Bought one , put some weight in the handle, Love it ! Feels quick in my hands with good plow through on drives. Lets me focus on my game instead of my equipment !!
Great video, and pretty awesome speed/spin gun-- I'd never noticed it before, wow! You mentioned the grit wearing down based on months of play. I wondered if you might have some intuition into how many hours of play before you'd want to replace the grit (or better still, I'd love to see a graph of how RPMs change as you play with a paddle over the course of its life, measured in hours of play). (Even hours aren't quite perfect since drilling vs games have very different amounts of hitting, and there's even variation beyond that of course...). Anyway, seems like a fun angle to explore and better understand.
I love the innovation from Reload. Hopefully they will have more paddles to choose from at some point. I would buy a wide body paddle if they had one. Thanks for the awesome review.
I love this concept. Why? Because there is nothing worse than buying a new paddle and within a couple play sessions, the face is trashed. Ball dust you can’t get off, the core starts to show thru, micro scratches you can’t get off because of micro rocks that are embedded into the ball…. It’s super annoying to spend a bunch of money on a paddle and it look so grungy so quickly! The added perk to me is fresh grit! Also, the other pet peeve I have about paddles is the edge guards failing so quickly. Even with edge guard tape protecting light scrapes, often times the edge guard begins to separate from the face due to it only being glued down. I would like to see a replaceable edge guard that can bolted on. I think a couple other manufacturers have done this. Having both of these things would really set this paddle apart from other brands, imo.
Love this paddle.I started on a Selkirk, did Diadem,played Joola ... And then I actually decuded i wanted to up my skills in this game and drill. (Former drafted Olympic volleyball player, zero paddle background). .. I had rhonbus and was on veloz before I got into Reload.. if you decide that you actually want to play with finesse (And I definitely fall in the category of banger bc volleyball).. but now that I've learned topspin, placement of the bang is as valid as strength.. this paddle has won me a silver medal in 4.0 and thinking about grit when I'm hitting has definitely impacted my shot selection. *I am 100% in the camp that the people that actually love the trampoline effect on their paddles are the ones that don't want to actually know how to hit the shot properly but just want to be able to hit harder without doing it right... You don't see the pros leaning in in trampoline. The eco impact of 800% less waste is also inspiring
This is why I use the Proton Series One with the NanoTac coating. It is the same coating that is on my Proton Bat and it is still like new on my softball bat so it will probably last forever on my pickleball paddle. Who knows if it will be delisted but USAP shouldn’t delist it as it will discourage innovation in lasting spin coatings like the NanoTac coating
That is the product right there. Offer the sheets and fit them to work with various paddles. That way you xan take advantage of internal paddle improvements.
Nothing in physics stops you from sticking the Reload sheets onto another paddle. While the Reload paddle bases are smooth so the sheets will stick better - the adhesive is good enough to stick to worn out unevenly gritty surfaces. However - it isn't something we recommend for two main reasons: 1. If you do this you have now constructed a paddle that is NOT legal under USAP. You might not care about this in the slightest (because you're using it for rec play) but it's worth pointing out. 2. Since other paddles are not designed to have weight added to them in this way - you now have a very unbalanced paddle. Again - not necessarily something that will worry you too much - but worth pointing out. All that said - you can trim it to fit with scissors (just make sure they're sharp because they have to cut through 3 layers of T700 unidirectional carbon fiber)
@@HeavyAndLow Manufacturers can’t make universal sheets and get USAP approval iirc. Has to be a feature of the paddle itself when it’s submitted for approval.
@@ReloadpickleballCongrats on bringing a product to market … no doubt a huge effort. Some random thoughts and questions (assume no concern about legal): - how much does each sheet weigh? One could plan accordingly and buy light enough paddle to accommodate it, and also have room for weighting at the handle for balance reasons - tin snips would probably do a good job cutting/trimming the sheets, but seems starting with extended paddle sheet limits the fitting to another paddle. Say someone still loves their expensive current standard/wide paddle, and are prepared to sand the face smooth in preparation for your sheets. Seems like in that situation you need a bigger/wider sheet that you can outline/mark to size. I guess it depends on your business model … core business with paddle or bigger market with just the sheets. Obviously that is dependent on paddle governing bodies and rules for “legal” paddles, but the giant market “eventually” surely will be rec players that don’t play tournaments and couldn’t care less about any legal stamp of approval. I have played open play at a Lifetime and have never seen anyone care (or even know) what paddle you are playing with. It could happen with dangerous pace, but several Gearbox PPE and the the Gen 3 Joolas and nobody cared. - agree 100% with concerns of discarded paddles … had thought of that before … imagined miles of honeycomb plastic cores floating in the ocean. But then … the leap in tech there will be replacing the plastic core with something less harmful I find the entire paddle innovation thing interesting, good luck … hats off to companies that try to evolve the game and equipment. Just in my short time playing, game became significantly more enjoyable for me with better spin and grip on the ball. A ball sliding across a slick paddle surface didn’t do it for me.
