The Evolution of Pickleball Paddles – From Wood to Full Foam

Pickleball paddle technology has come a long way. From the clunky wooden paddles of the 1960s to today’s high-tech foam-core/ carbon core designs, each generation has introduced new construction methods that affect power, control, spin, and feel. Below is a breakdown of the modern generations of pickleball paddles by construction technology, including their key features, pros, cons, and examples.

Lost Generation (Wood & Metal Era – Pre-Honeycomb)

Early pickleball paddles were plywood paddles. They were heavy, solid, and had no sophisticated core or face materials. Despite their simplicity, these paddles set the stage for future innovation. In the early days (1960s–1980s), players used wooden paddles (and a few experiments with metal) before composite honeycomb cores were invented.

• Construction: One-piece paddles made of solid wood (usually plywood). Some later models experimented with aluminum or metal surfaces, but wood dominated early on. No cores or face layers – just a slab of material shaped like a paddle. No edge guard or rubber edging – the paddle was a single solid piece.
• Performance Characteristics: Heavy and rigid. Wood paddles often weighed 12–15+ ounces, which made them durable but hard to maneuver quickly. They had very little “pop” or flex – hitting with a wooden paddle felt like hitting with a board. Spin and control were minimal, since the faces were smooth and non-textured. Power was limited by the player’s strength; the weight could generate power in a swing, but the lack of trampoline effect meant a relatively dead feel. Vibration was harsh, as there was no cushioning core to absorb shock.
• Pros:
  • Extremely Durable: Wood paddles could take a beating without breaking. You could smack the ground or the ball repeatedly, and the paddle would survive; great for longevity.
  • Simple & Affordable: Easy to produce and inexpensive. In the early days, people even made DIY wooden paddles in their garages. No fancy tech meant everyone had access to the game.
  • High Weight = Some Power: The heft of these paddles did provide baseline power on full swings due to momentum. Once you got it moving, a heavy wood paddle could drive a ball (though at the cost of control).
• Cons:
  • Very Heavy: The weight made quick reactions at the net difficult. Early players found fast exchanges challenging with 12+ oz paddles. Wrist fatigue was common.
  • No Sweet Spot: The entire paddle face was uniformly hard with no energy return. There was no forgiveness on off-center hits – every hit felt solid (or even stiff) regardless of contact point.
  • Limited Spin/Control: Smooth wood or metal faces offered little friction for spin. Touch shots and precise placement were tough because the ball bounced off too quickly (minimal dwell time).
  • Comfort Issues: No core or cushion meant every impact’s vibration went straight to the arm. Mis-hits stung, and prolonged play could be jarring due to the paddle’s stiffness.

Notable Examples: The original paddles invented by the game’s founders were wooden ping-pong paddles or homemade plywood paddles. By the 1970s, companies like Pickleball Inc. produced purpose-built wood paddles for the sport. A few niche experiments with aluminum surfaced or aluminum-core paddles occurred in the 1980s (trying to lighten paddles), but they often ended up almost as heavy and had issues with feel. Overall, until the advent of honeycomb composites, the sport was dominated by these simple, heavy paddles.

Playstyle Impact: In this era, finesse was limited, and players relied on dink and placement skills. Control was mainly achieved through player technique rather than paddle technology. Power shots were possible if you could swing the heavy paddle fast, but quick volleys and fast hands exchanges were not the forte of this generation. The game was more about placement and consistency, since the equipment didn’t offer much assistance in spin or power.

Gen 1 – Early Honeycomb Composite Paddles

A classic Gen 1 composite paddle: the Pro-Lite Blaster Alloy. It features a honeycomb core (in this case, aluminum “Alloy” honeycomb) with fiberglass face and an edge guard. The introduction of polymer honeycomb cores in the 1990s revolutionized pickleball paddles. These paddles use a “sandwich” construction: face sheets + honeycomb core + backing face sheet, all glued together, usually with an edge guard around the rim.

