Top 5 Paddles 2026 Q1 Edition
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75CMcEbAIkE
Hey guys, today we're taking a look at what I think are the top 5 paddle releases in Q1 of 2026. There have been a lot that have paddle releases since January but now that releases are starting to slow down a bit, I wanted to cover what I think are my 5 favorite releases. Let's get into it
All right let's kick things off at #5 with the Turbo paddles from Enhance Pickleball. They've got the EPP and MPP variants and honestly both are fantastic options at their $100 price point and some of the best budget foam paddles you can get right now. The EPP is the less interesting one of the two and I personally only enjoyed the Elongated variant because I see it as a more beginner friendly Bread & Butter Loco E. While the two share the same CFC layup and construction, the Turbo EPP I found lighter, easier to control, and more adaptable to weight customization. I wasn't as big of a fan as their hybrid and widebody options but I do think they are more unique compared to other foam paddles and worth considering for certain people. The MPP Turbo though is the star of the show here as it's the best MPP paddle you can get at the $100 price point. Its main competitors are the Luzz Inferno and Aireo Cyclone which are close to double the price, and performance wise the turbo keeps up just as well as the other two. Like the EPP version, this paddle does come a little lighter and I would recommend adding weight on the sides. For me I did 3 gram strips of 1 gram per inch tape at 9 and 3 and found this to boost the stability and plow through better. It's not a one to one match with the other MPP paddles as it's also a bit lighter and stiffer feeling but I do think that the added weight does help. Overall the Turbos from Enhance are a very good release and very solid entries into that $100 foam space against the V-Sol Pros and the Ronbus Quantas. I will say that it doesn't do anything different innovation wise compared to what already exists but still, for the price point that these paddles have launched at, they are definitely paddles to consider.
Moving onto #4 we have my personal main paddle at the moment and that’s the Mark 2 R3. This is a quiet underrated paddle release but the R3 is a full floating foam paddle with hexagonal cutouts in the core while the surface is a blend of kevlar and carbon fiber. It's got one of the more unique ball feels out of the paddles in 2026 and overall out of the EPP foam paddles in the current market. While I think the Enhance Duo is pretty underrated because it has a softer muted feel that still provides solid power, I view the R3 as the better version of the Duo because it has a similar soft ball feel but it's also a step up in both pop and power. There are some slight differences, but the Mark paddle I found to be more gritty with higher spin generation, and firepower that was up there against high power paddles like the Bread & Butter Loco, while maintaining that more muted and not hollow ball impact which isn't too common in foam power paddles. Right now it only comes in the elongated shape but overall I do think this is still a very solid paddle release that's kind of flown under the radar in 2026.
Number 3 is going to be the Aura series from Friday. Now to clarify this is going to their more affordable Aura series and not the Aura Pros. While I do enjoy the Aura Pros and think they are great power paddles with a nice feel to them, personally I’m more a fan of the all court Auras they released. These are foam paddles that come in 3 shapes so elongated, hybrid, and widebody and I think they’re the best all court paddles on the market right now. Even though they do have a CFC surface, you don’t feel the fiberglass layer much and I found the paddle to feel very smooth. It’s a nice clean feedback that I was easily able to pick up and play without any issues and I think it’s a fantastic option for beginners to use as a starting paddle. It comes at a very affordable price point at $120 making it a value paddle that also offers a great blend of durability and performance in the all court space.
At #2 we have the Speedup Tide paddles. Speedup has been a bit quiet the past year but they've made a big splash onto the scene with their 14mm MPP foam paddles. These also come in 3 shapes with a curved top widebody and two elongated paddles with one having a curved top and the other having a Vapor like shape.
