Best Pickleball Paddles
Because a good pickler needs a good paddle
By Perry Santanachote
If you’re one of the 3.5 million casual pickleball players in the U.S., you might be thinking about upgrading your paddle. Or maybe you’re a total newbie, helping to make pickleball—a mix of tennis, badminton, and pingpong—the fastest-growing sport in the nation. In either case, the right paddle can make a huge difference in your competitive edge and enjoyment of the game—whatever your reason for playing.
To help you find your next pickleball paddle, we purchased popular and widely available beginner-to-intermediate paddles and had a few seasoned players try them out on the court and weigh in with their expert feedback. Our evaluators, Eric Ho, Ray Xiong, and Jean Xiong, are the founders of NYC Pickleball, an online pickleball resource and local community of players. Ho is also a certified pickleball instructor.
Ho says finding the right paddle mostly comes down to budget and personal preferences, but there are a handful of other factors to consider.
Thickness: a thicker core (at least 16 millimeters) offers more control, a bigger sweet spot (the paddle’s bull’s-eye), and more potential for spins, which make it more difficult for your opponent to return the ball. A thinner core (13 millimeters or less) offers more power, a smaller sweet spot, and less control.
Weight: A heavier paddle (8 ounces and up) adds power and stability but at the cost of hand speed. A lighter paddle is easiest for beginners to wield.
Shape: An elongated paddle offers more leverage for power, but a wider (square shape) one has a bigger sweet spot and more control.
Handle length: A shorter handle is good for pingpong players who like to choke up on the paddle handle. A longer handle (at least 5¼ inches) sacrifices some hand speed but is more comfortable for tennis players and those with a two-handed backhand.
Surface material: Most beginner-intermediate paddles have fiberglass surfaces, which offer power. Carbon fiber and graphite surfaces give you more control and juicy spins.
Most important, a pickleball paddle should feel good when you hold it—not too heavy or too light—which means avoid those that are made of wood or aluminum. “I would not force a cheap aluminum paddle on my worst enemy,” Ho says. “Today’s paddles have evolved dramatically and are primarily made of lightweight composite materials.” Expect to spend at least $40 on a pickleball paddle.
Whether you’re just starting out, looking for more power, or want more control, read on to find the winning paddle for you.
Editor’s Choice: Engage Omega Evolution Extreme X
Photo: Perry Santanachote/Consumer Reports
Price paid: $170
Where to buy: Engage, JustPaddles
Paddle dimensions: 16½x7⅜ inches
Core thickness: ⅝ inch (16 millimeters)
Grip length: 5 inches
Grip circumference: 4¼ inches
Weight: 7¾ ounces
Materials: Polymer core, carbon fiber surface
“This paddle is smooth!” Jean says.
“It plays like a $170 paddle,” Ray says. “It’s by far the best in this evaluation.”
“It has a nice handle, nice touch, and a lot of control,” Eric says. “It’s easy to say that the $170 paddle has more control, but as you get better, you need that control.”
Unlike some cheaper paddles with grit sprayed onto the surface (see the Franklin, below), the Engage Omega Evolution Extreme X is made of carbon fiber, so there’s natural grit embedded into the material itself—meaning the texture won’t wear off and the paddle’s spin potential should last longer. Players also said they felt less vibration using this paddle than all others on this list. It feels and performs like a high-end paddle that would cost a couple of hundred dollars.
For Beginners: Niupipo Explorer
Photo: Niupipo
Price paid: $40
Where to buy: Amazon
Paddle dimensions: 16x7⅞ inches
Core thickness: ⅝ inch (16 millimeters)
Grip length: 4½ inches
Grip circumference: 4¼ inches
Weight: 7⅞ ounces
Materials: Polymer core, fiberglass surface with grit texture
This paddle has a wide body shape, which is ideal for beginners because there is more surface area to hit the ball with. There are a couple of others similarly shaped in this roundup, but the Niupipo Explorer edged out the others because of its slightly more comfortable grip and its much more comfortable price tag. “For $40 this is a great paddle, a great value,” Eric says. “Anyone starting off would be happy with this.”
It also comes with a zippered neoprene paddle cover. (The only paddle we purchased that came with a cover.)
For Tennis Players: Head Radical Elite
Price paid: $65
Where to buy: Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JustPaddles
Paddle dimensions: 16x7⅝ inches
Core thickness: ⅝ inch (16 millimeters)
Grip length: 5 inches
Grip circumference: 4 inches
Weight: 8⅛ ounces
Materials: Polymer core, fiberglass surface
The handle on the Head Radical Elite got the best reviews of all the paddles in this list. “It’s nice and solid, but also quite octagonal,” says Eric, who adds that tennis players generally prefer octagonal handles and a longer length. “It offers good control and power, so if you come from tennis and like to drive a ball, this would be a nice one.”
