The sport of pickleball—a cross between tennis and badminton, played with a hard plastic ball—is 60 years old, having been invented near Seattle in 1965. For most of that time, paddles were made of laminated wood and were mostly found in gym classes and retirement communities.
Pickleball has exploded in popularity, and with that newfound popularity comes an arms race with paddle makers in a quest to make the best pickleball paddles. Paddle technology is improving, too. This is my third year testing the latest crop of pickleball paddles, and they've made another leap forward. Among my long-standing favorite paddles like the Selkirk Vanguard Control Invikta, there are two new ones—including the Diadem Warrior BluCore—that step back from the raw power of heat-molded plastic cores by substituting foam cores that offer a very consistent and controlled feel. Here are my most up-to-date paddle picks for every style and level of play.
