Ranked on our power and pop scores — drive velocity and put-away pace. Power paddles ask more of your reset technique, so check the forgiveness numbers before you commit.
The 10 paddles below were selected from 130 qualifying models. By shape the shortlist is 7 elongated and 3 hybrid. Face construction is 2 solid-span carbon, 1 multistrata t700 carbon with infinigrit and 1 raw carbon. Static weight runs 7.9–8.5 oz and prices run $200 to $333, with a shortlist average of $262. 7 brands are represented, led by Gearbox (3), JOOLA (2) and Selkirk (1).
Criteria · Ranked by sourced power rating across our 15-trait Paddle DNA profile.
Ranking rule: Ranked by sourced power rating across our 15-trait Paddle DNA profile. 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.
Top pick1. Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16
Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16 scores 95 for power, 1.6 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 $71 above the shortlist average.
11SIX24 Ultré Power 2 scores 94 for power, 0.6 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 87.3. A 120 swing weight puts it mid-pack for hand speed, and the 6.8 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 89, stability 88). Physically it is a 16 mm hybrid paddle at 8.3 oz with a Raw carbon face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Power players who miss the center often At $220 it sits $42 below the shortlist average.
JOOLA Perseus Pro V 14 scores 94 for power, 0.6 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 81.9. Its 111 swing weight is the light end of this group, so hands stay quick at the kitchen line, and the 6.7 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 76, stability 82). Physically it is a 14 mm hybrid paddle at 8.1 oz with a Raw carbon friction face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Advanced doubles players whose game is built on counters At $280 it sits $18 above the shortlist average.
Gearbox Pro Integra Power 16 scores 94 for power, 0.6 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 $18 above the shortlist average.
Gearbox Pro Power Elongated scores 94 for power, 0.6 above the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 76.6. At 126 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 66, stability 84). Physically it is a 14 mm elongated paddle at 8.5 oz with a Solid-span carbon face and a 5.6" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. Singles power players At $200 it sits $62 below the shortlist average.
JOOLA Hyperion Pro V 16 scores 93 for power, 0.4 below 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 $38 above the shortlist average.
CRBN TruFoam Genesis 1 scores 93 for power, 0.4 below 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 $18 above the shortlist average.
Gearbox GX2 Power Elongated scores 93 for power, 0.4 below 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 $12 below the shortlist average.
Trade-off:Smallest forgiving area in the 2026 group
Honolulu J2CR scores 92 for power, 1.4 below the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 88.7. Its 112 swing weight is the light end of this group, so hands stay quick at the kitchen line, and the 6.8 twist weight sets how much the face holds its line on off-centre contact (forgiveness 90, stability 89). Physically it is a 16 mm hybrid paddle at 8 oz with a Blue Grit textured carbon face and a 5.5" handle, long enough for a two-handed backhand. All-court players who want elite power without slow hands At $230 it sits $32 below the shortlist average.
Elite power10. RPM Pickleball Friction Pro Elongated V2
RPM Pickleball Friction Pro Elongated V2 scores 92 for power, 1.4 below the average of this shortlist, on an IQ score of 86.3. A 117 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 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 $12 below the shortlist average.
Trade-off:Swing weight 117 is slow in hands battles
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 (111–126) 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 111 to 126 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
6 of the 10 picks use a 16 mm core, 4 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 Gearbox Pro Power Elongated at $200 (IQ 76.6); the most expensive is the Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 16 at $333 (IQ 87.1). That is a $133 spread for 10.5 points of IQ. On score-per-dollar the 11SIX24 Ultré Power 2 at $220 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 JOOLA Perseus Pro V 14 — its 111 swing weight is the lowest here. If your contact still drifts off centre, take the Honolulu J2CR (forgiveness 90, twist weight 6.8). If you want the most performance per dollar, take the 11SIX24 Ultré Power 2 at $220. Those four cover the overwhelming majority of buyers on this page.
What is the best power pickleball paddles 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?
Ranked by sourced power rating across our 15-trait Paddle DNA profile. 130 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 11SIX24 Ultré Power 2 at $220 has the best score-per-dollar of the group (IQ 87.3). Prices across the shortlist run $200 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 $133 while the IQ spread is only 12.100000000000009 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.
#1Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated 1616 mm · elongated · 8.25 oz · SW 118$332.9987
