Bread & Butter is back with a bang with their revamped Loco – a paddle that has everyone talking. There’s huge hype behind it, with a lot of people saying it’s the best paddle of 2025… and we’re only in August.
I put the hybrid-shaped Loco through a serious test across 15+ hours, using it in an MLP Moneyball tournament (where I took second place) and lots of rec games. I came away buzzing about this paddle. The hype is real with this one.
It’s extremely well-balanced for a hybrid paddle, with exceptional grit, elite control, and plenty of power. This is my new go-to everyday rec and tournament paddle.
At $200 (or $180ish with our exclusive Pickleheads code), Bread & Butter honors their reputation, releasing another top-tier paddle at an affordable price compared to $250-280 rivals from CRBN, JOOLA, Paddletek, and Gearbox.
With such a high performance for incredible value, this is going to be appearing on courts all over the country. Put your pre-order in now to get the Loco when it ships in October.
A total knockout from Bread & Butter
This is the best Bread & Butter paddle yet, and one of the best I’ve ever played with. The core is made from 100% foam, and the touch has been elevated to 10/10. They put a fiberglass layer on the carbon face to give it a solid pop, so power isn’t lacking either.
When it comes to the sweet spot, I’d put it in the A tier along with the Selkirk LUXX and Honolulu Sword & Shield J2K. It’s massive and makes mishits virtually impossible.
One downside is the low twist weight – the paddle can twist too easily in your hands – but this can be fixed by applying weight to the sides. I’ll talk a little more about that below.
The value is incredible. This is a durable foam paddle like the CRBN TruFoam Genesis series but it costs $80 less. It should last you a long time, as foam paddles are built to prevent the delamination and disbonding that happens with a lot of polymer honeycomb paddles.
✅ What stands out
Huge sweet spot
The sweet spot is incredible for a hybrid paddle, extending right across the paddle face. It’s very easy to make clean hits every time. This makes the Loco a more beginner-friendly paddle than other B&B models like the powerful Bread & Butter Filth.
Extremely well-balanced
The balance is next level for a hybrid paddle. In my experience, most hybrids are head-heavy, which lends itself to being slower. This paddle is balanced in a way to avoid that head heaviness. You can have such fast hands because of this, so your counters are on point.
Insane grit
The grit on the surface is top tier and you can generate so much spin for backhand rolls and on deep aggressive serves.
❌ What to consider
Short handle
The 5.3-inch handle length is shorter than most. Players who like to hit conventional two-handed backhands will find it annoying. You have to either force your hands together or put one hand up on the face of the paddle.
Light weight makes it prone to twisting
The Loco reminds of the Paddletek Bantam ALW-C in that it feels light and has a low twist weight, which means the paddle can twist in your hands, especially when you hit outside the sweet spot. I added about 3 grams of weight on both sides of the paddle and it helped to counteract the turning.
How the Bread & Butter Loco plays
| Category | Rating | Notes |
| Power | 9/10 | Plenty of power to keep your opponents back and on defense with deep serves and hard-hitting overheads. Not as hard-hitting in hands battles as the Gearbox GX2 Power or JOOLA Perseus Pro IV. |
| Control | 10/10 | Absolutely elite control that is top of the market. Right up there with Six Zero DBD and Selkirk LUXX paddles. I could get up to the net easily with dinks and resets from the back and middle of the court. |
| Spin | 10/10 | Excellent – definitely up there with the best spin paddles like the Paddletek Bantam series. My backhand flicks were deadly due to the bite I was able to generate from the grittiness of the paddle face. The hybrid shape adds to the spin too – I was able to get many free points from my serve popping up on my opponents, and could keep forehand speed-ups in the court from lower positions. |
| Forgiveness | 8.5/10 | Amazing sweet spot for a hybrid paddle. Almost always felt like I hit it. I could see it most with my counters in the middle with my forehand allowing me to guard the middle very well. Only issue is the aforementioned twisting, which leads to mishits, but adding weight can fix this. |
| Weighting | 9/10 | The paddle’s weight is well distributed throughout the whole paddle so it does not feel head heavy. I felt invincible at the net – I could move the paddle into the position I needed very easily. |
| Grip | 8/10 | The grip is thin and comfortable for players with smaller hands. However, if you sweat like I do, or you have larger hands, you’ll need an overgrip. I have very sweaty hands and found that the paddle slipped many times on crucial points. |
| Durability | 10/10 | There are no signs of breakdown of the core or delamination after 15.5 hours of play. Because the edge guard is white, it does show discoloration from the ball. It also shows scrapes from the courts very visibly. I would recommend people use edge guard tape on it. |
| Aerodynamics | 10/10 | This is a super-fast paddle owing to its lightness and balance. You can create paddle head speed so well and attack with fast hands. |
Features that matter
- Foam core: Bread & Butter has joined the foam paddle craze. The core is 100% foam (EPP and EVA) which should make it last longer than traditional polypropylene cores, so your investment should go a long way.
- Fiberglass layer: the face is made from T-700 raw carbon fiber with an added layer of fiberglass that brings the pop.
- Choice of shapes: it’s great that you can choose from all three shape types – standard, hybrid, or elongated to suit your play style.
Who the Bread & Butter Loco is for
The ideal match for this paddle is an intermediate player (3.5 to 5.0 level) who prioritizes their touch game but wants more pop than your average control paddle can give.
It works for players at any level, though – because it’s so forgiving, new players can pick it up; advanced players who don’t need 10/10 power will enjoy the competitive pop.
If you’re a high-level banger who wants the hardest-hitting paddle, you should check out the best power paddles. Someone who likes extended handles on paddles should also stay away.
I honestly can’t get enough of this paddle. Bread & Butter really outdid themselves with this one and I can’t wait to play with it more. If you want an elite paddle with the best control and spin, as well as a large sweet spot and plenty of power, and you don’t mind using lead tape to fix the twist weight, this is an incredible paddle. It’ll save you up to $100 against the most expensive tier of paddles too.Today's best deals
