When I first wrote about the MARK unMARKed 2026, I called it “Boomstik Light.” After 12 full sessions, I still think that name fits. But the funny part is that the paddle has actually become less Boomstik-like in feel as it has broken in, while somehow becoming even more convincing as Boomstik Light in actual play.
Out of the box, mine was stiffer, louder, and had that sharp, cracking sound that immediately reminded me of the Boomstik. After break-in, that changed quite a bit. The face has become noticeably softer, springier, and much more dwelly. The sound has deepened, the ball feels like it sits on the face longer, and overall the paddle feels much more connected.
Yet the offensive pop and power are still absolutely top tier. If anything, they feel even more accessible now.
The MARK unMARKed 2026 launches August 26 at 12 PM EST for $189.99. You can use code AMB-MANUGOYAL for 10% off, bringing the price down to about $170.99.
Soft and Dwelly... But the Non-Linear Power Is the Story
This is probably the most interesting thing about the unMARKed after 12 sessions. Usually, when a paddle breaks in, softens up, and becomes more dwelly, you expect it to become more control-oriented. The unMARKed did get softer and more connected, but it certainly did not lose its offensive side.
What stands out most is how non-linear the power feels.
On dinks, drops, resets, and slower exchanges, the paddle can feel surprisingly calm. There is enough dwell that the ball does not immediately shoot off the face, and if you only played the soft game with it, you might not realize just how much power is hiding underneath.
Then you add swing speed or incoming pace, and the paddle changes gears.
That is where the non-linear response really shows up. A slightly harder swing does not always feel like it produces only a slightly harder ball. Once you start putting real energy into the shot, the response ramps up very quickly. Drives get heavy, counters jump off the face, and overheads have considerably more behind them than the soft feel would suggest.
You can be playing a soft exchange at the kitchen and almost forget how powerful the paddle is. Then you counter a hard drive or step into a forehand, and suddenly you remember immediately.
So when I say non-linear power, I do not simply mean the paddle is powerful. I mean that the more pace you give it, either through your own swing or from the ball coming at you, the more disproportionately explosive it becomes.
That is probably the defining characteristic of the unMARKed for me after 12 sessions.
VelosiGrit Is Legit
Another thing I have become much more convinced about after 12 sessions is VelosiGrit.
On a paddle this aggressive, the surface matters a lot. When you have this much pop and that kind of non-linear power response, you need enough spin to bring the ball back down into the court. VelosiGrit has been doing exactly that for me.
The surface still has serious bite, especially when I am rolling the ball or driving with heavy topspin. That extra grip gives me confidence to swing aggressively because I know I can shape the ball back down rather than simply hitting flatter and hoping it stays in.
That is a big part of why the unMARKed remains manageable despite the amount of offense available. The grit helps keep those powerful shots in with topspin.
More importantly, the durability looks genuinely promising so far.
After 12 full sessions, I do not see a major change in the peaks of the surface texture. It obviously will not feel completely untouched forever, but the grit still feels aggressive, and I am not seeing the kind of rapid smoothing I have experienced with regular raw carbon fiber surfaces.
That is worth mentioning because with traditional RCF grit, I could already feel a pretty significant drop after around 10 sessions, especially through the main contact area. I am not seeing that with VelosiGrit so far.
It is still early enough that I am not going to make some huge long-term durability claim, but 12 sessions, aka approx 25 hours in, the grit retention has been noticeably better than regular RCF in my experience.
On a paddle with this much non-linear power, that durability is not just a nice bonus. It is an important part of the package.
The Spitfire and Boomstik Comparison Makes More Sense After Break-In
After the unMARKed broke in, the Spartus Spitfire comparison started making much more sense to me. The unMARKed developed some of that same soft, dwelly, connected feel that I liked about the Spitfire after it opened up. It still feels slightly hollower than the Spitfire, but it is nowhere near as stiff or hollow as it felt during the first few sessions.
The Spitfire remains the softer and more relaxed paddle overall. It holds the ball a little longer and feels easier when dropping, resetting, or absorbing pace. But offensively, the unMARKed is on another level. The Spitfire has good power, but the unMARKed has more pop and significantly more top-end power. When you accelerate through the ball, there is another gear available, and that non-linear jump in power is much more noticeable.
