Most people say Pickleball is a game that combined the elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. It is fun and easy to play. With simple rules and playing format, Pickleball is a game for people of all ages to enjoy. Whether you are a beginner in pickleball or just looking for the best paddle for your tournaments, Prince Pickleball paddles are the best!
Similar to Tennis or Badminton, Pickleball requires a paddle to play (see also ‘Best Pickleball Paddle For Advanced Players‘). Just like any other racquet game, a pickleball player needs good quality pickleball paddles to make the most out of the game. There are many pickleball paddles in the market. However, among all the businesses selling pickleball gear, one specific company highly talked of – Prince Pickleball. So how good are Prince Pickleball Paddles? Read this article to know all about it!
Prince Pickleball Company
Prince decided to enter the world of pickleball in 2018. Being a prodigy in the world of racquets, it was a matter of surprise that they waited so long to step into the game. Unquestionably, everyone had big expectations from a company with such a lineage.
Prince did not let anyone down. They made a grand entrance in the world of pickleball manufacturers, setting high expectations with their motto “Changing the Shape of Pickleball.” And as you may realize, the company managed to claim its spot as one of the top pickleball paddle businesses in no time.
* Information on choosing the best pickleball paddle for beginners.
What Sets it Apart?
For a company to reach the top in such a small time would certainly require a point of distinction- something that sets it apart from competitors.
Prince is well acclaimed for its creative and innovative approach. They assured an unorthodox and strategic approach upon entering the industry. Here’s what it did to change the way people see pickleball paddles
1. Manufactures
With their choice of the manufacturer, Prince proved that it requires strategic planning to stay in the lead for 50 years straight. Even though they might be a tennis giant, they are not pickleball experts.
So, instead of trying to come up with a pickleball paddle of their own, they took a much smarter route and partnered up with Paddletek to make their first pickleball paddle.
Paddletek is a paddle giant based in Michigan known for the Bantam EX-L and Tempest Wave. Prince realized their potential and struck a deal. Together, combining their innovation and expertise, the companies have gifted the world technologically advanced pickleball paddles.
To watch this video on YouTube visit Pickleball Kitchen.
2. Shape
What sets apart Prince pickleball paddles physically and by the performance is their shape. Unlike traditional paddles, they are round.
This unique shape is inspired by tennis racquets which happen to be their specialty. However, the shape has a purpose more than just lineage or looks. It reduced what we call a ‘miss-hit’.
A round shape makes the sweet spot of the paddle much larger and more consistent. It helps to spread out and give the ball a more uniform sinking surface. It ensures that the ball goes in a consistent direction and reduces the chances of errors associated with miss-hits dramatically.
Prince Pickleball Paddles Overview
1. Core
Although Prince didn’t have enough experience regarding the components of a paddle, Paddletek’s expertise resulted in a game-changing core for the paddles. Their revolutionary polymer honeycomb cores are thicker than a traditional pickleball paddle.
The company designed the thickest core for Prince pickleball paddle, about 9/16 inches. It allows extreme shock absorbency to help reduce speed to a great extent.
This thicker polymer core provides a lot more power than conventional paddles and allows much stronger hits. For players with a softer hit, the core causes less bounce and helps hit softer lobs.
This top-class paddle is also more responsive, easier to control, and allows you to adopt different hitting techniques. As a result, the paddle is loved by both intermediate and advanced players.
2. Design
Prince believes in quality. Their paddles are unique and very carefully designed to assure the highest level of performance, every time, for every player. But performance isn’t only focused on performance; looks matter too. Prince makes sure that they stand out in the Pickleball industry.
Face Design
Instead of the typical Graphite face, these paddles have a fiberglass face. The Fiberglass is UV Coated and provides more texture. Apart from the appearance, it also helps to provide a lot of power to the shots and help get more spin than conventional paddles.
Grip Design
The paddle has a cushion grip design. It helps to hold the paddle tightly and prevents the paddle from falling off of hands due to sweating or slippage of any sort.
What makes it even better is that Prince offers two variations on the grip in all their paddle models to satisfy everyone’s needs. There is a 4⅜ inch perforated grip and a thin grip of 4 ⅛ inches to choose from.
It provides excellent scope for Tennis Players trying to transition to pickleball. The thicker grip, along with the round and wide paddle face, makes it one of the best paddles for tennis players as well as new players.
Edge Guard
The paddles have a ⅛ inch overlapping edge guard that maximizes the surface area for play, further increasing the sweet spot. This also helps to prevent chances of damage and wear and tear in the edges.
Color Choice
All their paddle models come in 4 vibrant colors, along with the letter P superimposed in the background. It has a fresh but professional look to it. You can recognize a Prince Pickleball Paddle in a glance. You can choose from blue, red, orange, and purple colors. Moreover, the red and blue versions of the paddles come with the signature of gold medalist Simone Jardim.
Weight
The paddles are slightly on the heavier side, as they are made of composite material. Yet again, Prince has offered its customers the liberty to choose between two different weight versions. You can choose between a light and standard version for all models.
However, even for the 2 different versions, the weights may vary from model to model because most of the weight of a paddle is determined by its handle.
