Engineering-led brand focused on ball dwell time and control-first faces, popular with touch players and seniors. Every Engage paddle in our database, ranked by IQ score.
The 6 paddles below were selected from 6 qualifying models. By shape the shortlist is 4 elongated, 1 standard and 1 hybrid. Face construction is 2 raw toray t700 carbon fiber, 1 textured graphite and 1 specialized carbon. Static weight runs 7.8–8.3 oz and prices run $80 to $230, with a shortlist average of $165. All of them are Engage models.
Criteria · Engage paddles only, ranked by IQ score.
Ranking rule: Engage paddles only, ranked by IQ score. Every paddle in the database is rated on the same 15 Paddle DNA traits — power, control, spin, forgiveness, sweet spot, stability, manoeuvrability, pop, touch, consistency, swing weight, twist weight, launch angle, plow-through and softness — and each trait is normalized 0-100 so scores are comparable across brands and price brackets. This page orders by overall IQ score, a weighted composite of all 15 traits. No paddle pays to appear, positions are recomputed whenever a model is added or retested, and retailer links are affiliate links that do not affect the ordering.
Engage Pursuit Pro EX 16 carries an IQ score of 85.9, 3.6 above the shortlist average, built on 82 power, 90 control and 86 spin. At 114 swing weight it is one of the heavier options here, trading a little hand speed for plow-through, and the 6.8 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 88, stability 86). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.3 oz with a Textured graphite face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Soft-game specialists and dinkers At $220 it sits $55 above the shortlist average.
Engage Pursuit MX 6.0 carries an IQ score of 85.2, 2.9 above the shortlist average, built on 78 power, 91 control and 86 spin. At 118 swing weight it is one of the heavier options here, trading a little hand speed for plow-through, and the 6.5 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 88, stability 86). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.3 oz with a Specialized carbon face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Shot-shapers who play the whole court At $220 it sits $55 above the shortlist average.
Engage Pursuit Ultra MX 6.0 carries an IQ score of 84.4, 2.1 above the shortlist average, built on 82 power, 90 control and 89 spin. A 113 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 6.5 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 84, stability 82). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.2 oz with a Raw carbon fiber with Control Pro Omni grit face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. All-court players who play four-plus times a week At $230 it sits $65 above the shortlist average.
Trade-off:Premium price against value thermoformed rivals
Engage Encore Pro EX carries an IQ score of 80.9, 1.4 below the shortlist average, built on 70 power, 88 control and 74 spin. Its 105 swing weight is the light end of this group, so hands stay quick at the kitchen line, and the 5.9 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 89, stability 80). Physically it is a 16 mm standard paddle at 7.8 oz with a Fiberglass composite face and a 5" handle. Senior and recreational players At $130 it sits $35 below the shortlist average.
Engage Pursuit Pro1 6.0 Hybrid carries an IQ score of 80.6, 1.7 below the shortlist average, built on 75 power, 92 control and 90 spin. Its 103 swing weight is the light end of this group, so hands stay quick at the kitchen line, and the 6.1 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 77, stability 75). Physically it is a 15.2 mm hybrid paddle at 8 oz with a Raw Toray T700 Carbon Fiber face and a 5.375" handle. All-court players shopping under $120 At $110 it sits $55 below the shortlist average.
Engage Pursuit Pro MX 12.7 carries an IQ score of 77, 5.3 below the shortlist average, built on 85 power, 82 control and 90 spin. A 112 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 5.9 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 70, stability 73). Physically it is a 12.7 mm elongated paddle at 8.25 oz with a Raw Toray T700 Carbon Fiber face and a 5.75" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Fast-hands players on a budget At $80 it sits $85 below the shortlist average.
Trade-off:Thin core gives less cushioning on hard drives
IQ blends all 15 Paddle DNA traits into one number, which makes it useful for ordering a list and useless for choosing between two paddles a point apart. In this shortlist the IQ range is 77–85.9 while swing weight ranges 103–118. The swing weight difference will change your game far more than the IQ difference.
Twist weight decides how often mishits stay in play
Twist weight measures resistance to the face rotating when you contact off-centre — the single most common source of lost points below 4.0. This shortlist spans 5.9–6.8. Anything at or above 6 here is the forgiving half of the group; below that you are asking for cleaner contact in exchange for something else, usually hand speed or price.
Swing weight is the number your elbow feels
The paddles here run 103 to 118 in swing weight. Every point up adds plow-through on drives and takes away speed in hands battles. If you play mostly doubles at the line, bias low; if you drive from the baseline or play singles, bias high. Static weight in ounces is a much weaker predictor of either.
Core thickness splits this list
4 of the 6 picks use a 16 mm core, 1 of the 6 picks use a 15.2 mm core, 1 of the 6 picks use a 12.7 mm core. Thicker cores hold the ball marginally longer, which shows up as control and touch; thinner cores return it faster, which shows up as pop. Compare the same brand's two thicknesses directly before assuming one is better.
What you get for the money
The cheapest paddle here is the Engage Pursuit Pro MX 12.7 at $80 (IQ 77); the most expensive is the Engage Pursuit Ultra MX 6.0 at $230 (IQ 84.4). That is a $150 spread for 7.400000000000006 points of IQ. On score-per-dollar the Engage Pursuit Pro MX 12.7 at $80 is the strongest buy in the group, which is worth knowing before you assume the top of the list is the paddle to order.
Which one should you buy?
If you want the highest overall rating and price is secondary, take the Engage Pursuit Pro EX 16. If you are getting beaten in hands battles, take the Engage Pursuit Pro1 6.0 Hybrid — its 103 swing weight is the lowest here. If your contact still drifts off centre, take the Engage Encore Pro EX (forgiveness 89, twist weight 5.9). If you want the most performance per dollar, take the Engage Pursuit Pro MX 12.7 at $80. Those four cover the overwhelming majority of buyers on this page.
What is the best Engage pickleball paddles right now?
The Engage Pursuit Pro EX 16 tops this list with an IQ score of 85.9. It is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.3 oz and $220. Soft-game specialists and dinkers
How were these 6 paddles chosen?
Engage paddles only, ranked by IQ score. 6 paddles in our database met the filter and the top 6 by that ranking are shown. The ordering is computed from Paddle DNA values, not editor preference, so it updates automatically when a new paddle is added.
What is the cheapest good option on this list?
The Engage Pursuit Pro MX 12.7 at $80 has the best score-per-dollar of the group (IQ 77). Prices across the shortlist run $80 to $230.
Does a more expensive paddle in this category actually play better?
Not consistently. Across this shortlist the price spread is $150 while the IQ spread is only 8.900000000000006 points. Price tracks build consistency and twist weight more closely than it tracks raw performance, which is why the value pick above is often the smarter order.
Head-to-head comparisons from this list
Crawlable links between the picks above, so each matchup is discoverable without the sitemap.
#1Engage Pursuit Pro EX 1616 mm · elongated · 8.3 oz · SW 114$22086
