Speed, Stability, and Surprises: This Week’s Top Paddle Testing Notes

Breaking down the latest Paddle of the Week winners, Vatic’s new Saga 14mm lineup, and why speed still matters.

Apr 28, 2025

🎯 Paddle of the Week 9: Fast Hands, Big Shots

In Episode 9 of Paddle of the Week, I broke down several standout products:

TMPR Nimbus: Kevlar weave, plush but lively feel — lightweight, fast, and a legit upgrade from TMPR’s past builds.
Franklin FS Tour Dynasty 14mm: If you trim the stock grip weight down, it turns into a sneaky top-tier pop paddle.
Honolulu Pickleball J2FC+: A foam-core R&D prototype that resets like a dream and feels more dialed than expected.
Bread & Butter Filth Standard 16mm: Probably the most stable Filth variant yet — forgiving, connected, and strong on hand speed.

Every paddle went through full drills, live match play, and testing. This week, I was focused hard on how they felt during resets, counters, and in pressure moments. And spoiler: not everything made the cut.

👉 [Watch Paddle of the Week 9 on YouTube]

🚀 Vatic Pro Saga 14mm Series Review: The Fastest Vatic Yet?

If you thought the 16mm Sagas were quick... the new 14mm Saga lineup is a different animal altogether:

Saga Flash 14mm: Blazing fast, crisp feel, lightweight at 112.7 swing weight.
Saga V7 14mm: More reach, slight bump in leverage without becoming sluggish.
Bloom: A standard shape sleeper — crazy fast hand speed and sneaky forgiveness.
Flash LH & V7 LH: Long handles for two-handers, but you trade some forgiveness.

Vatic's Gen 1.5 build is still here — thermoformed, raw T700 carbon — but the 14mm core shifts the feel hard toward speed, pop, and hand battles. If you’re a clean striker who wants to take time away from opponents, this lineup is a major upgrade.

👉 [Watch the full Vatic Pro Saga 14mm Review]

Heads up:
The swing weights are lower, the pop is sharper, and while you give up a little forgiveness, the speed you gain is addictive. You can use code MPB to save if you pick one up.

🔥 Paddle of the Week 8: Unexpected Standouts

Episode 8 went a little off script—in a good way.
Some of the gear that showed up surprised me for how complete they felt on court:

Gearbox GX2 Integra XL: Durable, refined, and deceptively powerful for its weight class.
Selkirk Labs 008 10mm: All-foam experimental build that played shockingly composed at the net.
JOOLA Scorpeus Pro IV 16mm: Hyper stable and forgiving — one of the most balanced JOOLA updates yet.
CRBN TruFoam Genesis 2: A foam-core build that delivers exceptional touch and spin, with a cleaner connection than most foamed paddles.

Each paddle brought something a little different to the table—and a couple had me rethinking what’s "necessary" for top-level resets and offense.

👉 [Watch Paddle of the Week 8 on YouTube]

🧠 Paddle of the Week 7: Smart Design Over Flash

Episode 7 was all about smart engineering winning over raw hype.
The themes?

SQAIRZ Pro XRZ Pickleball Shoes: Unbelievable traction, stability, and toe room. (No, they're not a gimmick.)
Vatic Saga 14mm: Early impressions — faster, lighter, better tempo.
Avoura Rhapsody 13: A Gen 1 control paddle that still absolutely holds up today for players who prioritize feel.
JOOLA Scorpeus Pro IV: More compact, quicker than the Perseus — a legit evolution if you want fast resets.
11SIX24 Jelly Bean, All Court, Power: Surprisingly differentiated despite sharing a mold. Great value builds.

The gear that impressed me most wasn’t necessarily the flashiest—it was what worked when it mattered.

👉 [Watch Paddle of the Week 7 on YouTube]

🎯 Struggling to Pick a Paddle?

If you want real recommendations based on how you actually play, check out my free Paddle Finder tool at www.mattspickleball.com.
No email required, real data, no marketing fluff.

🎥 Join Me for More Gear Breakdowns

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💸 Want to Save on Paddles and Gear?

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👉 See All Pickleball Discounts Here

(And every time you use my code MPB, it directly helps support the site and future reviews.)

Thanks for Reading

Appreciate you being part of this community.

Hit reply and tell me—what paddle (or shoe!) you’re most curious about right now? I always read every response.

Talk soon,
Matt