This is where the the term "follow the science" is actually meaningful. I am always blown away at how PHYSICS rules the universe. Great job, PT Dude. Nice balance, like the Gearbox engineers. You didn't go overboard, but you helped me understand why this paddle technology is so different. My one question is, "why don't the governing bodies/regulators/de-listing powers-that-be just use exit velocity to determine which paddles are acceptable? Very simple and straight forward for people to understand because what players experience is the rapid rate at which the ball closes in on them.
I played against a couple players who used this paddle in KC, and I was blown away by the amount of power and spin it generates. In the hands of a skilled player, it's a nightmare!
Thanks for your explanation, especially the tech part about the internals. Fascinating and crazy engineering!!! I play with the PPE and just got the Ultimate. Will give the Ultimate more time, but I'm still leaning towards my PPE for it's faster hand speed and flickability. Great job! Keep up the awesome work.
WOW!!! And I thought Kew went deep on tech. You are the new KING geek. Thanks for the review. Like to rotating paddle. Rafa to Rafa you really got the details.
With all the active dynamics this paddle posseses, I think a follow up review discussing durability and changes in playability after 90 days is in order, but for this review, great job!
Love the content! One of the most in depth reviews I've ever seen. Great job and keep up the good work! You are speaking well to paddle nerds everywhere 🫡
Hi, John Kew says the RPM for the Ultimate was Lower than Pro Control but in your analysis it's the other way around. I'm confused on which to buy, I just want more Spin lol! can you advise me?
They have achieved their power numbers by putting the foam directly in the paddle. It's really not all that hard to understand. Other companies did this with honeycomb and the end result is a delist or they are too small for USAP to care. The Vatic Oni as well as AMA have produced paddles where the cores just have foam in them, and low and behold, they are super stable and hit like rocket ships. USAP needs a better way to test these things, because this just can't fly.
Great review & walk through this another gem from gearbox, but unable to understand this “ increased pressure that leads to expansion in the core, but how can expansion lead to increase in density? “
So this is even less powerful than the control version? So what's the point compared to others brands which can match or exceed? i.e. The Joolas Mods etc has larger sweet spot, as good spin, etc. Curious. LIKED by the way.
I would say the selling point in the sweet spot. Definitely has a bigger one than any other power paddle it’ll just be heavier to swing. Also they propose longer durability. Will have to check on that one over time!
So, the Pro Control has more power than the Ultimate? That seems odd to me, I thought it would fall in the middle... Maybe it's a trade-off for the extra dwell time and. spin. What is it's spin RPM?
It's NOT an all around paddle? Weak points are resets and dink and hand battles,,is it only for serves and drives? Currently I'm using BB Filth paddle, it's a great all round paddle,,it's weakness is taking them out of the air in transition zone in hand battle at that distance,,maybe Ultimate would be a little poppier ?
Great review,! Currently enjoying watching your reviews get better and better. I had hoped for a bit more comparison to the GB Pro Control EL. How does this new one stack up against that. My wife currently plays exclusively with the GB PC EL, and it's getting time to replace her paddle and im really wondering about the difference in play between these two paddles. She isn't one for drastic change, but I would buy her the Ultimate if it's an improvement over the GB PC EL. Thank you!
Hey! A lot more people play with the power so I went down that route of comparison but there is definitely a difference between the PUE and PCE. The PUE brings back some of that power from the PPE and has a much bigger sweet spot and more spin - main drawback in comparison to the Control is that increase in SW. I think if your wife is looking for an upgrade in those areas and doesn’t mind the extra weight (or knows how to add lead to bring that SW down) then I could see her really liking this - otherwise stick to the PCE! Not a bad paddle in and of itself. Hope this helps 👍🏼
@@pickleballtechdude You can’t reduce SW of a paddle or racquet without a saw. ;) You can make a heavier static weight paddle with a lower balance point, my guess is that is what you meant to say.
