Update: The V-SOL Tour Series officially launches September 1 at 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern and becomes the first Tier 1 grit paddle available for $99.99 with code SLICE10. If you already have your eye on one, there is a pretty good reason to show up right when it goes live.
I've spent enough time with the Vatic Pro V-SOL Tour now that I think I have a pretty good idea of what Vatic was trying to do with this series.
And I don't think the story is, "Here's a more powerful V-SOL Pro."
Yes, the Tour definitely brings more power and pop. The ball comes off the face quicker, counters have more bite, and when you actually accelerate through drives and serves, there is noticeably more top-end power than the regular V-SOL Pro. It still isn't one of those completely unhinged power paddles, but there is enough offense here that I never really felt like I was giving anything up by playing it.
For me, the bigger news might actually be EverGrit: it's the first paddle to bring Tier 1 durable grit down to $99.
Instead of putting another conventional peel-ply carbon surface on a $100 paddle, Vatic brought its EverGrit surface to the Tour. The initial spin is excellent, but what makes EverGrit interesting isn't simply chasing a huge RPM number on day one. The whole point is grit durability and maintaining that spin for much longer, which has become one of the biggest questions with basically every new paddle I test.
So the Tour feels less like Vatic just turned up the power slider on the V-SOL Pro and more like they took an already very good platform, added noticeably more pop and finishing power, gave it a much more interesting and potentially much more durable surface, cleaned up some of the things I wasn't really fan of the original V-SOL Pro, and somehow kept the whole package around $100.
That's what makes this series interesting to me. EverGrit + legitimate power and pop + a surprisingly complete overall playability package at this price is a much more compelling story than simply calling it a "V-SOL Pro, but faster."
My review is primarily based on the Flash Short Handle, and the more I've played with it, the more I think this might be the shape that makes the most sense for the most players. Mine came in at basically a perfect 7.9 oz with a swing weight of 111.9 and a twist weight of 6.48, and the balance is extremely neutral at 24.1 cm. There is enough mass behind the ball to feel substantial while still moving very quickly during hands battles.
It also plays really well stock with just an overgrip, so I never felt like it needed to add weights. If you want a little more stability and plow-through, throwing around 3 g total at 3 and 9 should get the twist weight close to 7 without making it feel too sluggish. And if you want to keep it quicker and more head-light, you can always put a little weight on the handle or add buttcap weights instead.
It Actually Gets Better After Break-In
One thing I definitely wouldn’t do with the Tour is judge it too quickly. During the first couple of sessions, mine felt a bit firmer, denser, and noticeably poppier, with the ball jumping off the face faster on counters and speedups. The sweet spot also felt a little tighter at first than it does now.
You do need to be a little patient with the Tour. Most foam paddles I’ve played usually start to break in after 2–3 sessions, but this one took noticeably longer for me, more like 5+ sessions. Even then, the biggest change came after I spent a full session doing drive drills and just hitting a ton of balls. That’s when it really started to open up, and holy moly, it became a really good paddle.
After break-in, the Tour became a little softer and denser on contact; that really high initial pop calmed down, and the sweet spot started opening up quite a bit. You lose a little of that almost jumpy fresh-out-of-the-box response, but what you gain is a paddle that feels more connected, more predictable, and more forgiving across the face. Mishits become less noticeable, the center feels larger, and the whole paddle just feels more consistent.
The interesting part is that while the immediate pop settles down a little, I actually feel like the paddle becomes more powerful when I take a proper swing. That sounds a little contradictory until you separate pop from power. Short punches and compact counters become calmer, but on drives, serves, overheads, and full counters, the paddle feels like it has more behind the ball. It opens up, carries more depth, and when you really accelerate through it, there is plenty of pace available.
So for me, the break-in progression was pretty simple: softer feel, calmer pop, bigger sweet spot, and more usable top-end power. It just took a little longer than most foam paddles to get there.
Stiff-Dense Is the Best Way I Can Describe the Feel
The Tour started stiffer and denser, but after break-in it softened up noticeably. I still wouldn’t call it a soft paddle like the Spitfire or unMARKed, though. To me, the feel sits somewhere between soft and stiff, probably closest to something like the Thrive Ignite. It still has enough firmness and crack to feel powerful, but there’s also enough density underneath the impact that it never feels harsh or overly hollow.