Throw this in the future paddle wish list: I hope dwell time, pocketing and trampoline becomes the standard. I briefly hit the Gearbox PPE, and also Gen 3 Joola Hyperion. I didn’t love either, but it did occur to me if you got that right hitting the wiffle (or hopefully better ball replacement) would be way more satisfying than hard/stiff feeling paddles. If that happened, I wonder if the core doesn’t have extra surface layer … hit directly against core. If so … replaceable core replaces the part that wears out. If industry standardized the size, shape and mechanism for plug and play, tech could go crazy developing best cores. fyi … that “wish” 😂 was a feel, trampoline and spin wish … not big pace wish.
FYI … Jonny … OM … already has talked about replaceable cores if it became legal. Pickle Pulse … 2 months ago. Kyle … I might not be “so wrong” 😂 on those future strings. LOL.
Can we get a sheet with a picture of strings on it? (that was for Kyle 😂 ). I’m one of those racquet and paddle players with “issues” … always hit forehands on same side of paddle (and was same with tennis racquet). If I only wear out the forehand side that re-sticking is $20 instead of $40. 😂😂😂
I personally change out my paddles every ~6months. 5.3 player that plays in local moneyballs, etc. play 2-3 times per week (2-3hrs per). I do notice the grit loss, but it doesn’t change my spin dramatically enough to have me changing out. I usually change when an edge guard, or core issue happens & that’s usually at 6 months. I buy paddles in the $120-150 range that are of the highest quality for the price, I don’t think reset has a bad idea here- it just doesn’t make any sense for my need & game.
@@TheCheddercheese1 What defines “high-tier”? More cost? Because the best mid priced paddles offer just as good if not better performance $200+ ones. An overpriced Joola or Selkirk most certainly isn’t more durable.
@@kabob21 it’s not about durability. It’s about performance and it’s definitely worth the money when you’re playing a lot competitively. There’s a reason all the pros use the very high end paddles rather than mid-tier ones.
Out of curiousity - is the reason you don't change out the grit because (a) You CAN'T (b) You wouldn't even if you could (c) It's expensive What we have done opens the door to an entirely new way of dealing with paddles. We're all familiar with that fresh paddle feel. The grit loss is exponential FWIW. Sure, you lose 50% of grit in 30 days (of play) but you lose 25% of your grit in 7 days. The question is how much loss are you willing to put up with. Clearly in your case you have the skills to play around it (it's definitely possible to compensate - I mean a skilled player can topspin a $50 Amazon paddle) - but if you have the ability to refresh your grit whenever you want - you can get even MORE spin.
Over/Under on the amount of time it takes for a company to start selling these stickers to put on the face of illegal paddles, to make them look like a different, legal paddle?
Since they're one of the first to the market, they're pricing everything way too high. This is basically like the old Gillette "razors and razorblades" business model which long term, is highly profitable. Except the key difference is that they're charging way too much out of the gate for an unknown brand. The razor (in this case, the paddle) needs to be priced significantly lower if they want to achieve mass market adoption. They're too greedy in trying to price it as a premium paddle and trying to make a lot of profit off of that. Reloads at $40 are still too expensive as well. The reloads is where they will make their long term money...but not if they price it too high right out of the gate. Even though you did the math trying to explain the long term value, I think consumers are pretty discerning and resistant to change, unless coming from a highly trusted source. They're not doing the math on what they'll save 12 months+ into the future. And until the upfront price of the paddle gets drastically reduced and word of mouth spreads on these being high quality paddles, I don't see them making a market breakthrough. To me, it feels like the right consumer price is low $100's (let's say $129) and $29 for a pack of reloads. The company likely still makes decent margin at a $129 price point and gets a lot deeper market penetration. And $29 for cuts through a lot more price resistance for reloads, too.
