Expert review: New Enhance DUO paddles are among the best foam-core options right now
Last Edited
Jan 08 2026
Category
Gear
Enhance Pickleball got started as a company making training aids and producing instructional content.
Over the years they have dabbled in manufacturing paddles, but their main focus was their Dink Master training board and several other products meant to help players work on their game. That all changed in 2025, first with the release of the Enhance Gen 4.5 paddle and then the launch of the Enhance DUO elongated and widebody models late in the year.
The DUO is a 100% foam core paddle that has turned heads in the industry, proving that Enhance is capable of producing paddles that perform at or near the top of the market.
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In this review I will discuss my experience with the elongated and widebody models, which I put through several hours of drills at the kitchen line, in the transition zone and from the baseline, as well as multiple 5.0+ play sessions.
But first, let's take a look at what's under the hood of these paddles.
Ridge-core design: The DUO features a patent-pending EPP foam core with a ridge along its side, which is meant to produce the power and sweet spot of a Gen 3 paddle, while keeping the durability, dwell and consistency that foam offers.
Dual foam core: As the paddle's name suggests, the DUO combines two foams — EPP at the center for structure and power, and EVA around the edges for softness and dwell. Together, they create a balance of control and explosiveness that single-foam paddles lack.
As you'll notice in the X-ray above, the inner foam layer extends down into the throat area and the handle. This is an important difference from some other foam paddles on the market (I'm thinking specifically about the Selkirk Boomstik, Luzz Pro 4 Inferno and Bread and Butter Loco). Those other paddles have the inner foam completely enclosed, with the EVA perimeter ring forming a boarder around the entire core.
In my experience, paddles that have the full EVA ring around the core can feel more stiff and hollow, due (I think) to the core being completely disconnected from the handle and by extension your hand.
Because the EVA ring stops at the bottom corners, the Enhance DUO gave me a more satisfying feel on contact, and I was able to have a better idea of how the ball was going to react coming off of the face. This gave me more control in the sense that I was able to be more precise with where I placed the ball.
Enhance DUO -- how it plays
At the kitchen line: These paddles offer good pop in hands battles, but where they stand out is the added feel and dwell time you get on shots where you're trying to shape the ball -- like aggressive dinks or attacks out of the air. There are plenty of paddles out there right now that are poppy, but few combine that with good touch on the soft stuff. This paddle is one of them that succeeds in that regard. This is also the area of the court where the shape makes the biggest difference, and it comes down to your priorities -- do you want the widebody for more maneuverability (the widebody has a swingweight of 111 and the elongated has a swingweight of 118) or the elongated for more reach and maybe a bit more power on full swings?
In transition: This is again where the difference in feel is very apparent. Some foam paddles feel very firm/stiff to me, which can make it difficult to get dialed in on resets. But the DUO feels much more plush and like I'm able to absorb pace when I want to, which is the main goal when you're the one being attacked. I'd give a slight edge to the widebody in this area of the court, just because the sweet spot is naturally bigger so you get the forgiveness advantage, but both paddles performed well for me in the transition zone.
From the baseline: I thought these paddles produced a great marriage between power and spin on my serves and third-shot drives from the baseline. The power is dialed back slightly from some of the other super powerful paddles that were released in 2025, and I was able to generate a ton of topspin. That meant that I could swing confidently on my drives, knowing that I was going to be able to get the ball to dip in time to stay in the court. In fact, on most of my drives I was getting the ball to land well inside the baseline. I don't play singles, but I could see these being great paddles for singles players for that reason.
Summary
Like I mentioned at the top, this paddle really puts Enhance on the map and shows they can compete with the big brands in the paddle space. It will be interesting to see what they come out with next, but for now you can definitely expect this paddle to land in our Top 10 paddles on the market when we do our January update of that list (look for that in the next couple weeks).
If I had to pick one, I would choose the widebody model, in part because I have been on a widebody kick lately. It used to be that elongated paddles were necessary to achieve higher levels of power, but modern paddle technology has changed that, and you're able to get plenty of power from the widebody models now ... so you might as well also get the bigger sweet spot and added maneuverability if you're OK with sacrificing a half inch of reach (I think that's a good trade).
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