Thermoforming is Here to Stay

Author

Chris Olson
January 27, 2023

Welcome to the first-ever Pickleball Studio newsletter! We've got some exciting topics, so let's get right into it.

First, I want to start off with a poll and interact with you guys a little bit. I want to know where you choose to buy your paddles from. Also, if you wouldn't mind replying to this first email, that helps a lot. Newsletters with lots of links tend to get moved to spam or promotion folders, and replying lets your email system know that you are interested in the content. You can just write that I'm a 3.5 😂

Where do you buy your paddles from?

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Upcoming paddles

There are several exciting paddles coming out in February...unfortunately I can't talk about any of them. Except one. The new Gearbox GBX which is their first introduction to a polymer raw carbon fiber paddle. Because you guys are awesome and joined the newsletter early, I want to give you early access to my first impressions of the new GBX paddle. I would appreciate it if you didn't share this outside of this newsletter until the public launch. You can check out the video here.

On that same note, get ready for a flood of thermoformed paddles into the market. Some will surely be better than others, but I can tell you right now that just about every single company will try to create one in the next 3-6 months. We are already starting to see even cheaper alternatives pop up from companies like A11N sport (I don't know if it's public yet), but those appeared to be set to launch for $125-130 and they were called the C7 and C8.This is really good for the consumer because with Legacy, Vatic, A11N Sport, and likely many other companies trying to compete in price, the consumer can get amazing paddles for much cheaper. I see almost no reason to purchase a nonthermoformed raw carbon paddle when the new ones are $30-40 cheaper.

Paddles on my radar

People always like to know what I am working on for reviews. At the moment I am working on reviews of two unreleased paddles that should be coming out in February (heavy emphasis on should). Along with the SixZero Double Black Diamond that I am testing in Arizona right now. Vatic Pro are redoing their paddles slightly and aiming for a mid February release. My goal would be to have a Vatic, SixZero, CRBN, Legacy comparison done in February, or early March. More than likely, that video will be in March. if you are currently on the fence about on of those paddles, here is a brief summary of how you can pick:

  • If price is a huge factor, go with the Vatic Pro. Code PBSTUDIO saves you $10 and there's no shipping cost. Cheapest option by quite a bit. Followed by Legacy, SixZero, then CRBN.

  • If power is your priority, my rough order of power goes: Legacy Pro> Vatic Pro V7 16mm, CRBN1X 16mm, SixZero Double Black Diamond. Though, I'm starting to think the CRBN1X and SixZero Double Black Diamond are very close in power and could potentially be swapped. I need to do more side by side testing to be positive. These AZ temperatures might be skewing my opinion slightly.

  • If control is of concern, flip that previous list.

  • For spin, Legacy > CRBN > SixZero > Vatic. (Now that I have a production model, SixZero may potentially surpass CRBN)

To be completely honest, it's really hard to go wrong with any of those paddles. They are all exceptional performance and I don't think you'll be upset with any of them. It really comes down to how much you are favoring power or control. Just be aware that if you were considering Vatic, it might be wise to wait until mid Feb when the new ones release.

Paddle review recap

If you missed them, here is a recap of some paddle news this month.

The new CRBN power series is here, and they are really good. The primary new feature they have is this new technology called thermoforming which makes the paddles incredibly durable. Snapping a paddle at the handle in regular play will be next to impossible now. You can also check out the video below to see my attempt at snapping a CRBN1X 14mm over my knee. Spoiler: My knee lost.

Video here

I launched my first-ever paddle awards video. I created this to reward those that did a great job in the year by providing good paddles for players. I hope this will continue to incentivize companies to produce better paddles. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Legacy Pro

The Legacy Pro went under my radar at the end of last year for several reasons, but I finally have one, and all I can say is: wow. This paddle is really, really good. Easily competitive with any paddle from $200-300. The great part? It is being sold for only $150 (temporarily $145 while they are out of stock), and code PBSTUDIO will save you 10%, dropping the price down even further. This level of performance is unheard of for this price. This is a direct competitor to the new CRBN power series. For nearly $100 cheaper with the discount code, I don't know who I would say the CRBN power series is better for. The more I use the Legacy, the more I'm convinced it is the most powerful legal Pickleball paddle on the market. This is going to be a paddle that generates a lot of buzz.

Podcasts:

If you missed out on this month's podcasts, here's a quick list in case you want to check them out.

We have some exciting episodes upcoming in February with pro guests like Zane Navratil, Lea Jansen, and many more, so make sure to stay tuned!