This is not pikkl vinyl stickers..if you want dollar store grade product get pikkl. They are cheap crap...if you don't know the difference you prob don't play a lot
This does not change the market imo. People are switching out their paddles every three months anyway because they get excited about something new. Plus, this limits you to the same old tech within the paddle. For most people I don't see how this product makes sense.
In table tennis you're free to change your rubber and your paddles and mix and match. Imagine you could do that with pickleball paddles. Use the surfaces from one brand on your forehand and a different one on your backhand. Paddle from another. Customization options would be almost infinite.
So the idea of having different surfaces for your forehand versus your backhand is interesting. I'm not sure how it would play out and what differences you would want but that would be worth experimenting with and would be easier to experiment on a paddle like this. Still sticking to my original comment though. You're stuck with the tech inside the paddle. I don't like that.
@@HeavyAndLow like in Pickleball a lot of players back hands are different. I know for me personally my back hand drive is much flatter than my forehand. So I could have a surface that's very spinny and plush on the forehand and a denser less spinny facing on the back.
Still Ridiculous, The Best of Long Lasting paddles (meaning keeps good spin & won't break) RETAIL PRICING: [1] DIADEM HUSH $189.95 - [2] SPARTUS APOLLO $129.99 - [3] INSUM T-Titanium $149. NOW, if they reduced the price of SKINS and offered other Skins Like 100% KEVLAR which is ALWAYS BETTER than Carbon Fiber (for a skin that is) & the best is the eTPU (a super strong rubber) Like in the HUSH. I believe the future for the FACE will be eTPU. BUT of course this will mean that your racquet might never lose spin or at least for a long long time AND WHERE IS THE $$$$ in that. Pickleball is really a FUN EXCITING SPORT to play Pleasurably or Competitively, but ALL THESE EXPENSIVE DISPOSABLE paddles ARE A RACQUET (no PUN intended). HUSH, the QUITE LONG LASTING POWERFUL & SPIN WIZARD should be the ONLY STANDARD and ALL Companies will be making these with maybe slightly different INTERNALS and External Shape & Look!
I bought a hush for my wife. The paddle is insane. Tons of power that is controllable because of the spin potential. You will body bag people with it and they will go cry to their moms.
I just got a hush and tested this morning it's the biggest piece of crap ever It sounds terrible and it's an obvious cheat for worse players (these will all end up in landfills with the owl)... Like oh wait I can't actually hit the ball properly let me just get something with the trampoline effect... Basically you're confessing to being a bad player and the sound is terrible.
@@HeavyAndLowyeah wait till she takes someone's eye out or you get hit back by one and then you won't want it on the court for people that are lower than This is entirely part of the Gen 3 debate where less capable players suddenly think oh my God I'm so good and they're actually not great at all but just capable at slamming the balls suddenly because of the trampoline effect
My absolute favorite paddle innovation I’ve ever seen. And the Reload guys are the real deal and great people. I’m hyped to have an option like this.
Aaron needs a pay raise. These are by far the best edited paddle reviews on UA-cam.
I accept Doge or PaddleCoin !
@@ghenaric what about Dodo? 🦢
@@KTCHNPickleball let me talk to my financial advisor
Great review! Love the reload and Aaron’s editing skills
The editing on these paddle reviews are insanely good!! So hyped for this kind of paddle technology!
Bought one , put some weight in the handle, Love it ! Feels quick in my hands with good plow through on drives. Lets me focus on my game instead of my equipment !!
Great video, and pretty awesome speed/spin gun-- I'd never noticed it before, wow! You mentioned the grit wearing down based on months of play. I wondered if you might have some intuition into how many hours of play before you'd want to replace the grit (or better still, I'd love to see a graph of how RPMs change as you play with a paddle over the course of its life, measured in hours of play). (Even hours aren't quite perfect since drilling vs games have very different amounts of hitting, and there's even variation beyond that of course...). Anyway, seems like a fun angle to explore and better understand.
I love the innovation from Reload. Hopefully they will have more paddles to choose from at some point. I would buy a wide body paddle if they had one. Thanks for the awesome review.
