The Warping Point Nightblade 001 is one of two new Nightblades, alongside the Nightblade 002. Both cost $149.99 and share the same 16 mm full-foam construction with EFC perimeter foam, but the 001 uses an MPP foam core and a TPE foam edge, which is what sets the two apart.
Warping Point markets it for faster hands and explosive power. In my testing it's really a touch-first paddle, with great dwell and feel on soft shots, but the pop isn't there when the ball comes at you fast.
Also see my Warping Point Nightblade 002 review.
My verdict4.0
The Warping Point Nightblade 001 is a top control paddle with great dwell and feel on soft shots, but it lacks pop on counters and has a narrow, inconsistent sweet spot. Of the two Nightblades, I'd pick the 002.
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Buy or pass?
Buy if:
You want a touch-first paddle with great feel:
the MPP foam core pockets the ball, giving you lots of feel and touch on dinks, drops and resets (see our best control paddles for more).
You win points with resets and soft-game manipulation:
the ball sits on the face longer, so it's easy to shape and manipulate out of the face on soft shots.
You want strong standalone power on drives and putaways:
when you can put your own energy into the ball, it has a slingshot effect that almost catapults it out of the face.
Pass if:
You counter and punch-volley against speed-ups:
counters don't explode off the face when you can't load the ball, so the Ronbus Quanta Pro is a better fit.
You want a wide, consistent sweet spot:
the sweet spot is narrow and inconsistent, so off-center hits pop up or come off flat – try the Warping Point Neon.
You want better value for the money:
see our best-value pickleball paddles and our guide to the best pickleball paddles under $100 for the best bang for your buck.
The Nightblade 001 is a touch paddle with a slingshot on full swings
The first thing you notice is the feel. The MPP foam core pockets the ball, so it sits on the face longer and you can shape it on dinks, drops and resets. It's easy to manipulate the ball out of the face on soft shots, and that's the best part of this paddle.
On paper, the 001 is built around three foams: the MPP core, a TPE foam edge and EFC perimeter foam. Warping Point says the core delivers faster hands, more explosive power and a more responsive feel. Testing partly confirms it. The core is responsive and the ball dwells noticeably, which gives great feel on soft shots and a slingshot effect on full swings. It denies the "explosive" part on fast exchanges, though. With little time to load the ball, it lacked pop.
This paddle is a good example of the difference between power and pop. When I could put my own energy into the ball on drives and putaways, it sat in the face and slung out, almost catapulting at times, so I'd call swing power about a 9. When the ball came at me fast, pop on counters was more like a 7.5 to 8. Punch-countering speed-ups was frustrating, and that's a big part of my game.
The balance point felt off, too. It's not heavy, but it never swung smoothly through the air and I couldn't get on top of the ball on drives. I tried three setups with lead tape (bottom corners plus middle, bottom corners only, and no weight), and none gave me consistent drives. Drives and serves hung too high over the net, and I hit a lot of serves into the net.
The sweet spot is narrow and inconsistent as well. Dead center flies off the paddle, but slightly off-center hits pop up or come off flat, even with the EFC perimeter foam that's meant to expand it. The TPE edge adds to the pocketing, connected feel and is hard to isolate, but overall the 001 feels softer and more dwelly than the 002. The face doesn't feel very gritty, so spin was underwhelming.
If you want raw, explosive power, our best power paddles are a better fit. But if you want a soft, responsive paddle that wins points with touch and resets, the 001 delivers, though at $149.99 I'd steer you to the Nightblade 002 or a $100 paddle.
Paddle Weight
7.9 to 8.2 oz
Paddle Length
16.5 inches
Paddle Width
7.5 inches
Handle Length
5.5 inches
Grip Circumference
4.25 inches
Paddle Face Material
Carbon, fiberglass and carbon (CFC) composite with aerospace-grade coating
Core Material
MPP foam core (full foam floating core) with TPE foam edge and EFC perimeter foam
Core Thickness
16 mm
Sweet Spot
Narrow
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How the Nightblade 001 plays
| Category | Rating | Notes |
| Power | 8.5/10 | Split score: swing power is about a 9, but pop on counters is about a 7.5 to 8. When you can load the ball on drives and putaways it slings out of the face, but against fast incoming pace it lacks pop, and without a full swing my serves came up short and went into the net. |
| Control | 9/10 | The best part of this paddle. It pockets the ball with lots of feel and touch, and it's easy to manipulate on dinks, third shot drops and resets, though drives that hung too high over the net held it back. |
| Spin | 8/10 | Underwhelming. The face doesn't feel very gritty, and the ball didn't have much bite on any shot. |
| Forgiveness | 8/10 | Narrow, inconsistent sweet spot. Dead center flies off the paddle, but slightly off-center hits pop up or come off flat. |
| Weighting | 8.5/10 | Not heavy, but the balance point felt odd and the swing wasn't smooth. Bottom corners plus middle, bottom corners only and no lead tape never gave me consistent drives. |
| Grip | 7/10 | Chunky handle with an accentuated, taped butt cap that creates a hand spot I don't love. |
| Durability | 8/10 | Nothing broke down during testing and I can't see it breaking, but the grit didn't feel very gritty to start and isn't proven long-lasting. |
| Aerodynamics | 8/10 | Despite being marketed for speed, it isn't especially light or quick in hand battles. |
✅ Pros
Great feel and touch
The MPP foam core pockets the ball and gives you lots of feel on dinks, drops and resets. If touch is what you're shopping for, also check out our best control paddles.
Strong standalone power
When you can put your own energy into the ball, it has a slingshot effect on drives and putaways, and it can almost catapult the ball at times.
Easy ball manipulation
The ball sits on the face, so it's easy to shape and manipulate on soft shots like third shot drops and resets.
❌ Considerations
Lacks pop
Counters and punch-volleys against speed-ups don't explode off the face. If you need pop with spin, the Ronbus Quanta Pro is a better fit at around $100.
Odd balance point
I couldn't fix the balance with lead tape. None of my three weight setups gave me consistent drives.
Underwhelming spin
The surface doesn't feel very gritty. If spin is your priority, check out the Vatic Pro V-SOL Tour Evergrit or our best spin paddles.
Nightblade 001 price – is it worth it?
At $149.99, the Nightblade 001 is competitively priced for the quality, but the value isn't quite there. There are $100 paddles that are better or comparable, like the Ronbus Quanta Pro and the Vatic Pro V-SOL Tour Evergrit.
It's not a hard pass like a $200 paddle would be, but if you're buying a Nightblade, I'd steer you to the 002 at the same price. The 001 is for players who love a really responsive paddle where the ball sits in the face longer, and who win points with touch, resets and soft-game manipulation rather than counters. If that's you, also see our best control paddles.
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Alternatives to the Warping Point Nightblade 001
If the Nightblade 001's lack of pop or narrow sweet spot isn't right for you, these paddles are worth a look:
Better pop for less
Ronbus Quanta Pro
Long-lasting spin for less
Vatic Pro V-SOL Tour Evergrit
Same brand, $50 less
Warping Point Neon
Want even more options?
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