The best pickleball paddles for power players
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Are you a player who likes to hit big serves, drive your third shot and be aggressive with balls out of the air at the kitchen line? You’ve come to the right place.
Below you’ll find the best paddles available right now that are designed to maximize power so you can dominate your local courts.
How we came up with our rankings: Our paddle reviewers (both 5.0+ players) worked with other high-level players in their area to test the paddle on a variety of shots. This testing involved several hours of drills and 5.0+ games in an effort to determine how the paddle impacts performance in real-world scenarios.
This page will be updated regularly as new paddles hit the market. In many cases, using code “KITCHEN” at checkout will get you a discount — using our code also helps us continue to produce this type of content.
Last updated: May 2026
Check out our other “best of” lists
– The best pickleball paddles on the market right now
– The best shoes for pickleball players
– The best pickleball paddles for control players
– The best pickleball paddles for spin
– The best pickleball paddles under $200
– The best pickleball paddles under $150
– The best pickleball paddles for beginners
– The best women’s signature pickleball paddles, from a female perspective
– The best bags designed specifically for pickleball
Six Zero’s latest paddle is geared toward advanced players (4.5 or 5.0+), but it has an extremely high ceiling if you’re willing to invest the time to get the touch dialed in.
It’s a true power paddle that also offers great shot-shaping ability — particularly for players with shorter, whippy strokes. The 14mm foam core feels very satisfying when you connect with the center of the paddle, but if there is a knock on this paddle, it’s that the sweet spot isn’t as big as the paddles ahead of it on this list and several others behind it. But because of its top-tier potential when in the hands of a good player, it goes high on our list.
As the name suggests, this paddle is hot. It's 100% foam core offers big power on serves, third-shot drives and putaways. Like many power-centric paddles, though, it will take time to get resets and dinks dialed in. This is a paddle that we think is good in the hands of a good player, but hard to control for lower-level players.
Over the past two years Friday Pickleball has transformed from a company known for its viral videos to a legitimate player in the performance paddle market.
The brand took the next step on that journey in early 2026 with the launch of their Aura and Aura Pro paddles.
The Aura Pro is a full-foam paddle that delivers great pop in hands battles and big power on full swings like drives and overheads. It features a rubber ring around the core that gives the paddle a slightly more plush/less harsh feel than a lot of other full-foam paddles, which helped us get a good feel for the ball on shots that require more touch. In that sense it is an upgrade from a lot of the foam options we saw in 2025.
The MPP Turbo uses a full floating foam core with an MPP foam center and an EVA foam ring around the perimeter. MPP is a softer foam, which creates a more springy and smooth feel than the EPP Turbo models and many other full-foam paddles on the market. The MPP/EVA construction is very similar to the Luzz Pro 4 Inferno.
“The Turbo line focuses on one thing: maximum performance at an accessible price,” according to Enhance. “Instead of chasing experimental manufacturing processes, we optimized construction to create a paddle that competes with premium models without the premium cost.”
Check out our in-depth review of the Enhance Turbo MPP here.
The RPM Q2 was designed in collaboration with popular paddle reviewer John Kew. It delivers everything we've come to expect from full-foam paddles: Big power, a consistent sweet spot and a firm feel on contact.
HONORABLE MENTION
Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated: This has been one of the most powerful paddles on the market for the past year, and the Infinigrit surface also provides good spin. Shop here — use code “GRP-KITCHEN” for a credit toward a future purchase.
Vatic V-Sol Pro Flash: Featuring a full foam core with an EVA foam perimeter, Vatic’s latest release delivers big baseline power when you want it while maintaining feel and consistency in the transition zone and at the kitchen line. Shop here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for $10 off.
Gearbox GX2 Power Hybrid 16mm: The Gearbox GX2 Power Hybrid 16mm Paddle combines a generous sweet spot with a design focused on consistent, efficient power. Shop here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 10% off.
Paddletek Bantam TKO-CX 12.7mm: Designed in conjunction with top men’s pro Christian Alshon, the Bantam TKO-CX 12.7mm gives players good power from the baseline and elite pop in hands battles at the kitchen line. Shop here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 10% off.