I love my reload paddle already , it saves so much money instead of buying a new paddle every month or two once the grit goes.
I aspire to have Aaron’s level of editing power wow
The dude is sooo good
Thanks for the review Braydon. That sheet torture test was funny. You put it on a black chair on top of everything else ;)
Great concept more shapes and lower swing weight I'm in.
Have been thinking about this (replacement skin (surface). Thanks
It really confirms to me the idea of playing with hundred dollar paddles and just replacing them every year if you’re a casual player
Christmas paddle sounds good … I could have saved a lot of $ if you had told me this earlier. 😊
I love this concept. Why? Because there is nothing worse than buying a new paddle and within a couple play sessions, the face is trashed. Ball dust you can’t get off, the core starts to show thru, micro scratches you can’t get off because of micro rocks that are embedded into the ball…. It’s super annoying to spend a bunch of money on a paddle and it look so grungy so quickly! The added perk to me is fresh grit!
Also, the other pet peeve I have about paddles is the edge guards failing so quickly. Even with edge guard tape protecting light scrapes, often times the edge guard begins to separate from the face due to it only being glued down. I would like to see a replaceable edge guard that can bolted on. I think a couple other manufacturers have done this. Having both of these things would really set this paddle apart from other brands, imo.
Any comment on the new Head boom paddle? The new green one thats 11 or 12mm i think? Looks interesting but have not seen any reviews on it
Any plan on reviewing the Nexus Prostar?
Love this paddle.I started on a Selkirk, did Diadem,played Joola ... And then I actually decuded i wanted to up my skills in this game and drill. (Former drafted Olympic volleyball player, zero paddle background). .. I had rhonbus and was on veloz before I got into Reload.. if you decide that you actually want to play with finesse (And I definitely fall in the category of banger bc volleyball).. but now that I've learned topspin, placement of the bang is as valid as strength.. this paddle has won me a silver medal in 4.0 and thinking about grit when I'm hitting has definitely impacted my shot selection. *I am 100% in the camp that the people that actually love the trampoline effect on their paddles are the ones that don't want to actually know how to hit the shot properly but just want to be able to hit harder without doing it right... You don't see the pros leaning in in trampoline.
The eco impact of 800% less waste is also inspiring
This is why I use the Proton Series One with the NanoTac coating. It is the same coating that is on my Proton Bat and it is still like new on my softball bat so it will probably last forever on my pickleball paddle. Who knows if it will be delisted but USAP shouldn’t delist it as it will discourage innovation in lasting spin coatings like the NanoTac coating
Can’t wait for more styles
Would the sheets stick to a non Reload paddle? I've put the PIKKL face sheet on my old G-7 Gearbox which is glass smooth. Works great.
That is the product right there. Offer the sheets and fit them to work with various paddles. That way you xan take advantage of internal paddle improvements.
@@HeavyAndLow The PIKKL sheet did not fit my GB exactly. (standard) shape. Just a bit narrow which is not a big deal.
Nothing in physics stops you from sticking the Reload sheets onto another paddle. While the Reload paddle bases are smooth so the sheets will stick better - the adhesive is good enough to stick to worn out unevenly gritty surfaces.
However - it isn't something we recommend for two main reasons:
1. If you do this you have now constructed a paddle that is NOT legal under USAP. You might not care about this in the slightest (because you're using it for rec play) but it's worth pointing out.
2. Since other paddles are not designed to have weight added to them in this way - you now have a very unbalanced paddle. Again - not necessarily something that will worry you too much - but worth pointing out.
All that said - you can trim it to fit with scissors (just make sure they're sharp because they have to cut through 3 layers of T700 unidirectional carbon fiber)
@@HeavyAndLow Manufacturers can’t make universal sheets and get USAP approval iirc. Has to be a feature of the paddle itself when it’s submitted for approval.
@@ReloadpickleballCongrats on bringing a product to market … no doubt a huge effort.
