I already liked the original MPP Turbo because of that hollow, slightly trampoline-like foam feel, good dwell, and surprisingly solid stability. The surface was always the bigger question for me, so ArmorGrit is really the update I care about most.
There was some trouble with the early reviewer batch, and Enhance said they identified the issue and that it shouldn’t affect production units. I suspect the ArmorGrit coating on some of those early samples may not have been cured or applied properly, so it didn’t do enough to protect the peel-ply texture underneath. Enhance pushed the launch from September 20 to October 5 and gave themselves more time to check inventory before shipping production paddles.
Given the history of coatings applied over peel-ply surfaces, Thrive Clear Fusion Grit is a good example; I’m expecting ArmorGrit to land more in the Tier 2/3 durability range rather than true Tier 1.
What I like, though, is that the feel is still basically the same as a normal peel-ply face. It doesn’t have that more numb, coated feeling I sometimes get from Tier 1 durable-grit surfaces, which can also make the paddle feel a little stiffer and less natural off the face. So if ArmorGrit can keep that familiar peel-ply feel while improving durability, that’s probably the sweet spot for me. And with the newer USAP spin limits now in effect, manufacturers have even more reason to tune these surfaces right up toward the legal limit, so I’m very curious to see how the production version holds up.
The obvious comparison for me is the Pakle Fuse Hybrid.
My previous Fuse Hybrid and Elongated both came in extremely light, roughly 7.65-7.75 oz, and for me they really needed Pickle Clips around 3 and 9 before they felt complete.
On the other hand, all of my Enhance MPP Turbos have landed around 7.9-8.1 oz. Enhance also builds roughly 3 g of internal weighting on each side around 3 and 9, so the Turbo already feels much more stable out of the box, with a bigger functional sweet spot and less need to immediately start adding weight.
Enhance also gives you three shapes: Elongated, Hybrid, and Standard, while the Fuse currently gives you Elongated and Hybrid.
And I actually prefer the shape of the Enhance Flat Top Hybrid a little more.
Enhance Hybrid: 16.3 × 7.7"
Pakle Fuse Hybrid: 16.2 × 7.8"
That small difference matters. The Enhance feels a little more like an elongated hybrid, while the Fuse leans more toward a hybrid-widebody. Both are forgiving, but the Enhance shape is closer to what I personally like.
There’s also a construction difference. Even though the two paddles are conceptually very similar, Enhance uses a CFC face, carbon/fiberglass/carbon, while the Fuse is more of a CCC/carbon-based layup. That likely contributes to the Turbo feeling a little livelier and more elastic off the face.
The Hybrid is still the one I’m most interested in. I’m definitely leaning more toward flat-top hybrids than elongated paddles these days, especially when I can still get enough handle for a two-handed backhand.
The MPP Turbo ArmorGrit launches tomorrow at 7 pm EST, and SLICE20 gives you $20 off, bringing the $119.99 price down to $99.99.
At that price, it becomes a very interesting Pakle Fuse alternative.
But the real question is still the surface.