The face itself still feels structurally firm. It doesn't flex around the ball like a really soft control paddle. But underneath that firm response, the impact feels noticeably softer and denser than the original V-SOL Pro, which is much stiffer and hollower. The original Pro leaned more toward that classic stiff-hollow EPP power-paddle feel, while the Tour feels much more substantial through contact.
EverGrit is the Real Innovation Here
As much as I like the balance and feel, EverGrit is seriously gritty, and you notice it immediately when you run your thumb across the face. Compared with other durable-grit surfaces I’ve played, EverGrit feels noticeably more aggressive than the Spitfire’s PermaGrit Nano and pretty similar overall to VelosiGrit on the unMARKed. I still wouldn’t call it quite as aggressive as HexGrit, but honestly, I think that works in its favor.
EverGrit still gives you a lot of bite, but with better feedback at contact. You can feel the ball on the paddle more clearly, instead of the surface feeling overly muted or numb. On court, that extra bite is really useful because this is already a powerful paddle. Topspin drives dip hard, rolls grab really well, and slices stay low, so you can swing aggressively without feeling like every hard drive is going to sail long. The combination of power and that aggressive surface makes the offense much easier to control.
But fresh spin isn’t really what interests me anymore. Almost every good paddle spins well when it’s brand new. What matters much more to me is how much of that grit is still there after thousands of ball impacts.
That’s why the reported 2.9% spin loss from the EverGrit prototype in John Kew’s accelerated wear testing caught my attention. But I’m still putting more weight on real-world play, because that’s ultimately what matters to me.
So far, after 15+ hours, the grit on mine still feels basically as new, which is definitely encouraging. I’m also demoing the paddle out to different people so it gets a wider mix of real-world use, and I’ll keep tracking how the surface holds up. I’ll report back once it has quite a bit more time on it.
The Power and Pop Is High, But It Doesn't Feel Chaotic
This is probably one of my favorite things about the Tour. It is definitely more powerful and poppier than the V-SOL Pro series, but the EverGrit surface makes that extra offense much easier to control. You can really lean into topspin drives, rolls, serves, and attacking shots, knowing the surface has enough bite to help bring the ball back down.
From the baseline, this thing has real power. Drives and serves come off with plenty of pace, and I never felt like I had to hold back just to keep the ball in. At the kitchen, there is enough pop for counters, speedups, and put-away volleys, but it never feels completely out of control. On resets, the denser feel after break-in helps a lot too, because the paddle does a better job of absorbing pace without feeling dead.
After break-in, it strikes a really nice balance: enough pop to attack, enough top-end power to finish points, enough touch for resets and softer volleys, and enough control that I never felt like I was giving up too much in either direction.
Compared with some of the other EPP paddles I’ve played, I’d put the Tour above the 11SIX24 Power 2 series and the Spitfire in overall power, but it still isn’t as explosive at the very top end as the unMARKed. Pop is a little different. The Power 2 is still poppier, especially on short counters and punch volleys, while the Tour feels pretty similar to the unMARKed in pop and clearly poppier than the Spitfire.
What I like is that the Tour never feels completely chaotic. Punch the ball, and you get pop. Add more swing, and you get more pace. Take a full cut, and there is plenty of top-end power there. Combined with the aggressive EverGrit, that makes it a really fun paddle for driving the ball hard while still being able to shape those shots with spin.
Flash SH: The Shape This Review Is Really About
The Flash Short Handle is the paddle I’ve spent the most time with. It’s 16.3 x 7.7 inches, and the overall shape feels pretty similar to the Six Zero and Thrive hybrids.
Vatic still doesn’t make a flat-top hybrid (they are working on it), which definitely seems to be the direction a lot of brands are moving right now, and honestly, I would have loved to see that shape here too. But if I’m choosing between the current options, I can absolutely live with this hybrid shape. It gives me the reach I want without getting too narrow through the hitting area, and it still feels quick and natural in hand.
You still get plenty of reach without making the face feel overly narrow, which helps the paddle stay forgiving across the hitting area. Vatic lists the handle at around 5.3 inches, but you can get quite a bit more usable space than that number suggests. Because the Flash SH has a very generous taper from the throat into the handle, which means I can wrap my overgrip much higher than the listed handle length would suggest. In practice, I can get something closer to 5.7 inches of usable gripping space pretty easily.
