The sport of pickleball—which can be described as a cross between tennis and badminton, played with a hard plastic ball—is less than 60 years old, having been invented near Seattle in 1965. For most of that time, paddles were made of laminated wood and were mostly found in gym classes and retirement communities. But pickleball has exploded in popularity in the past few years, and with that newfound popularity comes an arms race with paddle makers in a quest to make the best pickleball paddles. Paddles are improving, too. The new 2024 paddle offerings I’ve been testing over the past few months show marked improvement from the 2023 class I tested last summer.
I’m not an expert player, but I’ve been testing paddles while playing against friends and my daughter at indoor and outdoor pickleball courts over the past year. I’ve also started testing the paddles using a Slinger pickleball machine that I’ll be writing a full review of very soon. (This has been helpful, as the machine shoots harder and with more spin than anyone I play against.) After playing with dozens of paddles—and having players of various skill levels try them and share their thoughts—I feel confident that this guide has a paddle recommendation for you, whether you’re a beginner or a pro pickleball player.
Updated June 2024: We’ve got a new favorite overall paddle, added two alternative paddles for power hitters, added a pick for kids, added a ball machine, and removed several discontinued paddles from past seasons.
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