Volair Mach 1 16mm Review
Julian Arnold is one of the top pros in Pickleball with his very fast and aggressive play style. Near the end of last year, he announced the launch of his own brand Volair. At first I put this review to the bottom of my priority list because it appeared to just be a Joola Vision (What Julian played with prior) but taking it out, it does have small differences from the Joola.
Specs
• Price: $159.99 (Discount code PBSTUDIO brings it closer to $145)
• Thickness: 14mm & 16mm
• Weight range: 7.9oz
• Shape: Elongated
• Handle length: 5.5” octagon
• Grip circumference: 4.3” (My grip came in as 4.5” stock)
• Face: T700 Carbon Fiber
• Core: Polymer
• Swing weight: 114
The primary thing of note in the specs is the grip circumference. It is listed as 4.3”, but it feels noticeably chunkier. I measured mine and it’s actually 4.5”. I don’t know if I got unlucky, but 4.5” is definitely a very large grip.
Spin:
The RPMs were one of the most shocking results with the Volair Mach 1 16mm. Before having the paddle in my hand, I heard many mixed results about this paddle's spin. Some said it was solid; others said it wasn't great. I got a result of 1941 RPM which is a great result. These days there's really not much to say different when talking about raw carbon fiber paddles and high amounts of spin. Anything that's over about 1600 to 1700 all feels very good during play and should allow you to hit just about any shot you want in the game.
Control & Power
The Volair Mach 1 is what many players in the nerdy circles (Yes, I'm one of those, haha) are now calling Gen 1 RCF (Raw Carbon Fiber) paddles. Gen 2 is the term coined for thermoformed paddles like Legacy, Vatic Pro, SixZero, and the CRBNX series.
All that people are trying to make clear is that gen 1 RCF paddles were typically quite soft, and gen 2 is MUCH more powerful. That's why the Volair Mach 1 16mm falls into the gen 1 category; it has no thermoforming and plays very soft.
The Volair Mach 1 is a fantastic control paddle. After using a thermoformed paddle with lots of pop for the last month or two, using this paddle feels effortless for dinks, resets, and blocks. You hold the paddle there and watch the ball float back over. This isn't surprising because many gen 1 RCF paddles have a similar trait. If I had to rank the Volair on a scale, I would put it on the softer end of the gen 1 paddles. So if you're looking for a paddle with great touch and high spin, this paddle does it great.
It still has some power, but it depends entirely on what you benchmark it against. If you compare it to a Legacy or CRBN1X, it's severely lacking power. However, compared to a Selkirk Labs Project 003, it has a bit more power. I would not tell someone that the Volair Mach 1 16mm is a power paddle. It's a control paddle all day long that has moderate power.
Feel:
The feel of this paddle is very plush and a muted feedback from the ball. The muted feel is very similar to the Hyperion CFS 16mm but maybe slightly less dampened. The paddle gives the sensation of the ball sinking into the face and holding there.
Sweet spot:
Sweet spot felt fine to me. There wasn't any point where I felt it stood out or felt subpar. It's about as average as you can get for a paddle sweet spot.
There's a catch...
Initially I thought this first look would be pretty straightforward, but there was one catch. That's the Ronbus R1.16. Many of you probably haven't heard about this company because it's very small and run by a retired engineer named Dong. He sent me the R1.16 ages ago, but I never did anything with it because there were higher-priority reviews at the time. A few people asked me if I could hit it, and I immediately noticed how similar it played to the Volair Mach 1 16mm. Not only that, but all of the specs are essentially identical.
Volair vs Ronbus specs
While drilling, I would switch back and forth between them, and I could hardly tell them apart. Any difference I noticed could be attributed to the variance expected when making paddles. There are usually slight differences depending on whether one is heavier or not. For example, my Ronbus R1.16 weighs 8.2oz, and the Volair Mach 1 16mm weighs 8.0oz.
Ronbus vs Volair handle makeup. Nearly identical.
Another important note is that the Ronbus was officially approved by USAP prior to the Volair, in case that is important to you.
Ronbus was approved 9/22/2022 and the Volair approved 11/16/2022. I don’t believe that Volair copied Ronbus, more than likely what happened was that the factory offered Volair the Ronbus as an option without disclosing who else had it currently (this is not uncommon).
So why does it matter if the R1.16 is similar? Well, it comes down to price. The R1.16 can be purchased directly from Ronbus for $120; with discount code PBSTUDIO, it's $100. There are even listings on Amazon for the R1.16 that have it for $99.99 with Prime shipping. The Volair Mach 1 is $159.99; with the same code, it comes down to roughly $145.
Even if there were small differences, would it be worth an extra $35 to $45? For almost everyone, I highly doubt it. For $145 the Volair is a solid value, but for $100 the R1.16 is an insane value, especially when you consider that Ronbus has a 6-month warranty and Volair is only 3 months.
Closing thoughts:
Well, this quickly became a first look about two paddles, but if you're a consumer considering the Volair, it's important to know that the Ronbus exists.
I have a tough time wanting to tell anyone to buy the Volair when the R1.16 exists. I would not be surprised if these were identical paddles with different branding put on them at the factory. Ultimately this will come down to how much you want to support Julian Arnold as a player and business owner or how much you want the best deal possible.
Regardless of your choice, they are solid performing paddles, but they aren't anything stand out or new. It's a softer high-tier spin raw carbon fiber paddle that is best suited for a control player. I would put it in a similar category as the Joola Vision.
If you already have a raw carbon fiber paddle that you're happy with, there's no reason to go out and buy either of these unless you're looking for a cheaper backup option.
It will be interesting to see how the market shakes out this year. A lot of identical or near-identical paddles are being released at high and low prices. It seems that many of the newer companies are racing for the bottom to keep the big guys honest in their pricing. The bright side is, this means the consumer should have better prices for competitive paddles.