Hey everybody it’s luuka from rackets and Runners so obviously we’re in the studio but it’s a bit of a different type of video today that’s because I was sick for the last week or so so I wasn’t actually able to get out onto the court and test any of the products so we’re not going to have a full-on review or comparison or anything like that but.
While I was sick I was thinking what sort of content could I make that’s pickle ball related but that I don’t actually have to go out and test and I was thinking back on the tier list video that we made back in like early December and while that doesn’t seem like it was so far away there have been a lot of paddles that have come out since then so.
I was actually thinking and maybe this could become kind of a series type thing but I would take that tier list edit it if I need to move some paddles up or down and then also add all the paddles that have come out since then and there are more than you would expect and yeah if this is something that you guys like I’m thinking of making it a sort of.
Series where every two months or 3 months or maybe every 10 paddles or something like that I kind of update and refresh the tier list because obviously the pickle ball industry is changing so quickly that an S tier paddle isn’t going to stay s tier for the rest of Eternity but yeah we’re going to get into it here I do want to remind you.
That any of the paddles we talk about on this channel you can check out on our website rackets andr runners.com quick refresher go watch that it’s actually a part one and part two but yeah I’m just going to go through these and see if I think that there’s still sabcd tier or if I need to move them so we’re going to start with.
The R3 Nova which to be honest is absolutely staying s tier this along with the R1 Nova they’re probably my favorite paddles right now because they’re thermoformed unibody paddles so they have great power and spin but they have this unique flexibility to them that gives them really good control and in my opinion some of the best feel of.
Any paddle right now so the R3 Nova staying there the proline energy s is a really funny one and for now I’m going to leave it in s tier because this was a paddle that really revolutionized the pickle ball industry because of the Kevlar or the braided Kevlar top sheet and while I do think it’s still an excellent paddle and has that control.
Profile of these kind of New Era Thermo form paddles there’s one paddle in particular and you can probably guess which one it is that may make me move this one down to the a tier and I’ll explain that when we get to it but for now I am going to leave it s tier the R1 Nova I just said s tier of course the control a Invicta the more I play with.
This and this goes for the Epic as well it’s probably if I’m being objective the best paddle of 2023 that’s how good it is okay so the Flash and the Double Black Diamond I mean these are about as classic therof formed paddle as it gets and obviously this hybrid shape is really good for any type of variety so I’m going to leave them in the S tier.
The Epic like I said easy s s tier the Hyperion C2 now this one I kind of had in the S tier because I thought the power was so good but there are a couple other paddles that I tried that are also very very powerful that are more powerful than the C2 and I think perform a little bit better just in general in other metrics too so I’m going to move.
This one down to the a tier now I’m not actually ordering these tiers like there’s no particular order of the s or the a or the b or whatever okay so the vatic pro V7 again it’s a paddle that I think is starting to be come a little bit I don’t want to use the word boring but just kind of standard like this is a standard thermoform paddle I think for.
This tier list I’m going to keep all these more standard thermoform paddles in the a tier but they are teetering on the B tier and when I say these I mean V7 carbon 1X carbon 3x and the bread and butter filth those all kind of go in the same a tier for me where it’s power and spin first control second and really the only difference between.
These four is going to be small differences in feel okay the Prine energy I think I was a little mean putting this in the a tier considering I have the proline energy s in the S tier the reason I had it here was because it’s a little bit too long which I do maintain I don’t think that many people should be playing with this paddle that.
Being said it’s such a unique paddle I think I’m going to move it into the S tier and actually I think if one of these two is teering on the a tier it would be the Prine energy s again we’ll talk a little bit more about that later the Scorpius I’m going to keep in the a tier just cuz this is again a super unique paddle yeah super maneuverable.
Once you get up to the net you feel extremely creative with this battle just because of how maneuverable it is with the long handle and short overall length so definitely an a tier paddle if for nothing else but that uniqueness the pro drive drive so this is a paddle I think I was really close to putting in the a tier last time and I did just talk about.
How the Prine energy is so unique that I’m moving it up a tier and that’s kind of the same thing with the drive there aren’t that many paddles that are this thick that have a raw carbon top sheet that are thermoformed it even has a bit of kevlar in it although it’s a slightly different makeup to what you get with more traditional Kevlar paddles now but.
Yeah it’s such a thick kind of hunk of a paddle that if you can handle it you swing it and you get all the power and spin you would expect from a therm form paddle but because it’s thicker you also get this kind of nice dwell time and really good control a tier paddle for me the prism flash now I I’m going to keep this B tier and actually I’m going to.