On the other hand, the Honolulu J2 SH, for example, doesn't give me that same usable transition. The throat doesn't taper in a way that lets me comfortably wrap the grip that far up and treat the upper section as part of the handle. The Vatic Flash SH does.
And I actually think this matches where modern pickleball is going. For a two-handed backhand, your second hand doesn't necessarily need to sit completely on a handle. A lot of players naturally have that upper hand partly on the handle and partly on the lower face.
Flash LH: If You Really Want Both Hands Completely on the Handle
The Flash Long Handle makes more sense for players who specifically want a traditional long two-handed backhand setup. The overall shape is like the 11SIX24 Hurache-X, where the longer handle becomes a more obvious part of the paddle's design.
You gain more dedicated handle space, a little more leverage, and slightly more plow-through. If you're someone who absolutely wants both hands stacked completely onto the grip, the Flash LH makes sense.
But personally, I think some players are going to see "long handle" and assume they automatically need it because they use a two-handed backhand. I don't think that's necessarily true anymore. The generous taper on the Flash SH makes that 5.3-inch number play much longer in practice.
So unless you specifically want both hands entirely on the handle, I'd probably start with the SH. You retain more hitting area, get slightly quicker hands, and still have plenty of usable space for a modern two-handed backhand.
Elongated: The V7 Situation Finally Makes More Sense
The new V-SOL Tour Elongated is 16.5 x 7.5 inches with a 5.5-inch handle, and I think this is a much cleaner solution than what Vatic had before.
Previously, the V7 came in two versions, with the V7 Short Handle around 5.3 inches and the V7 Long Handle around 5.7 inches. The Tour gets rid of both and basically meets in the middle with one elongated shape, one 5.5-inch handle, and a revised taper.
Honestly, that's probably all they needed. Five and a half inches is plenty for a comfortable two-handed backhand without sacrificing too much paddle face just so the spec sheet can advertise an extra-long handle.
At around 117 swing weight, the Elongated should also be the most substantial and offensive shape in the lineup. You're getting more reach, more leverage, more plow-through, and probably the highest top-end power of the Tour shapes.
If your game is heavily built around drives, serves, overheads, and creating pace from the baseline, this is probably the one I'd look at. I just wouldn't immediately start throwing a bunch of weight toward the top because at that swing weight, it probably doesn't need much.
Bloom: The Easy Button
The Bloom stays with the familiar 16 x 8-inch widebody shape and a 5.5-inch handle. If your priority is forgiveness, this is probably the easiest recommendation in the Tour lineup.
The Bloom sits around 110 swing weight with 6.88 twist weight, so you get a pretty interesting combination. It's quick enough for hands battles, wide enough to give you a huge hitting area, and stable enough that off-center contact shouldn't immediately twist the paddle out of your hand.
This is probably the shape I'd hand to someone who says, "I don't need maximum reach. I don't need the hardest serve possible. Just give me something stable, forgiving, quick, and powerful enough."
That's basically the Bloom.
And because the starting swing weight is low, you still have tons of room to customize it later if you want to. But again, one of the things I like about the Tour family is that I don't think most people need to.
Which Shape Would I Pick?
For me, the Flash SH is the standout because it sits right in the middle of everything. You still get good reach, you still get a very usable two-handed-backhand setup because of the generous taper, you get better maneuverability than the Elongated, you keep more paddle face than the Flash LH, and you get a more versatile overall shape than the Bloom.
If I were recommending the Tour to the largest possible group of players, I'd probably start with the Flash SH. If you want both hands completely on the grip, go Flash LH. If you want maximum reach and top-end power, go Elongated. If you want the biggest sweet spot and easiest overall playability, go Bloom.
That's actually a pretty clean lineup.
V-SOL Tour vs other $99 paddles
I’ll be comparing four full-foam paddles that are really good paddles that happen to be around $99: the Pakle Fuse, Enhance MPP Turbo, Spartus Spitfire, and Vatic Pro V-SOL Tour.
