Vatic Pro Flash 14mm & 16mm Review

Vatic Pro is one of the new companies on the block. Having only launched toward the end of 2022, they have sure made a lot of noise in the Pickleball industry.

One of their standout selling points has been their very reasonable price of $140 for their paddles which is exceptional given their performance. They currently offer two paddle lines with a third on the way. Today we will be focusing on the Vatic Pro Flash.

Specs:

Price: $139.99
- Discount code PBSTUDIO to save $10
Thickness: 16mm & 14mm
Weight range: 7.9-8.3oz
Shape: Hybrid (16.25” in length)
Handle length: 5.4”
Grip circumference: 4.25”
Face: T700 Raw carbon fiber
Core: Polymer
Swing weight: 115 (16mm) 111 (14mm)
RPM: 1862 (16mm) 2049 (14mm)
Warranty: 90 days

Is it a SixZero clone?

Looking at the specs, you may be asking yourself, "Chris, is this just a cheaper SixZero Double Black Diamond?" there was a period of time when I did think they probably were the same paddle because of the specs, but after extensive testing and comparing I can confidently say they are not the same paddle. Having cut up a few thermoformed paddles, there's a difference between some of them and how they are laying up the carbon fiber that contributes to the differences you see on the court.

Most of it is a bunch of technical jargon that none of you will care about; all you really need to know is that they play differently.

RPM differences

I was curious why the RPMs had a relatively large difference between them, so I put the paddles under a microscope. I noticed that the 16mm is using the old peel-ply texture that we’ve seen on almost every raw carbon paddle, while the 14mm is using the new tighter and smaller peel ply. Peel ply is the proper term for the grit you see. Everyone thinks its the “Carbon fiber weave” but it isn’t.

To be honest, none of this really matters to the end user. I bring it up for the folks who really want the nitty gritty of why they might be acting differently.

Of course, it could also be that one was grittier than another out of the box, 14mm vs 16mm, or a host of other reasons.

Control:

As stated with every thermoformed review, none of these are control paddles. Instead, they are all power paddles and some of them gravitate slightly more toward control than others.

While testing the Flash 16mm, I had a hard time getting the control I'm used to. The paddle was not entirely uncontrollable but 3rds were very hard for me to get down, which led me to drive the ball much more often.

Thankfully, after about a week of playing with the paddle, the issues mostly disappeared. My hands eventually softened up, and I was able to get it under control better.

The interesting part is that I could control the 14mm easier than the 16.

The 14mm has a stiffer feeling face to it and doesn't feel nearly as springy as the 16mm. On the 16 I get this sensation of the face pocketing the ball and acting like a spring off the face, whereas on the 14mm, you don't have that same feeling.

Now, it's not uncommon for a thinner paddle to feel stiffer, but this might be one of the only times that I found it easier to control the thinner paddle rather than the thick.

On the 14mm, I didn't find myself having to make any or much of an adjustment to my game, whereas, on the 16mm, I found it easier to overshoot certain shots.

I did try adding 0.4oz of lead tape to the throat of the 16mm because, in some cases, it didn't feel solid enough, and it did help the paddle feel more substantial. Unfortunately, the power was increased quite a bit, and I found it even more difficult to reset and drop balls than I initially did, so I ended up removing it.

Power:

Now if you are looking for a paddle to crush balls with and has a lower swing weight, The Vatic Pro Flash 16mm is a fantastic option. I was continually impressed with how hard I could hit the ball. The downside is I had a much harder time keeping it in the court. It reminded me a bit of the Legacy, where you have to tone down almost everything because the paddle does a lot of work for you.

That can either be a blessing or a curse. For my playstyle, I prefer being able to swing more freely and not have to be as compact. However, if you can make that adjustment, or you're already that type of player, you may not have any of the control issues I've described, and now you have additional power without as much effort being put in.

On serves, I never found myself swinging at 100%. I was usually swinging around 70% because I was worried that if I went any higher, the ball would sail out. Again, oddly enough, I only experienced this on the 16mm. For some reason, I felt I could swing much harder on the 14mm without issue.

When I had the lead tape on the 16mm, drives felt extremely penetrating. I honestly loved how it felt for put aways and drives, but unfortunately, it made resetting too much of an issue, and I couldn't stick with it.

I didn't find the 14mm to have insane power on drives, but it was just right for me. It never felt like it lacked power or that it needed lead tape.

Hand speed:

The Flash feels very fast in hand. Just like my SixZero Double Black Diamond does, which is no surprise since they have identical swing weights. The Flash 14mm is 111 and feels just a touch faster at the net as well.

Of course, hand speed is all relative to what you're coming from. If you're using a paddle with a swing weight in the low 100s, the Vatics will feel slower. But if you come from a Hyperion CFS, CRBN1X, or most elongated raw carbon fiber paddles, the Vatic will feel faster. These are right in my sweet spot for swing weight, so I really enjoyed it.

Sweet spot:

As expected, there are zero complaints about the sweet spot. I find zero difference between the Flash and SixZero, CRBN, or Legacy. So, that's to say it performs very well and noticeably better than gen 1 raw carbon fiber.

Closing thoughts:

Overall, the Vatic Flashes are really good paddles. While I still prefer my SixZero Double Black Diamond, I think the cheaper price point of these is very appealing, even if they don't play the same.

In my opinion, the Flash hits noticeably harder than a Double Black Diamond but still retains the same swing weight and hand speed. So if you seek more power, the Flash may be the perfect paddle for you.

I also verified throughout every play session that my Vatic was not delaminated or core crushed in case anyone was worried about that being why it felt so poppy.

You should buy the Flash if you want to try a thermoformed paddle that prioritizes hand speed and power. However, if you have a harder time controlling poppy paddles, you may want to consider the SixZero Double Black Diamond. Both are more poppy than gen 1 paddles, but I found that the Vatic had just a little more heat off the paddle than my Double Black Diamond.

As of lately, it does seem like there is a higher level of manufacturing variance amongst thermoformed paddles that leads some of them to be more or less poppy. Unfortunately, I can only share the experience that I have had with my two paddles, so I can't guarantee how every single one of them will play on the market.

If I were to go to a tournament tomorrow and had to choose a Vatic, I would choose the Vatic Flash 14mm Something about it suited my play style better than the 16mm. While the springy feel of the 16mm might feel better in hand, I found myself playing less consistently with it than I did with the 14mm.

With that being said, I recommend the 16mm for most people. The feel is more satisfying; overall, it's a better fit for more people than the 14mm.

The only thing I would warn against is that Vatic only has a 90-day warranty. Considering that all the other thermoformed companies are six months, it is disappointing to see this short warranty window, especially when it is unclear whether or not the core crushing and delamination are fixed. On the other hand, my friend Josh who has had a 16mm Flash for the last 1.5 months, has been unable to break it, so that's a great sign, but I can't tell you that it means we won't see any more issues. Seeing a 90-day warranty doesn't inspire a lot of confidence that they believe their product will last.

Assuming core crushing and delamination continue not to be an issue, the Vatics are probably the best paddles you can buy under $150 right now.

So there are my thoughts on the Vatic Pro Flash line; if you guys enjoyed this video, make sure to click like and subscribe, and I'll catch you in the next one.

Buy the Vatic Pro Flash