Getting into pickleball seems like a simple affair. Get yourself a paddle, gather your buddies at the court, and get some dinks in. Ah, but there’s the problem: Which paddle should you even be buying? A quick search on your favorite online shopping app will give you a seemingly endless list of options ranging from surprisingly cheap to exorbitantly expensive.
We’ve spoken with our racket-sport-loving friends on the matter, and the consensus is fairly clear: Match how much you spend on your paddle with how invested you are in pickleball. In other words, budget options will work just fine and can get you started for cheap—and if you fall in love with the game, you can start shopping around for upgrades.
Need to figure out which brands you should be looking at based on where you are in your pickleball game? Read on to learn more about the right paddles for every skill level.
Pickleball paddle brands for beginners
As a beginner, you just need something to get you started. No need to look too deep into tech specs for now—focus on choosing something that’s easy on the wallet and feels good in the hand.
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The following brands are known for carrying affordable, beginner-friendly pickleball paddles:
- Azgairit
- Decathlon
- Enflexy
- Juciao
- Kawasaki
- Luzz
These brands’ budget offerings typically start under P1,000 and can top out around the P2,500 mark depending on the specs and features. They’re also widely available in both online and physical stores. As a bonus, two-pack bundles are also fairly common for the cheaper options if you’re hopping into pickleball with a buddy.
In terms of build, a lot of options here are constructed with beginner-friendly fiberglass, but carbon fiber models do exist at this price point. Do note that these aren’t built for the high level of stress that hardcore players put their paddles through. Playing hard with budget paddles will quickly degrade their honeycomb core—our friends have heard of cases of budget paddles caving in after just six months of regular, intense play.
Pickleball paddles for intermediate players
This category is fairly wide since it can cover a decent variety of players, like regular players in need of an upgrade from the budget gear they started with, or even longtime racket-sport athletes looking to add pickleball to their rotation.
For intermediate players in need of more sophisticated pickleball paddles, these are the brands to watch:
- Enhance
- Franklin
- Friday
- ISLA
- Joola
- Juciao
- Kanto
- Pakkle
- Vatic Pro
Prices in this bracket can vary widely: Expect to spend anywhere between P3,000 and P10,000. Pickleball players shopping around this level start paying more attention to tech specs, such as core construction and paddle surface.
Most options in this price range have carbon-fiber surfaces to provide experienced players with better control over how they return the ball. This is also where you start to encounter paddles with foam cores. This style of build offers much higher durability and a wider “sweet spot” over the mainstream honeycomb-style construction. Still, it’s not an outright better option; a lot goes into finding a paddle that feels best in your hand in the game. Make sure to do plenty of research before putting down cash on a shiny new paddle.
Pickleball paddles for players looking for performance
Beyond the P10,000 range, we enter the territory of performance options. This is a decidedly premium tier for players who know exactly what they want out of their paddle to level up their game.
These are the noteworthy brands to consider when browsing for high-performance pickleball paddles:
- Aireo
- Bread & Butter
- Enhance
- Franklin
- Friday
- Honolulu
- Joola
- Luzz
- Paddletek
- Proton
- Selkirk
These options are specialized to consistently provide users with what they need for their style of play, like more power or higher spin. To do this, brands start exploring other materials beyond carbon fiber, like Kevlar or even embedded crystals, to achieve the desired effects. Additionally, the higher quality of build and materials at this price point offers enhanced durability.
That said, these options aren’t reserved solely for pros. If, as a novice, a performance-spec paddle catches your eye and you have the cash to drop on it, then by all means go for it. A friend of ours also shared their mindset on owning one of these premium paddles: “If my paddle can’t get any better, then I need to become better.”
To sum it all up: Budget paddles are a great gateway into the sport, and will only set you back around P1,000 to P2,500. If you find yourself becoming a regular at the pickleball court, you can start looking to upgrade to paddles beyond the P3,000 range. And if you really want to get the best gear (regardless of your skill level), be ready to set aside over P10,000.
It’s also a good idea to do research on what kind of paddle fits your playstyle before committing to a purchase. It’s much better if you can feel the racket in hand first, either by trying it out at a sports shop or borrowing a paddle from a friend who already owns it. As always, be sure to do your due diligence—and happy dinking!
