You are the only paddle review professional I listen to now. You're the only honest, non-biased opinion that matters. You provide the full spectrum of information I need. Your commentary is so valuable. Thank you!!!!
Played against the Perseus Gen 3 this weekend. It reminded me of the softball bats that are only legal in senior league. Every once in a while there was a tournament with no regulations and everyone felt like Barry Bonds when swinging the Miken Ultra 2. The Perseus is the equivalent. The guy I played didn’t know how to use it well. But every time he got a high ball the point was over. I was also very leery of his speed ups. Makes it a different game all together.
Really appreciate your honest and unbiased reviews! I was hoping the Gen3 would offer more advantage on the control side. I generate plenty of my own power so this review definitely helped me from getting too caught up in the hype. Great job as always, Chris! PB Studio is my first stop for any PB product review.
Chris, you and Will have my utmost respect. To date, you have never led me astray. I have purchased more paddles than I care to admit based on your reviews, and you have never led me wrong until now. I absolutely detest Joola paddles (just a personal thing), but I had the chance to play with the Ben John's Perseus 16mm last night. I ended up buying one after 2 hours of play. I couldn't miss a shot with the paddle. Everything was precise, my drops were good, hard shots were in, and drops were better than ever before. I don't know how you got this one wrong! :) That being said, I can't wait for your next review, and probably my next purchase if it aligns with my play style. Great work to you and Will!
I got the Perseus and the power is amazing. My only issue is getting my forehand and backhand drives to stay in the court. I'm working on it because the power at the kitchen is incredible. It is 100% better than the Gearbox Power Pro Elongated but still hard to control. I will give it one week to get dialed in. I am a 5.5 who played tennis for 25 years.
What a great video! Beautiful professionally produced video. Did you take graphic design classes? Such a good eye. Video is informative and entertaining and funny. The Power & Speed Overlay was very impressive and cool to watch. So technical. I love that Aizec was featured so much! 5:42 Why We Need the CRBN Cup in Production 10:51 Aizec as human Velcro 3.5 forever! Chris, why, oh, why would you show yourself missing an Erne at 16:15 or executing an ineffective lob at 17:00? Admittedly, you 5.0's are going for some fancy advanced shots. You do get your winning lobs in at 20:45. Thanks so much for making this video!
As always, great video Chris. Awesome content and loaded with information. I personally haven't thought too much about the ethics (i.e., too much power, etc.) until I watched this video especially the pics of the knee and shoulder welts. After see those injuries and really reflecting on paddle technology, I am strongly in the camp that there needs to some regulation for both the prevention of injuries and also to maintain the integrity of the sport. I am using the word integrity to describe the dinking, precision and soft part of the game. MLB does not permit aluminum bats and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the paddle manufacturers are going in that direction (not aluminum paddles but super powerful paddles).
Thank you for pointing out the safety factor of the game and maybe the top has been hit on making the paddles faster. Hopefully, the powers that be will take a hard look at this so this game does not get ruined for all us newer players.
This might be a nightmare for rec play. The majority of players who aren’t high level don’t need more put away or pop they need to learn how to control the ball. Even Ben, Fed, and Collin were missing easy drops in the last few tournaments I’m assuming they were adjusting but their skill allows them to still play at a high level. If the next paddles coming this year become more and more powerful I suspect you’ll see a lot more eye injuries since rec players don’t know how to aim for spots. I don’t think these these paddles are worth 280. The marketing hype people place in Selkirk and joola is insane. Paddles only last 3-6 months. I could never see myself spending 560-1120 a year on paddles that’s just insane.
Agree. Rec players I've seen seem to think a speedup is a full swing/blast as hard as you can from the transition area or NVZ - could be dangerous with these max power paddles.
@@seanwilson512 I played against a woman with a gearbox pro power elongated who does exactly this. Her game is to hit the ball with a full tennis drive, right at your upper body/face. Right at the kitchen line. It's so fast I can't even dodge fast enough. So dangerous.
Agree 100% that we need caps on the power, it is changing the game in ways that make it far less fun and actually more dangerous, which I never thought I would say. Dinking rallies seem like a thing of the past. As you said, time to take a stance and introduce proper regulations so that this does not CONTINUE to get out of hand. Once the genie gets out of the bottle, and it has, it will be hard to introduce regulations that ban paddles already in production. REMEMBER, paddle companies want to make money and sell paddles! They are not concerned about how it changes the game or even if it increases injuries. Companies are all jumping on the POWER wagon and want to outdo each other to keep those sales numbers up. You spoke of ethics, time for paddle companies to actually act in ethical ways that are not driven by sales and profit margins. We CAN NOT let paddle companies dictate the sport, the sport (PPA and USAP) needs to dictate the direction of the sport and stand up to the paddle companies. Finally, I get it, some guys like to really bang the ball and so this trend to ridiculous power is addictive and now taking control of the sport.
My 14mm Perseus Gen3 came in this morning, and I've been playing with it this afternoon. I typically use a Six Zero Ruby or 14 mm DBD, and sometimes an Engage Pro MX 6.0. Yeah, I buy a lot of the paddles you review ..... Anyway, I'm a solid 3.5 player, and sometimes play above that. I have a decent power game, pretty good spin from all over the court, a decent short game and my hand speed has been improving. I found the Perseus hits as hard as my Engage out of the box, has more pop (and obviously power) than my Six Zeros, has really good spin and for some reason especially top spin, and is fairly controllable though I have popped up a bit more than usual. I've got league tomorrow and will use this paddle in more competitive play then, but plan to focus on this one for a while. But it will take a lot to permanently pull me away from the Six Zero paddles! Really enjoy your videos and enjoy the content you and Will put out..
