Best Pickleball Paddles for $100 or Less 2023
The Pickleball paddle market has seen significant price reductions in the last year. In years past, price was highly correlated with paddle performance. In 2023, many brands have broken this norm and created paddles for $100 or less that compete with paddles that are $200+
Today we’ll break down our top picks for paddles under $100.
#5 Adidas Drive 2
In #5 we have the Adidas Drive 2. Now, if you guys have followed my page for a bit, you know that Adidas has always been a meme. They recently relaunched their paddles with several new lines and when I took out the Adidas Drive, I was honestly shocked by the results.
The spin was very good, even though it’s just some applied texture to the face. It’s fast in the hand, and has reasonable pop. Can you expect anything crazy performance wise from this paddle? No, I wouldn’t really say so aside from the spin, but for $70 it’s a very, very good value.
I also think if you added some lead tape on the sides of the paddle or at the throat, it would make the paddle feel even more stable and give you some more power.
Adidas also has the Match 2 which is the same paddle, it’s just a lighter stock weight than the Drive 2. The Match 2 comes in 7.5-7.8oz while the drive 2 is 7.8-8.2oz. So if you prefer a lighter paddle, you could get the Match 2.
I would recommend this paddle for beginners who want to upgrade from their Amazon paddle but don’t want to break the bank. This is also a great starter paddle for someone just getting into the sport. The quality and performance is much better than your starter Amazon paddle.
Pros:
- Fast in the hand
- Very high spin for a paddle in this price range
- Standard shape for wider sweet spot
- Ideal for brand new players
Cons:
- May lack a little bit of power
- For $20 more you can get a very high performance paddle
#4 Six Zero Sapphire
In the #4 slot we have the SixZero Sapphire. SixZero has been most known for their Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond paddles, which has lead the Sapphire to be overlooked.
Now, if you are familiar with the words Toray carbon fiber, you are used to that meaning it’s a raw carbon fiber paddle. The Sapphire is NOT a raw carbon fiber paddle despite having Toray in the description, It has an applied grit to the face that in my opinion is not as good as raw carbon fiber. You do still get great spin, it just isn’t the same as raw carbon fiber.
One of the biggest appeals for the Sapphire is going to be it’s very low swing weight for an elongated paddle. it comes in at 108 which is incredibly low for a paddle of this length. Most of the time an elongated paddle is around 118-124 which is much harder to swing.
If you aren’t familiar with swing weight, it’s a better measurement of how hard a paddle is to swing than the static weight. A low number means it is faster in the hand. A higher number means it will feel heavier and be more difficult to swing. The scale usually ranges from 90 up to 130.
So, if you want a paddle with a long handle that’s easy to maneuver, that’s one of the biggest the Sapphire should be where you look. The trade off is that I do feel the paddle lacks some power and the sweet spot is a bit smaller.
This could easily be fixed by adding some lead tape to the paddle though.
The main downfall which most people can easily get over, is the handle is built a bit cheap with exposed polymer which I personally hate, but that may not be a bother to you. It just makes the handle feel slightly more cheap than other options. It doesn’t impact performance.
Discount code: PBSTUDIO to save 10%
Pros:
- Very low swing weight for an elongated paddle (fast in the hand)
- Long handle
- Solid spin
Cons:
- Smaller sweet spot
- Cheap feeling handle
#3 SLK Evo 2.0
One of the reasons I’m including the SLK Evo line is because they have 3 models, but they also have two different shapes. The XL and the Max. The XL is for players who use a two handed backhand and the Max is a better shape for beginners because of the more forgiving sweet spot.
Now, similar to the Sapphire the Evos do have exposed polymer in the handle which is a little bit annoying to see. This is not uncommon at this price range, but a few companies have moved toward not having this anymore, so I would have liked to see Selkirk do the same.
If you can get over that, the paddles do perform reasonably well. They have 3 models. A control, hybrid, and power. My recommendation would be the power model.
If you’re new to the sport and looking for a good looking paddle with reasonable performance, the SLK Evo’s fit the bill well.
Discount code: ADV-PBSTUDIO to receive a digital gift card
Pros:
- Multiple shapes
- Multiple models (power, hybrid, control)
- Easy to swing
- The Max shape is good for beginners
Cons:
- Cheaper feeling handle
- Average spin compared to other paddles in this list
#2 Ronbus R1.16
While not technically listed as $100, you can use discount code PBSTUDIO and that takes $20 off which brings it to that $100 price point.
The Ronbus R1.16 is a fantastic control raw carbon fiber Pickleball paddle. Ronbus also has the R2.16 and R3.16 which are different shapes of the same paddle. If you need a long handle for a two handed backhand, you can get the R3.16. If you don’t like long handles and have a Table Tennis background, you can check out the R2.16 which has a very rounded head.
One of the R1.16s most stand out features is the incredible spin. For a period of time it was the highest paddle I had ever tested at 2120 RPM which is an absolutely ridiculous result. The R1.16 is more of a control paddle, so it’s great for dinking, blocks, and resets. If you want a paddle with tons of spin, and is great for the soft game, I’d highly recommend the R1.16.
Now, before we move on, I do want to give a few honorable mentions. In the last 8 months, new brands have been consistently lowering the prices of raw carbon fiber paddles. You can find them from other companies such as Spartus, Bison, Ballr and Hudef. Some of them come in different shapes and thicknesses which may be appealing if Ronbus doesn’t have an option you want for shape, thickness, or handle length.
In my opinion, the R1.16 is the best, but just know that many of the raw carbon fiber paddles in this price range all perform relatively similarly, so if they have a shape or thickness you want, you may want to consider the other ones.
Discount code: PBSTUDIO to save $20
Pros:
- Long handle
- Top tier spin
- Great for the soft game
Cons:
- Swing weight may be heavy for some (117)
#1 Vatic Pro Prism Flash
Finally, we have what might be the best value performance paddle in all of Pickleball right now. The Vatic Pro Prism Flash. After discount code PBSTUDIO it can be purchased for $90 which is an absurd steal for how good this paddle is.
The Vatic Pro Prism is built similarly to the Joola Hyperion with foam injected walls. The Flash is my preferred shape because the V7 has a very high swing weight which is around the same as the original Hyperion. So, if head heavy paddles are an issue for you, choose the Flash as it’s much more maneuverable. The swing weight of the Flash is 114 vs 128 on the V7.
Despite the v7 having a higher swing weight and the foam injected edge walls, I would still heavily classify these as a control paddle.
For most people, I would recommend they choose the Prism Flash, due to it’s much lower swing weight which shouldn’t cause as much elbow strain or slow your hands down. The v7 is fun for me, but I much prefer the Flash.
I would put it in a very similar category as the Ronbus R1.16, but I do think that the injected foam walls are helping make the sweet spot feel just a tiny bit better and I love the hybrid shape that the Flash offers.
The Prism has now become my default recommendation for those looking for a quality paddle in the $100 price range. It easily competes with paddles that are more than twice it’s price which is very impressive.
Discount code: PBSTUDIO to save $10
Pros:
- VERY good performance to price ratio
- Top tier spin
- Control paddle
- Great sweet spot
Cons:
- N/A