• Construction: Non-thermoformed composite build. A lightweight honeycomb core (often polypropylene by the 2000s; earlier versions sometimes used Nomex paper or aluminum honeycomb) is sandwiched between two face layers. Faces are typically graphite (carbon fiber) or fiberglass composites. Everything is bonded with epoxy or resin in a flat press (cold-pressed) and then cut to shape. A plastic edge guard is almost always applied around the perimeter to cover the exposed honeycomb and hold the layers together. No heat molding is involved – the layers are simply glued under pressure, then trimmed. This was the standard paddle-making method for decades.
• Key Materials: Polymer polypropylene (PP) honeycomb core became the norm for its balance of lightweight, durability, and feel. Nomex cores were also used for more pop (Nomex is a harder aramid paper honeycomb, giving a “poppy” feel). Some paddles (like the pictured Pro-Lite “Alloy”) used aluminum cores for extra control, but polymer honeycomb dominated due to weight and durability. Face materials were fiberglass (polymer composite) or graphite sheets. Fiberglass faces tend to add a bit more pop and a softer feel, while carbon/graphite faces are stiffer, providing more control. Many Gen 1 paddles had a smooth or lightly textured surface (sometimes a sand-paint or proprietary coating for spin).
• Performance Characteristics: These paddles were a massive improvement in feel and playability over wood. They are much lighter (typically 7.5–9 ounces), making hand speed and maneuvering easier. The honeycomb core provides flex and cushioning, so there is noticeable “dwell time” (the ball sinks into the face slightly) for better control and spin compared to wood. The sweet spot is larger than a solid paddle – hits near the center feel solid, and even slightly off-center hits are more forgiving due to the energy absorption of the honeycomb structure. Power is decent: a polymer core will flex and then rebound the ball, though not as explosively as later technologies. Graphite-faced versions give good control and touch (they’re more rigid, so less trampoline, great for dinks and placement), whereas fiberglass-faced versions offer a bit more power (more elastic rebound). Spin improved as well – although early composite faces weren’t as gritty as today’s raw carbon, the combination of some surface texture and dwell time meant players could impart more spin than with slick wood surfaces.
• Pros:
  • Balanced Control & Power: Gen 1 paddles provided a versatile middle ground. Players gained significantly more control and precision due to the softer core and lighter weight, without completely sacrificing power. Finesse shots like dinks and third-shot drops became much easier compared to the old wood paddles.
  • Larger Sweet Spot: The honeycomb core expanded the sweet spot, so you didn’t have to hit the absolute center every time to get a good result. Off-center hits were less jarring and more accurate, making the paddle more forgiving for players at all levels.
  • Lighter & More Maneuverable: Shedding a lot of weight (often ~8 oz vs 12+ oz of wood) meant quicker reactions and faster volley exchanges. This generation made the fast hands battles at the net a bigger part of the game.
  • Introduction of Spin: Graphite and fiberglass faces with textured finishes allowed players to brush the ball and generate spin to a greater degree than before. While not as crazy as today’s spin, topspin and backspin became important tactical weapons thanks to these paddles.
  • Customizable Designs: For the first time, different cores (poly vs Nomex vs aluminum) and face materials gave players choices to suit their style – control-oriented vs power-oriented paddles. Companies like Pro-Lite, Paddletek, Onix, and Selkirk each had unique blends.
• Cons:
  • Limited “Pop” by Modern Standards: Compared to later-gen paddles, Gen 1 composites feel a bit muted. The energy return is moderate. Big hitters might find they can’t quite get the same power as newer thermoformed or foam-enhanced paddles. You can certainly rip the ball with a Nomex core Gen 1 paddle, but the polymer cores do soften impact for control, meaning some loss of speed off the face.
  • Smaller Sweet Spot vs New Tech: Though a huge upgrade from wood, Gen 1 sweet spots are still smaller than what Gen 2+ paddles achieve. Hits near the edge of the paddle face can feel “dead” or unstable, as the honeycomb cells near the edge don’t have reinforcement (leading to more torsion on off-center contact).
  • Edge Guard Mishits: The presence of a raised edge guard, while great for durability, means that if the ball catches that plastic rim, the shot is a mishit. Some players found the edge guard slightly intrusive (both for play and for the feel in hand where the rim meets the handle).
  • Core Wear Over Time: Polymer honeycomb can “core crush” or degrade after heavy use, meaning the cells in the sweet spot slowly soften and collapse a bit, reducing pop. It usually takes a long time, but avid players noticed their paddles becoming slightly less responsive over many months of play as the core fatigued. (This issue becomes a major story in later generations!)
  • Minimal Tech Features: No fancy vibration dampening or added stability beyond the inherent design – essentially just the core and face. Gen 1 paddles don’t have the specialized tweaks (foam edges, etc.) that later paddles use for stability or feel. It’s a simple construction, which is a pro for consistency but a con in terms of innovation.