Is it possible that some of the struggle with playing against PPE and G3 comes from the (lack of) sound produced by the paddles? I come from TT and hearing how opponents hit the ball really informs the immediate reaction I make to get ready to return the shot. First time against a PPE I was preparing to hit the drop shot he hit at me with a tiny backswing and before I knew it I had a tattoo on my chest. It took a long time to get used to it sounding so quiet when he hit drives
After playing with both the 14 and 16 I have to agree with your comments. For some reason the 14s seem to play much better than the 16s. I agree the ball seems to pocket less on the 14s therefore they play more like a regular 16mm thermoformed paddle. The 16s seem to pocket the ball more therefore giving it more pop causing more balls to fly. Playing w the 16 my balls tended to fly out, playing w the 14 my balls were super precise and dropped in every time. Thanks Chris for the great review. I would have never even thought to pick up a 14mm normally until your comments.
I got to hit the Perseus, magnus and scorpeus this morning. I’ve never played with an elongated paddle so Scorpeus felt most natural to me. I was shocked at the power and shape I could put on the ball. But I probably won’t buy one.
@@acurapro1it’s not that I didn’t anything about it. I just don’t think I will buy one. I feel like these are the kinds of paddles that would get banned 4-6 months down the line and I don’t wanna waste my money on something that could get banned.
Grateful for your Review. I played against people with these paddles. After Playing against them, I know if this is the new standard in power , I would give up playing Pickleball. I love Pickleball but with these paddles it is no longer pickleball. It's a new game. I don't enjoy being hit with a ball over and over. Joola and Gearbox are on the verge of destroying the Game from the inside out. Someone at my local park already got a detached Retina from these paddles. Yes eyewear, which i wear but This has gone to far. This could be the begin-ing of the End for Pickleball. Watching it on the PPA also is not fun, points are no longer enjoyable. Its who ever to smash the ball at each other wins, that is why we see Joola sponsored players getting so far in tournaments. Blessings on and of the court.
I think the white foam material is SILICONE FOAM. A foam that has high melting point for thermoforming and crazy elastic even when glued to the carbon fiber paddle face. The polypropylene core with silicone foam edge will creates a slingshot effect.
These paddles are generally well made but, there is a very very, I mean very small envelope where these paddles do their super tricks. It's more of a surprise when you get extra power and spin not something you can control or plan on. One in ten shots is like wow, where did that come from. Otherwise it's hard to be very precise with any shot that flexes the eva foam at all. I'm a 4.5 player and I find this true with all the EVA foam paddles I've tried and sent back. My advise, stick with Gen2, Engage pro, Legacy pro, Paddletek TKO, 6.0 DBD and don't buy into all the experiment paddles out there.
Your point about more control on the 14s is interesting. If you look at Joola’s specs for these paddles they rate the 16s higher in power. I wonder if the thickness increases dwell time and trampoline.
Good comments on ethics and safety. Where is the line where, once crossed, necessitates changing the game? A podcast segment looking at lessons to be learned from the rise and fall of racquetball might be timely. While there are a great many factors involved in racquetball's huge growth and precipitous fall, two stand out to me. Increased speed and the existence of a kill shot in the fabric of the game. The better the players got, the shorter the rallies became. The opposite is true in pretty much every other racquet sport (technology and seven foot serve bot issue in tennis appropriately noted). A friend of mine was a nationally ranked racquetball player who jumped right to 'A' level squash (and now pickleball actually), for that reason. With no roll out (kill shot) available he simply wore people down mentally in squash. Similarly, in pickleball (to date), think trying to have a fist fight with a cat. Now, imagine what might happen in pickleball when the combined effect of power and spin lets a server be able to (with greater consistency than possible today) bend a serve out the side of the court such that the side fence becomes the determiner. That would become a capital cost versus rule change issue. Will it mean that pickleball will need to adopt the same serving rule that exists in wheel chair table tennis? Regarding speed alone: The logic and intent of hitting to the feet of the opponent is far different than any associated with aiming for centre mass. (imagine a capability for speed makes throwing in the occasional "nasty nelson" on the serve seem a reasonable tactic)
@@Roboto_Gato I too am excited for the Shogun, but I'm not expecting it to be a huge improvement over carbon fiber faced paddles. I think the feel and durability will be marginally better, but it won't be as soft as kevlar, and BnB isn't using any new core technology.
Talk about Joola quality control issues. I ordered the Hyperion 3 16mm and received the Perseus 3 14mm. I was so excited to have my new paddle for the weekend when it finally arrived yesterday and now, I may not get it for some time. I've tried calling Joola since yesterday morning since their contact us form is "mysteriously" not currently working. They never pick up no matter what option you choose and also don't return calls when you leave a voicemail. I've also sent numerous emails with no response including to a service rep who I was in touch with during shipment because I had issues with that as well. At this point I can buy it locally, but without hearing back from Joola, I'm not sure what their resolution is going to be, so I am stuck at their mercy. Luckily, I just upgraded to the Hyperion C2 16mm a few weeks ago so that along with my OG Hyperion 16mm will do the job for now. On the bright side the 3 paddle covers I ordered from them came without issue. Now if only I had a paddle for that third cover.
Thank you. Is there a study comparing power, sweet spot , spin RPM objective characteristics of these and other paddles? Can you compare Gen 3 with Baller Heat paddle?
How does the power of these and the gearbox compare to illegal eva foam core paddles? If they are comparable then why not approve the eva padddles as well since they are also quieter.
I play with a Ruby and don't imagine this will replace it. But I've wanted to try a true power paddle, and it seems this is a better option than a Gearbox. I'm leaning toward the Scorpeus because of the combination of low swing weight with higher twist weight (relative to Perseus) and larger sweet spot. My only hesitation is the shape and grip length. I use a 2-hand backhand extensively and wonder how that will be with a 5.25" grip (vs. 5.5" on my Ruby and the Perseus). Anyone out there happily using a Scorpeus or other paddle with a 5.25" grip and a 2-hand backhand?
