2025 Paddle Awards: The Best Pickleball Paddles of the Year

Introduction

The 2025 pickleball paddle market was one of the most competitive and crowded in recent memory. With brands pushing the boundaries of power, foam core technology, and sweet spot size, choosing the best paddles of the year required extensive testing and comparison. This guide breaks down the winners across the key categories: value, control, all-court, power, and the overall paddle of the year.

Value Paddles of the Year

The value category has become increasingly important as paddle prices continue to climb. With inflation and market trends, the value category now focuses on paddles priced at $120 or less. The competition in this space was fierce, with brands like LZ, Vatic Pro, Rhombus, and Friday all releasing paddles that rival even the most expensive options on the market. These paddles prove that you don’t need to spend a fortune for top-tier performance.

Widebody Value: Rhombus Quanta R2

The Rhombus Quanta R2 took the pickleball market by storm. After releasing the $280 Ripple only a few months prior, Rhombus launched the Quanta series at $99 after a discount code. The Quanta is very light stock with lots of customization options. While out of the box the Quanta series offers mid-level performance with a small sweet spot, once you add enough weight, this paddle completely unlocks with a more than acceptable sweet spot and huge amounts of power that rivals even the top power paddles in pickleball. All of that for $99 makes the Quanta line a standout value option.

Hybrid Value: Vatic Pro Visil Pro Flash SH

The Vatic Pro Visil Pro Flash SH earns the hybrid value award. One of the key advantages of the Visil Pro compared to the Quanta is that you don’t need anywhere near the amount of weight on it. The Pro is basically good to go right out of the box. While you can enhance performance by adding weight, you really don’t need to. It’s a very well-rounded power paddle that doesn’t do anything wrong. Vatic Pro has consistently released killer paddles in this category since they launched, and the Visil Pro is no exception. They now offer awesome control paddles in the Prism series, all-court options with the Saga line, and power with the Visil Pro.

Elongated Value: LZ Cannon

The LZ Cannon came out of nowhere to claim the elongated value award. For people who want a power Gen 3 style paddle without the prices of Yola or RPM, the LZ Cannon is a top choice. The only thing that could make it even harder to beat would be a widebody shape release. LZ recently launched the Glider, which is the hybrid variant of the Cannon, covering two of the three shapes. Even as someone who isn’t a huge elongated paddle user, the Cannon was a lot of fun to use. Having a Gen 3 power option in this category is something many players appreciated this year.

Control Paddles of the Year

The control category was relatively uneventful in 2025, as most companies focused on power. There were barely any control paddles released this year, and the ones that did come out weren’t necessarily that impressive. The Selkirk Project 008, the original Diadem Blue Core, Franklin Tempo 16mm, and the revamped Selkirk Lux were the main releases, but none of them stood out. As a result, all three picks for the best control paddles of the year are the same as last year. These paddles have stood the test of time and continue to deliver exceptional control performance at reasonable prices.

Widebody Control: Bolair Mach 2 Forza 16mm

The Bolair Mach 2 Forza 16mm takes the widebody control award. This year, the paddle actually dropped down in price to $120 before a discount code, making it essentially a value category option as well. It doesn’t get much better than this paddle at that price for control. Even in a world dominated by hyper power paddles, the Mach 2 Forza remains a joy to play with, offering the kind of control that makes it easy to focus on your game.

Hybrid Control: Honolulu J2Ti

The Honolulu J2Ti earns the hybrid control award for the second consecutive year. It’s one of those control paddles that is hard to beat because it’s reasonably priced and delivers exactly what you expect from a control-focused paddle. In a market where the newest models aren’t necessarily always better than prior ones, the J2Ti continues to prove that performance should be the primary factor in winning an award.

Elongated Control: 11624 Harach X Jellybean 16mm

The 11624 Harach X Jellybean 16mm takes the elongated control award. Like the other control winners, this paddle has stood the test of time. After extensive testing, it remains one of the best options you can buy for control. The Jellybean delivers the kind of consistent, reliable control that makes it a favorite among players who prioritize precision over power.

All-Court Paddles of the Year

Unlike the control category, the all-court space saw some good movement in 2025. After going through all of the testing, a couple of paddles really stood out and even surprised with their performance. These paddles offer the balanced blend of power and control that defines the all-court category.

