Prism Carbon Fiber 16mm - Foam Injected Walls - Includes Paddle Cover

Short Version: If you are a new or new-ish player looking for a "good paddle", this is it. It's objectively as good as paddles 2-3x as expensive and has a feel that will help teach the game whether coming from table tennis, tennis, or no prior racket sport experience.Long Version:I played pickleball 8-9 times with some cheaper paddles I bought on Amazon, enjoyed the game, but figured a nice paddle wouldn't make a huge difference. Then, I met a really good player who played in the US Open. He had a very nice paddle that retailed for about $200. I used it for about 10 seconds and my mind was blown. 2 hours of games with him later, and I decided 2 things: 1) I suck at pickleball, and 2) If I got a good paddle I'd still suck, but at least I could have a good tool to improve with.I played table tennis somewhat competitively during college, but never "real" tennis. I'm comfortable with light, grippy paddles, and a spinny game, so I wanted a paddle to match that. I also didn't want to blow my life savings on one of those crazy $250-300 paddles that some pickleball bro said is the best thing since sliced bread.After researching around 4-5 sites, this paddle always came up as a solid paddle for "control and spin", and almost always THE paddle for under $100. The semi-pro I played with recommended I go for a carbon fiber paddle since it's the latest technology in pickleball paddles, and this seemed like a good buy, so I went for it at 10 PM on a Sunday Night.At 7:30 Monday morning, a new paddle was waiting at my door. So naturally, my dad and I hit the court at 7:35.WOW.First impressions, it comes in a nice paddle sleeve that feels premium. The paddle is very light. The surface is carbon fiber, so very grippy on the ball. The bounce feels and sounds soft. If you've played with random paddles your friends gave you, they make a "clonk" sound. This makes a soft "thunk". There is no dead spot around the edges, just a tiny one near the tip of the paddle.It took 15-20 minutes for me to get used to how responsive the paddle is. I couldn't blast serves at 60 MPH, it's a soft paddle, but I could get remarkable control on short shots and slice serves. Spins felt very intuitive to me as a table tennis player. I'm still learning not to rely on wrist action in this game though... it's a learning curve! But, after that 15-20 minutes of warm-up, I soundly thrashed my dad and decided that I had ascended to Pickleball Pro with 20 minutes of practice.Then I made one of the dumbest decisions of my life. I bought my dad the same paddle. It arrived within 6 hours, the same day. The next morning, we played again, and he kicked. my. butt. This paddle magically makes you better.My dad was a tournament tennis player as a kid. He wanted a paddle that focused on power, but pickleball is all about soft shots that open up to an attack - you rarely win by always hitting fast, long shots. This paddle (definitely a soft, control paddle) has been great for him because he's had to learn to hit dinks and drop shots. He can't just rely on his insane backhand drives from the baseline.Also, in our first 2 days of playing for about 3 hours, never ONCE did we go for a shot and hit the "dead spot" on our paddle. With our old, cheap paddles, it happened probably 1-2x PER GAME. It's hard to explain how much consistency and control this paddle gives you vs. whatever cheaper ones you are using now.By day 2, we noticed our paddles were getting really dusty - a lot of dirt was getting trapped in the grippy carbon fiber surface. (See the picture - that's after about 90 minutes of playing on an outdoor court) We got a couple of carbon fiber erasers on Amazon ($10 each?) and they really helped clean our paddles and keep them nice and grippy. If you're investing $100 in a paddle, might as well drop another $10 to care for it properly.After a few play sessions, my dad and I are both incredibly happy with this paddle. For my table tennis background, it's as comfortable as a light, spinny paddle. For his tennis background, it's a consistent paddle that forces him to learn the control needed in pickleball. And all our noob friends who have tried our paddles have started salivating instantly.If you kinda enjoy pickleball, a nice paddle makes the game WAAAAY more fun, and gives you a lot more expression of skill, or suck, as the case may be. This is a fantastic option if you're considering buying a nice paddle. It is forgiving and consistent for new players, and teaches good habits to players with crossover experience. At this price point, it feels better (to my not-very-experienced hands) than some 2x-3x the $$ PrEmIuM paddles. If you can feel the difference, you aren't the type that would be reading a random review about this paddle on Amazon...Get it, a carbon fiber eraser to clean it, destroy your dad/friend/wife/boss, and enjoy the ego boost until they get one themselves.Edit, a few months later:Well, I'm officially addicted to Pickleball now. I've gotten private coaching, played multiple times per week at all my local parks, achieved a tournament rating somewhere in the late intermediate range (3.8-4.0), and still love this paddle. I'm editing this because I'm buying one for my girlfriend to learn the game on. Every single good player I've met at this point all agree that this paddle is THE one to buy if your budget is anywhere south of $150, and always a very solid option even if you have a super high budget.I'm starting to actually notice how this paddle compares to other "super nice" ones. First, it's not good at super fast shots. There are MANY other paddles that have more "pop" or hit fast. That's not a problem for me at all, but might become one in the future. This paddle is exceptionally good at slowing down fast shots and hitting drops (shots that "drop" just as they pass the net). Many players have started commenting on my drop shots, and I'm realizing my paddle really helps that playstyle.If you want to hit the ball SUUUUPER hard AND you've learned good form with a soft paddle like this, you may want an upgrade. If you learn the game on this soft paddle and want a maximally spinny paddle or paddle with a "pop" feeling, you might want to upgrade. If you want a soft paddle that will let you slow down and play a controlled game, low-key this might actually be your paddle for life... but regardless, start with this one. It will teach you the game way better than a paddle that automatically gives you a boost in power/spin/pop.Basically, even after becoming "one of those pickleball bros", I still love this paddle and highly recommend it. It's the perfect price and style for a new player. Even as I've gotten more advanced and pickleball takes over my personality, I'm very happy with it. Good stuff Vatic!