Moreover, the head of the paddles is not heavy which helps the players to remain stable and flexible at all times. A light paddle weighs between 7.1-7.6 oz. and standard paddles typically scale from 7.7-8.1 oz.
It gives an edge to players who find paddle weight a huge influencing factor and offers them a custom window. It also helps in different styles of play. The lighter option is better for beginners, while the standard weight variant is perfect for professionals.
3. Performance
Prince pickleball paddles are designed to ensure the best performance. Whether you are a beginner or pro player, hobbyist, or professionals – you can’t help praise these amazing Pickleball paddles. Their paddles offer all that you would expect from a premium quality paddle and more.
What makes these Prince paddles an ideal choice can be explained with ‘3S’ –
Spin
The spin capabilities of Prince pickleball paddles are far better than any paddle out there. Their innovative use of fiberglass composite in the paddle increases the connection between the ball and the paddle, ensuring a great spin every time. Even professional players like Simone Jardim, can’t help rave about the spin of a prince pickleball paddle.
Shot Control
The unique and carefully calculated design gives players amazing shot control. The standard-sized paddles offer maximum shot control, making it the personal favorite of advanced players. You can easily control a match and execute some great dinking shots in every play.
Sweet Spot
The shape of the paddles confirms a rounded sweet spot and ensures more surface area on the paddle. It gives more energy to the ball when hit and reduces noisy vibrations. Simply put, it helps in taking accurate shots throughout the game with fewer mishits.
4. Price
When it comes to pricing, Prince pickleball paddles may prove a little heavy for your wallet. All their paddle models cost among $120 to $160.
But with the outstanding quality and performance you get from these paddles, they are worth the price.
Review of Prince Pickleball Paddles
In its short years of stepping in the pickleball paddle industry, Prince has delivered a couple of varieties of paddles. They have 6 different types of paddles in the 4 series they launched. So there is a paddle for everyone’s needs.
Let’s see what each of their paddle series has to offer:
A detailed review on each of the models should help make better deductions about the paddles:
1. Spectrum Pro Paddles – Prince Pickleball Paddles
The Spectrum pro is from the original series of Spectrum that was released in 2018. It has the similar dimension and shape as the Spectrum, but costs almost twice as much.
In the pro paddle, there is a difference in the handle size. The handle’ circumference is 4 ⅜ inches, which is a bit smaller than the Spectrum’s standard handle.
As a beginner or hobbyist, it may not be a big deal. But, from a professional level playing or competing, even a slight change can give players an edge. It also makes holding the handle more comfortable.
Another crucial difference between the Spectrum Pro and the Spectrum is the weight choice. Unlike the spectrum paddle, you have the option to choose between standard weight and lightweight options for the pro paddle. It allows players to have more flexibility and control over the paddle design.
The spectrum pro also has double the choice of colors. Alongside the traditional red and blue, you can also choose from purple and orange.
Prince Spectrum Pro Pickleball Paddle
Pros
Cons
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The handle is a bit thin and it doesn’t come with the technology of moisture-wicking.
2. Response Pro Paddles – Prince Pickleball Paddles
The Response Pro paddle was also released in 2018 alongside the Spectrum model. It is very similar to the Spectrum having almost the similar technology, design, and shape.
The difference, however, is noticed in the length of the handle. The Response series comes with a bigger handle compared to the spectrum series, which makes it a better choice for large-handed people. Moreover, if your hands are small, then Response is a better option.
Just like the Spectrum Pro paddle, this paddle also offers you a variety of adjustments compared to the standard response model. You can choose between a standard or lightweight version in the pro model.
The Response pro model also comes with the most color choices. You can choose from 6 options, while Seafoam and Red are the primary colors.
Moreover, you can also get blue, pink, and black in the design of Simone Jardim.
Simone Jardim, the winner of the 2018 US Open championship, used the Prince Response Pro paddle. She used her Response Pro at the tournament to win the Triple Crown. She is now the face of Prince paddles and has won 3 gold medals in 3 professional events using hers. That should be reason enough to convince you of its capabilities.
Prince Response Pro Pickleball Paddle
Pros
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Option to choose grip size allows flexibility and gives you a lot of close control over the paddle.
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3. Quantum Pro Paddles – Prince Pickleball Paddles
The Quantum Pro paddle has a similar rounded design to the Spectrum and Response series, however, the paddle is visibly thinner and longer compared to them. The handle is also much longer giving you loads of room for a comfortable hold.
These paddles come with nicely polished edges that let you feel the powerful shots even if the ball hits the edges. The length of the handle minimizes area of surface that is not necessary, and it will help your shots to be more effective.
In this series, you have the option to choose a grip size but, you can’t choose the weight.
Prince Quantum Pro Pickleball Paddle
Pros
Final Thoughts
All Prince Pickleball paddles are designed to offer outstanding performance through power and accuracy. They are one of the most premium pickleball paddles in the market and worth every cent.
All the paddles fall in the same price range; so the ideal paddle for you mostly depends on your playing style and preference. If you want a traditional paddle, the Response Pro or the Spectrum Pro is a wise choice. For a newer, more contemporary paddle, you can choose the Quantum Pro model.
Rest assured, without a doubt, treat yourself with a Prince Pickleball paddle. Hope our article was helpful to you!
