@@nols3167 There has been additional grit added to the surface of the paddle for all the serial numbers 2008 and up... Adds additional spin, and better control with softer shots over the smoother surface of earlier models. I have played with both and you can definitely feel a difference.. The review in this video is for the older, smoother surface If I'm not mistaken.
Great tip! At 1:01 you can see that these are 2007... I just watched this today and went to Scheels and they had a few of 2007s and a few 2008s (for CX11 albeit), and agree with the difference in grit
Well, I just witnessed a CX14H 2008 gritty and CX14H 2008 non-gritty side-by-side.. both brand new.. so I wonder if somewhere in the middle of 2008 they started adding the grit? But the non-gritty is a higher serial number too, so idk what to make of that?
These 8 oz weight paddles can be easily customized into a serious weapon. With the paddle built edgeless, the weight distributes evenly on the paddle, it will feel a little bit lighter compared to honeycomb paddles, with the same weight. I suggest adding an extra .05-1.0 oz of lead tape on the top corner edges of the paddle. The main point is to develop your shots on a reliable paddle that never has dead spots or break down in the middle of the game, like traditional honeycomb paddles. Gearbox is the best paddle for long term investment and less impact on disposal for the environment.
My current weapon of choice is the Gearbox CX-14h. Out of the box I agree that it's a very soft paddle. I played with it as-is for several months and I decided I need extra pop. The initial weight is 8.0oz. I've added weights to each corner of the paddle (not directly on top or sides). My paddle weight is now 8.9oz. I placed them on the corners for my own reasons and my preference. I like a center balanced paddle and by default the CX14h is headlight already. so I did not want to compromise the balance by adding the weights. So I strategically placed the weights on the corners. Currently the center of mass or center of balance for my set up is apx 3/8 inch above the middle line (middle line=half the length of the overall paddle length). Due to this almost equal balance, the paddle does not feel like it's nearly 9 oz. So even with the weights, and due to the thinness of the paddle, I have not compromised the maneuverability at the net. It's still has a soft feel for dinks, drops, and resets. Now it has more power and more swingweight due to the added weights, which adds more pace to drives, overheads, and counters. My configuration: Paddle: Gearbox CX-14h Weight: 8.9 0z. (added weights equally to all four corners) Grip Circumference: 4 1/8" (with overgrip) Center of mass: 8.66" (22cm) from bottom of handle. Swingweight: ??? Maybe Chris can mimic my set up and run it on his new swingweight machine and tell me
Interesting. I just switched to this after two months of testing new paddles. My guts says gearbox is on to something and clearly a leader in edgeless. I never thought of adding balanced weight based on the mid-line. The only shot I haven’t dialled in are my 3rd shot drops from the baseline. Thanks for sharing. I am gonna try this.
Awesome video! I’m a proud owner of a cx14. I made the switch from polymer. The adjustment period is hard at first but once dialed in it’s an amazing paddle. Just be patient during the adjustment period.
I own the CX14E. Quite a departure from my prokennex pro flight ovation which has superior default power and quickness at the net and the ping pong shape I was used to. However, CXE has superior reach, softness for dinking and resets, and available thin grip for quicker grip changes. The build quality is best I have seen. However, it’s power was very lacking so to make it a true tank, I suggest as much lead tape as you can muster. I added 28 inches of half inch lead tape placing it along the entire exterior except for the handle and gearbox logos on each side. Covered in several layers of 0.6 inch yellow electrical tape to match design. This 9.7-10oz paddle looks and feels amazing to use and is frightening to behold when I go for put-aways. Customization Highly Recommended!
@@PickleballStudio The lead tape also seems to have helped with the sweet spot and making miss hits less noticeable which addresses the other weakness you pointed out. Thanks for the reply!
@@PharmDConan , the effective sweet spot would definitely increase when you add 20-25% of the paddles total weight to it's perimeter. It's resistance to twist on off center hits will increase which means less energy loss returned to the ball.
I can’t stop raving about your reviews! Really well researched and when I get a paddle in my hands not surprisingly tend to agree 100%. This is the case with the CX, in fact the softest paddle I’ve seen. I’ve personally tested 40+ paddles and this thing is a reset/spin monster, but lacks power. Will follow advice here to get a good amount of led tape on it.