Widebody All-Court: Carbon True Foam Genesis 2

The Carbon True Foam Genesis 2 was one of the favorite paddles of the year and held the longest main spot for about six months. Despite being an early favorite, it wasn’t initially expected to win an award. In the later half of the year, stiffer foam competition offered better sweet spots, more maneuverability, more power, and cheaper prices. However, when compared against other all-court options, the Genesis reminded everyone how nice it is when it has weight. Even a heavily used six-month-old Genesis still gets awesome spin and is really nice to play with. While it’s overpriced and doesn’t have the sweet spot size of some competitors, the Genesis remains a really good option in the all-court arena when you have the weight on it.

Hybrid All-Court: 6-0 Coral

The 6-0 Coral narrowly edged out the Honolulu J2 FC Plus for the hybrid all-court award. The Coral offers what is considered a true all-court experience with a very soft and plush feel off the face and not a lot of vibration or feedback into the arm. It’s one of those all-court paddles that is very easy to pick up and use without anything major to complain about. While it may not be a paddle that wows people, it does everything very solidly, which is the definition of the all-court category.

Elongated All-Court: Franklin C45 Dynasty 16mm

The Franklin C45 Dynasty 16mm was a surprise winner in the elongated all-court category. It’s a highly customizable elongated paddle that starts very light. While out of the box it does lack some stability, once you add weight, the paddle really unlocks and the experience is a lot of fun. It’s not a paddle that excites you the way others can, but you pick it up and it’s very easy to play solid pickleball without overthinking the equipment. Franklin has released quality performance paddles after multiple years of disappointing releases, and the C45 Dynasty represents a significant turnaround for the brand.

Power Paddles of the Year

The power category was by far the most competitive of 2025. Companies heavily focused on power this year, and it was easily the hardest category to nail down because so many of the power paddles were top-notch. One of the best advancements was the sweet spots of power paddles. In the past, you were really choosing between sweet spot size and power, but these days that trade-off is less and less, with many power paddles having comparable sweet spots to control and all-court paddles. This made power more accessible to every level of player.

Widebody Power: Bread and Butter Loco

The Bread and Butter Loco takes the widebody power award. This paddle took Bread and Butter to a whole other level of performance. While their paddles were never bad, most of the time they just weren’t as competitive in performance or price as alternative options. The Loco went one notch below the max power and pop paddles, making it easier for more people to control while still offering plenty of power and pop. At the time of release, the price undercut the Selkirk Boomstick, one of its main competitors. The Loco did everything right for a power paddle, with the sweet spot, control, pop, and power all in a really healthy spot.

Hybrid Power: Vatic Pro Visil Pro Flash SH

The Vatic Pro Visil Pro Flash SH earns the hybrid power award. This was the singular most difficult shape to nail down in all of the awards, with so many good options available. Ultimately, the Visil Pro Flash SH stood out for how well-rounded it was as a hybrid power paddle. It felt very easy and natural to pick up and play with, with no fuss. One of the best markers of a great paddle is when you can pick it up and not think about the paddle itself, but rather focus on your game. Of all the hybrid power paddles, the Visil Pro Flash SH did that the best.

View more details for Vatic Pro Visil Pro Flash SH

Elongated Power: Selkirk Project Boomstick

The Selkirk Project Boomstick takes the elongated power award. One of the things that stood out immediately is just how huge the sweet spot is on this paddle. That’s no surprise with how much weight there is at 3 and 9 from the MOI tuning weights. The cherry on top is that the swing weights don’t get out of hand even with all of that extra weight. A lot of times elongated paddles can come heavy out of the box and then still need extra weight for more stability. The Boomstick matches a lot of those paddles stock swing weight but with much more stability. It’s very hard to rival just how good the sweet spot of the Boomstick is while also hitting as hard as it does.

Paddle of the Year

The paddle of the year award goes to the paddle that was the personal favorite of the year. It came down to five paddles: the Carbon 2 True Foam Genesis, the Honolulu J2NF, the Selkirk Labs Project Boomstick, the Vatic Pro Visil Pro, and the eventual winner.

The Carbon 2 True Foam Genesis was the longest main of the year, used from January until about June. It did everything needed for a personal game style, and none of the various paddles releasing during that time were tempting enough to switch.

The Honolulu J2NF was the first paddle in 2025 that finally made the Genesis get put down. The enhanced sweet spot, better maneuverability, more power, and seemingly more control because of the larger sweet spot was all a top-tier combo. It was also the paddle that kicked off the title wave of EP cores with an EVA ring around them.

The Selkirk Labs Project Boomstick was taken to a tournament where it went 10-0 in a first-time partnership. It was also the single largest duper jump ever had in a single event, going from roughly 4.51 to 4.73 in one tournament.