Moving that balance lower does innately reduce SW! It’s a measurement of how the paddle swings using your hand as the fulcrum so if the balance point is closer to your hand the SW number is lower. Although you’re right in that static weight cannot be reduced it’ll only go up from anything you add
Nice - some people can just serve harder than me or there’s some difference in the angle with which we hit the ball if you used a radar gun. Pickleball Journey has lots of numbers claiming they serve balls 60+ MPH but everyone else’s numbers look like mine so take that for what you will 👌🏼
Interesting design disclosure. I’m stunned by your claim that they have overcome the largely disparate feel of the ball hitting near the oversized perimeter frame. Do you believe that they leveraged the increased thickness to make that perimeter frame not as wide?
I don’t think the perimeter frame is oversized necessarily but that ball feel you’re describing is overcome by the increasing density of the EVA over time. The increased core thickness has very little impact there.
Do you know if these paddles would pass the USAP deflection test after the "breakin period"? From the way you explained the technology it seems to me that this is really the trick GB is using to get their paddles approved?
This paddle would definitely pass. Break-in period won’t significantly change results on a CoR test but it would change power results on the court. My theory is that swinging through the ball provides more power than launching a ball at a static paddle to see how it reacts
In a discussion with another paddle nerd/possibly a builder he mentioned some advantage of localized weighting (I.e. mass at area of impact) having more desirable effect than perimeter weighting on ball flight post impact. I’m cautious to say sweetspot, but it does come down to power and predictable trajectory. Can this be calculated out and plotted to see around when you’d have diminishing returns? Kinda like they do in engineering classes with vectors, calculus and stuff.
Absolutely. I’ve never created a paddle so I’m not sure about the math involved with optimizing ball flight but generally you do want your center of mass, center of percussion, and center of area to align within a couple of inches of each other on the paddle face. There’s a great article from “Pickleball Science” online that talks about this!
Ok. So, I'm a bit confused.... My old padel was Selkirk Luxx Control...so Control paddle...yeah? I switched to the Gearbox Pro Elongated. Took me a while to get used to the touch...but...I have no issue with the touch, Control, pop etc....and I find the sweet spot is ok. I was very interested in the ultimate....but all I'm really getting is the sweet spot is bigger, swing weight etc. But less power. I can't see why I would swap from Pro to this. Bit disappointed, as I was hoping for more. Or....have I misunderstood?
Nope hit the nail on the head! Ultimate will not be as powerful as the Power Elongated - it’s priority was having a bigger sweet spot that more people were comfortable using. If you’re liking your play with the Pro Power I would absolutely stick with it 👍🏼
The gearbox paddle is the only paddle where I flinch when a low 4.0 player drives the ball let alone a 5.0+ player. It’s also the only paddle where the speed of the ball does not match the swing velocity & sound of the paddle. The paddle simulates a changeup speed off the first 2 feet of the paddle, but then the ball pace goes into a fastball speed within a split second causing an optical illusion to make you flinch. It’s laughable that this paddle is not illegal in tournaments.
100% agree. These variants of the Gearbox paddles (ultimate, power, control) are the most shocking example of trampoline-effect paddles on the market. They're downright dangerous - period.
SW higher yes balance point is the same as the original paddles! So if you were looking for improvements in those areas I would probably skip this one ⏭️
Have y’all tried just getting good at volleying? Fast reaction time is simply anticipation mixed with not being a wimp and pre-flinching and tensing up before the ball (a WHIFFLE BALL that goes a maximum of 60 MPH) comes at you and then simply moving your paddle a few inches to meet the ball. I play almost exclusively doubles (mixed and gendered) with a weighted-up PPE and I never once felt like it was sluggish or was holding me back at the net. Any ball that is punishable gets punished HARD, and, again, with a “heavy” (aka sturdy) paddle and soft hands you can block and reset literally anything without even feeling like your paddle is getting pushed around. Tennis players use rackets that are, like, 300+ grams and hit balls that are going way faster with no issues at all, and you’re out here making it sound like you think SLIGHTLY heavier paddles are some kind of paradigm error by Gearbox (and the broader pickleball industry).