Keep up the awesome work! Thank you! I used the Gearbox demo program, tried out two CX11s and the two CX14s. Adding some lead tape to the 14E seemed best. I get my new CX14E tomorrow!
The Gearbox demo program is pretty epic IMO. $20 for 1 week or play testing any 4 paddles. They also include coupons if you want to purchase a new paddle or two.
I switched from a Selkirk to the cx14e and love, even after 11 months! I always thought I was going to step into the newer Selkirks(003 etc)…the people I play with are complaining of surface wear with only a couple months of play! My Gearbox shows literally NO wear at all. Great review and video!
FWIW, if I had to describe the feel difference between a Gearbox paddle and a honeycomb paddle it would be that with a honeycomb paddle there is a sensation of the ball compressing the face of the paddle whereas with the Gearbox it's the paddle's face compressing the ball. I'm not saying that's what actually occurs at impact, but it's the sensation that my brain processes.
I think its now time a year later to re-review this paddled with the added grit and some lead tape expeimentation as you do with other paddles these days.. I find the difference with, and without lead tape on this paddle night and day. Keep up the great work!
Great review. I think edgeless is the future so I bought the CX14H. I agree with your review. I hit a shot last week cross crt, top spin and it literally dove in from head height. I can usually spin the ball but this was next level. The learning curve is there but these paddles are worth it. Keep up the great content.
I applaud Gearbox for their innovative construction methods especially with the CX series. Let's hope they set a trend for longer-lasting paddles. I just wish their handles were larger. At less than 4" even a few overgrips wouldn't get it close to the 4-1/2" that I like. I'd have to use four 1/8" tennis heat shrink sleeves to build up the grip. Anyone else have that issue with Gearbox?
I unwrapped the handle and removed the tennis white square, then replaced with 3 black Yonnex overgrips, then put back the original Gearbox factory overgrip. This will make a perfect sized grip handle. The reconstruction gave me great control for my liking.
I had that concern as well. I've always played with a 4-3/8" grip in Tennis and my paddles were close to that as well. A too good to pass up deal popped up on a new GX5 8.5 Control and it only had the 3-5/8" grip. I thought for sure I would have to build it up with heat shrink and over grips, but I decided I would at least try it with the grip size as is. I actually love it which completely shocked me. I think we former tennis players assume that our tennis grip size is what we need for pickleball. But look at other racquet and paddle sports. For Squash pretty much all racquets use a 3-7/8" grip, racquetball uses 3-5/8" - 3-15/16", and badminton use 3" - 4" at 1/4" increments. As you can see it's really only tennis where we see grips exceed 4". Compared to other sports, in tennis both the racquet and ball are heavier which is most likely the reason for the larger grip.
@@webstermiller7765 Understand what you're saying. I also play squash and have no issues with their smaller grip sizes. That said, I've tried many different PB paddle grip sizes so know that 4-3/8 with overwrap works best for me. I like the difference between having "soft hands" and a "hard drive" to be a slight squeeze of my hand. My theory is that I play an aggressive style with drives and sometimes won't hit a drop until the 5th or 7th shot (think the way the Leigh and Ana Leigh Waters play). Granted the torque from a tennis ball hitting a racquet is higher than a pball hitting a paddle. But I feel a firm grip is still needed to hit an accurate drive with pace. So in that scenario with a firm grip ... the larger grip size keeps my hands from getting as tired through the day. I believe the prevalence of small grip sizes are partly due to the way PB paddles are constructed. If the paddle is only 0.5" thick, the handle circumference is limited if you don't add shims or a palette like tennis racquet manufacturers do. The fact that many women play PB and need smaller handle sizes also complicates the situation for manufacturers. If more manufacturers start using frames like a racquet (e.g. Kitchen Pro) they might be forced to use a palette for the handle which would make it easier to offer a variety of grip sizes.
