With all the controversy surrounding them, discussing power paddles requires that certain criteria and disclaimers be set right away.

Criteria 1: There are a lot of power paddles that came out last year, even some that we reviewed on our YouTube channel, that aren’t eligible to make this list because they are no longer sanctioned for competitive play. For example, the original Gen 3 Joolas were amazing power paddles, but they were quickly delisted for being too powerful. Paddles like the Mod TAs that replaced them are also not eligible because they will be sunset on July 1st. The same goes for the Gearbox Pro Power Elongated and the Ronbus Ripple in all its various iterations, legal or not.

Criteria 2: Only fully sanctioned paddles can make the list. The Joola 3S paddles aren’t eligible because, while they are sanctioned for UPAA tournaments, they aren’t USAP approved — to appear on this list, you need both.

Criteria 3: We will only cover paddles that we carry at the store. This criteria has always existed and it’s self-explanatory: we only test the paddles that we carry, and we hope that our inventory has the best selection of paddles out there.

Criteria 4: We aren’t ranking these paddles solely based on their power, but rather on their all-around playability, with a heavy emphasis on power.

Power paddles have been a wonderful addition to the game of pickleball, but they’ve also contributed to a certain degradation of technique.

They’re so powerful that they make players think they can bash their way out of any situation, but the reality is, the soft game still provides the ultimate skill gap in the sport. Unfortunately, some power paddles are so lacking in the soft game that their power takes away from their overall playability, and those paddles won’t make it into this top 5.

Most of the paddles here are powerful to the point where they are difficult to control, but they also have certain characteristics that mitigate that difficulty factor. I’ll explain those in detail, and I’m also going to start with an honourable mention that didn’t make the list because, yes, it’s powerful, but not quite as controllable as the top 5.

Honourable Mentions

Paddletek Bantam TKO C

The Paddletek Bantam TKO C is a great paddle that is, of course, very powerful. In fact, with the overall decrease in power that we’ve seen in pickleball over the last several months, it would fall somewhere between 2 and 3 on this list. The issue I have with the Bantam is its control. It’s certainly not impossible to control — we see Christian Alshon playing with it at an extremely high level — but relative to the competition, it is noticeably more difficult.

For one, it’s a very stiff paddle, not a springy paddle with a trampoline effect. That means it generates power without a long dwell time, and dwell time can be used to control the ball even when it adds power (we’ll talk more about this later).

The Bantam also lacks a bit of spin, partially because it’s not thermoformed and also because it doesn’t have that longer dwell time to grab onto the ball. Spin is extremely important on a power paddle because that’s how you control power on bigger shots, so lacking spin means that the Bantam can’t perform as well even in the power game.

Again, this is far from a bad paddle and would be an easy 6th place if this were a top 6, but it is a level below the others.

Honolulu Pickleball J2K+

The Honolulu Pickleball J2K+ is also a great power paddle but just not powerful enough to compete with the others here. To be fair to the J2K+, I haven’t fully broken it in yet, and it should get more powerful over time, but where it is right now, it’s not enough.

5. Pickleball Apes Pulse S

If the J2K+ isn’t quite there because I haven’t fully broken it in, this paddle certainly is. This might be a bit unfair because I have played with the Pulse long enough to tap into its full power potential, but where it is right now, this is a very powerful paddle.

Another reviewer, John Kew, called this the “Goldilocks Stage”, and it certainly makes sense. A brand new Pulse actually feels pretty firm despite its Gen 3 construction, and because it’s firm, it doesn’t have much trampoline effect. Once you break it in, this paddle becomes as soft as foam paddles like the Joolas and the Gearboxes, and it also has a trampoline effect. It’s not nearly as much as the top-tier power paddles, so the power is lower, but it still packs a really solid punch both in terms of pop and power.

Because the power isn’t over the top, control is still excellent. It also has more of a soft and muted feel, which means the sweet spot is big and the paddle face isn’t too punishing when you make contact off-centre.

The Pulse also has that combination of dwell time and a blended Kevlar and carbon top sheet, which means its spin is top tier. I’ve chosen the Pulse S because it’s a hybrid paddle, which means it’s more manoeuvrable than the E and it has more leverage than the V, so it strikes the best balance in the spin game.

This is the paddle I would recommend to most people, especially those of you who want to dip your toe into the power game without risking too much of a performance loss in the soft game.

4. CRBN1 TruFoam Genesis

When I first reviewed the Genesis a little over a month ago, I wouldn’t have put it anywhere near a top 5 power paddles list, but then I customized it.

In stock form, this paddle didn’t impress me all that much, but then I talked to Chris from Pickleball Studio, who currently uses it as his main, and he told me that lead tape transforms it.

He was right.

I added 0.4 ounces of lead all around the edge guard, which made it infinitely better. But before I talk about exactly how, let me first go over the issues I had with it in stock form.

In stock form, the Genesis has a really mushy, pillowy feel, which left me disconnected from the ball, and my theory is that because it has a full foam core, there’s nothing of substance providing any pushback. Foam paddles with a honeycomb core have this firmer element of pushback which provides a more crisp and responsive feel as the ball leaves the paddle. That lack of “backbone” is also why I thought the power was a little lacking on the stock Genesis — it was too soft.