Notable Examples: Almost every major paddle line through the 2000s was Gen 1 construction. For example, the Onix Graphite Z5 (a perennial bestseller) uses a Nomex honeycomb core with graphite face – classic Gen1. Paddletek’s early models, like the Bantam EX-L (polymer core, fiberglass face) and Selkirk’s original Epic, were all Gen 1 style. The Pro-Lite Blaster series (as pictured) and Magnum paddles in the late ’90s had Nomex or aluminum cores. Engage Encore paddles (mid-2010s) and the Selkirk AMPED series (circa 2017) – while pushing core thickness to 16mm and using modern fiberglass faces – still fundamentally used the Gen 1 sandwich construction. These paddles dominated rec play and pro play alike up until the late 2010s, and many are still in use today by players who love their softer feel and control.

Playstyle Impact: Gen 1 paddles made the game more skill-based rather than equipment-limited. With these lighter composite paddles, players could develop finesse – soft dinks, gentle third shot drops, and topspin rolls became prominent as control improved. Defense also got better – you could react to hard shots quicker. Spin serves and topspin drives started appearing as players learned to use the graphite/fiberglass faces. While power was still mainly reliant on player technique, the paddles did enough to allow aggressive volleys and smashes when needed. In summary, Gen 1 introduced a controlled, all-court style of play – balancing touch and power – that defines modern pickleball fundamentals.

Gen 1.5 – Foam-Boosted Gen 1 Paddles (Edge-Foam, Non-Thermoformed)

As paddle innovation accelerated, manufacturers sought ways to expand the sweet spot and stability of paddles without completely changing the construction. Enter what the community often calls “Gen 1.5” paddles – essentially Gen 1 honeycomb paddles that incorporate foam in the sidewalls/edges for added stability, but are not fully thermoformed unibody designs. These paddles were an intermediate step that set the stage for the thermoformed revolution.

