PRODUCT REVIEW

ENGAGE ENCORE

ENGAGE POACH

ENGAGE PULSE

BY WAYNE DOLLARD | PICKLEBALL MAGAZINE WITH ASSISTANCE FROM ROBERT ELLIOTT( ENGAGE PICKLEBALL) AND JIMMY BLUE( PICKLE-BALL INC.)

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of our beloved sport founded on Bainbridge Island, WA, back in 1965. Pickleball experienced very mild growth until a few years back when everything really took hold. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association( SFIA), pickleball now has over 2,460,000 players... and it’ s still rapidly growing. Just five years ago, that number was 100,000 players.

Last month, Pickleball Magazine contacted the USAPA and learned that there are 39“ Approved” manufacturers for the sport. Furthermore, the market is currently flooded with 400 to 500 paddles to choose from.

Four of the 39 manufacturers control the vast majority of the paddle business – maybe even as high as 80 % of all paddles sold. They are: Pickle-ball, Inc., Paddletek, Pro-lite, and Escalade Sports( Onix). At the same time, there are over a dozen other paddle producers that are rapidly growing due to high quality and technological improvements. These include: Gamma, Wilson, Franklin, Viking, Engage, Riverstyks, Wolfe, PAC, Manta, Uniker, POP, Whippersnapper, Selkirk, Harrow and Gearbox.

So what characteristics make a paddle unique? The short answer is three things … the core, surface( also called the skin or face) and weight. Depending on the materials and layering used, every paddle will play differently by manufacturers tinkering with these three things.

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Weight: 7.2- 7.7 oz Length: 15.375 " Width: 8 " Core: Polypropylene /

Polymer Honeycomb Surface: Specialized Fiberglass Price: $ 75

FRANKLIN SPORTS

BANSHEE

Weight: 12.7 oz. Length: 16.5 " Width: 8 " Core: Wood Surface: Painted Wood Price: $ 10

GAMMA SPORTS VOLTAGE

Weight: 7.6 oz +/-0.3 oz Length: 15.6 " Width: 8.25 " Core: Aramid Honeycomb Surface: Carbon Fiber Price: $ 110

Weight: 8.3- 8.5 oz Length: 15 " Width: 7.875 " Core: ' Dual ' Aerospace

Aluminum Honeycomb Surface: Composite Price: $ 85

FRANKLIN SPORTS

CHALLENGER

Weight: 11.4 oz. Length: 16.5 " Width: 8 " Core: Aluminum Surface: Aluminum with Screen

Paint Price: $ 20

MANTA SPORTS 4G

Weight: 7.9 oz Length: 15.25 " Width: 8.125 " Core: Composite Honeycomb Surface: Composite Resin Price: $ 130

Weight: 7.7- 8.0 oz Length: 15 " Width: 7.75 " Core: Aluminum Honeycomb Surface: Composite Price: $ 70

FRANKLIN SPORTS

VOLT

Weight: 12.7 oz. Length: 16.5 " Width: 8.25 " Core: Wood Surface: Painted Wood Price: $ 10

MANTA SPORTS LIBERTY XL

Weight: 7.3 oz Length: 15.625 " Width: 8.25 " Core: Nomex Honeycomb Surface: Graphite / Carbon Price: $ 100