Home>Sports>Pickleball>Pickleball Equipment
PreviousNext

Top 10 Pickleball Paddle Brands

Top 10 Pickleball Paddle Brands

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and its rise in popularity has also seen a rise in the number and quality of pickleball racquet brands. Sporting goods brands that provide pickleball racquets have begun to focus on the materials in their racquets, and many brands have even partnered with emerging professional pickleball players to design exclusive lines of racquets.

What Are the Best Pickleball Paddle Brands?

  1. Selkirk Sports
  2. PROLITE Sports
  3. GAMMA Sports
  4. Paddletek
  5. Engage Pickleball
  6. ONIX Pickleball
  7. Franklin Sports
  8. Niupipo
  9. Vulcan Sporting Goods
  10. Electrum Pickleball

1. Selkirk Sports

  • Year Founded: 2014
  • Website: https://www.selkirk.com/
  • Sponsored Athletes: Catherine Parenteau, Parris Todd, Dylan Frazier, James Ignatowich

Selkirk Sports’ motto is “We Are Pickleball,” and they back that claim up with their numerous high-quality racquets. Founded in 2014 in anticipation of an increased interest in pickleball products, Selkirk exclusively produces pickleball supplies. 

Selkirk also has Selkirk TV, a free app for streaming pickleball content, and Selkirk Labs, where they invite community members to engage with them in developing the next advancements in pickleball technology. One of their most popular paddles is the Selkirk AMPED S2 X5 FiberFlex Pickleball Paddle. The S2 X5 is more expensive than some of their other paddles and is geared towards more advanced pickleball players.

2. PROLITE Sports

PROLITE Sports is a pickleball brand that offers customizable paddles, a trade-in program, and guides customers to find the perfect paddle for their skill level and personal needs. Founded in 1984, PROLITE is the producer of the very first composite pickleball paddle, a development that changed the game forever.

PROLITE Sports offers three paddle series: the LX Series, the I-Series, and the PowerSpin 2.0 Series. Some of their most popular paddles include the PROLITE Magnum Graphite Stealth Pickleball Paddle and the PROLITE Titan Pro Black Diamond Pickleball Paddle. PROLITE’s paddles retail anywhere between $50-$200. Their cheapest paddles are their intermediate paddles, and their most expensive paddles are their LX Series paddles.

3. GAMMA Sports

  • Year Founded: 1974
  • Website: https://www.gammasports.com/
  • Sponsored Athletes: Riley Newman, Lindsey Newman, Paul Olin, Jonny “Pickleball” Andrews

GAMMA Sports produces supplies for tennis and pickleball and started in the sporting goods industry by making tennis equipment in 1974. In 2014, GAMMA noticed a growing demand for pickleball supplies and began producing paddles and balls using their preexisting knowledge of composites and manufacturing techniques.

GAMMA has many popular paddles, including the GAMMA Legend Neucore Pickleball Paddle, the Neutron 2.0, the Poly Core Pickleball Paddle, and the Needle Graphite Pickleball Paddle. The GAMMA Poly Core Pickleball Paddle is great for players of all levels and retails for about $120; it is also available on Amazon.

4. Paddletek

Paddletek is another brand that exclusively produces pickleball supplies, with one of its signature features being the option to customize your paddle. Founded in 2011 with the introduction of their honeycomb core, Paddletek is one of the oldest exclusively pickleball brands available.

Since then, they have continued introducing new technology into the market, such as their vibration control and Smart Response Technology. They also have many popular paddles, such as the Paddletek Bantam Ex-L Composite Pickleball Paddle and the Paddletek Tempest Wave Pro. They also have three paddle series: the Bantam Series, the Tempest Series, and the Phoenix Series.

5. Engage Pickleball

Engage Pickleball exclusively produces pickleball supplies and also offers multi-day pickleball camps. Their pickleball paddles tend to range from approximately $100 to $200 and are some of the more expensive paddles on the market. However, the paddles are worth the investment if you are looking for a top-of-the-line paddle that can handle professional-level gameplay and will be long-lasting. Encore features four lines of paddles: the Pursuit Series, the Poach Infinity Series, the Encore Series, and the Elite Series. The Pursuit Series paddles are the most expensive paddles offered by Engage and retail for approximately $200.

6. ONIX Pickleball

ONIX Pickleball is a brand that exclusively produces pickleball products, and their website even features a quiz for customers to find the perfect pickleball paddle for their individual skill level and needs. Founded in 2005, ONIX works with the athletes they sponsor to develop the latest pickleball technology and are dedicated to continually improving their products.

ONIX has several popular pickleball paddles, such as the ONIX Z5 Graphite Pickleball Paddle and the ONIX Evoke Premiere Pickleball Paddle. They organize their paddles by gameplay level and offer recreational, intermediate, and performance level paddles. ONIX performance level paddles retail between $100-$150, their intermediate paddles retail between $80-$100, and their recreational paddles retail between $70-$90.