• Construction: Starts with a standard honeycomb-core composite paddle (like Gen 1), then foam is injected into the perimeter (edge) of the honeycomb core. The foam (typically an EVA or similar expanding foam) fills the outer cells of the honeycomb along the sides. The paddle is often heated or cured to set the foam in place, but importantly, the face skins were already glued on traditionally. This means the foam fills the edge cavities but does not fuse the face to the core (so it’s not a full thermal bond). In most cases, an edge guard is still used after foaming the edges. Think of it as taking a Gen 1 paddle blank and giving it a foam injection around the sides for extra support. (Some Gen 1.5 designs also experimented with a bit of foam in the handle or slight core tweaks, but the defining feature is foam edge injection.)
• Key Features: The foam-filled edge acts like a frame support, increasing the paddle’s moment of inertia and stability on off-center hits. Off-center balls hitting near the edge encounter that foam, which prevents the honeycomb in that area from collapsing and also adds a bit of weight out wide. This yields a larger effective sweet spot and reduces twisting on mishits. Players experience a more solid feel on balls hit toward the edges of the face – those shots don’t die as much as they did with empty honeycomb edges. The overall construction is still two faces glued to a core (so the feel in the center is very similar to Gen 1). Most Gen 1.5 paddles also introduced raw carbon fiber surfaces around this time, greatly boosting spin potential (this is when many brands switched to unpainted carbon fiber faces for maximum spin, a separate innovation that coincided with the Gen 1.5 and Gen 2 eras). For example, the renowned JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS paddle (launched 2022) had a 16mm polymer core, raw carbon textured surface, and foam-injected edges – a textbook Gen 1.5 design.
• Performance Characteristics: Players immediately noticed a more stable feel on off-center contact. The foam perimeter adds weight to the edges, increasing the paddle’s resistance to twisting (higher swing-weight and stability). This meant you could hit near the tip or side and still get a decent shot with less vibration or torque. The sweat-spot felt bigger. There’s also a minor power boost – the extra mass at the edges can increase the paddle’s plow-through on swings, and the foam slightly firms up the perimeter, so you might get a bit more pop on certain shots (though the core in the middle remained the same). These paddles maintained the soft touch in the center like Gen 1, but the edges felt more forgiving. The overall playability was often described as the “best of both worlds” between a control paddle and a power paddle, hence Gen 1.5 = a half step toward more power and stability. Importantly, because they were not fully thermoformed, the feel remained closer to traditional paddles – they didn’t yet have the super stiff unibody feel of Gen 2.
• Pros:
  • Enlarged Sweet Spot: The biggest selling point – fewer dead or unstable hits near the edges. Foam-filled sides mean even if you don’t hit dead center, the paddle response is closer to a center hit. This added forgiveness improves consistency for players.
  • Improved Stability: On hard off-center shots (like blocking a smash near the edge of your paddle), the paddle is less likely to twist in your hand. The increased stability gives players more confidence and comfort when reaching or slightly mis-hitting.
  • Maintains Soft Feel: Since the core and faces are still bonded traditionally, Gen 1.5 paddles keep that familiar flex and dwell time in the sweet spot. Control and touch for dinking and resets remain excellent – the foam doesn’t drastically change the center feel. It’s an incremental upgrade rather than a total overhaul, which many players appreciated as a gentle step up in performance.
  • High Spin Potential: Many Gen 1.5 models coincided with the emergence of raw carbon fiber faces (or other spin-maximizing textures). For instance, the JOOLA Hyperion CFS’s carbon surface produces huge spin, and other brands followed suit. So, players got a jump in spin capability in paddles of this generation, though that’s more of a parallel tech advance than the foam itself.
  • No Huge Weight Penalty: The added foam didn’t make paddles drastically heavier; manufacturers balanced the weight. You gained stability without, say, jumping from 8 oz to 10 oz. Many Gen 1.5 paddles remained in the 7.8–8.5 oz range, suitable for quick exchanges.
• Cons:
  • Not Full Unibody: Because these aren’t fully thermoformed, they don’t reap the benefits of a true one-piece construction. The faces are still just glued on, which means the structural integrity isn’t as high as it could be. Over time or under heavy use, these paddles could still experience slight delamination or core softening like Gen 1 (though the foam edges help a bit). Essentially, Gen 1.5 didn’t completely solve the durability issues that intensive players saw – it just delayed or marginally reduced them.
  • Edge Guard Still Present: Most of these paddles kept an edge guard, so the possibility of clipping the ball on the rim or the edge guard peeling off with wear remained. Some players felt all we’d done was add foam under the guard – the guard itself was still there, catching mishits or sometimes loosening up over time.
  • Incremental Power Gain: While there is some power increase, it’s not night-and-day. If you were craving a significantly “pop-ier” paddle, Gen 1.5 might underwhelm – the core is still polymer, and the basic rebound is similar to Gen 1. The foam edges mainly shine on mishits rather than dramatically boosting the power of center strikes.
  • Slightly Higher Swing Weight: Adding weight to the edges increases stability but also the swing inertia. Some players noticed these paddles felt just a tad slower to maneuver, especially in quick wrist flicks or defense, compared to the lightest Gen 1 designs. It’s a trade-off – you gain stability, you lose a bit of maneuverability. It wasn’t extreme, but for some, the paddles felt head-heavy.
  • Transitional Tech: In hindsight, Gen 1.5 was a stepping stone. Within a year or so, fully thermoformed Gen 2 paddles hit the market, offering even more power and truly unibody construction. So Gen 1.5 had a relatively brief heyday. Some players who invested in these found themselves upgrading again soon after to Gen 2 to keep up with the tech (possibly a con if you bought a Gen 1.5 only to have it “one-upped” by Gen 2 shortly thereafter).

