Zane Navratil Signature 14 Review

Key takeaways:

Pros:

Low swing weight for an elongated paddle which provides faster hands
Stiff and geared towards power
Long thin handle

Cons:

Sweet spot isn’t amazing
There are better value paddles on the market
While it is a power paddle, it does not hit as hard as thermoformed paddles.

ProXR recently signed Zane Navratil as their latest pro. As part of signing him, they launched a signature paddle with his name.

One of the most notable features of Zane's paddle is that it doesn't feature the signature ProXR angled grip. Zane explained why he preferred not to have the grip on his paddle on our podcast, which you can see here.

It was a very smart move for ProXR to offer a solid-performing paddle with no angled grip. It is too polarizing of a feature. New people likely aren't going to risk giving it a shot, and experienced players are already set in their ways. Having a non-angled handle gets the market to try their paddles without committing to a design they aren't familiar with.

*Zane Navratil Signature 14mm handle (left) vs ProXR signature handle (right)*

Specs:

Price: $209.99

Discount code: PBSTUDIO saves $20

Thickness: 14mm
Weight range: 8.2oz average
Shape: Elongated
Handle length: 6.0"
Grip circumference: 4.0"
Face: T700 Raw Carbon Fiber
Core: Polymer
Swing weight: 111
RPM: 1688
Special

Edge foam

When I saw 6 inches, I thought, that's a long handle. There are few paddles on the market with a handle that long.

But when I got it in my hand, it didn't feel much bigger than some of the 5.5" handles on the market, so I grabbed a bunch of paddles and compared them.

*From left to right: Engage Pursuit MX 6.0 (5.875” handle), CRBN1X 16mm (5.5” handle), Zane Navratil signature 14mm (6.0” handle) Selkirk Vanguard 2.0 Mach 6 (5.875” handle)*

After I over-gripped Zane's paddle, it did measure right around 6.0", but, when I measure my CRBN1X, it comes in at the same measurement (after overgripping). When held up against each other, I notice no difference in neck taper or handle length, and the CRBN is advertised as a 5.5" handle. When you hold up other paddles, such as the Joola Hyperion, Selkirk Mach 6, and Engage Pursuit MX, they all have nearly identical handle lengths ranging from about 5.75 to 6.0".

So, all of that to say, yes, Zane's paddle does have a long handle, but if you're used to a CRBN1X, Engage Pursuit, or Joola length handle, Zane's handle isn't going to feel that much longer, especially if you wrap your overgrips higher on the neck.

As far as the listed specs go, the one thing that may be most appealing for some is the lower swing weight for a paddle with such a long handle.

This list will give you a rough idea of what swing weights are for other paddles that feature a long handle. Usually people notice a swing weight drop in increments of 10. 110 vs 120 feels very noticeable.

Most paddles with handle lengths this long tend to be higher in swing weight. 111 puts it in a range close to many standard-shaped paddles, which provide faster hands at the net, and Zane's paddle was very maneuverable compared to many elongated paddles.

Control & Power

*Construction of the handle. It’s fully incased and has no exposed polymer. Feels built pretty well.*

I thought the power was awful when I first played with this paddle. Not 003 or SLK Halo XL soft, but with how stiff the face is, I was very disappointed by the power.

After playing with it more, I realized it has adequate power but less than thermoformed paddles. In comparison, it feels less solid and plows through the ball less, which makes sense since it's a low swing weight for an elongated shape. In a hand battle, I felt I had less pop off the face, and drives didn't seem to have the same speed as what I'm used to with paddles that I have tested recently.

Coming from two months of playing with Legacy, CRBNX series, Vatic Pro, and SixZero, those all hit very hard, so my gauge has been readjusting to non-thermoformed paddles. If you wanted more power from Zane's paddle, you could add lead tape since you have a lot of wiggle room with the swing weight to go up before it becomes unmanageable.