So what else is about to drop? Are we going to see more power++ paddles this year that chase the gearbox? SixZero, what ya got? I’d love to see MORE grit for spin and a limit to power.
Nice vid and review as always! During new speed overlay clip, I noticed - did you switch to the Six Zero bag? Thinking of getting that, or the CRBN bag, which I know you just came from. Seems to me the CRBN bag has slightly better build quality and materials, but I think I like the Six Zero because of the little bit of extra space (I also carry unnecessary amount of stuff) and also a little more thought into internal organization, like the little mesh and zippered pockets in the main center compartment. Thoughts on the two?
It was nice to see a paddle sliced the down the edge. I referenced your video and Kew's cuttings. Do you think the Joola and the GBx paddles getting hot are due to the foam breaking in? I know runners have described the same "break in period" with shoes and how some shoes develop "character" over time. I wonder if foam injected cores like the CoreTek will get hot over time.
Our cores shouldn't but it's definitely something that we are looking out for. With better surface contact between the laminate layers I found performance on the alpha tends to drop if it has issues.
Velocity change comes from a micro hammer strike engineered concept similar to ballistic concepts. Take any paddle new old etc. from a foot from your brothers shoulder flip strike with your paddle at his shoulder. Then simply hold the paddle about six inches from the same shoulder location. Simply hold your paddle in paddle hand, upright chest level, pull back the paddle against the resistance of your hand foearm. Hold top of paddle with finger tips of opposite hand, doesn’t need a lot of strength. Then pull back unit you fell tension. Then flick you brother with he paddle. Get ready for him to say, “ oh sh……t. That hurts. Your term is slingshot mech
I think the power should be capped at the level of the ALW-C then let spin go crazy. Make the sport less like little tennis (serve hard and end it) and make it more like large ping pong.
Every player is saying this too, cap the power and let the spin go crazy. Seems ridiculous that the rule makers haven't shifted in this direction, more spin would be way more fun, less dangerous, and create the possibility for insane shots on court
It reminds me of the teletubbies or power rangers. Especially with that terrible ad they made with them all doing poses 😂 I can’t believe they had Collin Johns pretending to block a ball 😂
"Joola doesn't have the best track record with their durability of their raw carbon texture which can wear down quickly." GB Pro durability last longer.
Good review. I completely agree that the power should have been capped before the new gearbox and the new joola paddles. The game is changing for the worse IMO. Short game is toast! Why dink when you can just hit people and score points? Kind of makes me want to go back to tennis. Who knows, maybe all those PB courts will get converted back to tennis 🤯
Does the Magnus resemble the shape of a Legacy Pro? I’ve really felt that the legacy has fit my game and just curious which of these paddles is close to that one
@@kabnis2022 Watch any of the ppa streams and you can hear its the same exact paddle he's been using, Then listen to what tyson\dekel\fed's paddle sounds like and you can hear the new tech
The break-in experience very much reminds me of the ALW-C 12.7. After break-in, the paddle is terribly inconsistent and hard to control. If these are anything alike - we may expect to see a bunch of these appear on Facebook marketplace sooner than later! 🤣
I purchased a Gen 3 Perseus and played with it one time then immediately after I shook the paddle randomly and noticed a rattling inside…. I contacted Joola but I haven’t heard of this happening to anyone else
@@omadscience7358 I read recently on another post that it’s just the glue on the inside breaking off Have you noticed any performance decline from this?
totally agree on keeping pickleball "pickleball"...! i feel that racquetball was ruined by bigger and bigger, more powerful rackets, as well as the ball becoming faster and faster. late seventies racketball had long fun rallys, by early 80's (blue penn ball era) the game was one serve for a winner, or one serve return for a winner... sad. pickleball groups and associations need to act ASAP...
Even worse when they hit super hard and the ball is still in. The serve has become a weapon with those spiny paddles (kevlar). If these new paddle have both spin and power, as the reviewer said, server can shape and hit the side fence, and new courts will be needed.
"Is that really what we want the sport of pickleball to become? [trying to repeatedly body bag your opponents]" he said without being able to contain a smile... I don't know man that sounds pretty fun to me!
These Paddles and Balls are getting ridiculous ☠️ It shouldn’t be called Pickleball anymore if they keep this up. Form another League or make up another game “SMASH-N-DASH” Similar to Dodgeball, where the game is about who can hit who the hardest and you score by who has the most bruises, loss of eye, broken noses, tooth knocked out, split lip, . . .
Why is the Hyperion always delayed? It honestly seems like they don't want to sell that shape anymore and are trying to bury it. Like I know they wouldn't make it at all if they really didn't want to, but first no C2 at the Perseus/Scorpeus launch and now no reviewer can speak on the Hyperion Gen 3 and I don't know if I've even seen a picture of one outside of their marketing that just dropped today. What gives? Pretty sure hybrid shapes are SUPER popular and I personally wager the Hyperion C2 would have outsold the Perseus if they were released at the same time. The Perseus isn't terrible, but I just find it slightly more unwieldy compared to the Hyperion, with a very comparable sweet spot. With how popular the original Hyperions were, I just don't understand why they would miss opportunities to cash in on that hype. They may even be available and in stores at the same time this go around, but without any reviewer having access to one for their initial reviews, I guarantee people will lean towards the known values first.
Isn't it strange that they are coming out with paddles to compete with the Gearbox, when the John's brothers and others were complaining about those paddles saying they are ruining the game? They were calling to have the Gearbox paddles banned from the PPA!
