The best pickleball paddles you've never heard of

Let’s be honest – most players stick to the usual suspects when buying a pickleball paddle. Companies like JOOLA, CRBN, and Selkirk dominate the market. There's a good reason for this: these brands are proven, they’re available everywhere, and they have pros backing them.

However, I always wonder: what if we’re missing out? What if there are paddles from brands you’ve never heard of – no flashy marketing, no big-name sponsorship – that actually hold their own?

For this experiment, I got my hands on five paddles and played two to three games with each one. I asked other players of a similar skill set – around 5.0 (advanced) level – to test them too, and we compared notes. We played competitive rec games to 11 against one another using these paddles.

The plan was to find the next hidden gem, a brand most people haven’t heard of that makes high-quality paddles that anyone would love playing with.

One paddle stood out: the Luzz Pro 2.0 Berserker. I’d seriously consider putting it in my bag full-time. A couple of other paddles surprised me in smaller ways. And yes, some reminded me why brand trust matters.

Here’s what I found when I stepped outside the pickleball mainstream.

The Luzz Pro 2.0 Berserker got the best reaction from other players. Multiple players compared it to JOOLA paddles – the ball comes off the paddle with power and shape in a similar way.

The Avoura Rhapsody 13 got a lot of attention because of its unique shape, but ultimately its performance didn’t stand out like the Luzz.

Again, the Luzz was the biggest surprise. I immediately liked the way it felt – it reminded me of top-tier carbon fiber paddles. It’s a good-value alternative to competitors like the CRBN TruFoam Genesis 2 ($280) and the Engage Pursuit Pro1 6.0 Hybrid ($260).

The Luzz is the only paddle that I could see myself playing with in the future. The rest were fine but didn’t hold up to the power and control that the Luzz has.

The Avoura paddle was too soft. Control and spin were great, but it didn’t have the pop and power that I look for in a premium-priced paddle (it’s $225).

The Luzz is definitely worth trying, and at $189 it’s a pretty fair price for the power and feel you get.

I also recommend the Aireo Falcon Pro-L16 to anyone who’s looking for their first upgraded paddle on a $100 budget, though I wouldn’t recommend it to advanced players.

My biggest takeaway was that three of these five paddles weren’t worth recommending – the Pickleball Apes, Avoura Rhapsody 13, and Aireo Harpy Eagle-L13. That’s super interesting because they’re priced at $200 or above. You can get a lot more value out of similarly priced paddles from Six Zero, CRBN, or Paddletek.

What I noticed about the Luzz was that it nails the carbon fiber construction inside the paddle. That’s what makes it feel on a par with other top-performing paddles. It has a familiar feel and it gets the power, control, and sweet spot right. So, it’s not impossible for smaller brands to compete.

I think these brands should focus on their paddle construction first. They shouldn’t try to be too unique or gimmicky. The Avoura Rhapsody 13 had a super-cool design that excited us all, but it didn’t cut it on the court. It was the Luzz, which felt like other paddles we trust, that we liked the most. Aiming for a solid value alternative to $250 paddles is a better way to go.

Then, getting your paddle into the hands of the right reviewers can really help it take off. Smaller brands like Spartus, Vatic Pro, 11SIX24, Chorus, Bread & Butter, and Six Zero don’t have the pro names behind them. They have all benefited from getting their paddles into the hands of testers with big online platforms.

Since you can’t trust the brand (since it’s unknown), you should look for reviews of how the paddles play on the court, and what paddles they compare to.

I would read reviews from people like me, who’ve actually tested these paddles, or reviewers who break down the science and tech of these paddles, to make sure you understand what you’re buying.

100%. I still have paddles from a bunch of other brands that I’d love to get out on the courts.

Next time, I’ll do a two-day session with a group paddle review, so I can get three to five games in with each paddle. I'll go with the same strategy of having multiple people try out each paddle, and play with them myself. That way I can see how they perform with other play styles.

At Pickleheads, we pride ourselves on our hands-on testing of all the paddles and gear we review. Every paddle you see recommended above was put through rigorous on-court sessions by our team. This includes a minimum play time of five hours per paddle, across at least two play sessions.

When we're ranking our favorite paddles, we consider overall performance (power, spin, etc.) but also important factors like price, value for money, and what type of player the paddle appeals to.

We have heated debates before we come to a general consensus for our best-of paddle guides. Often, the top paddles stand out from the rest, and it's sometimes the case that we all agree quickly on what the best paddle is.