The original elongated GearBox Pro Power Paddle is the ultimate and a person has the option to add lead weights to The original elongated GearBox Pro Power Paddle to change the characteristics of the GearBox Pro Power Paddle for more stability and control if that is what they want. if a person wants the control of the ultimate then buy the Gearbox Pro Control Elongated. The ultimate should not have been compared to the GearBox Pro Power Paddle but rather the ultimate should have been compared to the Gearbox Pro Control Elongated pickleball paddle. I would like to see the original elongated GearBox Pro Power Paddle in a wide body format with a handle long enough for 2 handed backhands.
Agreed would wanna see a new shape from GB but the Ultimate has greater control even compared to the Control Elongated so I personally don’t think it’s an accurate assessment to say that the ultimate is a mix of the two. Better control than the PCE less power than the PPE
@@pickleballtechdude if you had used lead weights in the original elongated GearBox Pro Power Paddle you would know what I am speaking about. And please do not read into what I said.
If foam and eve foam not allowed as a core ..how is this legal. There is barely any carbon fiber in the core. Minor thin strips. It's pretty much all foam.
This is a great point - I think because the core is technically not fully foam is what’s saving it right now because USAP is really loose on their definition of “compressible material” cores. Would love to see them tighten up on that policy and give some specifics moving forward…
12:30 Haha wtf is "perceived twist weight"? Why not just call it "stability"? A higher twist weight only indicates increased inertial resistance to twisting, and doesn't necessarily say anything about sweet spot (as you say yourself just a couple minutes later).
Definitely pricey - a paddle like this should last twice as long as normal paddles though so the only way I see this not being worth it is if 1) that ends up not being true or 2) you tend to change paddles frequently. Time will tell!
@@pickleballtechdudeit will physically last longer than other paddles - but Gearbox will probably come out with a better one in 9 months and we will want the upgrade, leaving a perfectly playable paddle just sitting in our bag.
Thanks for providing the info. And while I appreciate their R&D, at the end of the day, GB is still just gaming the system…. I’m glad he learned his lesson though from his last release, where he went and talked down all the other paddle brands, in an attempt to prop his own up. Only to fail miserably with QC issues of his own. Lol
Friend. You should be dissecting a paddle in the first 2 minutes and pointing to the parts showing how it will play because of surface thickness, foam density, honeycomb structure, surface weave, etc. Like if you really want to claim engineer status be the only YTCC that gets MSDS from the makers. This is definitely critical, I’ve been around the sun enough these reviews (on any product) are complete waste when you don’t cut it in half like the sneakers reviewers do. Opening up with “I spent 5 hours playing with it to tell you how it compares”, it’s non-sensical. I watched this video because you said you were an engineer. I like your pacing, edits, tone, and color palettes.
Thanks for the input. I definitely would have cut this open had I had a buzz saw or access to one easily. I do know what it looks like though because I have seen one deconstructed and I explain that starting around 12:22. I am an engineer by education not trade so I’m definitely not trying to claim engineering “status” it’s just a part of my background I like to mention!
For engineering, it's MIT, not close. Harvard has an "Engineering" major in the same sense that MIT has a "Humanities" major - yes, it's one (tiny) major, meant to house the poor saps who really should have chosen another school in Cambridge. You don’t need the credential, love watching your reviews. The into is detrimental and makes you seem pompous and vain. Say you have been reviewing paddles for years, say what your pickleball bona Fides are. Harvard educated engineer sadly is not having the effect you might think it has…
Hmm interesting take. Some people don’t care some people do. I think right now it’s having the exact effect I want it to. It might surprise you that I had my choice of both and I don’t regret my decision not even a little bit 😂
@@timkadom1722idk how it makes him seem “pompous and vein?” He’s just saying where he was educated. Unless you’re intimidated by the mere mention of the name Hardvard? Like just let him say his degree and move on with your life 🙄