The Selkirk Boomstik comparison sits on the opposite side. The Boomstik is much stiffer and significantly hollower, with a more direct and explosive response. Both paddles have elite power and pop, but the unMARKed delivers that offense with considerably more dwell and control. The Boomstik feels like the ball gets launched immediately, while the unMARKed gives you a brief pocketing sensation before that extra power kicks in.
The sweet spots on the elongated unMARKed and Boomstik are both excellent, but I find the unMARKed easier to manage when the rally slows down. It also gives me better spin and more confidence taking a full swing. The Boomstik remains extremely powerful, but its stiffer response and lower dwell make it less forgiving when touch and placement matter.
The other major difference is the weight distribution. My Spitfire originally felt noticeably head-heavy, especially during quick exchanges and counters. Adding 6 g in the handle brought it back toward neutral, although it still feels slightly head-heavy. That setup measured around 116 swingweight and 6.22 twistweight.
My Boomstik, even with 7.5 g MOI clips, remains clearly head-heavy at approximately 122 swingweight and 6.90 twistweight. You feel that extra mass and leverage when driving the ball, but you also feel it when trying to recover quickly at the kitchen.
The unMARKed is much easier to move. With 3 g clips, mine measures around 116 swingweight and 6.93 twistweight. The added clips move it just beyond neutral into slightly head-heavy territory, but it never plays like a traditionally head-heavy elongated paddle. Despite its full elongated shape, it moves closer to a hybrid in the hand.
That is probably what separates the unMARKed from both paddles. It gives me much of the Spitfire’s softer, more connected feel after break-in and almost all of the Boomstik’s offensive ceiling, but in a faster and more controlled package.
The Sound Changed Too
One more thing that became noticeable after break-in is the sound.
The unMARKed has definitely become more thonky as it softened up, which fits the softer, dwellier feel I am getting now. It has a deeper and more satisfying impact sound than it did out of the box.
That said, I would not call it one of the thonkiest paddles I have played.
The Pakle Fuse, Enhance Turbo MPP, and Inferno still have a deeper, more pronounced thonk to me. The unMARKed sits a little below those. It has enough thonk to feel connected, but it still keeps a little more crack in the response, especially when you really accelerate through the ball.
I actually think that sound matches the personality of the paddle pretty well. It is soft and dwelly on contact, thonky enough to feel connected, but still explosive when that non-linear power kicks in.
A 16.5" Elongated That Plays Like a Hybrid
The unMARKed is a true 16.5-inch elongated paddle, but it really does not play like a typical elongated.
After adding two 3g Pickle Clips at 3 and 9 plus an overgrip, mine comes in at:
- 8.2 oz
- 116.6 swing weight
- 6.93 twist weight
Even at 116.6 SW, it still moves very quickly.
The shape is also a big part of that. The face does not taper aggressively like many elongated paddles. It stays fairly wide through most of the hitting area, which seems to keep more mass lower and closer to the hands rather than loading everything toward the tip.
So you still get the reach and leverage of an elongated paddle on serves, drives, overheads, and balls you are stretching for, but during hand battles and counters, it feels much closer to a hybrid.
That is a pretty unusual combination.
Most elongated paddles remind you they are elongated every time you get into a fast kitchen exchange. You feel the extra length, you feel the head weight, and you normally need to prepare a little earlier.
The unMARKed does not give me that feeling nearly as much.
It moves through the air much faster than the shape suggests. That was one of the biggest reasons I originally called it Boomstik Light. You get a ridiculous amount of offense without needing to swing around something that feels like a club.
The fact that it can give you elongated reach with hybrid-like hand speed is probably one of its strongest selling points.
I Handed It to a 5.2
I also handed the unMARKed to a 5.2 player who had been playing with a batch-one Pakle Fuse Elongated.
There was basically no adjustment period.
He picked it up and started playing well with it almost immediately. He loved the paddle, and one of his biggest observations was simply how powerful and quick it felt at the same time. He also immediately noticed that the sweet spot was generous and easy to find.