The concern with more power is that it may be good for pro sports and high-level play, but when it comes to rec play. Someone is going to get hurt. Anyone can whack a hard ball, and someone may not have the speed to get out of the way. There are way too many folks out there who are playing for fun. It takes only one aggressive player to make the game not fun anymore and potentially hurt someone. Someone who plays with a really powerful paddle needs to know who they are playing against and adjust accordingly. If you are playing tournaments, that may be a different story.
If we really want to regulate these powerful paddles, why are they so focused on deflection or any other metric other than what is used in golf - smash factor. It’s basically the ratio of swing speed and ball speed. The golf industry limits it at 1.5. Seems like a pretty simple metric assuming that the same tech in golf simulators can translate to track the ball speed vs swing speed on any shot.
Hear Hear! Time to stop this stupid arms race in the paddle industry. Paddles should be capped below the gearbox pro series and these new joola paddles. If the game becomes a warzone where people are losing eyes and are limping away with bruises and welts then the game will die. Good on you Chris for saying what needs to be said about these new paddles coming out.
LOL!! NFC chip.. Interesting.. It's sad to say this but I wouldn't be surprised that this will be like Tennis. Dead are the Serve and Volleyers because new technology and evolution of the game has become a power game. I can't believe returning a 135mph+ serve seems to be normal. I can't even return 120mph serve much alone 135mph+.
Isn’t this s a high tech version of the no mechanical release allowed between handle and pattern, found in equipment rules. Since core movement is directly connected to handle, but still allows a “ now hidden flip release “ an impact. The mechanical release is simple hidden from view, but engineered to do the same dynamic release as a vintage paddle with movement between handle and head. This handle is illegal!!!!
The flick volley overlay is flawed and the transit times are misleading. From the video the transit times are as follows: Mach1 Forza Gen1 0.35 sec Scorpeus Gen3 0.23 sec Gearbox Pro Gen3 0.19 sec Are we to believe the Gearbox is almost twice as fast as the Forza (0.35 v 0.19)? No, no no! Let's go over to the Johnkew database and look at punch volley speeds for these three paddles. Mach1 Forza Gen1 35mph Scorpeus Gen3 38mph Gearbox Pro Gen3 37mph This data shows the Gen3 paddles are maybe 10% faster than the Gen1 paddles. So, what accounts for the discrepancy? Johnkew measures how fast he can punch the pickleball from an initial velocity of 0 mph. (he hold the ball at arm's length, releases it and punches it) Pickleball Studio has to account for the speed of the ball being fed to the paddle from the opponent as well as the rebound from the paddle. Most likely the velocity of the balls being fed to Chris vary widely.
Having floating cores are no difference than a revolver with a hammer against casing of bullet. Difference is hammer against the back of the face of paddle.
just a stupid stat I remember from my high school days...88 feet per second is 60 MPH....that will really hurt in your face, eye, mouth, groin, bare leg, fingers, hand or arm.....all we need is a uncontrolled player hitting balls at all of those areas just a bit slower than 60 MPH
You are the only paddle review professional I listen to now. You're the only honest, non-biased opinion that matters. You provide the full spectrum of information I need. Your commentary is so valuable. Thank you!!!!
"...most people watching this video shouldn't buy one" - JOOLA website crashes lmao
I see people didn't make it very far into my video... 😂
@@PickleballStudio Thanks for the review. I did purchase a Gen 3 Perseus for singles. Will stick to my C2 for doubles.
@@PickleballStudio I was thinking the same thing…but that Magnus got my drool mode activated.
It's amazing how a game that started with a peice of plywood paddles has transformed to this ..and we're not Done
Played against the Perseus Gen 3 this weekend. It reminded me of the softball bats that are only legal in senior league. Every once in a while there was a tournament with no regulations and everyone felt like Barry Bonds when swinging the Miken Ultra 2. The Perseus is the equivalent.
The guy I played didn’t know how to use it well. But every time he got a high ball the point was over. I was also very leery of his speed ups. Makes it a different game all together.
Really appreciate your honest and unbiased reviews! I was hoping the Gen3 would offer more advantage on the control side. I generate plenty of my own power so this review definitely helped me from getting too caught up in the hype. Great job as always, Chris! PB Studio is my first stop for any PB product review.
Doubt it
Chris, you and Will have my utmost respect. To date, you have never led me astray. I have purchased more paddles than I care to admit based on your reviews, and you have never led me wrong until now. I absolutely detest Joola paddles (just a personal thing), but I had the chance to play with the Ben John's Perseus 16mm last night. I ended up buying one after 2 hours of play. I couldn't miss a shot with the paddle. Everything was precise, my drops were good, hard shots were in, and drops were better than ever before. I don't know how you got this one wrong! :) That being said, I can't wait for your next review, and probably my next purchase if it aligns with my play style. Great work to you and Will!
went from a $20 target paddle to the scorpeus and was crushing 4.0-4.5s
I got the Perseus and the power is amazing. My only issue is getting my forehand and backhand drives to stay in the court. I'm working on it because the power at the kitchen is incredible. It is 100% better than the Gearbox Power Pro Elongated but still hard to control. I will give it one week to get dialed in. I am a 5.5 who played tennis for 25 years.
thanks for the review!!! I still love my 6/zero DBD wouldn't change it for anything else
What a great video! Beautiful professionally produced video. Did you take graphic design classes? Such a good eye.
Video is informative and entertaining and funny. The Power & Speed Overlay was very impressive and cool to watch. So technical.
I love that Aizec was featured so much!
5:42 Why We Need the CRBN Cup in Production
10:51 Aizec as human Velcro
3.5 forever! Chris, why, oh, why would you show yourself missing an Erne at 16:15 or executing an ineffective lob at 17:00? Admittedly, you 5.0's are going for some fancy advanced shots. You do get your winning lobs in at 20:45.
