Matt's Pickleball Podcast

Is JOOLA's next pickleball paddle, the Pro 6, not foam? That rumor kicks off a bigger question: is foam the end of paddle tech, or is something better coming?This episode comes from you. Your RPM Jade reports, Bobby's November tournament pick, our favorite pickleball shoes (and one we can't agree on), and a new ball that might be the fastest one yet.Code MPB works at RPM and Bread & Butter.RPM Jade 16mm: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod8/jadeRPM Jade 14mm: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod8/jade-14RPM Jade vs Loco 2: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod8/jade-vs-loco-2Best JOOLA paddles: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod8/joolaBest pickleball shoes: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod8/shoesBest pickleball balls: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod8/ballsFind your next paddle: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod8/find0:00 Intro and the HEAD Revolt Fight1:28 Lob Poll Results3:53 RPM Jade Rattle and Raised Ridge Reports13:11 RPM Jade Break-In: 3 Games or 20 Hours?27:43 Bobby's November Pick: RPM Jade vs Loco 232:20 Is Foam the End of Paddle Tech?36:55 JOOLA Pro 6 Rumor and the Last Real Leap42:29 Same Paddle, New Grit: Loco 2 and Relaunches46:25 Can Big Brands Innovate? Wilson Vesper53:06 Gen 3 Holdouts and What Feel Words Mean1:05:42 Our Favorite Pickleball Shoes (and the Worst)1:23:33 Selkirk S2 Pro vs Life Time Pro 48 vs Franklin X44#pickleball #pickleballpaddle #joola #rpmjade #pickleballshoes #pickleballpodcast

Bobby can't decide between the RPM Jade and the Bread & Butter Loco 2 for his November tournaments. I can, even though my Jade felt like a board in my first session. The Loco 2 plays like the original Loco with a better surface, and it sounds a little hollower.We also go through your guesses on HexGrit, the patents nobody has granted yet, and the optics of two rulebooks (USA Pickleball and UPA). We finish with grit tiers, getting lobbed in higher-level rec games, the PikPok Croc Hunter, and RPM's Diesel prototype, which breaks the size rule for now. RPM says the final version will be legal.Code MPB works at RPM and Bread & Butter.RPM Jade vs Loco 2: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod7/jade-vs-loco-2RPM Jade: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod7/jadeLoco 2, elongated vs hybrid: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod7/loco-2RPM Diesel: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod7/dieselPikPok Croc Hunter: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod7/croc-hunter11SIX24 and HexGrit: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod7/11six24Find your next paddle: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod7/find0:00 Cold Open: The RPM Diesel0:16 HexGrit: Your Guesses and the Patents10:25 Two Rule Books: USA Pickleball vs UPA19:08 USA Pickleball, Shiny Edge Guards and the Franklin X4427:21 UPA, the Jason Aspes Email and Consolidation35:29 UPA and the JOOLA 3S Approval41:53 RPM Jade One Week Later52:25 Bread & Butter Loco 2 vs Loco 157:21 Are Grit Tiers Useful?1:09:36 Getting Lobbed in Rec Games1:14:53 PikPok Croc Hunter1:16:40 RPM Diesel Prototype#pickleball #pickleballpaddle #rpmjade #loco2 #hexgrit #pickleballpodcast

11SIX24 founder David Groechel joins us to talk about HexGrit, which he developed with a pizza oven in his warehouse, and why he went UPA-A only. He's working on Power 3, and his Gen 3 paddles with HexGrit all failed approval, so it's back to the drawing board (bummer!). We also get into Volair licensing HexGrit, the shoes he's making, and the owner who told him they weren't going to take his grit. Then they did.Then Bobby's on the hot seat: was the RPM Jade overhyped? We also hit the Pickle Poppers POP N Rush and the Luzz Cannon XPP.Code MPB works (pretty much everywhere, but also) at 11SIX24, RPM, Pickle Poppers and Luzz.RPM Jade: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod6/jade11SIX24 lineup: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod6/11six2411SIX24 Jelly Bean 2: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod6/jelly-bean-211SIX24 Power 2: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod6/power-2Pickle Poppers POP N Rush: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod6/pop-n-rushLuzz Cannon XPP: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod6/cannon-xppFind your next paddle: https://www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod6/find