Some random thoughts and questions (assume no concern about legal):
- how much does each sheet weigh? One could plan accordingly and buy light enough paddle to accommodate it, and also have room for weighting at the handle for balance reasons
- tin snips would probably do a good job cutting/trimming the sheets, but seems starting with extended paddle sheet limits the fitting to another paddle. Say someone still loves their expensive current standard/wide paddle, and are prepared to sand the face smooth in preparation for your sheets. Seems like in that situation you need a bigger/wider sheet that you can outline/mark to size. I guess it depends on your business model … core business with paddle or bigger market with just the sheets. Obviously that is dependent on paddle governing bodies and rules for “legal” paddles, but the giant market “eventually” surely will be rec players that don’t play tournaments and couldn’t care less about any legal stamp of approval. I have played open play at a Lifetime and have never seen anyone care (or even know) what paddle you are playing with. It could happen with dangerous pace, but several Gearbox PPE and the the Gen 3 Joolas and nobody cared.
- agree 100% with concerns of discarded paddles … had thought of that before … imagined miles of honeycomb plastic cores floating in the ocean. But then … the leap in tech there will be replacing the plastic core with something less harmful
I find the entire paddle innovation thing interesting, good luck … hats off to companies that try to evolve the game and equipment. Just in my short time playing, game became significantly more enjoyable for me with better spin and grip on the ball. A ball sliding across a slick paddle surface didn’t do it for me.
Throw this in the future paddle wish list:
I hope dwell time, pocketing and trampoline becomes the standard. I briefly hit the Gearbox PPE, and also Gen 3 Joola Hyperion. I didn’t love either, but it did occur to me if you got that right hitting the wiffle (or hopefully better ball replacement) would be way more satisfying than hard/stiff feeling paddles.
If that happened, I wonder if the core doesn’t have extra surface layer … hit directly against core. If so … replaceable core replaces the part that wears out. If industry standardized the size, shape and mechanism for plug and play, tech could go crazy developing best cores.
fyi … that “wish” 😂 was a feel, trampoline and spin wish … not big pace wish.
FYI … Jonny … OM … already has talked about replaceable cores if it became legal. Pickle Pulse … 2 months ago.
Kyle … I might not be “so wrong” 😂 on those future strings. LOL.
They should make a stick-on rubber sheet like the Proton Series 1. Now that would be something I'd buy in a heart beat.
I like that idea too. They totally could, that’s part of what’s cool of this tech.
It's not "rubber" it's """nanotac""" remember??
Can we get a sheet with a picture of strings on it? (that was for Kyle 😂 ).
I’m one of those racquet and paddle players with “issues” … always hit forehands on same side of paddle (and was same with tennis racquet). If I only wear out the forehand side that re-sticking is $20 instead of $40. 😂😂😂
You can get a new 11six24 all court or hurrace with first responder or veterans discount for 105.
Also this intro video edit is fire
I personally change out my paddles every ~6months. 5.3 player that plays in local moneyballs, etc. play 2-3 times per week (2-3hrs per). I do notice the grit loss, but it doesn’t change my spin dramatically enough to have me changing out. I usually change when an edge guard, or core issue happens & that’s usually at 6 months.
I buy paddles in the $120-150 range that are of the highest quality for the price, I don’t think reset has a bad idea here- it just doesn’t make any sense for my need & game.
If you’re that good and play that often you should consider some higher tier paddles.
@@TheCheddercheese1 What defines “high-tier”? More cost? Because the best mid priced paddles offer just as good if not better performance $200+ ones. An overpriced Joola or Selkirk most certainly isn’t more durable.
@@kabob21 it’s not about durability. It’s about performance and it’s definitely worth the money when you’re playing a lot competitively. There’s a reason all the pros use the very high end paddles rather than mid-tier ones.
@@TheCheddercheese1 They are sponsored and get paid to use their paddles. That is the main reason why they use them.
Out of curiousity - is the reason you don't change out the grit because
(a) You CAN'T
(b) You wouldn't even if you could
(c) It's expensive
What we have done opens the door to an entirely new way of dealing with paddles. We're all familiar with that fresh paddle feel. The grit loss is exponential FWIW. Sure, you lose 50% of grit in 30 days (of play) but you lose 25% of your grit in 7 days.
The question is how much loss are you willing to put up with. Clearly in your case you have the skills to play around it (it's definitely possible to compensate - I mean a skilled player can topspin a $50 Amazon paddle) - but if you have the ability to refresh your grit whenever you want - you can get even MORE spin.
Over/Under on the amount of time it takes for a company to start selling these stickers to put on the face of illegal paddles, to make them look like a different, legal paddle?