7. Franklin Sports

Franklin Sports was the first sporting goods brand to sign an endorsement deal with a professional pickleball player when they signed Ben Johns in 2019. Founded in 1946, Franklin is a well-established sporting goods brand that provides supplies for many sports. Though they have a fairly small selection of pickleball racquets, their racquets are still known for their high quality.

Their Franklin Signature Pickleball Paddle features a fiberglass surface layer, MaxGrit technology for precision and control, and a durable and strong core. The Signature Pickleball Paddle is USA Pickleball-approved for tournament play and retails for around $100.

8. Niupipo

Niupipo is the number-one-selling pickleball paddle brand on Amazon. Founded in 2012, Niupipo provides high-quality and affordable gear and accessories to new players to build interest in pickleball. 

Niupipo has four paddle series: the NewTech Series, the Classic Series, the Original Series, and the Professional Series. Their NewTech and Classic Series paddles retail for approximately $35, and their Professional Series paddles retail for approximately $55. Their low price makes Niupipo paddles ideal for casual players or beginners who do not wish to invest a lot of money in a paddle.

9. Vulcan Sporting Goods

Vulcan Sporting Goods serves athletes from several different sports, but pickleball is their specialty. They claim the Vulcan Pickleball line is the future of pickleball, and Vulcan works hard for that title. Vulcan offers Vulcan IQ Pickleball Clinics to help grow pickleball nationwide and the free Vulcan Pickleball Park to support pickleball in the local community surrounding their headquarters. 

Vulcan has three paddle series: the V700 Series, the V500 Series, and the V300 Series. They also have their Paddle Candy Pickleball line that features paddles with vibrant art on them. One of their most popular paddles is the V560 Control Pickleball Paddle, which retails for approximately $150.

10. Electrum Pickleball

Electrum Pickleball exclusively produces pickleball supplies and is relatively new to the sporting goods world. They are geared mostly towards intermediate and professional pickleball players, and their racquets reflect that. Electrum currently offers four pickleball paddles, the Electrum Pro Pickleball Paddle, the Electrum Pro II, the Electrum Model E, and the Electrum Model E 13mm, which all retail above $150. 

However, the paddles’ unique qualities may make them worth the investment to more serious pickleball players. The Toray T700 carbon fiber used in the paddles is sourced from Japan and is a top-of-the-line material. The paddles also feature a full cell core and a carbon fiber handle that is made using 100% leather.

Honorable Mentions

JOOLA

  • Year Founded: 1952
  • Website: https://joolausa.com/
  • Sponsored Athletes: Ben Johns, Simone Jardim, Chase Brautman, Anna Bright, Brooke Buckner, Brandon French

JOOLA was founded in 1952 in Germany, and manufactures both table tennis and pickleball equipment. After many years of success in the table tennis business, including being the Official Table Sponsor of tournaments held by USA Table Tennis (USATT), the company expanded into pickleball by becoming a partner of the USPPA and sponsoring star pickleball player Ben Johns in 2022. 

Among JOOLA’s most popular pickleball paddles are the Ben Johns Hyperion and Simone Jardim Hyperion Series. JOOLA’s paddles make use of various patented technologies, including Carbon Friction Surface Technology, Reactive Honeycomb Polymer Cores, and Hyper-Foam Edge Walls, which combine to create reduced drag, greater swing speed, and consistent bounce.

HEAD Ski Company, Inc. was founded by Howard Head in 1950, and started out as a manufacturer of skiing equipment. Today, they continue to sell premier skiing gear and clothing, as well as gear for sports such as snowboarding, tennis, pickleball, squash, and racquetball. 

One of HEAD’s most popular pickleball paddles is the Radical Tour GR, which prioritizes power and stability. The Radical Tour GR makes use of patented Control Stabilizer Technology and a graphite hitting surface, which pairs with a smaller-than-average grip to promote finer control over power and feel.

OneShot

OneShot is a relatively new player in the pickleball paddle market, being founded in 2019 by two families who loved pickleball. The families thought it would be way too expensive to buy multiple paddles with the current market prices. Thus, taking matters into their own hands, they set out to build affordable, high-quality paddles. OneShot now makes paddles for players of all ages and skill levels, including the JuniorShot for younger players. They do a great job of making pickleball more accessible, and thus are growing the sport.

FAQ

What is the best pickleball paddle brand?

The best pickleball paddle brand on the market is Selkirk Sports. While they manufacture many pieces of pickleball equipment, they are especially known for their paddles. Selkirk paddles are relatively expensive compared to other brands, but the quality backs up the price. Several professional pickleball players use Selkirk paddles, including Catherine Parenteau, Parris Todd, Dylan Frazier.

Which pickleball paddles do the pros use?

Professional pickleball players use a variety of paddle brands, and many are sponsored by their brand of choice. Among pro pickleball players, the most popular paddle brands include Selkirk, Electrum, Engage, GAMMA, JOOLA, HEAD, ONIX, and Paddletek. Some of the most prominent brand-player sponsorships include Ben Johns’ 2022 deal with JOOLA, Tyler Loong’s deal with Vulcan, and Riley Newman’s deal with GAMMA, all of which involved the creation of a signature paddle named after the player.

PreviousNext
PreviousNext