With the lead, the paddle is still soft, but there’s more mass pushing into the ball, so you actually do feel like something’s backing up the softness. It’s not mushy anymore — it’s almost as if the lead is adding the same element of feel that honeycomb does in other paddles. Adding feel to a soft paddle makes it infinitely better for control because it improves your connection to the ball. But why does any of this make it a top 5 power paddle?

The foam in the Genesis isn’t nearly as springy as the foam in some other paddles, but it still has some trampoline effect. The more you accelerate the paddle face, the more trampoline effect you get because you push deeper into that foam core. Adding lead means that you get to that trampoline effect quicker, so you get easier top-end power and also more pop on compact strokes. Without the lead, this paddle isn’t nearly powerful enough for the top 5, but with the lead — and with the massive improvements in all-around performance — it certainly is.

3. Spartus Olympus

We only recently brought in the Spartus Olympus (yes, I know we were late to the game), but it’s an exceptional hybrid paddle — one of the best right now. I personally don’t usually mesh that well with hybrid paddles because I find they lack leverage for power and stability on big drives, but the Olympus’s massive inherent power makes up for that.

The Olympus is stiff — more like the Bantam — so it doesn’t have a very long dwell time, but it still has this subtle, unique springy feel to it. Comparing it to the trampoline effect of the other paddles on this list, this feels more like a stiff springboard that a gymnast jumps off than an actual backyard trampoline.

This makes it a very poppy paddle that doesn’t have quite the same top-end power as some others, but with that combination of a quick shape and high pop, you can take over points up at the net. Power from the baseline is still extremely high, and if you do want to increase its leverage and stability, you can add lead tape, like I did in the video linked below.

What’s most unique about the Olympus is that despite being stiff and powerful, control can be excellent. I say “can” because its control profile certainly won’t be for everyone, but if you prioritise feel and connection to the ball over anything else, then you won’t be disappointed. This combination of firm and springy creates what I consider to be one of the best-feeling paddles on the market right now. It’s extremely precise with a ton of feedback, and that’s so important to get dialled into the control game.

Spin is also off the charts. You have a ton of purchase over the ball thanks to the springier feel, and the hybrid shape makes it great for spin variety.

For those of you who need something softer and more forgiving, it’s probably not going to work, but if you like the feel of a Gen 2 thermoformed paddle and you want even more power and spin, this is the best option right now.

2. Gearbox Pro Ultimate Power Elongated

The top two paddles on this list are in a tier of their own in terms of power — in fact, you can interchange them however you see fit. I have them in this order purely based on personal preference.

Now, as high as these last two are in terms of power, they’re ironically not as high as their predecessors; the Pro Ultimate Power Elongated replaces the Pro Power Elongated, which is being sunset in July. Obviously, that paddle pushed power a little too far, so with this update, Gearbox made it softer, more muted, and with slightly less trampoline effect. Of course, it still has a floating core surrounded by foam, so the power is as high as you’ll ever need — in fact, if this isn’t powerful enough, it’s probably time to get used to something less hot.

A side benefit to the Pro Ultimate’s lower power is increased control. Because it’s softer and more muted, the sweet spot is bigger and the paddle face is more forgiving, so it’s much less likely to pop the ball up in the soft game. But remember, these last two are proper trampoline-effect paddles, so just because they’re more controlled than their predecessors doesn’t mean that they’re control paddles.

Another benefit to foam paddles is their feel. Foam creates an extended dwell time, and the spring effect adds a very unique and positive element of feedback — almost like strings in a tennis racquet. That feel allows you to develop confidence in your paddle so that even if it does add extra power to every shot, you know exactly what to do to control it. This “feel” is something that’s often difficult to describe, but also something that good players crave to develop a connection to their paddle. So while this and the next paddle will never be the best control paddles on the market, they will always be usable for higher-level players.

That’s also why I always hesitate to recommend these paddles. There is a steep learning curve to controlling them, and if you are new to pickleball I would highly recommend you go for something that helps you in the soft game — because that’s what you should develop first.

1. Joola Pro IV Series

You may have guessed it — the best power paddles on the planet right now are the Joola Pro IV series of paddles. Again, these paddles are less powerful than the Mod TAs and the Gen 3s that they replace, but they’re still extremely powerful, with a very similar construction and only a few tweaks to tone that top-end power down.

The biggest change coming from those paddles is that these Pro IVs actually feel firmer but with less trampoline effect. That firmer feel makes them more solid and consistent than both the paddles they replace and the Gearbox Pro Ultimate Power. I find that makes these more confidence-inducing than the Ultimate Power, which is why I have them higher — but this is, again, purely personal preference. The Pro Ultimate Power is more muted, which a lot of players prefer in the control game.

The other massive benefit to playing with the Pro IV and the Ultimate Power is their spin. Trampoline effect doesn’t just amplify power — it also amplifies spin, which is important to control power. Again, accessing spin requires full strokes and proper technique, which comes easier to advanced players, but these are some of the most spin-friendly paddles on the market right now. That means that for the right player, they are elite at almost everything with very few drawbacks.

There’s no shame in not playing with a power paddle. These are difficult to use, and if you don’t have the level, you will be fighting a losing battle. So again, I only recommend them if you’re certain they are what you want.

The Pulse and the Genesis in particular are much more user-friendly, so those are the paddles I would recommend if you still want plenty of power but not the same “uncontrollable” power of the other paddles on the list.

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