The Ultimate Guide to Buying Your First Pickleball Paddle
As a new player to pickleball, I had no idea what paddle to use. As I mentioned previously, I learned about pickleball one evening and went and bought a paddle the next day to play, but in between those two events I did some intense paddle research. I “Googled” paddles, read reviews on Amazon and Reddit, walked through paddle comparisons on multiple sites. AND physically visited two sporting good stores to check out their selection. I actually knew more about paddles than I did of the rules of the game, the first time I played. So I decided to put together a guide from my experience, in hopes of helping others find the perfect first paddle of their own.
Paddle Odyssey - Part I- The Internet
In my search I learned a ton about paddles: their weight, length, composition, power versus control, and shape. I (being an analyst at heart) learned more about pickleball paddles than I knew existed, and it gave me a little comfort that I could make a good decision as I purchased my first.
Three internet hours of late-night paddle research turned up some pretty cool factoids and I’d like to share some of the highlights with you. So here we go, 0-0, 2, serving paddle research facts:
Unrelated to paddles, but germane to the sport, pickleball was named either by:
The founder, Joel Pritchard, after his dog Pickles.
The founder’s wife, Joan, because the game reminded her of the pickle boat (slowest boat in the race) crew where oarsmen were picked from the leftovers of other boats crews.
Initially (1960’s), pickleball paddles were made of wood – kind of like a former US president’s teeth.
Early pickleball paddles were made for finesse and much less geared for power and speed.
Paddle design started to change in the mid-2010s, prompting the USA Pickleball Rules Chair to change the rules in 2016, to address the evolving paddle tech. Check it out here.
Also, created in 2016 was the Pickleball Deflection Test, which measures how the ball reacts to the paddle.
Based on the test results, a paddle will either be considered approved or not approved for USA Pickleball play.
There are 3 main paddle cores: Aluminum, Nomex (similar to Kevlar and tend to be very loud), and Polymer.
Today, more and more 5.0 level Pickleball Pros are using the polymer core paddles than ever before.
There are 4 main paddle shapes, each having a different sweet spot:
Standard – 15 ¾” x 7 7/8”
Wide Body – 16” x 8”
Thin Body – 16 ½” x 7 ¼”
Blade – 17” x 6 7/8”
There is a contingent of players who dislike the sound of certain paddles (see Nomex reference above).
Pickleball courts have had noise levels recorded at 61 decibels during games.
USA Pickleball does not enforce any rules around the use of yellow paddles.
Sliding back into paddles: Pickleball paddle prices range from $$ to $$$ and that high end is a crazy amount of money for a paddle, to my thrifty mind.
Paddle Odyssey – Part II – The Real Paddles
After spending over 3 hours in front of my computer, I decided I’d take a little bit of the knowledge gleaned and check out the paddles in a store. Based on my new found knowledge, I figured I would target a composite paddle for power and durability. To be honest, my first thought was that I wanted to spend no more than 60 bucks on a paddle, just in case I ended up not liking the game. For the beginning player, I highly recommend going in with a budget first and also stay away from the wooden paddles. Just saying…
As I perused the the stores, I found that they did not have a large selection and many of the major brands are not sold in the local sporting goods shop. So, what I found was a small selection of paddles, limited to brands like Head, Gamma, Prince, Onix and the wooden (think Smash Ball) paddles.
Learnings from Part II
Another secret about my search is, I really liked the in-store experience. I was able to feel the paddle’s weight distribution and the grip size. I was also able to wave it around a bit and get an understanding for how the paddle would feel in an actual game.
Important side note here – swinging a paddle around in an aisle is not anywhere close to using it in a game situation, but in my novice state, I felt better trying it before buying it.
My Odyssey – Part III – The Results
So, I ended up buying the Onix Z5. It has a Nomex Core, a wide body, weighs a little over 8.4 oz (heavier than most) and appeared to have lots of power for my game. I also liked the black honey comb pattern on the face and it was on sale for $69.00. To me it had the tennis racquet feel, more so than the other paddles I held and waved around.
“Hey!” you might say, but I thought your budget was $60.00. “Well”, I would reply, I had a 20% off coupon for the store, so I walked out under budget. Bam!
The Odyssey – Part IV- The Prologue
To me the ability to feel and actually swing the paddle was one of the most important factors in purchasing my first paddle. Price was second. The grip, the weight, and the feel in my hand as I swung it, helped me make the final decision. It had to feel good to me, not awkward and clunky.
I like the Z5, it served me well for the first two months of my pickleball life and helped me get my game off the ground. Stay tuned for what happened next: The Odyssey – 2nd Paddle 2 Furious: I move up another paddle level, which takes my game with it.
