The J2K is such a great choice for your tournament! I recently played with mine in a tournament and took home a bronze in mixed doubles. I love this summer paddle review edition, and as always, keep up the great work!
I’m a hybrid paddle guy. You ABSOLUTELY nailed it with the J2K. I just received mine last week and IT IS A BEAST in the all court performance! Thinking about getting the J2K pro for that extra pop and power to up my game even more!
Exactly trying to put myself in the shoes of different play styles and I do tend to play different styles with different paddles. Of course sometimes I have to hit them with those drives
Hey Jacob. Thanks for yet another great informative video! This may be your best one yet. Your reviews have been extremely helpful in my paddle decisions! I love the shape and category breakdown and the introduction of the "aggressive" category, which makes total sense. I also like how you talk about weight placements and how they might affect playability for any particular paddle. Nice! In summary, this is a great, must-view reference for anyone in search of a new paddle. Looking into the future and being a fairly recent convert to Widebody/Standard shapes, I'm greatly looking forward to any upcoming reviews of the Monarch, the Fatboy, the Hurricane Pro16, and any others that are on the horizon. Thanks!
Thanks Barney. I thought this format made more sense than a straight top 5 or 10 list. Fatboy review is ready to go when they are ready to start selling it. Monarchs should be here soon. I have the Hurricane 14mm but haven’t had a chance to use it.
Great content. Keep doing what you're doing, man. J2K is topping everybody's list! Wild. That thing must be good. Tough choice up top with the TKO-C, though.
I tried a 6.0 Ruby and liked it, although the plushness of it was more than I wanted. Because of that, I decided against getting the similar J2K and went with the J7K Pro instead. I've been very happy with it.
This video was really well done. I appreciate the time and effort put into it and thought the format was great. Lots of summarization of the paddles from other videos in a concise format! Oh and my favorite paddle right now is the Hurache-X Control 14mm.
Oh man so many options I commend you for only picking 2! 😂 Hybrid - J2K Elongated - Shogun Widebody - J3K These would be the ones I’d gravitate towards!
I played with my J2K a few days ago and it's definitely a great all around paddle. Does everything well and not lacking in any area. Very forgiving, great control and maneuverable. My favorite so far! Would love to try the Spartus Apollo to see how it compares to J2K.
I know this is considered an “older video” now since it was released 3 weeks ago but I just wanted to say it was very informative and well thought out. I can tell you really put some time and effort into making sure it was accurate and catered to all different play styles. This gave me some things to think about when I finally decide to upgrade paddles. For reference, I was using a $20 starter paddle for a couple months and then “upgraded,” if you can call it that, to a lower-end Selkirk (SLK Max Prime-Fiberflex) and have liked playing with it for the most part. I can only imagine how much of a boost buying one of the paddles you recommend would be. I do feel hindered by lower end paddles but everything is so expensive now it seems, even though your list had some that were much more financially manageable and still considered a higher-end product. Anyway, great list and great video! I appreciate your insight into all of that! Hopefully I’ll catch your next giveaway sooner so I can enter into it and hopefully get luckily! Lol
Appreciate the thoughtful comment. Is it already considered older at 3 weeks 😂? I was trying to think as someone watching and I figured it doesn’t help if I list what is best for me but what is best for different play styles and shapes. I worked my way up in costs with different paddles at the start too. I’m telling you as your progress the investment into a good paddle is worth it and makes the game more fun.
Great list. Great insight into your reasons. Started with a DBD, moved to the Hurache-x Control+ (CFC16). Spent the last couple weeks playing with an loving the Apollo. Felt I was missing a part of my game with the Apollo (despite loving the extra spin, and maneuverability)... The Apollo helped me dial in things and realize I really do prefer the 11six24 out of my stable of paddles. Would love to try the J2K to see how much is hype and how much is true about everyone loving it lately.
Great detailed explanations. I think the format of the video is great. Really like these best of videos, even though it's tough to cover so much ground. My current favorite is the Shogun, but would love to try the TKO-C! Thanks for the videos!
My fav paddle this year is easily the J2K. I personally think the power is lacking but the control and massive sweet spot makes it so easy to play the soft game. The price makes it even easier to choose as well.
I am using the Spartus Apollo based on your great recommendation. I have it weighted 3 grams on each side from mid paddle down. I love it! But it is short, and the ball does just die off the paddle when i hit it at the top (mostly when i'm reaching in the kitchen to take it out of the air). You mentioned that in this (awesomely organized video, but maybe talk about the benefits/drawbacks of each shape at the beginning). Should I try the J2K? is it similar enough but without that drawback? Thanks so much for your guidance!
I think the J2K would be a great fit for you. In my paddle journey I think the hybrid is the best shape for me right now and that extra reach helps but it also moves the sweet spot farther up the paddle to help with the issue you are having. Some of the main reasons the J2K was named the best paddle of 2024 by me for my summer best paddles edition
Fantastic recap of these paddles! I especially like how you showed where to weight each paddle for optimal performance. Btw, I’m currently using the Shapeshifter as my main paddle. It’s allowed me to be very aggressive at the kitchen line with rolls, flicks, volleys and overheads. Most importantly it’s been the easiest paddle to keep the ball low over the net to set up these put away opportunities off the opponent’s inevitable pop-up.
