Speed of a serve, measured with a radar gun.
HOW I MEASURE
Five numbers, measured by hand on court
A person swings the paddle, not a machine, so small differences between two paddles may not hold up on every swing. The charts below lean on patterns across many paddles for that reason.
Speed of a punch volley, measured with a radar gun.
From 240 fps slow-motion video of topspin and slice serves.
How heavy the paddle feels to swing, measured on a Briffidi.
Resistance to twisting on off-center hits, measured on a Briffidi.
1 · WHAT GOES TOGETHER
Which measurements move together
How to read it: each square compares two measurements. Blue means they rise together, red means one rises as the other falls, and pale means no link. The number is the correlation: 0 is no link, 1 is perfect step. SW is swingweight, TW twistweight and Core the core thickness. A link doesn't prove that one causes the other.
2 · EXPLORE
Compare any two measurements
Click a shape above to hide or show it. Every paddle's full numbers are in the paddle database.
3 · CORE THICKNESS
What 14 mm really changes
Each pair is the same paddle measured in 14 mm and 16 mm, so the difference comes from the core, not the brand or shape.
Dark dot: the average difference (14 mm minus 16 mm). Dark line: where the true average most likely sits (a 95% range). Grey dots: each matched pair. When the dark line stays clear of zero, the difference is clear.
4 · SHAPE
What shape changes, paddle for paddle
Each pair is one paddle line in two shapes with the same core thickness, compared with its hybrid version.
Dark dot: the average difference (chosen shape minus hybrid). Dark line: where the true average most likely sits (a 95% range). Grey dots: each paddle line.
5 · SURFACE
Which surfaces spin most
Each dot is a paddle. Dark tick: median. Light bar: middle half. Groups with fewer than 5 paddles are left out. Spin here is out-of-the-box spin; how well it lasts is covered in the Buyer's Lab.
6 · YEAR BY YEAR
How paddles changed by release year
This chart always uses every measured paddle with a known release year, and only years with at least 10 paddles.
READ THIS WITH CARE
What these charts can and can't tell you
- The database covers the paddles I have measured, not every paddle on the market, and newer paddles are better covered.
- Averages describe groups. A specific paddle can differ from its group; check its own page.
- Feel, durability and how a paddle fits your game are not in these numbers. Those come from long-term reviews and owner reports.