Good review. I looked at both and got the DBD for the somewhat lower swing weight. Either has enough power and pop for my game. I consider myself primarily a control player. Six Zero now calls the DBD their control paddle. Many reviewers describe it as a great all court paddle. I agree. On thing I like about the DBD versus my previous paddles is the sweet spot. I’ve tried a number of paddles. At some point I don’t really want to be a paddle nerd. I’m thinking the DBD is a good place to stay for a while.
Found this video very useful. I started using the Black Diamond when it first came out, then added the Double BD for my second paddle. I am a paddle nerd and have bought and played various Joola, Bread & Butter, and Gearbox paddles. All have been good paddles and some very good, but like you the Six-Zero paddles elevated my play. I have been going back and forth between adding a Ruby or a Gearbox Power Pro, and after watching your review think I'll try out a Ruby next .......... though I know I'll end up with Power pro elongated at some point as well. Only problem is the Ruby is out of stock until the end of the month, but I think Six Zero is a great company and make fantastic paddles!
They really do make great paddles… I did try the gearbox, PowerPro, and it has a ton of power. More than I really want to try to use. My game is a control game, not a power game and I rely on pinpoint dinks and passing shots as opposed to Slamming it and trying to overpower people. The gearbox power pro is much more powerful than the ruby, but it doesn’t have anywhere near the touch that the ruby has.
I heard that cleaning technique is different for the Ruby than the DBD. I just ordered my Ruby to compare with my DBD, but just being cautious with the Kevlar and cleaning technique.
I have both the Ruby is a little hard to drop into the kitchen for resets due to how poppy it is. Power and Spin is great but it does feel harsh compared to the DBD. If you like plush get the DBD. I rarely play with my Ruby now.
See, I find the double black diamond a bit more poppy for dinks than the ruby. It’s all in how you play, and what muscles you use to dink with, and, of course, your feel. Both are great paddles, enjoy.
I picked up the ruby but it was actually too heavy for my taste. Not sure if I got an extra heavy model. I was missing the hand speed i had with the prism flash 16mm. switched to the dbd 14mm and i think it's the best of both worlds. great handspeed and pop, decent power, and still a good amount of control.
I haven’t tried the 14 mm paddle yet, but that’s my next order from them. Always been a control guy, but was curious about how much more pop I got from a 14 and how much less touch. Thanks for your update.
I bought the DBD on Boxing Day and they had a Holiday bundle package of 20% off if you bought a paddle and 2 accessories. So I got the eraser, and 3 over grips. I found the paddle to be a bit head heavy compared to my old paddle, but it didn't take long to get used to it. I found 3rd shot drops, resets, and dinks were like cheating as it seemed so easy. I come from tennis, so this paddle gives me all the power that i will ever need. My top spin servers are awesome to hit, and each time i hit it i think it is going out long, but the spin this paddle generates pulls the ball down so fast. I play indoors right now because of living in Canada, and the floor is concrete, and my slice returns stays so low that i get so many free points. I would definitely buy another DBD.
16 mm… That’s all they had out when I did the review. I have the 14 mm as well and honestly, there’s very slight differences. I’m fine with the 16 personally.
I have both paddles and use both, depending on how I feel on a certain day. They’re both great paddles for slightly different reasons. The ruby does take some getting used to because of the uniqueness of the face for sure.