Thanks so much for making this video!
LOVED the overlay scenes. Very cool to see a visual of the differences in ballspeed off the different paddles.
As always, great video Chris. Awesome content and loaded with information. I personally haven't thought too much about the ethics (i.e., too much power, etc.) until I watched this video especially the pics of the knee and shoulder welts. After see those injuries and really reflecting on paddle technology, I am strongly in the camp that there needs to some regulation for both the prevention of injuries and also to maintain the integrity of the sport. I am using the word integrity to describe the dinking, precision and soft part of the game. MLB does not permit aluminum bats and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the paddle manufacturers are going in that direction (not aluminum paddles but super powerful paddles).
Thank you for pointing out the safety factor of the game and maybe the top has been hit on making the paddles faster. Hopefully, the powers that be will take a hard look at this so this game does not get ruined for all us newer players.
I’m now shopping for eye protection.
Crbn and ria are the best ones I can find
This might be a nightmare for rec play. The majority of players who aren’t high level don’t need more put away or pop they need to learn how to control the ball. Even Ben, Fed, and Collin were missing easy drops in the last few tournaments I’m assuming they were adjusting but their skill allows them to still play at a high level. If the next paddles coming this year become more and more powerful I suspect you’ll see a lot more eye injuries since rec players don’t know how to aim for spots. I don’t think these these paddles are worth 280. The marketing hype people place in Selkirk and joola is insane. Paddles only last 3-6 months. I could never see myself spending 560-1120 a year on paddles that’s just insane.
Agree. Rec players I've seen seem to think a speedup is a full swing/blast as hard as you can from the transition area or NVZ - could be dangerous with these max power paddles.
@@seanwilson512 I played against a woman with a gearbox pro power elongated who does exactly this. Her game is to hit the ball with a full tennis drive, right at your upper body/face. Right at the kitchen line. It's so fast I can't even dodge fast enough. So dangerous.
@@LeanneSchultz-x3y But did you tried to call her out or to hit her? I mean every time when you get a decent chance to try a body shot?
@@LeanneSchultz-x3yum use your paddle to block lol
@user-oo9hr6xx9q , that sounds very dangerous and even if you can dodge it, doesn't sound like a fun game to play.
Agree 100% that we need caps on the power, it is changing the game in ways that make it far less fun and actually more dangerous, which I never thought I would say. Dinking rallies seem like a thing of the past. As you said, time to take a stance and introduce proper regulations so that this does not CONTINUE to get out of hand. Once the genie gets out of the bottle, and it has, it will be hard to introduce regulations that ban paddles already in production. REMEMBER, paddle companies want to make money and sell paddles! They are not concerned about how it changes the game or even if it increases injuries. Companies are all jumping on the POWER wagon and want to outdo each other to keep those sales numbers up. You spoke of ethics, time for paddle companies to actually act in ethical ways that are not driven by sales and profit margins. We CAN NOT let paddle companies dictate the sport, the sport (PPA and USAP) needs to dictate the direction of the sport and stand up to the paddle companies. Finally, I get it, some guys like to really bang the ball and so this trend to ridiculous power is addictive and now taking control of the sport.
My 14mm Perseus Gen3 came in this morning, and I've been playing with it this afternoon. I typically use a Six Zero Ruby or 14 mm DBD, and sometimes an Engage Pro MX 6.0. Yeah, I buy a lot of the paddles you review ..... Anyway, I'm a solid 3.5 player, and sometimes play above that. I have a decent power game, pretty good spin from all over the court, a decent short game and my hand speed has been improving. I found the Perseus hits as hard as my Engage out of the box, has more pop (and obviously power) than my Six Zeros, has really good spin and for some reason especially top spin, and is fairly controllable though I have popped up a bit more than usual. I've got league tomorrow and will use this paddle in more competitive play then, but plan to focus on this one for a while. But it will take a lot to permanently pull me away from the Six Zero paddles! Really enjoy your videos and enjoy the content you and Will put out..
Is it possible that some of the struggle with playing against PPE and G3 comes from the (lack of) sound produced by the paddles? I come from TT and hearing how opponents hit the ball really informs the immediate reaction I make to get ready to return the shot. First time against a PPE I was preparing to hit the drop shot he hit at me with a tiny backswing and before I knew it I had a tattoo on my chest. It took a long time to get used to it sounding so quiet when he hit drives
I was an engage guy for many years, so this is like music to my ears. I feel like I lost so much power after purchasing a gen 2
After playing with both the 14 and 16 I have to agree with your comments. For some reason the 14s seem to play much better than the 16s. I agree the ball seems to pocket less on the 14s therefore they play more like a regular 16mm thermoformed paddle. The 16s seem to pocket the ball more therefore giving it more pop causing more balls to fly. Playing w the 16 my balls tended to fly out, playing w the 14 my balls were super precise and dropped in every time. Thanks Chris for the great review. I would have never even thought to pick up a 14mm normally until your comments.
The colorful colors make my eyes light up!
I got to hit the Perseus, magnus and scorpeus this morning. I’ve never played with an elongated paddle so Scorpeus felt most natural to me. I was shocked at the power and shape I could put on the ball. But I probably won’t buy one.
I ordered anna bright scorp
What did you not like?
@@acurapro1it’s not that I didn’t anything about it. I just don’t think I will buy one. I feel like these are the kinds of paddles that would get banned 4-6 months down the line and I don’t wanna waste my money on something that could get banned.
