Opinion: Did You Lose Respect For Some Pickleball Paddle Brands In 2025? Here’s When Things Changed For Me…
By Picklepedia Contributor
I need to tell you about the moment I stopped buying certain paddle brands—not because I found the perfect one, but because Q3 2025 revealed something I didn’t want to see: the brands I respected most started playing a game I couldn’t respect. And here’s what surprised me most: even when their new paddles are objectively good, I can’t bring myself to buy from them anymore. Something shifted inside me—a line between what’s technically excellent and what feels like it was made with integrity.
I’m not a beginner. I study this sport tactically, strategically, with genuine investment in improvement. When a company launches something, I want to understand why. What changed? What problem does this solve? What conviction drove this decision?
For years, certain brands earned my loyalty because they seemed to ask themselves the same questions.
Then 2025 happened.
The Breaking Point
August. September. Q3. I’m watching launch after launch hit my feed. CRBN had impressed me in January with TruFoam Genesis—genuinely different foam core technology, confident positioning. Then September hits and here comes Waves. Same four shapes. Different marketing angle about “more power.” Six months between launches.
Selkirk drops Boomstik in August with foam core tech—their big answer to the market shift. But it felt rushed. Another Labs project. Another “revolutionary” claim. Another paddle in an already crowded lineup.
I realized I wasn’t excited anymore. I was exhausted. And then I got curious: Was this just my feed, or was something bigger happening across the industry?
The Numbers Don’t Lie
So I counted. Every major release. Every “revolutionary” launch. Every signature series and shape variant and thickness option.
Here’s what I found:
JOOLA: 20+ Paddles – Four Pro IV signature lines (Ben Johns Perseus, Collin Johns Scorpeus, Tyson McGuffin Magnus, Simone Jardim Hyperion) each in multiple thicknesses, plus the Agassi/Graf Legend series, plus the earlier 3S releases.
Selkirk: 15+ Paddles – Project Boomstik (2 shapes), Project 007 (2 shapes), Project 008, Vanguard Pro updates, LUXX Control Air InfiniGrit line (2 shapes), SLK ERA Power and Control (2 shapes each).
CRBN: 8 Paddles – TruFoam Genesis in January (4 shapes: elongated, square, hybrid, AeroCurve), then TruFoam Waves in September (same 4 shapes, different marketing).
And Then There’s Six Zero: 4 Paddles (Example) – Ruby Pro (100% Kevlar), Black Opal (foam unibody, November), Coral (hybrid core, November), Quartz.
The contrast is staggering: One company released 20 paddles. Another released 4.
What Those Numbers Actually Mean
Six Zero released roughly 20-25% of the volume of JOOLA—and most dropped in Q4, meaning they spent nearly the entire year not flooding the market. They kept their 2023/2024 paddles relevant for nearly two years. If you bought a Double Black Diamond in January 2024, it was still their top recommendation until November 2025.
Meanwhile, if you bought a JOOLA Gen 3 in March 2025, it was functionally obsolete by June, “fixed” with the 3S in July, and replaced by the Pro IV in November. One company let you play with your paddle for 18 months. The others asked you to replace it three times in 8 months.
Here’s what companies won’t tell you: the paddle market is projected to grow from $280 million in 2025 to $429 million by 2030—only 8.9% annual growth. Translation: Companies can’t rely on new players alone. They need existing players to buy multiple paddles. The economics favor the replacement cycle, not the “buy once, play for years” model.
When Six Zero releases 4 paddles and lets them breathe for 18 months, they’re betting on quality over quantity. When JOOLA releases 20 paddles in one year, they’re betting on market saturation and FOMO-driven upgrades. Both are legitimate business strategies. But only one treats me like a long-term partner instead of a quarterly revenue opportunity.
Strategic Restraint vs. Market Flooding
JOOLA/Selkirk Strategy: “Spaghetti at the Wall”
Release something new every quarter to catch every micro-trend. Gen 3 power, then Gen 3S “fix,” then Pro IV “perfection.” Keep the product cycle churning. Keep players shopping.
Six Zero Strategy: “Wait and Perfect”
Black Opal was their first new flagship in over a year. They skipped the entire Gen 3 chaos to develop a foam core that wouldn’t face certification issues. Ruby Pro only got updated after the original Ruby completed a full product cycle.
CRBN’s Dilemma:
Genesis in January felt like conviction. Waves in September felt like they got nervous and switched strategies. Six months between launches of essentially the same four shapes with different marketing angles.
When Good Paddles Aren’t Enough
Here’s what I didn’t expect: I can’t buy from these companies anymore, even when their paddles are objectively good.
The Boomstik probably plays great. The Waves likely deliver on their specs. The Pro IV series undoubtedly has solid engineering. But every time I see one, I think: “Which quarterly revenue target does this represent?”
It turns out I value product conviction more than I realized. When a company launches something and immediately follows it with a variant, it tells me they don’t actually believe in what they built. They’re hedging. They’re testing. They’re maximizing SKUs instead of maximizing innovation.
And once that trust breaks, the specs don’t matter. This is about respecting the relationship between maker and player. When I buy a product, I’m not just buying carbon fiber and foam—I’m buying their belief that this thing is worth my investment of money, time, and loyalty.
The Case For Volume (And Why It Almost Convinced Me)
Let me be fair: there’s a legitimate counter-argument here.
The Innovation Acceleration Argument: Rapid iteration is how we got thermoforming, then foam-edge technology, then Gen4 propulsion foam in only three years. JOOLA’s Gen 3 → 3S → Pro IV cycle represents real engineering improvements each time.
The Player Diversity Argument: A 3.5 banger needs different tech than a 5.0 touch player. Maybe 20 paddles isn’t “too many”—maybe it’s finally enough options to match the actual diversity of playing styles.
The Market Demand Argument: Companies wouldn’t release this volume if players weren’t buying. Maybe I’m projecting my own fatigue onto a market that’s thriving on choice and excitement.
These are real points. I’ve sat with them. And honestly? They almost convinced me.
But here’s where they break down: If Genesis served one customer type and Waves served another, why are they the same four shapes? If the Pro IV is genuinely different from the 3S, why does the 3S feel abandoned six months after launch? Rapid iteration works when each iteration builds on the last—not when it replaces it.
The difference between innovation and iteration isn’t the speed—it’s the intent. And when I look at 2025’s release calendar, I see a lot more quarterly planning than long-term vision.
What I Want
I want brands to show conviction. Launch something, believe in it, support it, let it breathe for more than six months before fragmenting your lineup with variants.
Most of all, I want to feel excited about a paddle launch again. Not exhausted. Not skeptical. Not wondering if this is innovation or just another SKU for the quarterly report.
2025 taught me something: The brands I respected most can disappoint the hardest—because I expected more from them. And once you lose that respect, even their best work struggles to win you back.
It’s a shame, really. Some of these paddles are probably excellent. But I’ve discovered something about myself: I’d rather play with gear made by a company that earns my trust than something technically superior made by one that’s just managing my FOMO.
Is that irrational? Maybe. But maybe that’s exactly the kind of relationship between maker and player that matters most to me.
What about you?
Did you like this article? Picklepedia is supported by our donor community — bringing you unbiased, 100% ad-free content with no hidden promo product links or commissions. If you would like to support us and value this it will help us to reach more players and keep content honest which protects the heart of the sport we all love. Opt in below for more detaiils and join the family of players heplping Picklepedia to continue and grow. Thank you.