Control was also reasonable, but I frequently found that playing with a Dura resulted in balls dying, which I wasn't expecting. Resets in transition that didn't land square in the face dropped to the ground, dinks at the kitchen felt jarring when off-center. I found myself having to focus much harder to hit the ball in the center of the face.

All of my testing was on a Dura initially, and I really did not like the paddle, and I was always excited to put it down at the end of a session.

However, I did one session with a Franklin, and my complaints about balls dying went away. Of course, Dura and Franklin are very different, but this is one of the first times I noticed it impacting my opinion of a paddle this much. I had most of my review written up and had to modify this entire section because of how differently I felt when playing with the Franklin X-40.

With the Dura, I found that on short hops, dinks occasionally, and resets, the edges felt jarring and offputting if I didn't nail the ball in the center. With a Franklin, I didn't notice the same issue. It was bizarre to have such contrasting opinions of the paddle with the ball change.

Grit:

ProXR uses the term "Ultra raw carbon fiber" in its marketing language. I put it under a microscope and didn't notice anything drastically different from what we've seen before, certainly not the smaller pattern we've seen on newer paddles, and the RPMs don't suggest that it's bringing anything new to the table. So more than likely, the "ultra raw" name is just a marketing gimmick.

Sweet spot:

I've compared Zane's paddle a lot to thermoformed paddles, but it's really hard not to when they are trying to target similar audiences by being more power focused.

One of the most notable features of the thermoformed paddles has been the substantially better sweet spot compared to non-thermoformed power paddles. The sweet spot of Zane's paddle feels noticeably worse than the thermoformed offerings. Because of this, Zane's paddle felt much harder to use in comparison.

Closing thoughts:

So, overall, Zane's paddle performs reasonably but nothing outstanding. However, if you're looking for specific attributes, Zane's paddle may fit the bill.

For example, if you want a long handle for two-handed backhands, a lower thickness, low swing weight for faster hands, and aren't too concerned about sweet spot performance, then Zane's paddle is great.

There are few paddles on the market with handles this long and feature this low of a swing weight. As a result, it really feels very fast in hand and is the standout feature of the paddle.

However, due to the paddle's price, there are many better alternatives on the market for cheaper.

If you look in the ~$100 range, you have:

Ronbus R1.16

(This is $120, but discount code PBSTUDIO lowers it to $100)

Bison
Spartus (They offer a 13mm version as well)

With that being said, Bison and Ronbus only offer 16mm variants, so it isn't a 1 to 1 comparison, but the level of performance you are getting for $100 less with these paddles is very good.

In the $130-180 range, you have:

Code PBSTUDIO works on all of those except Joola, which should fit them into the appropriate price range mentioned.

With how well Vatic Pro, SixZero, and Legacy perform for the price, it's challenging to justify spending $190+ on something that could doesn't keep up as well.

The only notable technology in Zane's paddle is the edge foam, which more companies are starting to offer. So you have to ask yourself, for $190, what makes it any better than the paddles in the $100-$160 range?

And if you ask me, it doesn't do much better than those. Let's even pretend for a minute that performance is equal; if that's the case, why would you spend anywhere from $40-$50 more to buy a paddle with equal performance?

Wait just a minute…

Now, there's one big asterisk on all of this. At the moment, thermoformed paddles are under a lot of heat from players and the governing body because of their delamination issues. If we remove thermoformed paddles as a recommendation in this list, Zane's paddle becomes a much stronger offer and fits in with what the rest of the market has been offering for a minute now.

Thermoformed paddles have really shaken up their market because of their exceptional power, spin, and sweet spot performance while also being offered at killer prices, but with the future of those paddles being unknown, Zane's paddle may become a solid offering in the market.

If I had to go to a tournament tomorrow, Zane's signature paddle would not be one that I put in my bag. I don't think it's objectively a bad performer; I just don't think it stands out against the new releases, especially with the higher price tag.

Purchase Zane Navratil Signature 14mm