Notable Examples: The JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16 (2022) is a flagship Gen 1.5 paddle – 16mm poly core, raw carbon face, foam-injected edges, traditional edge guard. Diadem Warrior (19mm thick) is another example – a super thick polymer core with foam injected along the perimeter, known for its huge sweet spot and cushioned feel (no edge guard on that one, interestingly, but it wasn’t fully thermoformed either). Vatic Pro Prism series and 11six24 “Jellybean” paddles are other examples frequently cited as Gen 1.5, as they added foam edges to otherwise traditional designs. Some of ProKennex’s later models also used foam in the frame (though ProKennex also has its bead-filled handle technology – a separate concept). Essentially, a lot of brands dabbled in foam edges around 2021–2022.

Playstyle Impact: Gen 1.5 paddles were embraced by players looking for a bit more margin for error and stability, without sacrificing the soft touch game. Control players enjoyed that they could still dink and drop with confidence, yet when forced to counterattack or stretch for a volley, the paddle had their back (fewer balls dying off the edge of the paddle). Aggressive players got a taste of added power, not a ton, but enough to notice a crisper volley put-away or a slightly heavier drive. The larger sweet spot made singles players happy, too, as hitting on the run was more forgiving. In rec play and even pro play, you started to see fewer outright mishit errors as this technology smoothed out the paddle’s response. Gen 1.5 reinforced good habits and reduced the penalty of imperfection, allowing players to play more confidently. It was a welcome enhancement that set the stage for the power leap to follow.

Gen 2 – Thermoformed Unibody Paddles (Full Heat-Molded, 2022–Present)

The popular Six Zero Double Black Diamond & Bread and Butter Shogun/ Filth are examples of the Gen 2 era. It features a carbon fiber surface and a thick 16mm core. Many paddles in 2022–2023 adopted thermoformed construction with foam edge walls, drastically increasing power and spin. Gen 2 paddles represent a significant leap in manufacturing: the entire paddle is fused with heat and pressure (thermoforming) into a unibody structure. This process, combined with advanced materials like raw carbon fiber, produced paddles with more power, spin, and durability – but also introduced new challenges.

