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Engage
The Engage Encore Pro EX is a 16 mm standard pickleball paddle weighing 7.8 oz, with a Fiberglass composite face, listed around $130.
A soft, light, extremely forgiving paddle that has quietly become the default recommendation for players over 60.
From Engage
The Encore Pro V2.0 Hybrid Pickleball Paddle is designed for recreational players looking for a high-performance paddle at an excellent price point. It features a Hybrid Shape designed to combine power, spin, and control, enhancing playability across all shot types. The E1+ Polymer Core provides a consistent response across the paddle face, balancing power and control for both soft touch shots and powerful drives.
Official Engage product page →Cross-shopping? Most buyers weigh the Encore Pro EX against the JOOLA Essentials 16 — see them side by side, or browse every Engage paddle.
Paddle DNA Verdict
Last updated: August 2026
Derived from our published scoring model and sourced paddle specifications.
The Engage Encore Pro EX scores 80.9/100 on our IQ index, built from all 15 Paddle DNA traits. Its signature is forgiveness (89/100, 88th percentile of the database — strong, well above the database average), backed by sweet spot at 90 and maneuverability at 84. The 16 mm Control core and Fiberglass composite face at 7.8 oz make it a placement-first paddle: you win points by out-positioning people.
Where it gives ground is power (70) and pop (66). With a 105 kg·cm² swing weight and a 5 in handle it suits beginner/intermediate players, one-handed backhands, hands battles at the kitchen. Skip it if you rely on raw put-away pace.
Closest paddles by DNA: JOOLA Essentials 16 ($89), ProKennex Kinetic Pro Flight ($200), Vatic Pro Prism Flash ($74). If budget matters, the Selkirk SLK Halo XL Control lands within 3 IQ points for $30 less. Overall: a below-average overall score in the database — only worth it if its one standout trait is exactly what you need.
In depth
The Encore Pro EX has the lowest swing weight in the mid-tier group at 105, combined with sweet spot 90 and softness 90. It has quietly become the default recommendation for players over 60.
The sections below are analysis of published specifications and Paddle DNA™ values, not a play-test write-up. Where we have hit with a paddle, those notes appear separately and are attributed.
At 7.8 oz and 105 swing weight this is among the easiest paddles here to move, which produces maneuverability 84. For players managing elbow or shoulder issues, that number does more for time on court than any performance trait. It also means late contact — the thing that causes most arm pain — costs you far less.
Softness 90 and forgiveness 89 come from a compliant control core behind a fiberglass composite face. Energy goes into deformation rather than back into the ball, which is why power sits at 70 and pop at 66. Launch angle 68 is among the highest in the database: the ball leaves high, which keeps rallies alive and makes put-aways harder.
Spin 74 reflects a fiberglass composite face in a market that moved to raw carbon. If you are learning topspin drives or rolls, this paddle actively works against you. If your game is dinks, drops and placement, it costs you nothing.
Community consensus
Verbatim excerpts from public discussion and independent reviews, plus the themes they add up to. These are other people's opinions, not ours, and every quote links back to where it was written.
“The highlight of this paddle was the spin I could produce with it.”
“When you take your first hits with the paddle, you immediately notice how soft the ball is off the face.”
“Heavier paddles didn't fit me, and this helped me control my shots.”
“Engage Encore Pro… Great spin for me, nice and light for quick hands.”
“If you are looking for accessible power look no further than the Engage Encore Pro V2.0 12.7mm Pickleball Paddle.”
“This poppy and unique hitting surface boasts an elastic feel that is smooth and super responsive and an added texture that encourages us to impart spin on all of our shots.”
“This core is packed with pop, boasts an expanded sweet spot, and maintains the smooth feel of the hitting surface so that we can hit powerful passing shots and overhead slams with confidence, and not feel hung out to dry when we have to dink or reset the point.”
“The power from this paddle was a little disappointing.”
“My Engage Encore EX 6.0, my first ever paddle, just broke.”
Built from the retailer offers we track for this paddle. In stock at all 2 tracked retailers. Prices last checked Jul 30, 2026.
Tracked price range
$130 – $135
$5 spread between retailers
Typical price
$132.50
Median of tracked offers
MSRP
$149
Best tracked offer is 13% under list
Recorded low / high
$130 / $135
2 price points since Jul 30, 2026
Cheapest tracked offer sits $2.50 below the typical price.
AI paddle match
Each pick is the database's best answer to one specific question, ranked by how far it moves the needle versus the Encore Pro EX.
The matchups people actually cross-shop, each with a full 15-trait breakdown.
Other head-to-heads shoppers read alongside the Encore Pro EX.
Every trait normalised 0-100 against the full database, so these numbers mean the same thing on any paddle page. How we score →
Key attributes
Our similarity engine ranks the whole database by average DNA deviation. Tighten or widen the band to see how far you have to travel to save money or gain a trait.
Paddle DNA™ match
Engage Encore Pro EX
IQ 80.9 · $130
Ranked by DNA deviation
Saves $41 versus the Encore Pro EX · +10 pop · -4 touch · Higher IQ score (82.2 vs 80.9)
+12 spin · -8 launch angle · Higher IQ score (83.5 vs 80.9)
Saves $56 versus the Encore Pro EX · +10 spin · -8 sweet spot
+6 spin · -10 launch angle · Higher IQ score (82.9 vs 80.9)
+12 swing weight · -22 launch angle
+8 swing weight · -11 launch angle · Higher IQ score (83 vs 80.9)
Saves $20 versus the Encore Pro EX · +10 pop · -8 softness
Each pick beats the Encore Pro EX on one specific thing — price, power, control or forgiveness.
Closest matches by player level, hand weight and price — the paddles most players cross-shop against the Engage Encore Pro EX.
JOOLA Essentials 1616 mm · standard · 7.9 oz · SW 108$8982
ProKennex Kinetic Pro Flight14 mm · standard · 7.5 oz · SW 103$20084
Vatic Pro Prism Flash16 mm · elongated · 8 oz · SW 109$7480
Paddletek Tempest Wave V316 mm · standard · 7.9 oz · SW 110$15083Want a different matchup? Compare any two paddles or browse the full paddle database. Buying your first paddle? Read the beginner paddle guide.
Engineering-led brand focused on ball dwell time and control-first faces, popular with touch players and seniors.
Every significant number on this page carries a source and a date. Where a figure comes from the manufacturer rather than our own measurement, we say so.
$130
Amazon listing — checked July 30, 2026
7.8 oz
Manufacturer specification — recorded August 10, 2026
16 mm
Manufacturer specification — recorded August 10, 2026
105 kg·cm²
Independent measurement data, normalized to our scale
5.9 kg·cm²
Independent measurement data, normalized to our scale
IQ 80.9/100
Computed from the specs above by our published scoring model
Listed by the manufacturer as USA Pickleball approved
USA Pickleball equipment database — checked August 10, 2026
Not personally tested
Analysis on this page is spec-derived, not play-tested
Spot an error? Send a correction — every fix is logged publicly. Full protocol on our methodology page.
We separate firsthand testing from research-based analysis. Specifications are sourced and dated, corrections are logged publicly, and affiliate relationships never affect Paddle IQ scores.
Reviewed by Alex Zubarev →Our methodology →Editorial policy →
Spec-derived analysis plus cited owner and player reports from public sources. Community opinion is attributed, never restated as our own finding. Editorial policy · Affiliate disclosure
Reviewed by
Alex built the Paddle DNA™ database behind PickleballLookup — 15 normalized traits scored for every paddle in the catalog. Every page on this site is generated from that data and editorially reviewed before publication.
Last updated August 2026 · How we score paddles