The Vatic Pro Visil Pro didn’t get the normal coverage a great paddle would receive due to timing, but every time it was used, it was just easy and solid. The price-to-performance ratio was a giant cherry on top.

However, the paddle of the year award goes to the Bread and Butter Loco. When it was coming out, it wasn’t clear where it would fit in the lineup. You had the Selkirk Labs Project Boomstick at $333 with great power and great sweet spot, the Rhombus Quanta at $120 which could perform in the realm of a Boomstick with the right amount of weight, and the Loco built in a very similar way as both of those paddles but with middle-of-the-road pricing at $199.

The Loco launched right around the time the PPA started switching to the faster lifetime ball. While the Boomstick wasn’t that hard to use with a Vulcan, it certainly became more challenging once the switch to the Lifetime Ball happened. With the Loco having less pop and power than the Boomstick and Quanta, it was easier to use under pressure with a faster ball. It felt similar to how the speed of the Boomstick played with the Vulcan, so you got the benefits of both of those paddles but could control it under pressure with the new ball.

The Loco was the paddle chosen for basically the entire Chasing 50 series. Even with other paddles that came out, nothing was really all that tempting to switch to. The biggest factor is that you don’t think about the paddle. You can go out and play, whether that’s training or a tournament, and just focus on the game. Anytime there is a paddle that can do that, it’s a huge fan favorite.

View more details for Bread and Butter Loco

Other Notable Power Paddles

Several other power paddles were strong contenders in 2025. The LZ Inferno, Yola Pro 4, Thrive Fury, RPM Friction Pro, Rhombus Quanta, and Vatic Pro Visil Pro all delivered impressive performance. The Rhombus Quanta, in particular, showed that you don’t have to drop tons of money for a power paddle, performing in the realm of a Boomstick with the right amount of weight at a fraction of the price.

Most Improved Brand

The most improved award goes to brands who really improved their lineup, performance, and brand image in the eyes of the community. There were a couple of good contenders this year. Selkirk made a pretty giant comeback with the introduction of the Boomstick and the SK era after having a multi-year drought of subpar releases. Bread and Butter went from what people would consider a forefront brand with solid paddles to releasing one of the more popular paddles in 2025. Franklin really changed their image around and became much more of a performance brand with the C45.

However, the winner is LZ. Last year, LZ was a nobody brand with some generic looking Gen 2 paddles. People were questioning why anyone would give time to a no-name brand. LZ managed to go from that a year ago to out of nowhere one of the most requested brands and paddles to cover. The Cannon and the Inferno really did a 180-degree turn for LZ’s entire brand image. Even more impressive is that LZ managed to do it with very odd marketing, wording, or graphics. It really is a testament to how many things people will look past if the performance of the paddles are good.

View more details for LZ Inferno

Flop of the Year

The flop of the year award goes to the paddle that really didn’t meet expectations. There were a couple of good options this year. The Selkirk Labs Project 008 and the original Diadem Blue Core were pretty huge flops. Everyone’s expectation for foam was that it was going to be powerful, but both were control to all-court paddles at best, being released for $280. They did nothing better than what other well-established control paddles on the market did, and they were charging significantly more money for them.

The Adidas Metal Bone paddles also underperformed where they should have been, receiving zero approval certification except for one polymer core paddle. The Carbon Waves also failed to hang with the new foam core paddles after the fantastic start of the year with the Genesis.

However, the flop of the year is the Rhombus Ripple V2. The whole Ripple line ended up being a disaster. The original Beta Ripples were elite performing paddles, but they ended up having far too many revisions. Certification was seemingly pulled or there was confusion on whether or not the right versions were actually certified. Beta versions were sold to consumers who then couldn’t use them in tournaments. When the Ripple V2 eventually released, it was a much worse version than all the prior Ripples. While it still hit very hard, the sweet spot got smaller and the paddles got much, much heavier. The final icing on the cake was the $280 price tag, which was a pretty substantial jump in pricing for Rhombus. All of those things together effectively killed the hype for the Ripple.

Conclusion

The 2025 pickleball paddle market was defined by foam and power. The advancements in sweet spot technology made power paddles more accessible to every level of player, and the value category proved that you don’t need to spend a fortune for top-tier performance. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly option like the Rhombus Quanta R2, a balanced all-court paddle like the 6-0 Coral, or a power-focused option like the Bread and Butter Loco, there’s a paddle on this list that can elevate your game.