That is exactly what keeps standing out to me too. The unMARKed feels almost disproportionately powerful for how quickly it moves, especially considering how large the sweet spot is.
That is important because lower-swing-weight paddles can sometimes feel a little flimsy or unforgiving outside the center. This one really does not. The sweet spot feels large, and with a little weight at 3 and 9, stability becomes even better without ruining the hand speed.
That setup gives me more confidence on blocks and counters while still keeping the paddle fast enough for quick exchanges.
Predictable Does Not Mean Easy to Control
This is probably where my opinion has changed the most from my first impressions.
I still think the unMARKed has good control for this level of power. The response is consistent, there is enough dwell to feel the ball, and the VelosiGrit provides enough spin to bring aggressive drives and rolls back down into the court.
But after more time with it, I would describe the paddle as predictable rather than easy to control.
That distinction matters.
The paddle is not random. You generally know what kind of response you are going to get. The sweet spot is large, and the softer broken-in feel gives you plenty of feedback.
But there is simply a lot of power available, especially once you start accessing that non-linear upper gear.
On counters, speedups, and hard exchanges, it is very easy to get more ball than you intended if your paddle angle or timing is slightly off. The same soft, dwelly response that makes the paddle feel friendly during the kitchen game can almost fool you into forgetting how much offense is waiting underneath.
This is also where the VelosiGrit becomes especially valuable. Because the paddle is so aggressive, being able to generate heavy topspin is one of the things that keeps all that power usable. You can swing through the ball knowing the surface has enough bite to help pull it back down.
And I think that is where the honeymoon phase could become interesting.
We have all seen ridiculously powerful paddles come out, and everyone says, “Somehow this thing has insane power AND is really easy to control.” Then 20 hours later, people start admitting they are sending a few more counters long than they originally thought.
I can absolutely see that happening here.
The unMARKed feels friendly because it is soft, dwelly, quick, and has a big sweet spot.
The power itself is not friendly.
You still have to respect it.
Why “Boomstik Light” Still Fits
So, after 12 sessions, is it still Boomstik Light?
Yes. Probably even more than before.
But I would explain the comparison differently now.
I am not saying the unMARKed feels like a lighter Boomstik. After break-in, it really does not. The Boomstik is stiffer, hollower, and more constantly activated.
The broken-in unMARKed is softer, more dwelly, and more connected.
If anything, the feel now reminds me more of the Spitfire. But once you start swinging harder, countering incoming pace, or really accessing the top end of the paddle, the offensive ceiling feels much closer to the Boomstik.
That is where the nickname still makes sense.
You are getting Spitfire-like softness and dwell, Boomstik-like offensive intentions, a 16.5-inch elongated shape, hybrid-like hand speed, a large sweet spot, durable VelosiGrit, and genuinely top-tier pop and non-linear power.
That is a pretty strange combination to get in one paddle.
Final Thoughts After 12 Sessions
After 12 sessions, the biggest takeaway for me is not simply that the unMARKed is powerful. It is how that power is delivered.
At lower speeds, it can feel soft, composed, and surprisingly comfortable. As you add more swing speed or incoming pace, the paddle starts giving you much more back. That non-linear power curve is what makes it both exciting and something you need to learn.
The other thing I am becoming increasingly impressed by is the VelosiGrit. Twelve sessions in, I am still getting plenty of bite; I am not seeing much reduction in the surface peaks, and it has held up noticeably better for me than regular RCF grit, which can lose a significant amount of texture around the main hitting area after roughly 10 sessions.
On a paddle this aggressive, that spin retention matters. The power gets you the offense; the VelosiGrit helps you keep it inside the lines.
I probably need to drill more with it than I normally would, especially counters, resets against pace, and speedups where I am trying to hit a very specific target rather than simply overpower someone.
But the ceiling on this paddle feels extremely high.
Once you learn exactly how much paddle you need to use, and when that extra non-linear gear is going to show up, this thing can be an absolute terror on the court.
So no, I am not walking back the Boomstik Light nickname.
If anything, after 12 sessions, I understand it better now.