• Construction: Thermoformed unibody construction, this is the hallmark of Gen 2. Instead of gluing a paddle together at room temperature, manufacturers cut the core and face materials to shape first, then place them in a mold and use heat + pressure to cure the resin, bonding everything as one piece. The result is that the paddle’s face, core, and edge foam (yes, Gen 2 also uses foam edge injection) are all fused tightly together, creating a stiffer, more structurally unified paddle. The face material (often a raw carbon fiber sheet) typically wraps around the edges slightly, and a foam “seam” edge is cured in place, sometimes with a thin rim of carbon or polymer around the edge for reinforcement. Many Gen 2 designs omit a traditional plastic edge guard – the carbon fiber and foam edge serve as the frame (though some still include a slim edge bumper or tape for protection). The key difference from Gen 1.5 is that everything is molded together in one step, rather than adding foam to an already glued paddle. This yields a much stronger bond. For example, the Legacy Pro (launched late 2022) was one of the first true Gen 2 thermoformed paddles – polymer core, carbon faces, foam edge, all hot-pressed as one. Soon after, many brands (especially new entrants from Asia like VATIC Pro and refined models from CRBN, etc.) adopted this process.
• Key Materials: Raw T700 carbon fiber faces became the standard in Gen 2. These unpainted woven carbon surfaces are naturally rough and hugely boost spin (a big reason pros and advanced players flocked to these paddles). The polypropylene honeycomb core is still at the heart (usually 14–16mm thick), providing the familiar base feel. EVA foam or similar is injected around the perimeter (and sometimes slightly into the top/bottom of the paddle near the handle) to create a foam wall that is baked into the paddle’s edge. The combination of carbon fiber + stiff bonding + foam perimeter yields a much firmer paddle compared to Gen 1. Overall weight still ranges ~7.5–8.5 oz, but because of the structural strength, these paddles can be made edgeless without falling apart.
• Performance Characteristics: Gen 2 paddles were a game-changer in terms of raw performance. The thermoforming process produces a stiffer, more solid feel – when you hit the ball, more energy is returned to the ball (and less is lost in vibrations or in flexing the joint between face and core). The result is more power, immediately noticeable. Even with thicker cores (16mm), these paddles can feel “hot”, meaning the ball pops off the face with pace. The raw carbon fiber faces deliver dramatically higher spin rates (players could suddenly shape shots with RPMs never seen before, leading to nastier serves and harder-to-handle spins). The foam edge walls expand the sweet spot and improve stability, similar to Gen 1.5, but now fully integrated. Gen 2 paddles tend to have a consistent response across most of the face, not quite edge-to-edge, but much better than older paddles. They also have a more uniform, “solid” sound (often a lower-pitch thwack compared to the higher pitch of a hollow-sounding Gen 1). The flip side of more power is sometimes a loss of a bit of touch or an adjustment period: players coming from Gen 1 often describe Gen 2 paddles as more “bouncy” or lively, requiring fine-tuning of soft shots. All in all, Gen 2 offered an unprecedented blend of power and spin and still respectable control, which is why by 2023, a large portion of pros switched to these styles.
• Pros:
  • Significant Power Increase: The stiff, heat-melted construction means a harder-hitting paddle. Even without a super aggressive swing, the ball flies off faster than with previous-gen paddles. For many, this was a revelation – easier put-aways, deeper drives, and more effortless baseline clears. Thinner Gen 2 paddles (13–14mm) could play very “hot.”
  • High Spin & Control Potential: The widespread use of raw carbon fiber surfaces in Gen 2 gave players maximum spin within legal limits. It’s common to see 1800–2000+ RPM spin rates with these paddles. This allowed for heavy topspin drives and serves, and more vicious cut/slice shots. And while they are powerful, most Gen 2 paddles still come in 16mm options, which, combined with the stability, give good control once you adjust. Many players feel they can hit sharper angles and more aggressive topspin without sacrificing consistency, thanks to the combo of spin + stability.
  • Larger Sweet Spot & Stability: Being fully unified and having that foam around the edges means forgiveness got even better. The sweet spot on a good Gen 2 paddle feels very generous – you can hit nearer the edge or tip and still get a decent shot with only a slight drop in power. Off-center torsion is reduced; the paddle face feels rock-solid on contact, instilling confidence when volleying or blocking hard shots.
  • Improved Durability (Structurally): Early on, there were hiccups (see cons below), but fundamentally, the unibody design is more robust – no face peeling off, less risk of catastrophic failure, etc. The paddle is “one piece,” which should make it last longer under normal play, since there are fewer weak glue joints to fail.
  • Edgeless Design: Many Gen 2s have no plastic edge guard (or just a very minimal one), which players love because you get a flush hitting surface. No more mis-hit balls popping off a raised rim, and it gives the paddle a sleeker profile. (Just don’t scrape it on the court–edgeless means the carbon fiber edge or a bit of edge tape is all that’s there to protect it.)
  • Innovation and Variety: Gen 2 sparked a flood of new brands and models, giving players more choices at various price points. Competition drove costs down somewhat and led to rapid improvements in face textures, core thickness options, etc., so you could fine-tune your paddle selection.
• Cons:
  • Core-Crush & Delamination Issues: The Gen 2 era experienced a notorious problem: many paddles started “delaminating” or developing a crushed core after some play, leading to illegal power levels. Essentially, the bond between the face and core (or the honeycomb structure itself) would fail in spots, creating air gaps/pockets. This made the paddle extra trampoliny (the ball would spring off dramatically, great for the player until it’s caught in testing). Some players noticed a telltale “popping” sound and crazy power – a sign their paddle had gone bad. It became enough of an issue that USA Pickleball introduced new tests in 2023 to detect delamination. The cause: manufacturing imperfections and the sealed unibody design trapping air; under heat/pressure, any tiny gap allowed air to expand, crushing the honeycomb and separating the face, creating supercharged pockets. This was a big controversy in 2023. While companies have since improved quality control and even altered designs (e.g., drilling tiny holes or channels to vent air, or using different resins) to reduce this issue, early Gen 2 saw quite a few paddles rendered unusable or illegal due to this problem. In short, durability in maintaining performance was a concern, paddles might start hot and get even hotter (illegally so) or die if the core collapsed.
  • Reduced Touch for Some: The stiffness and liveliness meant an adjustment for the soft game. Players with gentle hands found that their dinks and drops would sometimes carry deeper than intended until they got used to it. The ball doesn’t sink in as much on slow shots, so you lose a bit of that feedback and “dwell” that helps with finesse. It’s a trade-off; many adjusted fine, but some control-oriented players stuck with Gen 1/1.5 or went to thicker 16mm Gen 2 models to compensate.
  • Higher Price Point: Initially, thermoformed paddles were pricey, often $150–$200+, at the upper end of the market. The advanced manufacturing and materials cost more. Though prices have started to normalize with more competition, it was a barrier for some.
  • Edge Durability: Going edgeless and stiffer means that when a paddle does hit the ground or another object, there’s less give. Some early Gen 2 designs suffered from cracked edges or chipped faces if abused (hitting the court on a low dig, etc.). The carbon fiber wrapping can split if it takes a direct impact. Manufacturers have since reinforced edges better, but edgeless beauty comes with a bit of fragility if you’re not careful.
  • Heavier Swing Feel: Not everyone will feel this, but the combination of raw carbon (which is typically a bit head-heavier material) and foam edges can yield a paddle that has a pronounced swing weight. Good for stability and power, but a tad slower for some on reflex volleys. This is often mitigated by overall lighter paddle weights or thinner cores, but for those used to feather-light paddles, some Gen 2s felt like they had more “momentum” in motion.
  • Regulation Scrutiny: Because Gen 2 tech pushed paddles closer to performance limits (spin, power), they came under greater scrutiny from regulating bodies. There were instances of models getting temporarily banned or needing re-testing (e.g., the gritty surface roughness of some raw carbon models, like original CRBN, got them kicked out until fixed). Players had to be more vigilant that their paddle remained within specs (texture, deflection), especially as it wore in or if it delaminated.