Grateful for your Review. I played against people with these paddles. After Playing against them, I know if this is the new standard in power , I would give up playing Pickleball. I love Pickleball but with these paddles it is no longer pickleball. It's a new game. I don't enjoy being hit with a ball over and over. Joola and Gearbox are on the verge of destroying the Game from the inside out. Someone at my local park already got a detached Retina from these paddles. Yes eyewear, which i wear but This has gone to far. This could be the begin-ing of the End for Pickleball. Watching it on the PPA also is not fun, points are no longer enjoyable. Its who ever to smash the ball at each other wins, that is why we see Joola sponsored players getting so far in tournaments. Blessings on and of the court.
for my game that swing weight is very high, will the 16mm hyperion be more maneuverable than the 16mm perseus?
I think the white foam material is SILICONE FOAM. A foam that has high melting point for thermoforming and crazy elastic even when glued to the carbon fiber paddle face. The polypropylene core with silicone foam edge will creates a slingshot effect.
This video was very well done! Just had to say it
These paddles are generally well made but, there is a very very, I mean very small envelope where these paddles do their super tricks. It's more of a surprise when you get extra power and spin not something you can control or plan on. One in ten shots is like wow, where did that come from. Otherwise it's hard to be very precise with any shot that flexes the eva foam at all. I'm a 4.5 player and I find this true with all the EVA foam paddles I've tried and sent back. My advise, stick with Gen2, Engage pro, Legacy pro, Paddletek TKO, 6.0 DBD and don't buy into all the experiment paddles out there.
Great unbiased review.
If player safety is really a concern they shouldn't allow these paddles, seems unnecessary and dangerous.
Profit is the only “concern” for the vast majority of all businesses.
Your point about more control on the 14s is interesting. If you look at Joola’s specs for these paddles they rate the 16s higher in power. I wonder if the thickness increases dwell time and trampoline.
Good comments on ethics and safety. Where is the line where, once crossed, necessitates changing the game?
A podcast segment looking at lessons to be learned from the rise and fall of racquetball might be timely. While there are a great many factors involved in racquetball's huge growth and precipitous fall, two stand out to me. Increased speed and the existence of a kill shot in the fabric of the game.
The better the players got, the shorter the rallies became. The opposite is true in pretty much every other racquet sport (technology and seven foot serve bot issue in tennis appropriately noted).
A friend of mine was a nationally ranked racquetball player who jumped right to 'A' level squash (and now pickleball actually), for that reason. With no roll out (kill shot) available he simply wore people down mentally in squash. Similarly, in pickleball (to date), think trying to have a fist fight with a cat.
Now, imagine what might happen in pickleball when the combined effect of power and spin lets a server be able to (with greater consistency than possible today) bend a serve out the side of the court such that the side fence becomes the determiner. That would become a capital cost versus rule change issue.
Will it mean that pickleball will need to adopt the same serving rule that exists in wheel chair table tennis?
Regarding speed alone: The logic and intent of hitting to the feet of the opponent is far different than any associated with aiming for centre mass. (imagine a capability for speed makes throwing in the occasional "nasty nelson" on the serve seem a reasonable tactic)
I cannot wait for a Shogun Joola comparison in the future
Shogun probably won’t be anywhere near the Joola.
@@DogBehaviorSolutions in terms of power maybe but still excited to see what a new weave can do.
@@Roboto_Gato I too am excited for the Shogun, but I'm not expecting it to be a huge improvement over carbon fiber faced paddles. I think the feel and durability will be marginally better, but it won't be as soft as kevlar, and BnB isn't using any new core technology.
@@Roboto_Gato B&B basically described it as comparable power to Filth but with more control.
Chris seems bored talking about this, like all the hype already wore him out, haha. Appreciate it coming out so fast.
Talk about Joola quality control issues. I ordered the Hyperion 3 16mm and received the Perseus 3 14mm. I was so excited to have my new paddle for the weekend when it finally arrived yesterday and now, I may not get it for some time. I've tried calling Joola since yesterday morning since their contact us form is "mysteriously" not currently working. They never pick up no matter what option you choose and also don't return calls when you leave a voicemail. I've also sent numerous emails with no response including to a service rep who I was in touch with during shipment because I had issues with that as well. At this point I can buy it locally, but without hearing back from Joola, I'm not sure what their resolution is going to be, so I am stuck at their mercy. Luckily, I just upgraded to the Hyperion C2 16mm a few weeks ago so that along with my OG Hyperion 16mm will do the job for now. On the bright side the 3 paddle covers I ordered from them came without issue. Now if only I had a paddle for that third cover.
How do theses compare to Hurachi
Thank you. Is there a study comparing power, sweet spot , spin RPM objective characteristics of these and other paddles? Can you compare Gen 3 with Baller Heat paddle?
How does the power of these and the gearbox compare to illegal eva foam core paddles? If they are comparable then why not approve the eva padddles as well since they are also quieter.
Low end of Eva foam
14:06 Wow, you can see some of the hole imprints from the pickleball hitting her shoulder!
As always, great review Chris. You always tell it like it is, but… YOU MUST PUBLISH THE RPM! Not lie you to chicken out🤷🏼
I play with a Ruby and don't imagine this will replace it. But I've wanted to try a true power paddle, and it seems this is a better option than a Gearbox. I'm leaning toward the Scorpeus because of the combination of low swing weight with higher twist weight (relative to Perseus) and larger sweet spot. My only hesitation is the shape and grip length. I use a 2-hand backhand extensively and wonder how that will be with a 5.25" grip (vs. 5.5" on my Ruby and the Perseus). Anyone out there happily using a Scorpeus or other paddle with a 5.25" grip and a 2-hand backhand?
So what else is about to drop? Are we going to see more power++ paddles this year that chase the gearbox? SixZero, what ya got? I’d love to see MORE grit for spin and a limit to power.
I would like to see how the new CoreTek ALPHA compares to it. It also has foam technology.
Best overall review so far
How do you know something is a good review until you get the paddle and discover that the review matches your experience?