Just wait till they add strings as the core and grit…
exactly … stick on grit is a stepping stone to stick on strings 😂
Since they're one of the first to the market, they're pricing everything way too high. This is basically like the old Gillette "razors and razorblades" business model which long term, is highly profitable. Except the key difference is that they're charging way too much out of the gate for an unknown brand. The razor (in this case, the paddle) needs to be priced significantly lower if they want to achieve mass market adoption. They're too greedy in trying to price it as a premium paddle and trying to make a lot of profit off of that. Reloads at $40 are still too expensive as well. The reloads is where they will make their long term money...but not if they price it too high right out of the gate.
Even though you did the math trying to explain the long term value, I think consumers are pretty discerning and resistant to change, unless coming from a highly trusted source. They're not doing the math on what they'll save 12 months+ into the future. And until the upfront price of the paddle gets drastically reduced and word of mouth spreads on these being high quality paddles, I don't see them making a market breakthrough.
To me, it feels like the right consumer price is low $100's (let's say $129) and $29 for a pack of reloads. The company likely still makes decent margin at a $129 price point and gets a lot deeper market penetration. And $29 for cuts through a lot more price resistance for reloads, too.
This is not pikkl vinyl stickers..if you want dollar store grade product get pikkl. They are cheap crap...if you don't know the difference you prob don't play a lot
This does not change the market imo. People are switching out their paddles every three months anyway because they get excited about something new. Plus, this limits you to the same old tech within the paddle. For most people I don't see how this product makes sense.
In table tennis you're free to change your rubber and your paddles and mix and match. Imagine you could do that with pickleball paddles. Use the surfaces from one brand on your forehand and a different one on your backhand. Paddle from another. Customization options would be almost infinite.
So the idea of having different surfaces for your forehand versus your backhand is interesting. I'm not sure how it would play out and what differences you would want but that would be worth experimenting with and would be easier to experiment on a paddle like this. Still sticking to my original comment though. You're stuck with the tech inside the paddle. I don't like that.
@@HeavyAndLow like in Pickleball a lot of players back hands are different. I know for me personally my back hand drive is much flatter than my forehand. So I could have a surface that's very spinny and plush on the forehand and a denser less spinny facing on the back.
It’s much much cheaper than buying a new paddle every 3 months and unless you’re a top top end player you don’t need the latest core tech all the time
@ilzephyrli - That's a great point man. I like your thinking.
I guess we are in the carpetbagging/gimmick/subscrition phase of paddles. . .
Gimmick?? Huh
How is it a gimmick to replace your grit when you want? Do you think replacing tennis strings was a gimmick?
Still Ridiculous, The Best of Long Lasting paddles (meaning keeps good spin & won't break) RETAIL PRICING: [1] DIADEM HUSH $189.95 - [2] SPARTUS APOLLO $129.99 - [3] INSUM T-Titanium $149. NOW, if they reduced the price of SKINS and offered other Skins Like 100% KEVLAR which is ALWAYS BETTER than Carbon Fiber (for a skin that is) & the best is the eTPU (a super strong rubber) Like in the HUSH. I believe the future for the FACE will be eTPU. BUT of course this will mean that your racquet might never lose spin or at least for a long long time AND WHERE IS THE $$$$ in that. Pickleball is really a FUN EXCITING SPORT to play Pleasurably or Competitively, but ALL THESE EXPENSIVE DISPOSABLE paddles ARE A RACQUET (no PUN intended). HUSH, the QUITE LONG LASTING POWERFUL & SPIN WIZARD should be the ONLY STANDARD and ALL Companies will be making these with maybe slightly different INTERNALS and External Shape & Look!
I bought a hush for my wife. The paddle is insane. Tons of power that is controllable because of the spin potential. You will body bag people with it and they will go cry to their moms.
I just got a hush and tested this morning it's the biggest piece of crap ever It sounds terrible and it's an obvious cheat for worse players (these will all end up in landfills with the owl)... Like oh wait I can't actually hit the ball properly let me just get something with the trampoline effect... Basically you're confessing to being a bad player and the sound is terrible.
@@HeavyAndLowyeah wait till she takes someone's eye out or you get hit back by one and then you won't want it on the court for people that are lower than This is entirely part of the Gen 3 debate where less capable players suddenly think oh my God I'm so good and they're actually not great at all but just capable at slamming the balls suddenly because of the trampoline effect