The elongated Vapor like shape I found to be an extremely fun paddle. It's a hard hitter with high pop and power but it still has a pleasant feedback to it. I found it easier to control than a Boomstik but it had similar levels of firepower. Maneuverability wise it has a 122 SW but honestly I thought this paddle moved lighter than the numbers say and my interns in the playtest thought the same too. It's not as hollow and thonky sounding as the 16mm MPP Inferno and Cyclone and I actually preferred the 14mm feel it has to the 16mms. It's one of my favorites to use right now and a very fun paddle for an aggressive playstyle. The H and S shape are great paddles too and more user friendly. They do have more of that hollow impact and deeper sound than the 3rd shape but overall they're more toned down in power and easier to control. I've seen people describe these as the 14mm versions of the Infernos and I do agree with them. While they aren't lighter or more maneuverable than the 16mms, they do have a crisper and responsive feedback and I didn't find them to lose out for sweet spot size either. In my opinion these are the best 14mm paddles on the market right now; generally thinner paddles are lighter feeling with less stability but you don't see that on the Tides. They also come in at a good price point retailing at $159, making it my #2 favorite release for Q1.
Before we get to my #1 pick, I do want to give a quick honorable mention to a few paddles. These are going to be the Gherkin Draco and Chorus Coda. Both hybrid releases from smaller companies with high firepower but they have shapes that are more unique compared to most hybrids and I personally enjoy them much better. Let's start with the Draco which uses nano cellular foam and has a shape that features slightly cut off corners at the top instead of the standard rounded top shape we usually see on hybrids like the Six Zero Coral. Once this paddle breaks in it's a hard hitter with firepower that approaches levels of a Bread & Butter Loco H. The feel isn’t as hollow and instead it has a lighter and springier feedback. It’s a great blend of fast maneuverability, high power, and a custom shape with a fantastic sweet spot.
The Chorus Coda fits a similar play profile as it’s also a hybrid power paddle with a floating foam core. It has a more classic squared off shape and sits a little shorter at 16.2 by 7.8. Compared to the Draco, the Coda has more top end power on drives but the Draco comes out ahead for pop. The Coda has a more solid feel to it and you get more of the trampoline effect that gives you that high power on drives. It does have a break in like the Draco but overall both are very solid hybrid power paddles with shapes that I find better than other hybrid offerings.
Finally at the #1 spot we have the 11Six24 Power 2 Series. These are going to come in the same three shapes that 11Six24 has done with their previous lineups but the biggest addition now is a foam core and their Hex grit texture on the surface. They haven't fully disclosed the core but I’ve seen David mention that it does use MPP foam. Despite that I found it to play more similar to the EPP foam paddles on the market rather than to paddles like the Turbo MPP or Luzz Inferno. It doesn’t have that same deep sound we see on the Inferno, nor does it have the same feel. I found it to be stiffer and more like the Loco and Spartus P1. To me the Power 2s are in between of those two paddles, the P1 is more solid and dense while the Loco is more stiff and hollow so I’d say the Power 2s sit somewhere in the middle there for the feel. As for firepower, it’s a mid tier power paddle with high numbers in both power and pop. For the Hex grit technology, I found the Power 2 to be very gritty and provide high spin generation. It’s comparable to the permagrit I have on my P1 and in both those paddles I haven’t seen any noticeable spin degradation.
As for the 3 shapes, I personally enjoy the Vapor and Pegasus the most. The widebody Pegasus is the easiest to use and most maneuverable, and it’s one of my favorite power widebodies on the market. The Vapor is one of my favorite hybrid shapes and plays like a slightly longer Pegasus. It’s a bit shorter than other hybrid paddles but I enjoy the higher balance it has and with weight added on the sides it gets great performance. As for the elongated Hurache, this is one where you have to be okay adding your own perimeter weighting to bring out its performance. It sports a curved top and does come a bit lighter than other elongated paddles with a slightly lower balance but it does perform better once you add some weighted tape on the sides.
But anyways, the Power 2 series as a whole is a fantastic release that brings in durable grit technology, has multiple shape options, and it’s a performance power paddle that can compete at the highest levels. The one downside is that these paddles are UPA approved only but still, it’s a fantastic paddle purchase at the $200 that brings in new technology for the grit while still providing top tier performance which is why I place it at the #1 spot.
All right guys, that’s it for my top 5 paddles list of Q1 in 2026. As far as what the future holds, there are some interesting things to look out for such as the Harmony grit on the Chorus Coda and the Blu Grit upgrade for the Honolulu Pickleball Paddles but stay tuned to hear more about how these competing grit technologies compete against the likes of the Hexgrit and Permagrit.