Engage Pickleball founder Robert Elliott made his first paddle because his wife couldn't feel the ball, and within a year of launching, Engage was making over 100 paddles a day. He talks about cutting paddles with a table saw, leaving "Made in USA," why the X2 is his favorite over the X3 Pro, and why he thinks hot paddles make people play worse.

Then Bobby and I get into whether the widebody is on its way out, the Loco 2, the Holbrook Fuze with VantaGrit, and the Six Zero Boulder Opal.

Code MPB works at Engage, Bread & Butter and Holbrook.

Engage lineup:

www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod5/engage

Engage X2:

www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod5/x2

Engage Axiom:

www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod5/axiom

Loco 2, elongated vs hybrid:

www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod5/loco-2

Holbrook Fuze VantaGrit:

www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod5/fuze

Best widebody paddles:

www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod5/widebody

Find your next paddle:

www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod5/find

00:00 Intro With Robert Elliott of Engage01:32 Make Me One and How Engage Started10:42 Leaving Made in USA and Going Global21:22 The More You Make the More You Buy26:02 Engage R and D and Paddles With No Foam32:15 Engage X2 vs X2 Pro vs X3 Pro41:28 Why Hot Paddles Make People Play Worse43:14 Is It a Real Paddle Company50:35 Is the Widebody Dying59:04 Enhance ArmorGrit Follow Up01:01:13 Selkirk S2 Pro and Franklin X4401:05:09 The Durable Grit Re Release Wave01:08:09 Bread and Butter Loco 2 vs Loco 101:12:46 Joola Power FX First Hits01:17:49 Six Zero Boulder Opal01:23:44 Arronax KVL00501:24:47 Holbrook Fuze VantaGrit

#pickleball #pickleballpaddle #engagepickleball #engagex2 #pickleballpodcast

Rafael Filippini runs Gearbox, and he brought the inside of the Pressure X with him. We get into what he means by pressurizing a paddle, why the carbon ribs take a thousand pounds to move three millimeters when the foam on its own takes four hundred, why the hottest spot on this face sits an inch and a half from the tip instead of the middle, and why he is not chasing the highest spin number anyone can post on day one.Then Bobby and I go through what showed up this week. The Enhance ArmorGrit Turbo, the Volair CMD HYB with Hex Grit licensed from 11SIX24, the roughest face in my database so far from Wika, the Diadem Edge Flex, the CPX Hyper+, and the Gherkin Draco OP.Code MPB saves you money at Gearbox, Volair and Enhance.

00:00 - The Pressure X 8E and 8M

09:32 - Carbon, Foam and Pressure

24:10 - Break-In and the 1000 Pound Rib

39:51 - Durable Grit and the Long Game

53:29 - Why a Paddle Costs 280 vs 99

01:07:18 - Enhance ArmorGrit Turbo

01:11:10 - Volair CMD HYB

01:17:37 - Wika QD Air Evolution 2

01:19:20 - Diadem Edge Flex

01:22:19 - CPX Hyper Plus and Gherkin Draco

01:29:10 - New from 24SEVEN and Arronax

01:32:05 - The Oct 1 Spin Test and Cert Costs

James Ignatowich runs RPM with his college buddy. In this episode, he says the thing most brand owners will not say out loud: reviewers run the game. I told him I think that is nonsense, and we went at it for a while.He also gets into the RPM Jade, some clever marketing, why the Q2 and the Friction Pro V2 feel close off the face, what a paddle launch really costs when you live at the factory, and the tennis career he had before pickleball.Then Blake and I get into what showed up this week, the Volair CMD HYB and the two new Gearbox Pressure X paddles.Code MPB saves you money at RPM, Volair, Gearbox and Enhance.RPM paddles, every one measured: www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod2/rpmThe Q2 versus the Friction Pro V2, side by side: www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod2/q2-vs-v2Volair CMD HYB: www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod2/cmd-hybBoth Gearbox Pressure X paddles: www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod2/pressure-xEnhance and the ArmorGrit story: www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod2/enhanceFind your next paddle: www.mattspickleball.com/v/pod2/find

We started a podcast!

