I'm fresh from testing the Thrive FURY Hybrid 112 and I think this is the poppiest paddle on the market right now. It's a beast that will excite some players and be too hot to handle for others.
Thrive is a Las Vegas-based company that does something I haven't seen before, letting you choose your paddle by swingweight. There's four choices, from 110 to 113. I played with the 112. For context, that's in the twenty-ninth percentile (the lower third) when it comes to paddle swingweight.
Here are my thoughts on this hybrid-shaped paddle after putting it through some intense play sessions.
The Thrive FURY Hybrid 112 is probably the poppiest paddle I've ever played with. That doesn't mean it's the most powerful paddle. It means that the ball flies off this paddle face faster than any other, with zero dwell time. Beginners should avoid this wilder paddle but intermediate and advanced players who want to play super aggressively will love it. At $180 (with our discount), it's a great alternative to power paddles like the $280 JOOLA Pro IV and $333 Selkirk Boomstik.
Pop galore
When I say this has zero dwell time I mean that the ball doesn't sit on the paddle face even for a moment. As soon as the ball hits the paddle it's flying off.
It might be the poppiest paddle but it's not necessarily the best power paddle. That's because there are paddles whose power relies on dwell time and paddles with pop-based power like this one.
The extreme pop jumped out at me from the very first shot I hit. My opponent hit the ball at me, I stuck my paddle out and the ball just rocketed off it. Anytime someone attacked me they would instantly regret it. I barely had to swing at all. I could just direct the ball using their power and win points effortlessly.
After seeing what it could do, I had multiple opponents wanting to try out this paddle. One person borrowed it for two hours and didn't want to give it back!
✅ What stands out
Attacking is fun
The light weight and all the pop make attacking extremely fun. It's easy to win hand battles and volleys are deadly.
This paddle excels on counters
I really enjoyed it when somebody was attacking me. I won almost every counter because the ball would just fly back at them so fast that they had no time to react. I felt like I was just reflecting the power right back at him. It's a great paddle for countering against bangers.
Pop without the vibrations
Thrive did an excellent job making a paddle that's so poppy without sending bad vibrations to your arm. As someone who suffers from tennis elbow when paddles have too much vibration or shock, I liked the smooth feel of the FURY.
Surprisingly good sweet spot
If you can control it to stop the ball sailing long, this paddle is actually forgiving because the sweet spot is a good size. Rising intermediates and high-level pickleball players will see that when they hit outside the center of the paddle face, you can still keep the ball in play because there's a consistent bounce and accuracy.
❌ What to consider
Not a control paddle
The sheer poppiness makes it difficult to dink with. There's just no dwell time for the ball to rest on the paddle face. It's also hard to reset – if your opponent hits the ball down, your return is going to rebound straight up for a kill shot.
Check out my list of the best pickleball paddles for control if you need something with better touch.
Beginners will struggle
It takes skill to be able to control this paddle. New players will find it especially hard – you'll sail the ball long and see a lot of pop ups.
It's better to try a beginner pickleball paddle while you're starting out and getting used to the game.
I had to adapt my spin and volleys
This is a different kind of spin paddle than I'm used to. Usually, I brush up the back of the ball but I quickly realized that the ball would just fly off. I shifted to a pure up-and-down swing to get topspin.
For my volleys, I needed to make sure that I wasn't taking a big swing. Instead, I would direct the paddle face to where I wanted the ball to go. Basically, I would just put the paddle in the right position and let the pop do the job for me.
How the Thrive FURY Hybrid 112 plays
| Category | Rating | Notes |
| Power | 9.5/10 | Because of how much pop it has, the ball comes at your opponents so quickly. You can put the ball away so well. |
| Control | 6/10 | It's hard to dink and reset with this paddle because it's so explosive. |
| Spin | 8/10 | I had to modify my spin technique but, once I did, I could put good shape on the ball. |
| Forgiveness | 9/10 | Great sweet spot for a hybrid paddle, extending to the edges of the paddle face. If you can control the pop on your shots, you won't have many mishits. |
| Weighting | 9/10 | Extremely light feeling, making it easy to manipulate and move around in hand battles. I could use it a lot without getting tired. |
| Grip | 9/10 | I like the grip. I didn't have any problems with it fraying or looking dirty. It's not showing any wear after more than 10 hours of play. |
| Durability | 9/10 | Not showing any real problems, just your common scrapes on the top and little scratches and cuts from the ball. |
| Aerodynamics | 9/10 | Very quick in the hands, even faster than I'd expect from a 112 swingweight. |
Features that matter
- Choice of swingweights: this is the first time I've seen a paddle with different swingweight options to help you get your optimal weight – choose from 110 through to 113.
- CFC surface: the paddle face is a three-layer mix of carbon, fiberglass, and carbon. The fiberglass layer adds more pop than a pure carbon fiber paddle.
- Flex Force core: this is where the magic happens. I'm not sure exactly how they get the so-called "flex force" but it's designed for optimal energy return and it certainly does that, sending the ball back out like a rocket.
Who the Thrive FURY Hybrid 112 is for
This is definitely for intermediate to advanced players. Beginners should try a more user-friendly starter paddle instead.
If you're an aggressive player who wants a really fun paddle that puts pressure on your opponents, and you're not too worried about control, it's built for you. I'm going to keep it in my bag for when I play against bangers as I can easily counter their hard shots with this.
If you want to save money against a top-tier power paddle, this is $100 cheaper than the JOOLA Pro IV series and almost as powerful.
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