Nice vid and review as always!
During new speed overlay clip, I noticed - did you switch to the Six Zero bag? Thinking of getting that, or the CRBN bag, which I know you just came from. Seems to me the CRBN bag has slightly better build quality and materials, but I think I like the Six Zero because of the little bit of extra space (I also carry unnecessary amount of stuff) and also a little more thought into internal organization, like the little mesh and zippered pockets in the main center compartment.
Thoughts on the two?
Just played with mine, felt EXACTLY the same as the gearbox PPE
It was nice to see a paddle sliced the down the edge. I referenced your video and Kew's cuttings. Do you think the Joola and the GBx paddles getting hot are due to the foam breaking in? I know runners have described the same "break in period" with shoes and how some shoes develop "character" over time. I wonder if foam injected cores like the CoreTek will get hot over time.
Our cores shouldn't but it's definitely something that we are looking out for. With better surface contact between the laminate layers I found performance on the alpha tends to drop if it has issues.
For someone in the 3.5 range, should they stick with the Gen 2 Perseus instead of upgrading to the Gen 3 Perseus?
Velocity change comes from a micro hammer strike engineered concept similar to ballistic concepts. Take any paddle new old etc. from a foot from your brothers shoulder flip strike with your paddle at his shoulder. Then simply hold the paddle about six inches from the same shoulder location. Simply hold your paddle in paddle hand, upright chest level, pull back the paddle against the resistance of your hand foearm. Hold top of paddle with finger tips of opposite hand, doesn’t need a lot of strength. Then pull back unit you fell tension. Then flick you brother with he paddle. Get ready for him to say, “ oh sh……t. That hurts. Your term is slingshot mech
I want to know when CRBN will have new paddles
I think the power should be capped at the level of the ALW-C then let spin go crazy. Make the sport less like little tennis (serve hard and end it) and make it more like large ping pong.
Every player is saying this too, cap the power and let the spin go crazy. Seems ridiculous that the rule makers haven't shifted in this direction, more spin would be way more fun, less dangerous, and create the possibility for insane shots on court
Is the power on this the same as the Gearbox PPE or more?
100% agree.
@@kabnis2022 a small degree less.
Sounds lame... unlimited power!!!
Interesting work around of the patents that GB has for "floating core" technology.
Slowest spelled incorrectly on your slide. Loved the review.
I wish the paddles looked like the alpha and not like tron
I think I like the design more now because you said it looks like Tron 😅
It's still horrible, but it's growing on me.
It reminds me of the teletubbies or power rangers. Especially with that terrible ad they made with them all doing poses 😂 I can’t believe they had Collin Johns pretending to block a ball 😂
"Joola doesn't have the best track record with their durability of their raw carbon texture which can wear down quickly." GB Pro durability last longer.
I have a small hand what is the smallest gripe size you can recommend
Will they sell the paddle at this weekends PPA Tour ?? Or just online for now ?
Now that you’ve used the Hyperion, which paddles are your favorite?
Good review. I completely agree that the power should have been capped before the new gearbox and the new joola paddles. The game is changing for the worse IMO. Short game is toast! Why dink when you can just hit people and score points? Kind of makes me want to go back to tennis. Who knows, maybe all those PB courts will get converted back to tennis 🤯
So the whole USAPA Approved carries little weight nowadays.
Does the Magnus resemble the shape of a Legacy Pro?
I’ve really felt that the legacy has fit my game and just curious which of these paddles is close to that one
perseus
“...more power isn't always better." - Reminds me to get a pair of eye protection now.
What is Selkirk’s most comparable paddle?
Grip size too big for me. Onto another paddle! Thank you for the review, it saves me some time and disappointment!
I’m gonna start wearing protective glasses cause everything is going towards power.
Smart paddle tracking your daily habits?
Do we know if Ben is actually using the new core? His paddle sounds different than Fed's or other folks using the new paddle.
he is still using gen2 perseus and so is collin, Collin used the gen3 in minnesota but went back to gen2 since.
@@DinkAndDrive Source?
@@kabnis2022 Watch any of the ppa streams and you can hear its the same exact paddle he's been using, Then listen to what tyson\dekel\fed's paddle sounds like and you can hear the new tech
The break-in experience very much reminds me of the ALW-C 12.7. After break-in, the paddle is terribly inconsistent and hard to control. If these are anything alike - we may expect to see a bunch of these appear on Facebook marketplace sooner than later! 🤣
Any idea if CRBN will have a gen 3 soon?
Their website has been down / super high traffic since this morning. Interesting bit about the grittiness being legal in one ruleset and not another.
I purchased a Gen 3 Perseus and played with it one time then immediately after I shook the paddle randomly and noticed a rattling inside…. I contacted Joola but I haven’t heard of this happening to anyone else
Myself and one other person I know both have same issue. Rattle at top of paddle. Perseus 14mm Magnus 14mm
@@omadscience7358 I read recently on another post that it’s just the glue on the inside breaking off
Have you noticed any performance decline from this?
totally agree on keeping pickleball "pickleball"...! i feel that racquetball was ruined by bigger and bigger, more powerful rackets, as well as the ball becoming faster and faster. late seventies racketball had long fun rallys, by early 80's (blue penn ball era) the game was one serve for a winner, or one serve return for a winner... sad. pickleball groups and associations need to act ASAP...
The game isn't as much fun when everyone hits it super hard but hits it out or in the net half the time.
Even worse when they hit super hard and the ball is still in. The serve has become a weapon with those spiny paddles (kevlar). If these new paddle have both spin and power, as the reviewer said, server can shape and hit the side fence, and new courts will be needed.
@@chubun6631👈wrong! 😑
Did Joola require you have to hit him in the nads again?
