I have only spent a couple of sessions with the new MARK unMARKed 2026, but I’ve had so much fun playing with it that I couldn’t resist sharing my early impressions with you already. But this is one of those paddles where the concept immediately makes sense once you start playing with it.
It gives me a lot of what makes the Boomstik fun, without actually feeling like I am swinging a Boomstik. You get near-Boomstik power and pop, elongated reach, and a big sweet spot, but with surprisingly hybrid-like hand speed.
The face also seems to be breaking in already. After two sessions, it feels slightly softer with a little more dwell, while the power has actually gone up and the pop has settled into a slightly more muted, controlled response. Drives, counters, speedups, and put-aways still come off the face quickly without requiring a huge swing.
And I have to mention the looks: the three colorways are really fun: Cosmic Haze (Purple), Martian Mist (Green), and Solar Vapor (Orange).
I went with Solar Vapor, and the colorway looks especially good in person.
An Unusual Shape That Actually Makes Sense
The first thing that stands out is the shape.
Although this is a full 16.5-inch elongated paddle, the sides have essentially no taper, so it maintains the full 7.5-inch width through most of the face. The edge guard also makes the wider bottom corners feel closer to 7.6 inches, while the throat has only a very small taper.
The wider bottom corners and minimal taper help keep more of the paddle’s mass lower on the face, rather than concentrated toward the tip. Along with the unique aerodynamic top, which gives the paddle a very balanced feel and keeps it from feeling head-heavy, like other foam paddles such as Spartus Spitfire or Boomstik (15g with MOI weights sitting above 3 and 9 o'clock).
That helps explain how a full 16.5-inch elongated paddle can still come in around 111-115 swing weight, which is much closer to hybrid territory than what you would normally expect from an elongated shape.
The Construction Helps Too
Internally, the unMARKed uses a cutout-style design similar in concept to CRBN TruFoam, with an EVA foam perimeter, floating EPP center, and TPU through the throat and handle.
That construction helps keep mass lower on the paddle while maintaining a larger sweet spot.
My solar vapor paddle arrived at:
7.8 oz | 110.8 SW | 6.21 TW
I then added two 3 g PickleClips at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, along with an overgrip, bringing it to:
8.2 oz | 116.6 SW | 6.93 TW
The reason I added the clips was simple: more torsional stability and a wider, more forgiving sweet spot. Adding weight at 3 and 9 helps the paddle resist twisting on off-center hits, which is exactly what the jump from 6.21 to 6.93 twist weight reflects.
And honestly, this is how I will keep playing it for now. The paddle feels noticeably more stable and forgiving, the sweet spot feels bigger, and even at 116.6 swing weight it is still very easy to accelerate and move quickly during hand battles.
The stock setup is crazy fast, but the 3 g clips give me the stability and sweet-spot boost I wanted without taking away the main reason this paddle is interesting: it still swings incredibly easily for an elongated paddle.
At 6.93 twist weight, it felt noticeably more stable and forgiving during blocks and counters, yet I could still move it quickly during hand battles.
Feel, Sound, and Power
Out of the box, the feel was stiff and hollow, with a sharper, higher-pitched sound. It reminded me somewhat of the Spartus Spitfire, but with considerably more pop.
After a couple of sessions, the paddle has started to open up a bit. The face feels softer, the sound has dropped slightly in pitch, and there is more dwell on contact. Power has picked up, while the pop feels a touch less sharp and more settled, which makes the paddle feel more controlled and connected overall.
The Boomstik is still stiffer, hollower, and more aggressively activated, with more maximum power and passive forgiveness. But the unMARKed is much easier to manage because more of its mass is concentrated lower on the paddle instead of toward the tip, so it feels more balanced, less head-heavy, and much quicker to move through the air.
The ball still leaves quickly, especially during compact kitchen exchanges. This is not a muted control paddle.
Counters, flicks, speedups, and put-aways require very little effort.
That is why the “Boomstik Light” description keeps making sense to me.
You get a lot of the same fun characteristics:
- Strong pop from compact swings
- Easy power
- A large sweet spot
- Very good stability
- Fast counters and put-aways
But you get them in a lighter, faster, and much more customizable package.
The VelosiGrit Is Seriously Rough
The VelosiGrit feels almost like literal sandpaper, even more aggressive than Spitfire Permagrit Nano.
It grabs the ball extremely well on topspin drives, rolls, serves, and aggressive dinks, and after my first couple of sessions the surface still feels extremely fresh.
MARK claims the surface retained 94% of its grit after 35 abrasion cycles in its own testing.
That sounds promising, but it is still manufacturer testing. I need a lot more hours before making any real claim about long-term durability.
For now, though, the initial texture and ball bite are impressive.
Who Is This Paddle For?
I think this paddle makes the most sense for someone who loves the power, pop, and forgiveness of something like the Boomstik, but does not want the weight and swing weight that come with it.
It is also particularly interesting if you normally prefer hybrids because of their hand speed but still want the reach and leverage of a true elongated paddle.
And because the stock weight and swing weight are so low, there is plenty of room to customize. My setup is already a good example: I could significantly increase twist weight and stability without turning the paddle into a slow hammer.
Early Bottom Line
The unMARKed 2026 combines a nearly untapered elongated face, wider lower corners, lower-face mass concentration, a big sweet spot, and roughly 111-115 swing-weight territory.
Stock, it is exceptionally quick. Weighted up, it becomes substantially more stable while still retaining the hand speed that makes it special.
At $189.99 MSRP ($171 with AMB-MANUGOYAL discount code), I also think the value becomes pretty interesting considering the construction and performance profile.
I still need a lot more hours before saying anything definitive about grit durability or how the paddle changes after a full break-in, but after a couple of sessions, this one has me pretty excited.
The simplest description I can give it right now is:
Boomstik-like pop + elongated reach + a big sweet spot + hybrid-level hand speed.
For now, I am calling it the Boomstik Light.