Engage Encore Pro V3.0 – a carbon paddle from a legendary pickleball brand for just $70

I'm fresh from playing with the Engage Encore Pro V3.0, a $70 paddle with a strong carbon construction.

Why is this an exciting paddle launch? Because Engage Pickleball is one of the sport’s best brands. They’re a family-run company that’s been around since 2015. They’re one of the few that actually manufactures their paddles in the U.S., at their factory in Florida. There’s no outsourcing here – every paddle you buy from Engage is American-made.

I love how Engage makes paddles for all skill levels and budgets. They’re well known for their $260 Engage Pursuit Series, a line of advanced pickleball paddles. Then there’s the Enthusiast Line – budget paddles that aim for a big boost in quality and performance compared to most cheap pickleball paddles.

This is where you’ll find the Encore Pro V3.0, a 2025 update to the original Encore, Engage’s first paddle when they launched ten years ago.

At first I wasn’t too into this paddle. This is a $70 paddle, after all, and I’m used to playing with more high-end foam paddles. My mind was changed when I gave the V3.0 to some of my lower-level students who are used to playing with $25 Walmart paddles. They absolutely loved this paddle.

I realized that it gives them a huge boost on pop and spin. One of them even came up to me at the end of our session asking if they could buy the paddle off me.

Now I’m convinced – this is a great new pickleball paddle for beginners, one with actual grit on the carbon paddle face.

The Engage Encore Pro V3.0 may look like any other budget paddle but in your hands you’ll feel it right away – there’s a higher grade of materials being used here. With an “amplified carbon” surface and a one-piece cold-pressed construction, this is a sturdier paddle that’s built to last.

If you’ve been playing with a flimsier sub-$50 paddle, you’ll notice the increase in quality right away. On the court, that translates to more power, more spin, and a more enjoyable and competitive game.

If you’re stepping up from a $40-50 paddle, you’ll notice the grit on the paddle face. That’s what impressed my students as they were finally able to see what a higher-quality paddle can do in terms of manipulating the ball to generate spin.

This paddle has a more plush feel than a lot of those thin wooden-feeling paddles around this price. If your opponent hits the ball hard, then, your returns get less feedback and a smoother response that allows you to return the ball more easily.

Engage knew what they were doing with the pricing. Positioning this at $70 puts it between a $50 Amazon paddle and a more premium $100 paddle. It’s a fair price point and an interesting niche in the market that will appeal to new players and high beginners.

If you’re brand-new to pickleball, or you’ve been playing with an even cheaper paddle, you’ll see an increase in pop here. But if you’re looking for a paddle with the kind of power that can help you compete against intermediate players, I would look elsewhere. This paddle doesn’t generate any real power for me.

The sweet spot is not that large so if you mishit, you know immediately. It doesn’t give you bad feedback or hurt your hand but the ball just doesn’t go anywhere. It flies off in random directions. If you’re concerned about this, look for a paddle with more forgiveness like the 11SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean, PIKKL Hurricane Pro, or Honolulu J2NF.

If you have the budget, spending an extra $30 on the 11SIX24 Jelly Bean or Vatic Pro V-Sol Power is definitely worth considering. These are some of the best $100 paddles and they have newer materials with more enhanced specs and designs for a big performance boost.

If you’re dead set on spending $70 max, you can’t go wrong with the Engage Encore Pro V3.0.

This is definitely a paddle for beginners to lower intermediates, whether it’s your first-ever starter paddle or you’re upgrading from a super-cheap paddle. It doesn’t have the power, control, and spin that higher-level players need.