@@terraXR If you know that a given grip size works best for you then by all means stick with it. I do wish Gearbox would add some additional grip sizing options especially when you consider that ALL there paddles are built with the 3-5/8" grip and then a pair of shims (for lack of a better word) snap onto the bare grip to get it to 3-15/16". How hard would it be to offer these 'shims' in additional sizes directly to the consumer? Also, I agree that it's only a matter of time before honeycomb construction goes the way of the dodo. The fact that companies are charging $200 for a honeycomb paddle is comical to me. I wouldn't be surprised in the least of pickleball paddles start to be built more akin to Padel or Beach Tennis paddles (minus the holes of course).
I have had this paddle for 9 months. Has anyone else noticed how smooth the surface has become? My wife and daughter just bought CX14s as well and their surface is much more rough. I feel that I have lost spin now with the smoother surface I now have on my CX14. I fell in love with this paddle a year ago when trying it out on a ball machine. Now using the same machine I can barely hit a hard topspin shot into the court. Is it me or the paddle? I guess I will go out with my wife's CX14 and feel how different it is. Though she doesn't have lead tape on it like I put on mine right away.
Your paddle likely hasn’t changed. CX14s 9 months ago came out of the box entirely smooth. It wasn’t until the last few months that Gearbox has applied a coating of grit. The issue is, the grit wears off like a number of other paddles. I wouldn’t worry about upgrading. From what I can tell, old Gearboxes shouldn’t lose any spin.
Good review of the CX14 Gearbox. I currently play with the GX6 Control 8.5 oz Gearbox. Looking into either the CRBN 1X Power or Selkirk Invikta Power Air.
What you said about the dinking with a Gearbox paddle is dead on. I just switched to my GX-6 and I'm junking a lot of balls I normally wouldn't into the net. But I'll stick with it to get used to it. I was just glad to see someone having the same experience.
I was dumping off center dinks with my GX6 Control 8.5 because of the inconsistent face. Off center would die. Switched to the CX11E Control 8.5 and it is much better.
Did you go from 10 all the way around to 2? That’s what I’m considering. I’m a big guy, 6’4” 250lbs so I have enough natural power but I want a control setup that has enough power to finish shots.
it looks like my carbon fiber ccm hockey sticks....it does seem weird that such a smooth looking surface could generate high spin rates but your numbers proved it
The chain has slipped off of the top idler coming directly off of the top drive shaft sprocket. It would seem that the drive sprocket has shifted on its key and pulled the chain sideways off of the idler. The chain is currently riding on the hub of the idler instead of on the teeth, but it is operating more or less alright but is naturally causing undue wear to all the components that interact with that chain. Accessing the idler from inside would be very difficult as everything is covered in oil, and there is no platform near enough to it to do the work. I’d imagine you’d be able to open the top access doors and reach everything from the outside out of a lift, and assuming you can reach it from there the work likely won’t take a great deal of time. I’m guessing the most efficient way to perform the work would be to pin the door and then slack the chain and you should be able to move the top sprocket back in line with everything else and put the chain back on the idler. There weren’t any obvious signs of major wear on any of it, but again access is very difficult and I couldn’t perform an in depth inspection. I have photos of the drive sprocket, chain and idler.
Bought the gearbox seeking durability. My gearbox did not last any longer than a honeycomb paddle because the gearbox edges breakdown from hitting the court surface. Sad.
Your paddle reviews are really well done, both in terms of content and production values. What I noticed with previous Gearbox paddles was that the ball didn't stay on the surface long enough to provide feel and control, attributes polymer honeycomb cores are known for. And I'm not sure if "soft" feel or low rebound energy translates into better ball control, as exemplified by your tester's struggle hitting his backand. Living in Canada, I too am limited to indoor play on a hardwood gym floor which isn't ideal but it beats not playing at all. What type of court surface are you playing on in your studio as it looks and sounds like you're hitting outdoor 40 hole balls?
Yeah, that floor surface is a weird one to describe. It’s not quite concrete, but it’s also not quite rubbery. It’s hard to describe. It plays close to an outdoor surface just a without the rough texture of a court. In this video, when I mentioned the indoor gym play I meant actual gym floors and with an indoor ball. So not what you actually see us playing on.