Naaah… I’ll stick with my Gearbox Pro Power and Control… I don’t really see an interesting jump in technology with those Joolas to justify that price
CRBN 3x or Magnus?
Joola Gen 3 or Engage Pro 1?
"Is that really what we want the sport of pickleball to become? [trying to repeatedly body bag your opponents]" he said without being able to contain a smile...
I don't know man that sounds pretty fun to me!
It is fun for anyone under 40 that's slightly athletic
Amazing paddles~
More Power please!!
Large typo at 18:09 "Slwoest"
These Paddles and Balls are getting ridiculous ☠️
It shouldn’t be called Pickleball anymore if they keep this up.
Form another League or make up another game “SMASH-N-DASH”
Similar to Dodgeball, where the game is about who can hit who the hardest and you score by who has the most bruises, loss of eye, broken noses, tooth knocked out, split lip, . . .
Why is the Hyperion always delayed? It honestly seems like they don't want to sell that shape anymore and are trying to bury it. Like I know they wouldn't make it at all if they really didn't want to, but first no C2 at the Perseus/Scorpeus launch and now no reviewer can speak on the Hyperion Gen 3 and I don't know if I've even seen a picture of one outside of their marketing that just dropped today. What gives? Pretty sure hybrid shapes are SUPER popular and I personally wager the Hyperion C2 would have outsold the Perseus if they were released at the same time. The Perseus isn't terrible, but I just find it slightly more unwieldy compared to the Hyperion, with a very comparable sweet spot. With how popular the original Hyperions were, I just don't understand why they would miss opportunities to cash in on that hype. They may even be available and in stores at the same time this go around, but without any reviewer having access to one for their initial reviews, I guarantee people will lean towards the known values first.
Isn't it strange that they are coming out with paddles to compete with the Gearbox, when the John's brothers and others were complaining about those paddles saying they are ruining the game? They were calling to have the Gearbox paddles banned from the PPA!
The concern with more power is that it may be good for pro sports and high-level play, but when it comes to rec play. Someone is going to get hurt. Anyone can whack a hard ball, and someone may not have the speed to get out of the way. There are way too many folks out there who are playing for fun. It takes only one aggressive player to make the game not fun anymore and potentially hurt someone. Someone who plays with a really powerful paddle needs to know who they are playing against and adjust accordingly. If you are playing tournaments, that may be a different story.
If we really want to regulate these powerful paddles, why are they so focused on deflection or any other metric other than what is used in golf - smash factor. It’s basically the ratio of swing speed and ball speed. The golf industry limits it at 1.5. Seems like a pretty simple metric assuming that the same tech in golf simulators can translate to track the ball speed vs swing speed on any shot.
waiting for z7 review
Hear Hear! Time to stop this stupid arms race in the paddle industry. Paddles should be capped below the gearbox pro series and these new joola paddles. If the game becomes a warzone where people are losing eyes and are limping away with bruises and welts then the game will die. Good on you Chris for saying what needs to be said about these new paddles coming out.
Silence geezer...
But they already walk away that way. I don't think the burden to Medicare could get any higher anyway
WTF? get a grip and let it rip. There "is" an interest in high-speed play. 😑
LOL!! NFC chip.. Interesting.. It's sad to say this but I wouldn't be surprised that this will be like Tennis. Dead are the Serve and Volleyers because new technology and evolution of the game has become a power game. I can't believe returning a 135mph+ serve seems to be normal. I can't even return 120mph serve much alone 135mph+.
Isn’t this s a high tech version of the no mechanical release allowed between handle and pattern, found in equipment rules. Since core movement is directly connected to handle, but still allows a “ now hidden flip release “ an impact.
The mechanical release is simple hidden from view, but engineered to do the same dynamic release as a vintage paddle with movement between handle and head.
This handle is illegal!!!!
The flick volley overlay is flawed and the transit times are misleading. From the video the transit times are as follows:
Mach1 Forza Gen1 0.35 sec
Scorpeus Gen3 0.23 sec
Gearbox Pro Gen3 0.19 sec
Are we to believe the Gearbox is almost twice as fast as the Forza (0.35 v 0.19)? No, no no!
Let's go over to the Johnkew database and look at punch volley speeds for these three paddles.
Mach1 Forza Gen1 35mph
Scorpeus Gen3 38mph
Gearbox Pro Gen3 37mph
This data shows the Gen3 paddles are maybe 10% faster than the Gen1 paddles.
So, what accounts for the discrepancy? Johnkew measures how fast he can punch the pickleball from an initial velocity of 0 mph. (he hold the ball at arm's length, releases it and punches it) Pickleball Studio has to account for the speed of the ball being fed to the paddle from the opponent as well as the rebound from the paddle. Most likely the velocity of the balls being fed to Chris vary widely.
chinesium manufacturing and quality control, the grit will vary wildly, and I have doubts about durability
If it was US-made, it would be $399.
The break in period is real…
No specs on Joola website which isn’t a surprise
Why does Federico Stacksrud not have his own paddle, he is an amazing player and should probably go to another company that respects him.
Does st hot as hard as the diadem vice?
43/8 is,large. I know someone who built a grip up to a 5. Yes a 5 using a 3d printer
Anybody getting the anna bright one?
I’m surprised you didn’t talk aesthetics at all
Having floating cores are no difference than a revolver with a hammer against casing of bullet. Difference is hammer against the back of the face of paddle.
Yaaaaaay Chris
I dont like all the power. I wished there was a paddle with max spin that lasts for more than a month or two
just a stupid stat I remember from my high school days...88 feet per second is 60 MPH....that will really hurt in your face, eye, mouth, groin, bare leg, fingers, hand or arm.....all we need is a uncontrolled player hitting balls at all of those areas just a bit slower than 60 MPH