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Paddletek
Paddletek's control benchmark. Control 92, touch 92 and softness 88 with a 107 swing weight is the classic soft-game recipe, updated with a raw carbon face for spin 84.
From Paddletek
Our best-selling paddle series is now even more formidable. The new Tempest Wave Pro-C provides a combination of spin, control, and forgiveness. PT-700 unidirectional raw carbon fiber is combined with our more forgiving Tempest core to give serious players both control and max spin capability. The legendary Smart Response Technology and a large, consistent sweet spot add finesse to every shot, while the balanced weight increases speed and maneuverability for even better play.
Official Paddletek product page →Cross-shopping? Most buyers weigh the Tempest Pro C 16 against the ProKennex Black Ace LG — see them side by side, or browse every Paddletek paddle.
AI verdict — generated from measured specs
Last updated: July 2026
The Paddletek Tempest Pro C 16 scores 84.5/100 on our IQ index, built from all 15 Paddle DNA traits. Its signature is consistency (90/100, 89th percentile of the database), backed by touch at 92 and control at 92. The 16 mm Poly-Core II honeycomb core and Raw carbon fiber face at 7.9 oz put it in the placement-first — you win points by out-positioning people bracket.
Where it gives ground is pop (72) and power (76). With a 107 kg·cm² swing weight and a 5.25 in handle it suits beginner/intermediate/advanced players, one-handed backhands, hands battles at the kitchen. Skip it if you rely on raw put-away pace.
Closest paddles by DNA: ProKennex Black Ace LG ($200), Six Zero Sapphire 16 ($190), Vatic Pro Atlas 16 ($110). If budget matters, the Vatic Pro V-Sol Pro 16 lands within 1 IQ points for $91 less. Overall: a strong buy for the right player, though not the outright best paddle in the database.
In depth
Paddletek's control benchmark, updated with a raw carbon face: control 92, touch 92, consistency 90 and a fast 107 swing weight.
The sections below are analysis of measured 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.
The Poly-Core II honeycomb is deliberately compliant, which lengthens dwell time and lets you change the ball's direction late. That mechanism produces both figures, and it is also why power caps at 76 — energy spent deforming the core does not return to the ball.
Most 16 mm paddles measure 110 to 120. At 107 with maneuverability 80, this one stays quick at the kitchen line, which is rare for a paddle this soft.
The raw carbon face lifts spin meaningfully over Paddletek's older textured composites. It is still below the 88-to-92 raw T700 specialists, but it is enough to shape rolls rather than just block.
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.
No sourced community excerpts are published for this paddle yet. We only quote text we can link back to.
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 Tempest Pro C 16.
The matchups people actually cross-shop, each with a full 15-trait breakdown.
Other head-to-heads shoppers read alongside the Tempest Pro C 16.
Every trait normalised 0-100 against the full database, so these numbers mean the same thing on any paddle page. How we measure →
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
Paddletek Tempest Pro C 16
IQ 84.5 · $190
Ranked by DNA deviation
+4 softness · -4 control
+7 spin · -4 swing weight · Higher IQ score (85.9 vs 84.5)
Saves $80 versus the Tempest Pro C 16 · +4 forgiveness · -6 touch · Higher IQ score (84.8 vs 84.5)
Saves $70 versus the Tempest Pro C 16 · +4 spin · -6 swing weight
Saves $30 versus the Tempest Pro C 16 · +4 power · -8 softness
+6 sweet spot · -6 softness · Higher IQ score (86.1 vs 84.5)
+12 twist weight · Higher IQ score (88 vs 84.5)
Saves $20 versus the Tempest Pro C 16 · +4 power · -8 softness · Higher IQ score (85.4 vs 84.5)
Each pick beats the Tempest Pro C 16 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 Paddletek Tempest Pro C 16.
ProKennex Black Ace LG16 mm · elongated · 8 oz · SW 109$20083
Six Zero Sapphire 1616 mm · standard · 8.1 oz · SW 106$19086
Vatic Pro Atlas 1616 mm · widebody · 7.9 oz · SW 106$11085
Ronbus R1 Pulsar16 mm · elongated · 7.9 oz · SW 104$12084Want a different matchup? Compare any two paddles or browse the full paddle database.
One of the original US manufacturers, best known for the Bantam and Tempest lines and their proprietary polymer cores.
Reviewed by
Alex built the Paddle DNA™ database behind PickleballLookup — 15 normalized traits measured against every paddle in the catalog. Every page on this site is generated from that data and editorially reviewed before publication.
Last updated July 2026 · How we score paddles