Chris has a bizarre concept of what "soft" feels like. Does a wood board feel soft? No. So why use that analogy, and then say they're the softest paddles? I think all Gearboxes feel the opposite of soft. Sure, they don't have much power, but that is because their low swing weight means they just have nonexistent plow-through ability. But it's not due to the "softness" of the materials. If you want a soft paddle, think of the Electrum Model E. That is a plush, almost pillow-like softness. It even sounds soft when you hit it (sounds like: 'FLOCK') . Unlike Gearboxes, which sound like pennies clanking around in a tin can (sounds like: 'CLANK!')
Have to ask…Onix claims their Sub-zero paddle has a carbon and foam “Ribtec” core. Is this in any way similar to Gearbox? I can’t find an explanation of this construction/technology anywhere and am wondering if they stopped promoting it due to infringement on Gearbox IP?
Great to hear about the spin of these since the toss rules are changing next month. I use a Diadem Icon now and get tons of spin on my serves without adding any with the toss. What's the "feel" of the ball strike compared to the Icon? I need to focus on my short/soft game since I've got bad arthritis in my shoulder, so overhead smashes are out of the question anymore.
I have the icon, but actually haven’t gotten to play with it a lot yet. Icon definitely has way more pop than the CX14 in my opinion. I think I would describe the icon as feeling more lively when the ball pops off the face if that makes any sense.
I noticed you haven’t done the reviews yet for the CX11 paddles…are they coming soon or can you at least recommend a paddle for someone who thinks the CX14E is perfect other than being a tad too soft?
Yeah, I need to get on the CX11s....I've been training for the MN PPA so I've tried to limit my paddle reviewing so I stay adjusted to what I know. I would think if you felt the CX14E was too soft, one of the CX11E's would be pretty good! I think they are noticeably more poppy than the 14.
@@PickleballStudio I'd be curious to see how you like the CX 11 Control 8.5 oz. I've found it has plenty of power already and the CX11 Power is too unforgiving.
So In some Facebook gearbox Forums they are talking about new grit in the most recent paddles that have come out of production vs if you bought them when they first came out. Anyway chance of investigations and making a comparison video. Would love to see if the rpm changes. Thanks …. inquiring minds want to know.
Yup! I have all the 11 models. Going to start working on that one next. Might just take a minute because of limited play time with it being winter in MN haha.
@@PickleballStudio I'd love to get some preliminary feedback on the other CX11 models. How does the sweet spot, power, and spin compare to the CX14s? I'm currently playing with an Onix Premier Lightweight, but it is pretty dead if I miss the sweet spot.
So it's been a while, about a year since your review. Has the carbon fiber lasted, or failed? Spoiler: fail! I bought one a month ago, after watching this review, and the surface has already degraded to the point where it has little spin control. Any time I hit an aggressive top spin the ball slips on the surface, loses all lift and spin and just dives for the net. So, if you plan on hitting the ball hard, also plan on buying a new paddle every month or so.
If you got free merchandise, your opinions AREN’T YOUR OWN, you are being paid with merchandise. People need to learn what ethics means. Just because you disclose that, doesn’t mean it’s right. If you want to be ethical, start paying for product. Otherwise, it’s just another advertisement.
You are welcome to your own opinion, but I disagree with you. Just because they sent me paddles suddenly means the opinion isn’t my own? I understand that you are confusing other influencers and me because most people are biased to the companies that send them stuff. That is not the same for me. Companies sending me their gear allows me to more easily make the videos for you the viewer. I don’t have thousands of dollars laying around to: 1. Spend my time only playing Pickleball 2. Buying the paddles 3. Making a video for free for you as the viewer. My most recent Invikta review, Selkirk sent me the paddle and I called out several flaws in the paddle that are deal breakers to me. Does this still mean my opinion was bought by Selkirk? If so, I can’t imagine they would want me to say the things I did. I will soon be reviewing the Diadem Warrior and also pointing out several things that are huge design flaws. I’m sure your opinion isn’t going to change, and that’s fine. But to say the opinions aren’t my own and that this is an “advertisement” is blatantly false. Especially because of a hat. Pink is one of my favorite colors and I thought the hat was nice. Next time I won’t wear the brands hat if that’s what upset you. 🤷
