What Is The Difference In Paddles
When people approach our paddle sales table at a tournament, many times their conversation starts with, "I'm new at this game. What is the difference in all these paddles?" Remember we may have Selkirk and Paddletek and Pro-Lite and Engage paddles all on the table at the same time.
So thus begins another long, but gracious explanation on the differences. Thought I'd share our answer, so you can help others understand too. When you break it down to basics, there is not a great deal of difference in any of them. But little things do make a difference.
Two basic things you need to know:
1) Almost all paddles have a core inside that looks like a honeycomb.
- That honeycomb is generally made out of either Nomex (which to us is a fancy word for cardboard). Nomex is a great core that has been used for many years.
- Or that honeycomb could be made out of aluminum, which is a great playing core, but has a tendency to dent if you hit your paddle on the edge of someone else's paddle.
- Or finally, the honeycomb can be made out of polymer (which is a fancy word for plastic). Most newer paddles are using a polymer core inside because it holds up extremely well. Most companies advertise guarantees that it will not break down for at least 5 years. So you have a honeycomb core inside.
2) Then you put a face on the paddle.
- The face of the paddle can be made out of several different things. The face could be made out of graphite (which then makes it a graphite paddle). Graphite is a very hard surface. Or the face could be made out of carbon fiber which is the other end of the hardness spectrum. It is a soft surface.
- Then the third common face is fiberglass. Fiberglass can be put on the paddle in a single thin layer or multiple layers, thus giving different feels when the ball comes off the paddle.
- So that is the meat of the conversation. You have a core and you have a face on top of the core. Then by putting the different faces on top of the different cores, you get paddles that all feel a little different and the key is to find the paddle that feels best to you for your particular game.
- Yes, there are other factors that can change the feel or how a paddle plays.The honeycombs can be made with larger or smaller holes. The adhesives and bonding processes can be different as well as the graphics processes used to decorate the paddle faces.
But the bottom line is that the vast majority of paddles have the two main parts, a core and a face.
So the next time someone asks you the difference in paddles, let them know.
Hope this helps,
Rocket
Pickleball Rocks
allaboutpickleball.com
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