This one isn’t the longest of the bunch, but it’s long enough. It is, however, the smoothest of the paddles here, so it’s hard to generate much spin from it. Still, it’s good value for solid power and solid contact. It feels like a pricier paddle.
For Smaller Hands: Onix Z5 Graphite
Photo: Perry Santanachote/Consumer Reports
Price paid: $90
Where to buy: Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JustPaddles
Paddle dimensions: 15½x8⅛ inches
Core thickness: ½ inch (13 millimeters)
Grip length: 4⅜ inches
Grip circumference: 4 inches
Weight: 7½ ounces
Materials: Nomex core, graphite surface
The grip on the Onix Z5 Graphite is small and oval-shaped, which might not be for everyone. A too-small grip will often force you to hold the paddle too tightly, which will tire you out, can lead to tennis elbow, and can create pop-ups (high balls that are easy put-away shots for your opponents). However, this smaller handle could be just right for people with small hands. Unsure if that’s you? Pickleball Central has a guide to help you find your ideal grip size. The paddle is light, is quick, and packs plenty of power. Eric says its Nomex core is a composite material behind that power—and this paddle’s notorious popping sound. However, the power you get from this paddle comes with some sacrifice in control.
Power for Less: Oneshot X
Photo: Perry Santanachote/Consumer Reports
Price paid: $50
Where to buy: Amazon, JustPaddles, Oneshot
Paddle dimensions: 15⅝ x8⅛ inches
Core thickness: ½ inch (13 millimeters)
Grip length: 4½ inches
Grip circumference: 4⅛ inches
Weight: 7⅜ ounces
Materials: Polymer core, fiberglass surface
For players who can overlook a weird, bumpy grip with raised stitching, the Oneshot X costs $40 less than the Onix Z5, above, and plays comparably—meaning it has good power. Jean says she couldn’t find much of a sweet spot on it and the bounce was “just okay.” Ray says she felt more vibrations in her elbow with the Oneshot than the Onix, and the sound it makes “is very unpleasant to me.”
For the Two-Handed Backhand: Franklin Ben Johns Signature
Photo: Perry Santanachote/Consumer Reports
Price paid: $100
Where to buy: Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JustPaddles
Paddle dimensions: 16½x7½ inches
Core thickness: ½ inch (13 millimeters)
Grip length: 5 inches
Grip circumference: 4⅛ inches
Weight: 7¾ ounces
Materials: Polymer core, fiberglass surface with grit texture
This paddle features an elongated shape and a gritty surface. “I liked the surface,” Jean says. “I was getting pretty wicked spins off of this one.” That texture is sprayed on, though, so it’ll wear down after several months of regular play. Eric says if you’re a casual recreational player, you might not notice much of a difference. What’s more important is the long handle, which is ideal for a two-handed backhand.
The Franklin Ben Johns Signature also comes in a 16-millimeter thickness for the same price. CR could not purchase a 16-millimeter model for this evaluation, but all the players in this evaluation had played with it before and preferred it to the 13-millimeter model. “The 13-millimeter paddle feels like I’m playing with a wooden paddle,” Ray says. “It’s clunky, and I feel all the vibrations.”
Eric says, “The 16-millimeter is a tried-and-true paddle that will give you more control and less vibration.”
Eric Ho (right) evaluates pickleball paddles with fellow NYC Pickleball founders Ray Xiong (far left) and Jean Xiong (far right).
Photo: Perry Santanachote/Consumer Reports
How We Evaluated Pickleball Paddles
We had three players play pickleball with each paddle, evaluating:
How the paddle feels in the hand—including grip, weight, and balance.
How the paddle plays—testing its swing speed, power, and ability to spin a ball.
How comfortable the paddle is—including factors such as vibration, sound, and pressure points.
This product evaluation is part of Consumer Reports’ Outside the Labs reviews program, which is separate from our laboratory testing and ratings. Our Outside the Labs reviews are performed at home and in other native settings by individuals, including our journalists, with specialized subject matter experience or familiarity and are designed to offer another important perspective for consumers as they shop. While the products or services mentioned in this article might not currently be in CR’s ratings, they could eventually be tested in our laboratories and rated according to an objective, scientific protocol.
Like all CR evaluations of products and services, our Outside the Labs reviews are independent and free from advertising. If you’d like to learn more about the criteria for our lab testing, please go to CR’s Research & Testing page.
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