Talk about another paddle once we get to the new ones here that explains why I’m putting this B tier this is a very good kind of standard non- thored raw carbon paddle but there’s nothing exceptional about it same kind of deal with the Zay natil so yeah B tier for these I’ll explain a little bit more why later so the Alchemy I’m going to just move this.
Into the C tier the more I play with this pattle the more I think eh why I get the idea behind the hole in the middle it makes it feel a little bit more whippy where it polarizes the weight distribution but I think if you want that tennis racket e feel there are better paddles like the pro drive drive and actually some of the ones that we’ll.
Be talking about later other than that I don’t think the spin is that good especially for evatic pro pedal the power is definitely not great the feel is super unique because of the hole but I wouldn’t say unique in a good way necessarily so I’m going to drop it into the C here the radical tour raw and X raw so okay so these are interesting.
Paddles obviously they’re made by head who’s a massive massive tennis company they didn’t knock it out of the park with these but they made something very good and at least up to standard with the rest of the industry like these aren’t e tier F tier paddles so I’m going to put them on the same tier but they’re just nothing particularly.
Special the prism is like the flash just in a longer shape the carbon 2x okay so obviously this is is pretty much an identical paddle to the carbon 1X and 3X just the shape is different and my reasoning for putting it in the B tier was that I think if you want the power and spin of a thermoform paddle you shouldn’t really get a shorter paddle.
And I kind of do maintain that and if you’re going for a shorter paddle it’s generally because you want a little bit more of maneuverability at the kitchen for volleys or just touch shots in general and of course because you want that more forgiving feel that the bigger head shape gives you you and thermoform paddles are not the most forgiving.
Especially in the touch game because they can kind of launch the ball so I think it’s a b tier paddle because of that if you go on therm formed you should go all out or go for the hybrid shape because that kind of gives you the Best of Both Worlds Without Really sacrificing much of each which is why the Flash and the Double Black Diamond.
Are in the S tier uh the model e Elite there is something a little bit weird about it I think the swing weight is too high stock which I really don’t like when a company does that still a very good paddle though if it works for you absolutely keep using it the pereus I’ve gotten the B tier but I know a lot of people love this paddle and it is still.
Very good like the B tier paddles here are good don’t get me wrong but I’m going to leave it there the ghost was interesting because I was super excited to try it because IID really like the pro drive drive but to me there’s something a little bit off about this paddle it does feel very very muted and super powerful but then also doesn’t.
Feel spin friendly enough so I’m going to leave it in the B tier I just think there’s better if you want that kind of raw thermoform paddle feel the Halo XL and Halo Max are kind of like the prism flash in the V7 in that they’re very standard non thermoformed raw carbon paddles with not much else going on I do think the prism line feels a little bit.
Better to me there’s something a little cheap feeling about the Halo lineup but yeah I just prefer the fuel on the prisms this could be more of a personal preference type thing I really like the feel of attic prop paddles because they’re very raw and connected to the ball the VOR in the ezone this was so weird it felt like yanx was kind of.
Trying to tell pickle ball players like you don’t know what’s good try this and you’ll realize this is better and it just absolutely wasn’t because they went so far away from what the rest of the industry was doing like every paddle here except for a few has a raw carbon or Kevlar and carbon face and they came out with whatever this spray painted.
Thing is yeah C tier I’m you know I think I’m actually just going to move these into the D tier I think it’s back to the drawing board for yanx which is a bit of a bummer cuz it’s such a good company in the tennis industry but I do think yeah these are probably a little obsolete at this point okay the cx14 ultimates I am going to drop these into.
The D tier unfortunately and I do this out of love for gearbox actually my first paddle was a gearbox paddle but there’s no denying that gearbox fell way behind the industry curve for like two years almost and these paddles were kind of the culmination of that where they got released and I was like uhoh there’s way better on offer right now and yeah I.
Think actually it’s kind of funny because a couple paddles in particular have made me realize that these are significantly worse which is why I’m moving them into the D tier but those paddles are also from the same brand so that is kind of ironic the Havoc 2.0 is yeah it’s a raw carbon non- therof form paddle there’s just something missing it.
Doesn’t feel stable enough it doesn’t feel good enough I think poach actually has a new paddle right now that’s pretty good we haven’t brought it in yet I’m not sure we will but this one is not really at the level of all the rest of the paddles on this list anymore so yeah that’s the reshuffled tier list let’s introduce all these new ones to this.