First of all, Spitfire and Vatic Tour are EPP, while Fuse and Turbo are MPP, but the core material doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story when it comes to feel. The Fuse, especially the Hybrid, is the softest, hollowest, and probably the thonkiest of these four, while still being the most explosive for me. The Enhance MPP Turbo has that familiar thonky MPP feel too, but it’s a little less explosive than the Fuse. The Spitfire is interesting because despite being EPP, it actually has a lot of MPP-like characteristics. softer, hollower, thonkier, and with more dwell. It’s probably the easiest of the four for resets, drops, and absorbing pace, while still having enough power and pop to finish points. My PermaGrit Nano has also held up really well after 25+ hours between my own play and demo use.
The V-SOL Tour Flash SH is the outlier in terms of feel because it’s considerably denser and more connected than the other three. So if I had to put them on a spectrum, the Fuse sits furthest toward soft/hollow, the Spitfire isn’t far behind despite being EPP, the Turbo has that thonky MPP character but feels a little more substantial, and the Tour sits furthest toward dense/firm. I already went pretty deep into how the Tour changes after break-in in my full review, so I won’t repeat all of that here.
For outright power, I’d personally go Fuse > Turbo = Tour > Spitfire. Pop is closer than the power ranking makes it look. the Fuse and Tour are pretty close, with the Tour maybe having a little more immediate pop, while the Spitfire is the least poppy of the group. Balance is also pretty different: Fuse and Tour are neutral with relatively low balance points, and both play really well stock; the Turbo carries its balance a little higher and feels slightly more head-heavy, and the Spitfire is the most head-heavy of the four.
Honestly, all four are really good depending on what you prioritize. For my game, I probably enjoy the Fuse Hybrid and V-SOL Tour Flash SH the most even though they feel completely different. The Fuse gives me that soft, hollow, thonky feel with more outright power, while the Tour gives me the denser, more connected response. Both are easy for me to play stock with just an overgrip, but if I had to choose between them, I’d still give the Tour the slight overall edge because of the Tier 1 EverGrit surface.
And Then There’s the Price
The V-SOL Tour is $109.99, and code SLICE10 takes $10 off, bringing it down to $99.99.
At that price, the value is honestly pretty hard to ignore. You’re getting a full EPP foam build, EverGrit surface, excellent spin, encouraging early durability, plenty of power and pop, multiple useful shapes, and stock specs that already feel really well balanced.
And that last part matters. You don’t have to immediately start adding tungsten everywhere just to make the paddle feel right. The Tour already plays really well stock with an overgrip, and if you do like tinkering, you can still easily tune it from there.
For basically $100, that’s a lot of paddle.
And in a way, that feels very Vatic. They’re not necessarily trying to reinvent the entire paddle category here. They’re taking construction ideas and features we’re now seeing on paddles costing $180, $200, or even $250, and putting them into something much more accessible.
Final Thoughts
The V-SOL Tour Flash SH has probably been my favorite shape in the lineup. Mine came in around 7.9 oz with a nearly neutral balance, and it plays great with just an overgrip. The generous taper also makes the listed 5.3-inch handle feel more usable than it sounds, so unless you really need both hands fully on the handle, I don’t think you automatically need the Flash LH.
The Flash LH is there for players who want the longer two-handed-backhand setup, while the 16.5 x 7.5 Elongated should give you the most reach, leverage, and top-end power. The 16 x 8 Bloom is the obvious choice if forgiveness and a bigger hitting area matter most.
The biggest thing I’d stress is to give the Tour time to break in. It takes longer than most foam paddles I’ve played, but once it settles, the pop calms down, the feel gets softer and denser, and the sweet spot really opens up.
Then there’s EverGrit, which might be the most interesting part of the whole series. The reported 2.9% spin loss in John Kew’s accelerated testing is very encouraging, but I’m still more interested in seeing how it holds up through real-world play.
Performance-wise, the Tour has more overall power than the Power 2 series and Spitfire, though it isn’t quite as explosive as the unMARKed. For pop, the Power 2 is still poppier, the Tour is around the unMARKed, and it is clearly poppier than the Spitfire.
That’s really the Tour in a nutshell: good balance, useful shapes, plenty of power and pop, a feel that gets better with use, and EverGrit giving it a much more interesting long-term story.
At $99.99 with code SLICE10, it’s very easy for me to recommend.
It doesn’t feel like a budget paddle trying to punch above its price. It just feels like a complete paddle that happens to cost around $100.