Best pickleball paddles for tennis players

Coming from tennis you already have a full swing, topspin mechanics and a two-handed backhand — what you lack is a short game. The right crossover paddle keeps your drive speed and reach while giving you enough touch to survive the kitchen, which means an elongated or hybrid shape, a longer handle and real plow-through.

The 10 paddles below were selected from 39 qualifying models. By shape the shortlist is 10 elongated. Face construction is 2 raw carbon fiber, 1 multistrata t700 carbon with infinigrit and 1 solid-span carbon. Static weight runs 7.9–8.5 oz and prices run $180 to $333, with a shortlist average of $258. 8 brands are represented, led by Selkirk (2), Gearbox (2) and JOOLA (1).

Criteria · Elongated shape with 80+ plow-through and 82+ spin, ranked by power.

PaddleBest forThicknessPowerControlSpinPricePaddle IQ
Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16Top pick16 mm958491$332.9987.1
Gearbox Pro Integra Power 16Elite power16 mm947682$28080.9
JOOLA Hyperion Pro V 16Elite power16 mm938890$30086.1
CRBN TruFoam Genesis 1Elite power14 mm938493$28083.4
Gearbox GX2 Power ElongatedElite power14 mm938386$25083.4
RPM Pickleball Friction Pro Elongated V2Elite power16 mm928694$249.9986.3
Selkirk Labs Project 006Elite power14 mm928487$28083.7
Legacy Pickleball Pro XS 16Elite power16 mm928090$23082.8
11SIX24 Vantage Power 16Fastest hands16 mm927890$20082.3
Bread & Butter Loco 16mm ElongatedBest value16 mm928288$18081.4

How this ranking is built

Ranking rule: Elongated shape with 80+ plow-through and 82+ spin, ranked by power. 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 power, so a paddle with a higher overall IQ score can still rank below one that is more specialised for this job. 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.

Read the full testing methodology →

The ranking

#1Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 1616 mm · elongated · 8.25 oz · SW 118$332.9987

Top pick1. Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16

Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16 scores 95 for power, 2.2 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 87.1. A 118 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 7.2 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 88, stability 92). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.25 oz with a Multistrata T700 carbon with InfiniGrit face and a 5.8" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Power players who finish points from the transition zone At $333 it sits $75 above the shortlist average.

Trade-off: Most expensive paddle we track

Full Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#2Gearbox Pro Integra Power 1616 mm · elongated · 8.5 oz · SW 120$28081

Elite power2. Gearbox Pro Integra Power 16

Gearbox Pro Integra Power 16 scores 94 for power, 1.2 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 80.9. A 120 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 6.9 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 78, stability 88). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.5 oz with a Solid-span carbon face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Singles players and drive-first bangers At $280 it sits $22 above the shortlist average.

Trade-off: 120 swing weight is slow to reset

Full Gearbox Pro Integra Power 16 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#3JOOLA Hyperion Pro V 1616 mm · elongated · 8.4 oz · SW 124$30086

Elite power3. JOOLA Hyperion Pro V 16

JOOLA Hyperion Pro V 16 scores 93 for power, 0.2 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 86.1. At 124 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 82, stability 89). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.4 oz with a Raw Toray T700 carbon face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Power baseliners with fast preparation At $300 it sits $42 above the shortlist average.

Trade-off: 124 swing weight is a lot of paddle

Full JOOLA Hyperion Pro V 16 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#4CRBN TruFoam Genesis 114 mm · elongated · 8.4 oz · SW 120$28083

Elite power4. CRBN TruFoam Genesis 1

CRBN TruFoam Genesis 1 scores 93 for power, 0.2 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 83.4. A 120 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 6.1 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 78, stability 84). Physically it is a 14 mm elongated paddle at 8.4 oz with a Raw T700 carbon face and a 5.6" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Advanced players driving from the baseline At $280 it sits $22 above the shortlist average.

Trade-off: Highest swing weight in the line

Full CRBN TruFoam Genesis 1 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#5Gearbox GX2 Power Elongated14 mm · elongated · 8.4 oz · SW 123$25083

Elite power5. Gearbox GX2 Power Elongated

Gearbox GX2 Power Elongated scores 93 for power, 0.2 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 83.4. At 123 swing weight it is one of the heavier options here, trading a little hand speed for plow-through, and the 6.3 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 78, stability 87). Physically it is a 14 mm elongated paddle at 8.4 oz with a Textured carbon face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Clean ball-strikers converting from tennis At $250 it sits right on the shortlist's average price.

