It lastly occurred: Like half the world, I dove into the pickleball craze. If you happen to’d requested me a couple of years in the past if I’d ever play, I’d in all probability have rolled my eyes, however now—a yr into studying the game—I take into account myself a full convert.
Essentially the most essential aspect to leveling up your pickleball recreation (after buying some cute outfits for the courtroom, after all) is an excellent paddle. In line with Worldwide Pickleball Educating Skilled Affiliation (IPTPA) licensed pickleball teacher Jennifer Azevedo, “you’ll be able to personalize a paddle to your particular wants as a participant. Missing in mobility? Get a paddle that’s a little bit larger and longer to assist attain the ball. There are alternatives to assist nearly each side of the sport that may be missing,” she says.
Regardless that I perceive the worth of a great paddle, I balked when the teacher of my intro class beneficial a particular set that price over $100. As a beginner who wasn’t positive if I used to be going to stay with the game or not, I wasn’t able to shell out that a lot—so I went searching by myself, utilizing suggestions from mates who already performed and on-line evaluations to information me.
After weeks of looking, I lastly landed on the Niupipo Pickleball Paddle Set from Amazon. These paddles have been extremely rated by 1000’s of individuals, comparatively reasonably priced, and claimed to have options I used to be on the lookout for. Certain, they weren’t probably the most aesthetically pleasing, however I consider in prioritizing perform over type on the subject of sports activities tools.
The set comes with two paddles, a carry bag, and each indoor and outside pickleball balls (sure, there’s a distinction). Right here’s what occurred after I put it to the check.
The specs
The paddles are USA Pickleball Affiliation–authorised, which Azevedo says is “one thing you’ll want as you start to look into match play,” as officers will really test your paddles for the stamp of approval.
The paddle faces are product of fiberglass and include a honeycomb polymer core, which the model’s web site says helps cut back noise. The whole paddle head can be wrapped in an edge guard to assist forestall harm and chipping if the paddle scrapes the bottom, which I’ve to say is fairly efficient—there’s barely a scratch on mine after a yr’s price of use.
Unique photograph by SELF author Esther Carlstone
The way it feels
The very first thing I observed after I unboxed the set was how light-weight the fiberglass paddles have been. Weighing solely 7.8 ounces every, they’re a lot lighter than those from one other model I purchased for some relations, pondering I’d get them a cute set. I’ve additionally performed with a pal’s wood paddles, which really feel like cement in my hand in comparison with my Niupipo ones.