List okay so the Vanguard control Invicta now I’m not going to lie I kind of tactically put this one first because I’ve been talking a lot about these non thermoformed raw carbon paddles like the prism the radical tour the Zan natil and I’ve been referring to another paddle that performs a little bit better than those and that’s why they’re in the BC.
Or D tier and that paddle is the Vanguard control Invicta now there’s just something about the way selker manufactures I think it’s their cores that’s a little bit better than what you get on more standard stuff it’s the same thing that it was with the Yola Hyperion the original Hyperion where that paddle was just a little bit better than.
Everything else that was on offer back then The Sweet Spot on the Vanguard control feels bigger than average it feels better than average and the paddle is more stable it’s just yeah if you want the feel of a non-malformed raw carbon paddle which is obviously becoming a little bit more rare nowadays this is the gold standard right now kind.
Of like how the Yola Hyperion was the gold standard back then so it’s an a tier paddle I’m not going to put it s tier because there is a better control paddle up here and that’s the control air Invicta and the controller Invicta has better power in spin okay the body Helix X3 Pro now this paddle is insane one they’re insanely heavy with high.
Swing weights but they also have these Mega Thick cores so the whole paddle is just kind of like the pro drive drive this un maneuverable but meaty little hunk of a paddle that you got to bring through contact super fast but what all that weight swing weight and core thickness gives you is this fantastic fantastic feel on impact and this real.
Ability to kind of control the ball with pretty much tennis likee technique like you can generate so much power so much plow through and of course all these body Helix paddles here the x2s and the x3s have this super long 6-in handle where you can easily fit two hands so for two-handed backand it’s fantastic now just talking about the X3 Pro in.
Particular this is the one that has the Kevlar top sheet and I think this is really their Flagship pattle like this is the one that performs the best because that Kevlar gives it incredible feel but it also gives it a little bit more softness than the X2 Pro so I am going to put it in the a tier with a huge caveat this is an a tier paddle.
Only for players actually no it’s probably an S tier paddle for players who can use it but I can’t put it in the S tier because too few players will be able to handle this thing but because it’s so good for that one Niche I can’t put it any lower okay the bread and butter Loco now when this paddle came out I really thought it was going to be.
The same as like a flash or a double black diamond but this padle feels quite a bit softer than both of those so if you have hopped on that thermoform train because you like the power and spin it offers but you want a little bit more control the Loco is kind of the perfect paddle for you which is why I’m going to put it in the a tier along with the.
Flash and the Double Black Diamond but yeah solid s tier paddle there okay so the gearbox Pro Power Integra I’m actually going to move the Pro Power elongated to the front here the gearbox Pro Power paddles my goodness these paddles are awesome like truly awesome and this is what I was talking about when I said the c.
Cx14 h and E here the ultimates kind of got destroyed by their own paddle because these were supposed to be for power but these are so much better for power and they’re also so much better for everything else the power on these is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced it’s not a firm type of power it’s more like a trampolini type of power where.
The ball kind of sinks into the paddle face and then just booms out with more energy than you could really ever expect what’s really unique about that is because it kind of feels like a trampoline you get a little bit more dwell time with this paddle so you kind of can guide the ball while it’s in the paddle face which is super interesting.
And honestly a very unique sensation it takes a second to get used to it for sure but once you do you actually feel more control than you would expect considering this paddle is so ridiculously powerful so yeah we’re going to go right back into talking about another gearbox Pro Power paddle obviously these paddles are a little bit.
Shorter I’m just going to double check the length I think they’re 16 in Long yes they are 16 in long so obviously they’re a lot shorter than the elongated paddles Which is makes for a unique sensation like obviously the power and the spin won’t be on the same level I think it’s maybe a little bit of a copout to go for this you might as well.
Go all out for power and spin if you’re going for a gearbox Pro Power paddle but I also do really like the maneuverability once I get into the kitchen and because it has that kind of unique flexibility factor to the way it Pockets the ball I can really control the ball with that plus the design but I don’t think there s tier I think like I.
Said I don’t like using the word copout but I do think they are just not quite as good as the Pro Power elongated in allaround playability okay the body Helix X3 light is a very good paddle so X3 means it has the Kevlar braided top sheet light means it’s light than the pro it also means it’s thinner than the pro these have a 16 mm core the.
Pros have a 19 mm core so this paddle you could kind of look at as their Flagship but more userfriendly paddle so it still has that really long handle so you can use a two-handed backhand if you so desire but you’re not going to get the same top top end power plow through and spin that you’ll get with the X3 Pro but obviously this is a.