Blake and I share an interest: PICKLEBALL! You already know I talk about paddles and gear. You might not know Blake yet. You will. She's a pickleball photographer who spends most of her free time at PPA events, so she's around the players and the brands. She picks her paddles on feel and will argue with me about it, which is fun, and you'll see in this first episode. She's also getting me closer to all the news and drama on MLP and the PPA Tour.

We both love this sport and the people that are part of it, and that’s why we are kicking off this podcast journey with someone who represents both of our interests. A PPA Tour player who also founded Eleven Zero Pickleball! And we get into the gear that dropped recently, including some new bags, the 11SIX24 Jelly Bean 2 series, and the RPM Friction Pro V2, and more...

Camila Zilveti and Ava Ignatowich host their own show, Balls Deep:

www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EdLrCOnkWq5s7Em2JtfHQ

Blake Shanks:

www.instagram.com/blakealyxcaptures/

Matt:

www.instagram.com/mattspickleball/

The paddle Tina Pisnik plays blacked out:

www.mattspickleball.com/paddle/ez-speed-e16

Title (200 char max):How Two Tennis Kids Built Pickleball's Biggest Brand | Connor Hance & Drew Baird of Enhance Pickleball

Description (4000 char max):

Connor Hance and Drew Baird built one of pickleball's biggest brands from scratch — starting with a $40 mic, an iPhone, and zero plan. In this episode, we go deep on how content became their biggest business advantage, the origin of the Dink Master, their philosophy behind the Turbo and Duo paddle lines, where foam core technology is heading, and what it actually takes to build a brand that lasts in a sport moving this fast.

Use code MPB to save on Enhance Pickleball gear at enhancepickleball.com.

Head to www.mattspickleball.com/blackfriday for the full interactive list with live links, filters by brand, and updated deals as they drop throughout the weekend. Use code MPB at checkout on most brands to save even more.Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 Pickleball Deals — the most complete A-Z guide covering every major brand, paddle discount, and stacking code available this season. I've tracked down deals from Selkirk, CRBN, Engage, Vatic Pro, Joola, Ronbus, Six Zero, Gearbox, Diadem, Chorus, and 30+ more brands so you can find the best pricing on paddles, bags, shoes, and accessories.This breakdown covers paddle deals up to 70% off, which codes stack with my MPB discount, when each sale starts and ends, and my honest recommendations on what's actually worth grabbing. Whether you're looking for budget paddles under $100 or premium Gen 3 options with major discounts, I walk through everything brand by brand.

I tested 17 pickleball paddles from $99 to $250. Here's what's actually worth your money and what disappointed.MY TOP PICK:RPM Friction Pro - My current main paddle. Best playing Gen 3 I've tested despite the $249 price tag.BEST VALUE:Vatic V-Sol Pro - $99 with code MPB. Add 9 grams of weight and it competes with paddles twice the price.BIGGEST SURPRISE:Element 6 Zephyr - $125 with code MPB. Solid stability right out of the box.DISAPPOINTMENTS:Diadem Edge BluCore - Can't justify $250 when better options exist for less.Flik Falcon 13mm - Too head-heavy and unforgiving for my game.ADIDAS IS BACK:ADIPOWER PRO Edition - Three models at $189. ATTK 14mm is my pick but replace the stock grips.All paddles include Pickle Poppers, Gherkin Wraith, Vatic V-Sol Pro & Power, and more. Use code MPB for discounts.Links and full specs at mattspickleball.comSponsored by Bodhi Pickleball - Code MPB saves 15% at bodhipickleball.com