Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated vs Selkirk Vanguard Power Air
Both paddles measured on the same 15-trait Paddle DNA test. Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated takes the higher overall IQ score, but the right pick depends on which traits you value.
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Paddle DNA head-to-head
- 92Power92
- 82Control78
- 88Spin88
- 76Forgiveness71
- 79Sweet spot73
- 82Stability76
- 67Maneuverability79
- 86Pop93
- 80Touch74
- 83Consistency79
- 86Swing weight68
- 72Twist weight62
- 60Launch angle61
- 91Plow through84
- 84Softness58
Specs
| $180 | Price | $250 |
|---|---|---|
| 16 mm | Core | 14 mm |
| 8.3 oz | Weight | 7.9 oz |
| 118 | Swing weight | 114 |
| 6.2 | Twist weight | 5.6 |
| elongated | Shape | elongated |
| Carbon–fiberglass–carbon face | Surface | Quadcarbon face |
| 5.5 in | Handle | 5.5 in |
Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated verdict
A full-foam power paddle at roughly a hundred dollars under the comparable CRBN and JOOLA builds. The fiberglass middle layer is what produces the pop; the foam is what stops that pop turning brittle.
Selkirk Vanguard Power Air verdict
Explosive acceleration and crisp feedback for players who create their own control. The air-dynamic throat cuts drag noticeably on fast swings.
The verdict
Measured on the same 15-trait test, the clearest separation is softness: Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated scores 84 against 58 for Selkirk Vanguard Power Air — a 26-point gap. They are effectively level on launch angle, power, spin, so those traits should not decide the purchase. Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated is $70 cheaper at $180.
Softness
Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated leads by 26 points (84 vs 58).
Swing weight
Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated leads by 18 points (86 vs 68).
Maneuverability
Selkirk Vanguard Power Air leads by 12 points (79 vs 67).
Twist weight
Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated leads by 10 points (72 vs 62).
Which one should you buy?
Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated
Take Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated if you want softness (+26), swing weight (+18), twist weight (+10). Its swing weight of 118 kg·cm² and 16 mm core are what produce that profile.
Read the Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated review →Selkirk Vanguard Power Air
Take Selkirk Vanguard Power Air if you want maneuverability (+12), pop (+7). Its swing weight of 114 kg·cm² and 14 mm core are what produce that profile.
Read the Selkirk Vanguard Power Air review →Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated vs Selkirk Vanguard Power Air FAQ
- Which is better, the Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated or the Selkirk Vanguard Power Air?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated carries the higher overall Paddle IQ score (81.4 vs 78.4), but IQ is a weighted average. On the trait that separates them most — softness — Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated leads by 26 points.
- Which one is faster at the kitchen line?
- Selkirk Vanguard Power Air, at 114 kg·cm² swing weight against 118 for Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated. Lower swing weight is the single best predictor of hand speed in fast exchanges.
- Which paddle has more power, the Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated or the Selkirk Vanguard Power Air?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated measures 92 on power against 92 for Selkirk Vanguard Power Air. That comes from a 16 mm Full foam dual-density core core swinging at 118 kg·cm² — mass behind the ball, not face material.
- Which one gives more control and touch?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated at 82 versus 78. Its 16 mm core holds the ball on the face slightly longer, which is what makes resets and dinks land shorter.
- Which paddle spins the ball more?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated scores 88 for spin off its Carbon–fiberglass–carbon face face, against 88 for the Quadcarbon face face on Selkirk Vanguard Power Air. In practice a 0-point gap is small enough that technique matters more.
- Which is more forgiving on off-center hits?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated, with 6.2 twist weight against 5.6. Higher twist weight means the face rotates less when you miss the middle, and Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated carries the higher forgiveness score (76) as a result.
- Is the price difference worth it?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated costs $180, $70 less. Whether that gap is worth closing depends on whether you actually use the traits it trades away — check the head-to-head DNA bars above before paying up.
- Do they use the same core and face?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated: 16 mm Full foam dual-density core core with a Carbon–fiberglass–carbon face face. Selkirk Vanguard Power Air: 14 mm X5 polypropylene core with a Quadcarbon face face.
- Which is better for a two-handed backhand?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated, at 5.5 in of handle against 5.5 in. Anything under 5.25 in forces you to choke the bottom hand onto the face bevel, which Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated avoids.
- Which one is better for beginners?
- Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated is the safer first paddle here: forgiveness 76 and sweet spot 79 mean fewer mishits while your contact point is still inconsistent. Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated rewards a repeatable swing and can feel unstable before that.
- Which is lighter in the hand?
- Selkirk Vanguard Power Air at 7.9 oz against 8.3 oz. Static weight matters for arm fatigue and elbow comfort; swing weight (114 vs 118) is what you feel mid-rally.
- Is it worth upgrading from the Selkirk Vanguard Power Air to the Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated?
- Only if you need what it actually adds. Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated leads on softness by 26 points; everything else is within 18 points. At $180 vs $250, the money is better spent elsewhere unless that one trait is your weak spot.
Also worth comparing
Head-to-heads that share DNA with this matchup — useful if you're still deciding between shapes, cores or price tiers.
- Loco 16mm Elongated vs TruFoam Genesis 1
- Loco 16mm Elongated vs Hyperion CFS 16
- Loco 16mm Elongated vs Labs Project 006
- Loco 16mm Elongated vs Loco 16mm Hybrid
- Vanguard Power Air vs Bantam TKO-C 14
- Vanguard Power Air vs CRBN-1X Power Series
- Vanguard Power Air vs CX14E Ultimate Power
- Vanguard Power Air vs Hyperion CFS 16
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Read the full reviews: Bread & Butter Loco 16mm Elongated and Selkirk Vanguard Power Air. Or build a different comparison, browse the full database or find paddles within 5% of your current one.