paddles so no one can go wrong with either of these and I played some of my best pickleball this year during my test.
#3: Bread & Butter Loco
Coming in at number three is my favourite value paddle of the year: the Bread & Butter Loco.
It’s not cheap, but for its price point, the performance is very close to paddles that cost significantly more.
One of the best things about the Loco lineup is that it comes in three shapes: elongated, hybrid, and widebody, and all of them share the same core construction. That makes it accessible to nearly every type of player.
Now make no mistake: the Loco is a power-oriented Gen 4. It’s very poppy, and that makes it thrive in today’s fast game. What separates it from most power Gen 4s is feel. While it still has that Gen 4 muted response, it’s noticeably crisper and grabbier than most paddles in this category.
That extra feedback helps a lot with spin, both on full swings and in the soft spin game. You can shape the ball more effectively, which adds variety and keeps opponents guessing.
I played some of my best pickleball this year with the Loco. It complements aggressive playstyles beautifully while still being forgiving enough in the control game to stay consistent. This is an outstanding example of how refined powerful paddles have become in this Gen 4 era.
# 2: CRBN TruFoam Genesis
At number two is a paddle I initially didn't like at all, but over time I completely changed my mind: the CRBN TruFoam Genesis.
I initially disliked this paddle because it was my first Gen 4 experience. Coming straight from Gen 3s, the muted feel threw me off. I couldn't connect with the ball and everything felt bland.
The big first step for me was customization.
Adding weight, especially to the sides, transformed the Genesis. The feel became livelier, stability improved, and suddenly all the Gen 4 benefits started to make sense.
For one, the sweet spot is enormous. Because the full foam core flexes even on off-centre hits, the paddle remains forgiving and predictable in situations where Gen 3s do not.
Most of the Gen 4s on this list are power paddles, but the Genesis is a true elite control paddle. It's plush, forgiving and absolutely will help you out in the touch game and that's high praise by itself, but paddles needed more than just control in 2025. Spin is where this separates itself from any true control paddle before it.
Unlike many newer Gen 4s with EVA foam rings that add pop, the Genesis stays plush. That longer dwell time allows for exceptional spin variety, especially soft spin. Every time I bring this paddle out during testing, it reminds me how well-rounded it is. It encourages smarter pickleball, not just bashing the ball and hoping.
At 15mm thick, it also still has enough pop when you accelerate it, plus excellent hand speed. It’s just a rare balance of control, forgiveness, power and spin that no other paddle can compare to at the moment. There are many choices now for power Gen 4s, but this is the gold standard for controlled Gen 4s.
#1: Selkirk Boomstik
At the end of the day, picking the best paddle of the year really wasn't that hard.
The Selkirk Boomstik is the best pickleball paddle I’ve ever played with. Yes, it’s extremely expensive. Yes, it’s ridiculously powerful. And yes, that will rub some people the wrong way. But objectively? Nothing else matches it right now.
The power is outrageous: pop at the net, depth from the baseline, effortless pace everywhere, it's just automatic power all the time.
But for me, what truly sets the Boomstick apart is its sweet spot. It has an absurdly big sweet spot; you actually don't feel a drop-off in performance anywhere along the paddle face.
Its spin is equally elite. Its dwell time isn’t Gen 3-long, but the Boomstik still grabs the ball and produces insane top-end spin. The combination of power and spin lets you hit shots that honestly probably shouldn’t exist in pickleball.
Now the feel is muted, but it doesn’t really matter here. When a paddle is this forgiving, you don’t need feedback because miss hits don't really exist.
Then there's the question: is it worth over 500 Canadian dollars after tax? If I’m playing casually? Probably not. If I want to win a tournament? Absolutely.
Your margin for error is higher, your weapons are stronger, and your overall performance will probably be better with this paddle than anything else available right now.
This has been one of the best years ever for pickleball paddles. There’s more variety, more balance, and more high-level performance than we’ve ever had.
And by the way, you don’t need the Boomstick to play great pickleball. Every paddle on this list is excellent.
If you want to demo any of these paddles, come see us in store. If you want to pick one up, they’re all available online at racketsandrunners.ca.
Here’s to an incredible 2025 in pickleball, and hopefully an even better 2026 (if that's possible).