GEAR
REVIEWS
by JACK BANDEL
BREAD & BUTTER LOCO PADDLE( ALL THREE SHAPES)
Look / Cosmetics: 4 / 5 Bread & Butter sent me all three shapes of the new all-foam Loco paddles to review, and although my usual preference is an elongated shape, I really enjoyed playtesting these three shapes and there were some differences between them— most notably the swing weight.
These paddles have a T700 raw carbon face with a fiberglass layer sandwiched in the middle. Grip size is 4.25 " with the handle length going from 5.3 " for the standard, to 5.5 " for the elongated. Comes in three colors for the edge guard depending on which shape you choose. All come with a perforated cushioned grip wrap, with the Loco character art on the lower middle.
Serves / Returns / Groundstrokes: 5 / 5 Hitting groundstrokes with the Loco was my favorite. The power is high, without being uncontrollable. Very smooth, stable and consistent feel right from the start. Was super-easy to get serves and returns deep without too much effort. Slice returns stayed low and biting with adequate spin. All shapes felt balanced through the air, with the elongated shape just a bit slower and a touch more head-heavy.
Touch / Feel / Spin: 4 / 5 Since these are high-powered paddles, I wasn’ t expecting a soft feel but was surprised at the consistent control I had on dinks and resets. These paddles all play similarly, with a slightly stiff and crisp feel but all very solid and stablefeeling. This lets you dial in your own feel and stay consistent with dink height. Spin is adequate, and although it’ s not a spin monster, it allows you to shape the ball enough. Very balanced all-around paddle with a decent amount of everything: power, spin, feel and touch.
Sweet Spot / Playability: 5 / 5 The sweet spot on all three felt large to me. Of course, the standard shape felt a little more forgiving but not by much. These paddles are truly“ pick up and play” ones that require almost no adjustment time to dial them in. That was most impressive. They will appeal to almost all levels of play, and you just need to pick your favorite shape.
The standard shape will be very easy to use for beginners, while the hybrid and elongated will appeal to more advanced players. All three models have a very stable feel to them, and all are very predictable— controllable with plenty of power there when needed.
Summary: 4.5 / 5 Bread & Butter has done a wonderful job with this reissue of the Loco paddle. Hard to find any faults at all with any of them, unless you can’ t control the power. These feel very similar to some more expensive all-foam paddles, but at a much more affordable price.
What stood out to me with all three shapes was the solid and smooth controlled feel and the ease of use. True all-around paddles that can handle almost any style of game and give you excellent results. Please do not mistake the affordable price for lesser quality. These are highquality, high-performing paddles that can compete with the upper tier.
Current Price: $ 199 To purchase, visit bnbpickleball. com / collections / loco( use code PBMAG).
For more info, go to the Pickleball Paddle Reviews group page on Facebook. Paddle Manufacturers: Contact Jack Bandel at jackbandel @ gmail. com if you’ d like your products to be reviewed.
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