Trade-off: Smallest forgiving area in the 2026 group

Full Gearbox GX2 Power Elongated review and Paddle DNA chart →

#6RPM Pickleball Friction Pro Elongated V216 mm · elongated · 7.9 oz · SW 117$249.9986

Elite power6. RPM Pickleball Friction Pro Elongated V2

RPM Pickleball Friction Pro Elongated V2 scores 92 for power, 0.8 below the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 86.3. Its 117 swing weight is the light end of this group, so hands stay quick at the kitchen line, and the 6.5 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 84, stability 88). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 7.9 oz with a CarbonBite raw carbon with Axial Carbon Layup face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Aggressive singles and drive-first players At $250 it sits right on the shortlist's average price.

Trade-off: Swing weight 117 is slow in hands battles

Full RPM Pickleball Friction Pro Elongated V2 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#7Selkirk Labs Project 00614 mm · elongated · 8.5 oz · SW 124$28084

Elite power7. Selkirk Labs Project 006

Selkirk Labs Project 006 scores 92 for power, 0.8 below the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 83.7. At 124 swing weight it is one of the heavier options here, trading a little hand speed for plow-through, and the 6.2 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 80, stability 89). Physically it is a 14 mm elongated paddle at 8.5 oz with a Raw carbon with Air Dynamic throat face and a 5.75" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Singles and drive-first doubles players At $280 it sits $22 above the shortlist average.

Trade-off: Heavy swing weight

Full Selkirk Labs Project 006 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#8Legacy Pickleball Pro XS 1616 mm · elongated · 8.4 oz · SW 120$23083

Elite power8. Legacy Pickleball Pro XS 16

Legacy Pickleball Pro XS 16 scores 92 for power, 0.8 below the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 82.8. A 120 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 7.2 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 78, stability 88). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.4 oz with a Raw carbon fiber face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Advanced drivers who play from the transition zone At $230 it sits $28 below the shortlist average.

Trade-off: Slowest swing weight in this year's additions

Full Legacy Pickleball Pro XS 16 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#911SIX24 Vantage Power 1616 mm · elongated · 8.3 oz · SW 116$20082

Fastest hands9. 11SIX24 Vantage Power 16

11SIX24 Vantage Power 16 scores 92 for power, 0.8 below the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 82.3. Its 116 swing weight is the light end of this group, so hands stay quick at the kitchen line, and the 6.6 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 82, stability 84). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.3 oz with a Raw carbon fiber face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Power players and singles specialists At $200 it sits $58 below the shortlist average.

Trade-off: Touch 72 and softness 60 punish the soft game

Full 11SIX24 Vantage Power 16 review and Paddle DNA chart →

#10Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated16 mm · elongated · 8.3 oz · SW 118$18081

Best value10. Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated

Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated scores 92 for power, 0.8 below the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 81.4. A 118 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 6.2 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 76, stability 82). Physically it is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.3 oz with a Carbon–fiberglass–carbon face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Power players who do not want to spend $280 At $180 it sits $78 below the shortlist average.

Trade-off: Elongated face is the least forgiving of the three shapes

Full Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated review and Paddle DNA chart →

What actually matters in this category

Power is the ranking axis, not the only one

Power across this shortlist runs from 92 to 95 — a 3-point spread. That gap is real but small compared with the spread in swing weight (116–124) and twist weight (6.1–7.2), which is why the paddle at the top is not automatically the right one for you. Rank by power, then filter by the physical numbers your arm has to live with.

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 6.1–7.2. Anything at or above 7 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 116 to 124 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

7 of the 10 picks use a 16 mm core, 3 of the 10 picks use a 14 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 Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated at $180 (IQ 81.4); the most expensive is the Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16 at $333 (IQ 87.1). That is a $153 spread for 5.699999999999989 points of IQ. On score-per-dollar the Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated at $180 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 power rating and price is secondary, take the Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16. If you are getting beaten in hands battles, take the 11SIX24 Vantage Power 16 — its 116 swing weight is the lowest here. If your contact still drifts off centre, take the Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16 (forgiveness 88, twist weight 7.2). If you want the most performance per dollar, take the Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated at $180. Those four cover the overwhelming majority of buyers on this page.

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Head-to-heads from this list

The decisions buyers on this page usually end up making.

Frequently asked

What is the best pickleball paddle for tennis players right now?
The Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16 tops this list with an IQ score of 87.1 and a power rating of 95. It is a 16 mm elongated paddle at 8.25 oz and $333. Power players who finish points from the transition zone
How were these 10 paddles chosen?
Elongated shape with 80+ plow-through and 82+ spin, ranked by power. 39 paddles in our database met the filter and the top 10 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 Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated at $180 has the best score-per-dollar of the group (IQ 81.4). Prices across the shortlist run $180 to $333.
How is power scored?
Power is one of 15 normalized Paddle DNA traits, scored 0-100 so that the same number means the same thing on any two paddles. Every paddle on this page is scored the same way regardless of price, and the full protocol is published on our methodology page.
Does a more expensive paddle in this category actually play better?
Not consistently. Across this shortlist the price spread is $153 while the IQ spread is only 6.199999999999989 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.

Related lists

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