The pickleball world moves very fast. Just last August, I made a video explaining the different paddle technologies available at the time, and since then, everything has changed once again. New materials, new generations, new buzzwords — it feels like the entire paddle industry evolves every few months. That’s exciting, but it can also be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to actually go out and buy a paddle.
Today, we’re going to clear everything up and break down all of the technologies that define pickleball paddles today. We won’t get too deep into the science or manufacturing details, but I will explain how each technology translates into on-court playability and long-term paddle performance.
To keep things simple, we’ll divide everything into three (and a half) categories:
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- Gen 2 paddles
- Gen 3 paddles
- Gen 4 paddles
- …and a quick comparison between Gen 3 vs Gen 4 at the end.
Let’s get into it.
Gen 2: The Thermoforming Revolution
Gen 2 paddles are the foundation of modern pickleball. They introduced thermoforming — a process that uses heat and pressure to mold the paddle into one solid piece. Compared to older, glued paddles, thermoforming was a massive step forward. It made paddles feel more solid, more consistent, and far more connected to the ball.
Before thermoforming, paddles felt a bit sloppy and inconsistent. We may not have realized it at the time because there was nothing better, but everyone had the same “wow” reaction when they hit their first thermoformed paddle. Ball feel was crisp, sweet spots got larger — basically, thermoforming was the catalyst to pickleball paddles becoming true performance sports equipment.
The initial feedback towards thermoformed paddles was overwhelmingly positive but once players got used to them, some “criticisms” started to arise. Carbon was the predominant top-sheet material at the time and carbon is very raw so it acts as a blank canvas for the paddle’s main construction to impact playability. Since thermoforming is inherently firm, carbon thermoformed paddles were very power powerful — maybe too powerful for some. Many players loved the added pop on volleys and drives, but some struggled with touch shots because the paddles didn’t absorb much of the ball’s energy.
That’s when brands began experimenting with different top sheet materials to soften things up.
The two main materials used to soften up the feel of thermoformed paddles are Kevlar and “Titanium”. Titanium is in quotations because no titanium branded paddle actually uses titanium but rather a PET Electroplated Fibre that looks like titanium.
- Kevlar is a very adaptive material. It’s plush on touch shots but firms up as you swing faster, giving the paddle a nice balance of softness and power.
- PET electroplated fibre is much softer offering a very muted, plush response that absorbs the most energy on contact. This became the go-to material for players prioritizing control.
Some brands, like Ronbus, introduced their own unique patterning or “grid” technologies to fine-tune feel (Pulsar FX & Nova), but Kevlar and titanium remain the go-to materials for modifying a paddle’s control.
The key takeaway with Gen 2s: thermoforming perfected paddle performance, and different top sheet materials helped to further customize the balance of power and control. SixZero and Honolulu Pickleball are two brands that nailed that balance. Honolulu has the Kevlar J2K, the “titanium” J2Ti and SixZero has the carbon Double Black Diamond and the Kevlar Ruby.
Gen 3: Power, Foam, and Controversy
After Gen 2 paddles became so popular, it was obvious that power had become the new hot topic in pickleball and copanies went looking to add more. That led to the next big development: Gen 3 paddles, which introduced EVA foam into the construction.
Gen 3 paddles are still thermoformed, but they add a soft EVA foam ring around the honeycomb core. This foam fundamentally changes the way the paddle interacts with the ball. Instead of transferring power directly from your stroke into the ball like a Gen 2, the EVA foam of a Gen 3 compresses and rebounds — like a trampoline. The ball sinks into the surface and springs out with extra energy, giving these paddles a uniquely powerful feel.
The most famous (and infamous) examples are the Joola Gen 3 series and Gearbox Pro Powers. When they launched, players were blown away by their pop and power. Pickleball had changed: you could now win points by overpowering your opponent from anywhere on the court.
As fun as these paddles were to play with, they eventually lead to the most controversial summer in pickleball history for two reasons.
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- Gen 3s were too powerful.
- They had serious durability problems.
The trampoline effect in these paddles made the game so fast that some players felt it took away from the touch and control that define pickleball. It became nearly impossible to react to speed ups at the net and less skilled players could bail themselves out of tricky situations in the kitchen by simply hitting a powerful shot. Also, getting hit with a ball coming off a Gen 3 was very painful.
Then came the durability issues. EVA foam is soft and flexible, so when paired with a rigid honeycomb core, it breaks down quickly. As the foam softens, paddles become even hotter and more difficult to control. On top of that, this “break-in” is inconsistent. One paddle might break in faster or slower than another, or even have “hot spots” — areas around the face that are extra springy right next to dead zones that are the exact opposite.
The situation reached a boiling point and the USAP began delisting certain models for exceeding legal power limits. The back-and-forth between brands and the USAP led to the creation of a new certification called PB COR 43, which caps how much rebound energy a paddle can produce.
