6 Popular Pickleball Paddles of Early 2023

Engage Pursuit MX 6.0 Review

The Engage Pursuit MX 6.0 16mm paddle has been on the market for quite a while. Part of the reason is because it has withstood the test of time (in pickleball terms) and is a great all-around paddle. It has a square,  graphite textured face for generating spin, however the face has been known to wear down after a year of playing. It is a well balanced paddle for quick net play, and it absorbs hard hits from your opponent while at the net. Dinking control is excellent. This paddle is recommended for an all-around player.

Update: Engage has released the Pursuit Ultra paddle. See if the changes are enough for you to upgrade.

JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion Pickleball Paddle Review

This is the flagship paddle made by JOOLA that is used by Ben Johns (one of the best current pro pickleball players) himself. If you like to hit the ball hard and with heavy topspin, this paddle is for you. The JOOLA Hyperion CFS16 paddle has an elongated design and is slightly more narrow than the Engage paddle. The raw carbon fiber face allows you to impart plenty of topspin on your shots. JOOLA injects foam into the outside edges of the paddle which adds weight to the perimeter of the paddle. This effectively increases the sweet spot of the paddle. The reactive honey comb core allows you to easily deflect hard shots from your opponent. This paddle dinks just as well as the Engage and has a slightly higher pitch sound when the ball hits the paddle.

Selkirk Vanguard Power Air Invikta Review

I have to admit, I’ve never seen so much marketing lingo as Selkirk has created with the Vanguard Power Air Invikta: “Quadflex 4 layer hybrid face”, “Air Dynamic Throat”, “Pro-spin + Nextgen Texture”, “Aero-Duraedge Edgeless Technology” – Wow!

Let me see if I can translate. This is a large paddle, and as a result it has a very large sweet spot. It has a hole in the throat of the paddle as well as an edgeless design to make it more aerodynamic when swinging the paddle through the air. It has a lot of “pop”. The ball comes off the paddle quickly with a satisfying “thunk” – a bit of a wooden feel. Selkirk prioritized power and spin when designing this paddle so if this is your game, the you should try this paddle. Balance-wise, the paddle is a little head-light. Control and forgiveness are average.

Diadem Warrior Review

This paddle is thick! At 19mm, it is 3mm thicker than most competitor’s thick core offerings. The Diadem Warrior has a 3 layer core and this translates into excellent control and feel. Third shot drops are easy with this paddle. The carbon fiber face and the grit paint surface translates into wicked topspin and backspin. There are some complaints that the edge guard comes loose too easily.

CRBN 2x Power Series 16mm Review

The CRBN 2x paddle is the latest offering from the upstart CRBN company. It has a rough feeling carbon fiber face that gives you confidence when imparting spin. One differentiator is the Unibody design. The paddle face runs all the way down through the handle which provides more stiffness, and eliminates the weak point of a grip breaking off of the paddle. The dimensions are very similar to the Engage Pursuit MX 6.0 Paddle and it plays similarly as well – excellent power, balance at the net, and a soft touch feel.

HEAD Extreme Tour Review

This is an interesting choice for a paddle as it does not command the premium price that you see for the paddles reviewed above. The HEAD Extreme Tour paddle is a well balanced, and responsive paddle. What the pros like about this paddle is the feel of the ball coming off the paddle. (It is actually quite loud and intimidating!). It does not muffle the sound coming off of the paddle that the thicker core paddles do and also does not give you that soft feel on dinks in the kitchen.