Notable Examples: The Legacy Pro (one of the first true Gen 2) set the stage in late 2022. CRBN 1 & 2 (2023 versions) were popular fully-thermoformed paddles offering different shapes (elongated vs square) with raw carbon faces – these became top sellers once CRBN resolved their earlier issues. VATIC Pro models (like the Prism) brought thermoforming at a slightly lower price, making waves in the community. Six Zero Double Black Diamond (an Australian brand) was an early adopter of edgeless thermoformed carbon, known for crazy spin. Major manufacturers also jumped in: Selkirk Labs 002 (released as an experimental high-end paddle in 2022) was thermoformed with a Taelon carbon fiber face – Selkirk’s first foray into unibody construction. Later, 11six24 All Court, Chorus Shapeshifter, and Neonic Flare/ Flow line also incorporated some of these techniques. Essentially, Gen 2 became the standard for competitive play quickly; if you watched pro tournaments in 2023, most players were using something like Joola Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16 (Gen 1.5) or newer thermoformed models from emerging brands. Speaking of JOOLA: they somewhat skipped a pure Gen 2 (after Hyperion 1.5, their next big release, Perseus/Scorpius had additional tech qualifying as Gen 3), but their influence with Hyperion showed the demand for more power/spin, paving the way for all Gen 2/3 that followed.

Playstyle Impact: Gen 2 paddles ushered in the era of power + spin in pickleball. The game sped up – drives got harder, hands battles got faster (and frankly more exciting). Players who had relied on pure soft game started adding power to their arsenal because the equipment allowed it without sacrificing too much control. We saw the rise of the aggressive drive-and-crash strategy (driving the ball hard and following into the net), enabled by paddles that could hit heavy topspin shots that dip in. Spin serves briefly boomed (until they were limited by rule) because raw carbon made vicious serves possible. All this power did shorten some rallies and make reflex volleys more important, and Gen 2 paddles helped on defense too, by providing stability to block back hard shots. In essence, the sport became more explosive. However, savvy control players learned to adapt, using the spin for precision angles, aggressive roll volleys, etc., so the soft game didn’t disappear; it just got intermixed with a lot more heat. If Gen 1 was about finesse and consistency, Gen 2 added a healthy dose of ferocity to the game, while still retaining a lot of control for those who mastered the adjustment. Stay tuned for Gen 3 and Gen 4/5.