I play whole bunch of different sports such as hockey, soccer, tennis and water polo. Just cpl month ago I got in to pickle ball. I dont think I would ever buy an expansive paddle cuz all the money I make goes to other sports. But if you gift me that TKO, that would probably be the best present I receive this year. I really like your reviews, some of the most professional out there.
Jacob, always happy to see a new video from you. Really loved the format you used. I've been playing with the J2K for a week and am blown away by its overall performance. The stability of the J2K, as you mentioned, is incredible. Keep up the great work!
Fantastic format for this list, man. I really liked how you laid it out for us. I like the TKO-C 12.7. I'm really gonna enjoy the pop & power it offers.
Playing with the Six Zero double black diamond w/tungsten & Selkirk S2. I'v been really interested in the J2k lately though, sounds like a great paddle, and your review just validates it!
My favorite paddle to play with right now is my weighted Apollo. I’m gonna add weight to my bantam and see if that feels better when I play. Loved the video format👍🏽
Currently using the J2K and would like to try an aggressive elongated paddle like the TKO-C 12.7. I would love to win this paddle and try something different. Keep up the amazing reviews.
I gotta feel this power of the TKO-C. It’s hot down in here in TX hahaha. Thanks for the review as always! Currently using the DBD. So quite the opposite haha
I bought the Apollo using your code. It had an uneven surface on one side, resulting in a feeling of negative feedback like a miss hit from anywhere but center when hit with that side. I sent them a video, and they sent me a label to send it back for replacement. While it was gone I demoed an Engage Pursuit Pro MX and loved the feel of the paddle, the longer dwell time and additional power I adjusted to it much more quickly than the stiffer Apollo paddle. For me the Engage Pursuit had more control & power, less pop and spin. There were a few other trade offs. Overall the feel made me decide the Engage is more for me.
Love your pics, am glad you chose neonic flow for the control and looking forward to use. The paddletek Bantam... am so curious how I will be able to utilize it to up my game. Cheers to you for all your hardwork. All the best!
You have a great list of paddles from what research I can do without actually handling hardly any of them. I currently love my J2K and think it is possibly the best paddle for me. However, I would like to that TKO-C.
Great video and I really like how you categorized the shapes then the type. Very helpful. Of all paddles that you mentioned I only have the volair. I’m a 3.5 player and it seems to suit me well.
I think Wen should always carry two paddles with them to a tournament in case the conditions are playing lively that they want more of a control paddle and if the conditions are playing slow, you want you’re more live powerful paddle. So I would love the JK to fill out the More library paddle that I don’t have currently.
Was a little confused on the format, but caught on. I would suggest you do top control paddle. Elongated, hybrid, standard/wide, then do top all court and go through each shape, and then top power. But the way you did it wasn’t bad. Thanks for all the guidance!
Great best of list and an excellent way of presenting the various categories within the shapes. I'm currently really enjoying the Apollo. The low SW has me winning more hands battles than ever. It's also resolving my chronic tennis elbow I've been battling for the past 4months. The J2K is the winner IMO amongst your favorites.
Spot on with the Volair, I cannot miss a drop/reset on this thing. but summer is here and I could use some more put away power, so I'm gonna go with that TKO-C giveaway! 👀
Great review...loved the concept. Very informative. New to pickleball, but loving it. Started playing with Vatic Pro Flash and liked it a lot. Bought a Thrive Azul and really liking it as well. So many cool paddles out there and I appreciate your thoroughness in describing the various paddles and their attributes. I'm intrigued by the Shogun and Shapeshifter.
Playing J2K - totally agree on it being the current paddle of choice for all play. Interested in the Paddletek Bantam TKO-C for days when power game makes sense.
I like and appreciate your pickleball paddle reviews. I started with a Paddletek paddle about a couple years ago, and would enjoy their latest paddle, the TKO-C 12.7. Thank you.
I would love the Chorus Shapeshifter. I think it would be fun to adopt a more aggressive play style. My favorite paddle right now though is the bnb Shogun. Thanks as always, great video!
I just got a Bread and Butter Shogun so that is my new fave, but I've only tried two other paddles, so I have a lot to learn. I wanted a good overall paddle and the Shogun fits the bill... had a good price and looks and feels great.
Glad you specified whether you added weight or not. Would like to see all reviewers state how they evaluated the paddle, dubs or singles. J2K is great for dubs, but needs help with weight, lots of it, for singles, for example. Assume reviewers are evaluating for dubs unless stating they use the paddle for singles. Also, some paddles are great for 2HBH, some are not. Something else to consider adding to reviews. Having said all that, great job with the info! Thx so much! Loving TKO-CX 12.7 with .4 ozs added to the 8.2oz stock model, plus yonex super grap overgrip. Great for singles and dubs, but use the TKO-CX 14.3, same set up as 12.7, for dubs. Both are great for 2HBH.
Great review! My wife plays with a 6.0 Ruby which I think is probably my favorite paddle I've played with so far. Since the J2k is very similar at a cheaper price, I might have to get myself one.
