BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
I
“Wow!” reaction. It’s the most forgiving
paddle I’ve played with, giving you
incredible touch with dinks at the net and
control on your shots. It’s really given
me confidence with my drop shots and
kept me in many a point that I previously
would have lost.
n response to the increasing
demand for innovation in the sport
of pickleball, ONIX Pickleball has
invested in Graphite Technology’s
popularity to deliver the all-
new Outbreak paddle, featuring
a graphite face reinforced by
TeXtreme Technology that ONIX’s leaders
say is breaking new ground. Pickleball
Magazine conducted an interview with
Zach Scheller, ONIX’s Associate Product
Manager, and David Kolosek, Sporting
Goods Sales Manager for TeXtreme, to
learn more about the product.
What is ONIX hoping to accomplish
with the new Outbreak paddle?
ZS: While there have been several
innovations in the sport over the last
few years, Graphite Technology has
really been on the back burner, which
is surprising considering Graphite’s
popularity and reputation. We really
started the process by asking, “What’s
the next step in Graphite Technology?”
How did you discover TeXtreme
Technology?
ZS: We worked with a variety of carbon
fiber surfaces—different materials,
configurations and finishes, but couldn’t
get the performance, weight and
consistency out of the product. TeXtreme
had been interested in teaming up with
us, and the timing was perfect. TeXtreme
had already proven itself in pro tennis,
pro hockey, and pro golf. We were excited
about bringing it to pickleball.
DK: We’ve been investigating the
pickleball market for a while and
it became clear that there was an
opportunity for innovation within the
graphite/carbon fiber segment and we
felt TeXtreme could provide the solution.
We aim to partner with the best brands
in each market and it was clear that the
ONIX brand was the perfect partner for
us, so we scheduled a meeting at the
ONIX headquarters in Evansville, IN,
to learn more. Mother Nature almost
kept me from getting there, but after
an unplanned stop in Ft. Wayne and a
five-hour drive, it was great to learn
that TeXtreme had a potential answer to
meet the needs ONIX was hearing from
amateur and pro players. As a result,
ONIX and TeXtreme joined an exclusive
partnership in the sport of pickleball.
Byron Freso
Tell us about TeXtreme/Oxeon.
DK: Oxeon, the makers of TeXtreme, was
founded in 2003 and is based in Boras,
Sweden. Oxeon was started in order to
bring Tape Weaving Technology to the
market.
Sixteen years later, TeXtreme has flown
in the air and gone to space, helped
to win the America’s Cup, Formula1,
Tour de France and NASCAR races, the
Stanley Cup and more. It’s been very
rewarding to be part of these successes
and we’re looking forward to helping our
customers win in the future.
How is the Outbreak different from
competitors?
ZS: There are essentially two types
of graphite paddles on the market.
The first, like the Graphite Z5, has
carbon fiber tows, which are a bunch
of filaments going in a single direction.
The second method uses a carbon fiber
fabric made from weaving narrow carbon
fiber tows.
DK: TeXtreme Spread Tow carbon
fiber fabrics provide an advantage over
traditional UD construction by better
withstanding impacts, which lead to
enhanced durability. When compared to
paddles that use traditional carbon fiber
fabrics, TeXtreme Spread Tow fabrics
remain straighter and improve the
stiffness across the length and width of
the paddle face.
How does the Outbreak perform?
ZS: One of my new favorite things to do
is have someone hit with their trusted
paddle, and then put an Outbreak in
their hand. Every single time, it gets a
What have players been saying
about the Outbreak?
ZS: We gave Outbreak paddles to our
team at Nationals, and they were floored.
One of our players, KaSandra Gehrke,
actually switched paddles the next day
and used it in the Women’s Doubles Pro
event. Our pros that play more of a soft
game love this paddle, including Byron
Freso, Randal Zbinden, Kurtis Campbell,
Jim Hackenberg, Tyler Sheffield and
others.
How is the paddle tested before
being released to the public?
ZS: We sent it to a wide variety of
players at all different skill sets. The
responses were pretty drastic. Before,
when we tried previous materials, we’d
get feedback such as, “interesting.”
But when we sent out the TeXtreme
paddles, the feedback was, “Wow, this is
incredible!”
Was the concept fulfilled?
ZS: Absolutely. With the help of
TeXtreme, I believe we’ve opened the
door for the next major development in
the sport.
DK: Because TeXtreme is nearly
infinitely customizable, we’ll be able to
work with the ONIX R&D team to create
paddles that may look the same but
play completely differently from one
another. These potential future variants
will help players of all abilities continue
to improve their game through better
equipment.
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MARCH/APRIL 2019 |
MAGAZINE
27