First, thank you to everyone who participated! I actually enjoyed reading the answers more than I expected.
I went through the entries and did a random draw.
Winners
🏆 Giveaway #1: u/Samartitxiki
🏆 Giveaway #2: u/machjungle
🏆 Supporter Giveaway: u/chinapple
Congrats! I'll reach out to each of you about the mystery paddles.
And I am adding one more paddle...
I'm also going to give an additional paddle to u/Unable-Mulberry-4551.
This one isn't random. After going through the comments, I saw that he is still playing with a Vulcan Blast Graphite paddle, and honestly... he seriously needs an upgrade.
So we're making it four paddles and four winners.
Now the takeaway...
I also went through the qualifying responses to see what people here actually care about when they're spending their own money on a paddle.
And the results were pretty clear.
92% of you basically want to stay under $200. Almost half were around the $100 range alone.
That makes the current $99-$150 paddle battle even more interesting. People aren't necessarily looking for a "cheap" paddle. They're basically asking: if I can get foam construction, good power, a big sweet spot, and durable grit around $100-$150...why am I paying $250+?
The shape preference was even more one-sided.
76% picked Hybrid as their #1 shape. Elongated was 16% and Widebody only 8%.
So apparently... I need to test more hybrids.
The other thing that kept coming up was durability. People want spin, but it doesn't seem like everyone is obsessed with chasing the highest RPM number. A lot of you care more about whether that spin is still there months later.
Beyond grit, I kept seeing the same things mentioned: sweet spot, forgiveness, feel, power, dwell, and lower swingweight.
Basically, everyone seems to want the impossible paddle:
Big sweet spot + fast in the hands + good power + good dwell + durable grit + hybrid shape + around $100-$150.
Which, funny enough, is pretty much where the paddle market seems to be heading anyway.
This was actually really useful because it gives me a better idea of what you guys want me to test and compare going forward.
Thanks again to everyone who participated, and congrats to all four winners!
More giveaways coming.