Way more standard paddle in terms of weight specs so it’s way more user friendly it’s not going to punish you the same way if you do make improper contact like I was talking about with the X3 Pro where it just kind of launches the ball if you make contact Outside The Sweet Spot but it is a Kevlar paddle so it has a really nice.
Amount of plushness to it and still top end power and spin can I put it on the same level as the X3 Pro yes I am going to put it in the a tier and I’m going to explain why the X3 Pro is an S tier paddle for the players who will use it but I’ve lowered it one tier because not many players can use it the X3 light is just an a tier paddle it doesn’t have.
That same s tier top end playability for certain players but because it’s so much more usable by the general populace it’s a better overall paddle I would say Okay so the Vanguard control epic I’m going to put this on the same tier as the Invicta personally I prefer elongated paddles I come from the tennis background it’s just feels way more.
Natural to swing an elongated paddle but the Epic is fantastic it’s just going to be a little bit more forgiving than the Invicta and obviously it’s going to be more maneuverable but they’re on the same kind of tier they’re both fantastic feeling control non-thermal form paddles okay so the gearbox pro control Integra now it kind of again feels like what I.
Was saying with the Pro Power Integra where it’s a bit of a copout like these are still incredibly powerful they’re just a little bit less powerful and the control isn’t really like a control paddle like there are way better control paddles so if you’re going for this design you might as well go all out for the Pro Power Integra or the Pro Power.
Elongated so I understand it it is kind of like a more subdued version of the Pro Power paddles I I have a tough time putting it lower I I don’t really want to put this paddle B tier you know I think I am going to put it B tier because I completely understand it and it’s kind of the same thing they’ve always been doing at gearbox they always.
Make like a softer version of the paddle and I’ve always been like K yet is a little bit softer but is there really a point because it still plays so much like the other paddle and you just kind of lose out on what makes the other paddles so special that’s kind of it I think the Pro Power paddles are a little bit more special than the pro controls.
But they are really good and if they work for you great and it is a little bit unfair because I would actually probably take the pro control over any of these paddles in the B tier it’s just to me there’s something better out there so I probably just wouldn’t take the pro control in general okay the body Helix X2 light so this is body helix’s quote.
Unquote worst paddle comparing the X2 to the X3 light this doesn’t have the Kevlar so that Kevlar it gives you a little bit better feeling control like I was saying and this paddle isn’t really much more spin friendly it’s not much more powerful so I’m going to have to put it a tier under the X3 light that being said Kevlar is not going to be for.
Everyone because it has a different feel to raw carbon and if you become super used to the fuel of raw carbon and prefer that then by all means the X2 light would be the paddle to go for I’m just personally of the opinion that Kevlar has generally improved things and that’s very obvious on the X3 light versus the X2 light and on the X3 Pro.
Versus the X2 Pro in fact I’m just going to do this right now I’m going to put this paddle in the B tier it’s kind of like a combination of all the things I just said where It suffers from that body Helix Pro Design where it’s just too difficult for a lot of people and it doesn’t have that kind of Flagship top-end playability of the braided.
Kevlar and carbon core which is why I think B tier is a great place for it to go okay the 6-year-old Black Diamond now for some reason I hadn’t put this on the last tier list and obviously this paddle has been out for I believe as long as the Double Black Diamond if not longer I’m just going to say it I think this paddle is z here and I completely.
Understand why some people might be surprised by that because obviously the Double Black Diamond is so much more popular but I love the feel that it provides and I love the kind of unique Pop That that it has as a general thing I’ve always liked the feel of fiberglass paddles like the original Ben John’s paddle not the Hyperion like the real.
Original one which was made by Franklin oh my God I love this paddle I think you should probably test it before you buy it just because it is a bit different to what most of us have become accustomed to but it’s an awesome paddle and I completely understand why some pros are using it because the feel is epic speaking of epic feel and awesome.
Paddles we have the 60 Ruby which is an easy s tier paddle I’m going to put it at the top of the S tier I know I said I wasn’t organizing paddles but I think the Ruby is the gold standard for pickle ball paddles right now it really is kind of redefining pickle ball in a way and I’m going to be honest I wasn’t that excited about the Ruby because I’m going.
To let you guys in a little secret here I’m not the biggest fan of Proline energy s it’s really nothing against its technical performance because in terms of power Spin and that adaptive control that it has it really did push the needle forward but I don’t like the muted feel that it has and honestly I kind of thought that that muted feel was.
Because of the Kevlar but it’s not because the Ruby is not muted in anyway the Ruby is really what I would say is the perfect way of designing an Adaptive nextg thermoformed paddle that has that control side that is much better than I’m going to say it much better than the double black diamond and the Flash I wouldn’t say it’s a soft paddle like the.