Been playing P-ball for 5 years and have gone through and tried about a dozen paddles, so not an expert but I’ll tell you my opinion.My big round sweet spot Prince paddle was a nice upgrade for the generous sweet spot but felt heavy and slow. Somewhere along the line I developed tennis elbow and someone suggested the Selkirk paddles because he thought they had less vibration transferred to the handle. Maybe, but after 4 months of banging, the handle broke off.I did some research and found the recommendations for this paddle to be over the top. Okay, I had to try it for under $100. (and it arrived overnight!)First thing is the paddle feels super light in my hand. This has helped my tennis elbow but the light weight also robbed me of the power I was used to… which has actually made my game better because now I’m focusing on placing my shots instead of just blasting them. I think I’m faster at the net also because of the lighter paddle.This is a softer hitting paddle. It seems to go poof when hitting a ball instead of clunk. I switched back and forth between my old paddles and this one seems less jarring in the handle when hitting the ball.The sweet spot is crazy big and I’m amazed at some of the shots I’ve made which I have to credit the paddle for. Because of the lack of power I do have to work harder to volley from the baseline but I’m having fun with playing a softer game and dinking more.The spin off this is… incredible. I’m not much of a spin player but I hear a lot of “Man, what did you put on that ball?” which I never heard before.Unlike my Prince paddle, these only come in one weight and handle size… which is okay because the handle diameter and length are great and I wanted to try a lighter paddle to help my tennis elbow problem.I liked this so much my wife got me to buy her one also after trying mine out. (I wish they made them in different just for this reason).I’m loving the big sweet spot and the carbon fiber spiny surface and the quickness from the light weight, but miss the power a little bit. Maybe I’ll add some lead tape later but for now this is a pretty nice paddle for $100…. and my other paddles have become the “loaner” paddles.UPDATE 2025: Still liking (not full love) this paddle BUT after a couple months of playing with it the grit is all worn off…. So much for the spin factor! When I first got the paddle there was always yellow ball dust on the face- now nothing. Smooth as a baby’s behind. Not a game changer as many paddles loose their grit but this wore down pretty quickly.The paddle is very lightweight and hard for me to drive balls from the baseline so I added some lead tape to the bottom corners of the paddle…. FANTASTIC improvement on balance and feels like a bigger sweet spot.I’m looking for my next paddle but until then it’s hard to beat this one for $100.

I really love this paddle. It's lightweight and easy on the wrist, making it great for the quick movements needed for hands battles, and it has great surface texture (at least till it wears off) for adding spin and finesse to shorter and slower shots.

This paddle is great for use at the net. I can get some really good Resets, drops and dinks. So it's great for your short game. And good for indoor ball use. I do not use it for outdoor playing. It does have a few things that aren't my favorite. The dead center is the sweet spot which is good. However, that's it. There is no radius for the sweet spot like my Vatic Pro Prism.

Such an Awesome Paddle for the price!This is my 1st true upgrade paddle after having used a basic introductory paddle for about 4 to 5 months. I started to develop some "Tennis Elbow" because of how much more work and stress my arm had to undergo while using said paddle. My friend already owned this Vatic Pro Prism Flash 16mm Paddle and they allowed me to do a little test run during a session.I IMMEDIATELY felt the difference using this paddle: lightweight, lots of cushion/shock absorption (less stress on my elbow), good control... it even has some decent Pop/Power! (definitely not as much as other paddles more designed for Pop/Power... but decent) Basically, my arm doesn't have to work as hard anymore and the stress on my arm is GREATLY reduced. The paddle does most of the "heavy lifting" for me!I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this Vatic Pro Prism Flash 16mm Paddle and would highly recommend it to anyone who is graduating from a beginner level and wanting to get more serious with their Pickleball Game and/or who is looking to make their 1st serious paddle upgrade purchase without breaking the bank. Cheers!!!