Expert review: First look at the new Proton Project Peacock pickleball paddles

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Nov 19 2025

Proton Project Peacock key specs

Note: I do not have swing weight and twist weight numbers for these yet, but my initial impression is that the swing weights will be on the low end. All of my testing was done with the 15mm elongated, which felt very fast in the hand out of the box compared to other elongated paddles on the market.

Proton Project Peacock first impressions

Overall thoughts

Like I said at the top, the more plush feel was the main difference compared to most other honeycomb-core paddles and even most foam-core paddles that have been released this year. I've noticed that a lot of the foam core paddles still feel pretty stiff out of the box, but this one was definitely not in that category. I would classify it as an all-court paddle with high spin and high dwell time.

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At the kitchen

This is where the added dwell time was most apparent. Dinks felt very comfortable and I felt in control of where the ball was going because it was sitting on the paddle for a bit longer. That, combined with the very gritting hitting surface that Proton has become known for, meant that I could get a lot of shape on aggressive roll attacks out of the air. It also allowed me to keep the ball in the court on attacks off the bounce. Because of the paddle's plush feel and high dwell time, it has slightly less pop in hands battles at the kitchen line compared to the Flamingo, but I think most players will actually find that to be a benefit because of the added control (meaning they won't be as wild with their counter attacks). On putaways, I didn't notice a big difference between the Peacock and the Flamingo -- which puts the Peacock in the top 25% of paddles in terms of power. You probably won't blow anybody off the court with the Peacock, but it has plenty of power to get the job done when you have a good opportunity to end a point.

In transition

Because this paddle is lighter than most out of the box, it benefits from additional weight for resets in the transition zone. It still feels OK stock thanks to the softer feel that the foam core provides, but there is a lot of room for customization, so most players will be able to add a decent amount of weight to help the paddle in this area without sacrificing too much maneuverability. I added 5 grams of Udrippin tungsten tape to the throat and bottom corners of the paddle and 2 grams to each top corner, and that led to a noticeable increase in stability. I didn't hit either of the widebody models, but I would expect them to perform better in this area of the court than the elongated versions.

From the baseline

Players who like to like to put a lot of topspin on their serves, third-shot drives and drops will really like this paddle. The ability to shape the ball was one of the biggest attributes of the Flamingo -- in fact, third-party testing data has shown that it’s at the very top for spin. That shot shaping ability is also a clear advantage with the Peacock and even enhanced slightly because of the added dwell time. Proton uses a high-grade carbon fiber surface paired with a high-quality resin, which gives the paddle face more structural integrity and means the surface roughness lasts longer, according to Brant Weiss, the vice president of pickleball at Proton. If you’re coming from almost any other carbon fiber paddle, you’ll definitely notice a difference in the surface roughness.

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