By the end of 2024, players had grown tired of these inconsistency and durability issues which lead some brands to develop the next generation of paddles: Gen 4s. Not everyone went in this direction, though. Joola and Gearbox stuck to Gen 3s and refined their original designs to be more controlled, less powerful, and more durable. Paddles like the Joola Perseus Pro IV and Gearbox Pro Ultimate as well as some others are still very relevant today and I’ll compare them to Gen 4s at the end of this article.
Gen 4: The Rise of Full Foam Cores
If Gen 3s were all about chasing power, Gen 4s are about balance — keeping high pop, but adding control, durability, and consistency.
How do they do this? Gen 4s have a full foam core.
Unlike Gen 2 and Gen 3 paddles, which rely on a honeycomb structure, Gen 4 paddles use EPP foam throughout the entire core. This dramatically improves durability. Honeycomb cores can “crush” over time — essentially collapsing internally — while EPP foam maintains its structure much longer.
EPP foam is also denser and firmer than EVA, making it more durable. EPP foam paddles don’t break down as quickly and they also never get to a point where they add too much spring effect. As a result, Gen 4 paddles play more consistently out of the box, after break-in, and they don’t develop hotspots like Gen 3s often did.
The Playability Benefits of EPP Foam
Full foam cores also bring several playability benefits beyond durability:
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Larger Sweet Spot
Foam is more malleable than honeycomb, so even off-centre hits feel more stable and controlled. Essentially, that means Gen 4s have bigger sweet spots. -
Better Consistency
EPP foam does wear — anything you hit thousands of times with a hard plastic ball will — but because it doesn’t break in as much as EVA, a Gen 4 paddle will play much closer to new form after months of use. -
More Control
Because EPP foam is firmer than EVA, it produces less trampoline effect making touch shots more predictable and easier to control.
Gen 4 paddles also open up a world of new design possibilities. Brands can tweak the foam’s density throughout the paddle to fine-tune feel, power, and control.
For example, CRBN’s TruFoam Genesis was one of the first full-foam Gen 4s but CRBN always claimed they would continue experimenting with TruFoam and eventually did so with their new Waves Series.
Other brands have gone even further. Honolulu Pickleball’s J2NF and Selkirk’s Boomstick combines EPP and EVA foam for a blend of control and power. The Boomstick, while very expensive, is a particularly impressive example of how good a Gen 4 can be at combining the two.
This versatility makes Gen 4s the most adaptable paddles yet. It’s the first step toward truly customizable performance and we’ve only scratched the surface of what brands can do with this core design.
Gen 4 vs. Gen 3: Which Is Better?
So, are Gen 4 paddles better than Gen 3s?
Objectively, yes — at least in most ways. They’re more durable, more consistent, and much easier to control. But subjectively, it depends on what you value most.
Gen 3s still have a few undeniable advantages. Their long dwell time and springy response make them amazing for spin. You can really feel the ball sink into the paddle and shape it with precision for any type of spin shot. That “grabbiness” is something Gen 4s haven’t replicated yet, even if they technically produce similar spin numbers.
Gen 3 paddles also have a distinct amount of ball feel that some players prefer. The softer EVA foam is very lively and produces tons of feedback. While this is a difficult sensation to describe, it’s something that a lot of skilled players have become reliant on to dial in the control game.
Gen 4 paddles, by contrast, are more muted and more forgiving, which is part of why they’re so much easier to control. However, they can feel a little disconnected, especially if you’re coming from Gen 3s.
The Pros Still Love Gen 3
Interestingly, most professional players are still using Gen 3 paddles. Sponsorship money plays a role in that, but I don’t think it’s the only reason.
Pros don’t have worry about durability since they can get a new paddle whenever they want, and they also add so much weight to their paddles that they don’t care about the sweet spot size in stock form. For them, the added feedback and responsiveness of Gen 3s potentially outweigh the benefits of Gen 4s.
It’s also worth noting that current Gen 3s are very different from the original ones. Like I mentioned earlier, several brands have refined their designs to address the issues they had.
The Joola Pro IV, Gearbox Pro Ultimate, Honolulu Pickleball Plus Series, and SLK Era Power are all examples of modern Gen 3s that maintain the feel and spin potential of the originals, but with more control and better structural integrity.
Looking Ahead
If the last few years are any indication, paddle technology won’t stop evolving anytime soon. We’re already hearing whispers of Gen 5s — though we’re not quite sure what that will look like yet. But whatever comes next, the innovation in this sport shows no signs of slowing down.
Hopefully, we shed some light on what can be a very confusing paddle landscape. If you want to demo any of these paddles, you can visit us in-store at Rackets & Runners, or check them out online at racketsandrunners.ca.