Control air Invicta or even the Vanguard control Invicta but because you have such good feel it’s very good for control so now that begs the question am I going to move the Prine energy s to the a tier and I think the answer is no because while I do think the Ruby is better I don’t think that makes the proline energy s obsolete in any way.
Shape or form because this is a great paddle especially because I know a lot of people like that muted feel is in the control game and this is a better paddle than all the a tier paddles so it’s going to stay in the S tier I personally think the Ruby is a better paddle than the Prine energy s but that being said I also personally think the Ruby is a.
Better paddle than most of the paddles in this list okay the Maan Forza there were a lot of people telling me to play test this paddle and they came in and it’s very very good do I think it’s s tier I don’t know I people were saying this is going to be the most spin friendly paddle you’ve ever play tested and yes it’s extremely spin friendly as.
You would expect from something thermor with a raw carbon top sheet but I don’t think it’s so spin friendly that I have to play with this or I’m suffering from a lack of spin uh I also think it kind of has the same thing as these four paddles where it’s not particularly special in the control game it’s just kind of a classic raw carbon.
Thermoform paddle that has really good power and spin but not the best control so I’m going to put it you know in the same tier as the V7 carbon 1X carbon 3x and bread and butter filth okay now moving on to the 60 Infinity now I don’t know if you can sense a theme here but there are no 60 paddles.
Anywhere below the S tier but that’s going to change because this is not their best paddle it’s actually kind of funny because 60 had basically been like making perfect paddles up until now the double Black Diamond was one pretty much the first of its kind the Ruby was the first of its kind is the first of its kind is one of a kind and the infinity.
Is kind of first of its kind as well but not really in the best way it’s just an okay paddle now obviously I say it’s one of a kind because it’s an edgeless hybrid shaped paddle with a raw carbon top sheet now what taking away the edge guard has done is a couple things yes it’s more maneuverable than the Ruby and the Double Black Diamond that’s to be.
Expected it’s more aerodynamic and it has a lower swing weight which is fine but they’ve sacrificed so much sweet spot to do that that I just don’t think the paddle is really worth it if they had been able to do that without sacrificing anything fantastic great and if you do want a little bit more swing weight add some lead to it but this just.
Doesn’t feel as good as the Ruby or the Double Black Diamond it doesn’t have as much spin doesn’t have as much power and The Sweet Spot is so much smaller and so much more punishing so to me it’s it’s a bit of a miss the paddle is a bit of a miss so I’m going to put it in the B tier I think it’s on the same kind of level as the prism flash personally I.
Would prefer to play with the prism flash but the infinity does have that unique factor that kind of pushes it above the C tier um so yeah B tier paddle okay so the pro control elongated the gearbox pro control elongated so kind of like what I was saying with the pro control Integra there or the fusion or whatever you want to call it it kind.
Of feels like a bit of a copout to go for this because you have the more powerful kind of Flagship but again I completely understand why you would want to go for it you want to tone it down a little bit and that’s perfectly fine I just think it is not as impressive a paddle as the Pro Power elongated which not many paddles are so great paddle.
Just a little bit under okay and we’re going to finish it with the valir mock one which is a good paddle it’s not a great paddle it is kind kind of like the prism Flash the Zay naal the radical tours the prisms all these kind of standard non- thermoformed raw carbon pickle ball paddles that are very good but not very impressive anymore and.
That’s totally fine but again something like the Vanguard control Invicta is just a better overall performer because I think the selker core is just a little bit of a level above what valer is offering with this paddle but yeah that’s going to be the end of the tier list thank you so much for watching I don’t know how this ended up being as.
Long as it is but I guess I can just talk about gear for way too long I’ll try to chop it up into a manageable uh YouTube video so that you can all digest it but yeah this was lots of fun I think we’ll keep doing this every two or three months or whenever enough paddles come out to justify updating the tier list but I like this little concept of.
Keeping a rolling tier list going and seeing how the industry evolves and maybe after like 10 years we can be like oh wow that’s crazy that paddle was s tier that was the Ruby s here that pedal’s terrible be kind of crazy when that happens because of how good the Ruby is but anyways I’m waffling now so I’m going to end the video thank you so.
Much for watching and remember that if you want to check out any of these pickle ball paddles or demo them you can come visit us in store or you can check them out online at rackets andr runners.com
Rackets & Runners’ Luca Berg shares his thoughts on another pickleball paddle tier list after some awesome new releases came out.
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