You see it every open play session. Someone shows up with a new paddle and the gear heads flock to it. They drag their fingers across the gritty face, feel the balance and weight in their hand, and bring up the reviewer they watched rant about that exact model.
Or a coach is mid-lesson when the inevitable paddle talk starts, and the player wants to know what they should order next.
Every one of those huddles lands on the same question: which paddle should I buy? For years, the best answer I had was whatever was in my own bag and a few opinions. That felt thin for something people spend $200 on.
So we asked you. For two years, Pickleball Union surveyed its readers about their paddles: five waves, 3,617 responses, and a panel of 611 players we tracked over time so we could compare what they said they’d do with what they actually did.
Here’s what the people in those huddles taught us, and what it means for your next paddle. Every number below comes from the 2026 Paddle Consumer Report, which is free.
Who did we ask?
We asked committed rec players, the ones who play often and own more than one paddle.
- 88% are 55 or older
- 74% rate themselves intermediate or better
- 73% play three or more days a week
- 9 in 10 own two or more paddles
That isn’t every pickleball player. It’s the people in the huddle at open play, and if you’re reading this, it’s probably you. Keep that in mind as you read: these numbers describe how frequent, experienced players buy, not first-timers picking up a paddle at a big-box store.
How often do serious players buy a new paddle?
Often. 74% of players bought at least one paddle in 2025, and about 1 in 5 buy a new one every six months.
The shopping never stops, either. 49% expect to buy their next paddle within six months, and 71% within a year.
And it isn’t because their paddle let them down. Average paddle satisfaction sits at 4.4 out of 5, and it held steady across all five waves. Yet when players in our panel changed paddles, 44% of the time they changed brands too.
Happy owners still wander. That’s not a character flaw, it’s open play: the next paddle to try is always one huddle away.
Before you buy: name the one thing your current paddle doesn’t do for you. More spin, more forgiveness, less arm strain. If you can name it, you know what to shop for. If you can’t, you’re shopping out of curiosity. That’s fine, just know it before you spend $200.
Is a more expensive paddle worth it?
Mostly, yes. Owners who planned to spend $200 or more on their next paddle gave their paddle brand an NPS of +65. Under $50, it was -16, meaning more unhappy owners than happy ones.
Most of you already know this. 64% plan to spend $150 or more on their next paddle, and 30% plan to spend $200 or more.
One honest caveat: bigger budgets also tend to mean more committed players, who know what they want. So price isn’t the only thing pushing that line up. But the drop below $100 is too steep to ignore.
My take: $150 is the line. That’s where owners cross into excellent territory (+51). And I won’t steer you toward a composite-face paddle just because it’s cheap. Current carbon fiber, kevlar and foam-core builds are worth the extra money.
What predicts whether you’ll love your paddle?
Doing your homework. Players who researched their paddle through reviews, demos or a coach gave it an owner NPS of +56. Players who bought on price or by default: +23.
NPS (Net Promoter Score) is the share of owners who’d recommend their paddle minus the share who wouldn’t. Above +50 is excellent. Same market, a 33-point gap.
The homework that works is the stuff that happens in those huddles. Play-testing is the single most cited reason for the final choice (27%), followed by reviews and ratings (25%). Here’s how to do it on purpose:
- Hit it before you buy it. Ask the person with the new paddle if you can take a few dinks. One CRBN owner told us the whole story in one sentence: “Tried one that belonged to a friend and loved it immediately.” No friend with that paddle? Here’s how to demo paddles for free.
- Watch two reviews, not one. If two reviewers you trust land in the same place, believe them. If they don’t, that’s worth knowing too.
- Ask your coach. Only 3% of players name a coach as their main research source. Your coach watches you swing every week, so use them.
- Take the paddle quiz. It takes 60 seconds and narrows the field to paddles built for how you actually play.
One more thing we didn’t expect: men and women research differently. Women lean on friends and playing partners (37% vs 25% of men). Men lean on YouTube (32% vs 17% of women). Neither is wrong, but the best decisions use both.
Which paddle brands have the happiest owners?
The smaller brands. Six Zero owners gave their brand an NPS of +80, the highest in the survey, followed by Honolulu (+78) and Bread & Butter (+74).
The biggest brands lead on share, not love. Selkirk is the most popular paddle brand among our readers, at 20.9% of current paddles, with a solid owner NPS of +58. JOOLA is second at 14.7%.
And the challengers aren’t niche anymore. About 1 in 5 paddles our readers own now come from Friday, Honolulu, Six Zero, Vatic Pro or Bread & Butter.
One twist for owners of the big brands: you’re stickier than you think. Only 52% of JOOLA owners said they’d buy JOOLA again. When we checked back in a later wave, 72% had.
What it means for you: don’t buy the logo, and don’t rule one out either. If two paddles feel the same in your hand, let the brand you know break the tie. If one feels better, buy that one. Our intermediate picks start with the owner data. The full owner rankings for all 13 brands are in the report.
Where should you buy your next paddle?
Most of you buy direct. 41% of players bought their current paddle on the brand’s own website, more than three times as many as Amazon (12%).
| Where players bought their current paddle | Share |
|---|---|
| Brand website | 41% |
| Amazon | 12% |
| Specialty pickleball retail | 11% |
| Coach or brand rep | 8% |
| Pickleball Central | 6% |
| Secondhand | 6% |
| Big-box sporting goods | 4% |
| Other | 13% |
Each has a job:
- Brand sites get the newest models first.
- Specialty shops and coaches are where you can demo before you spend $200. If you haven’t hit the paddle yet, start here.
- Secondhand is now 6% of the market. It can be a great deal, but you can’t see how many hours are on a paddle’s core. Hit it first and listen for dead spots.
Whichever you choose, check for a sale before you buy. Paddle prices drop often, and the paddle you want is rarely full price for long.
What do players wish paddle companies knew?
Hundreds of you wrote in, and the answers kept coming back to the same few themes. Three of them are worth carrying into your next purchase.
Price fatigue. “These paddles are overpriced for the recreational player. They are designed for the pros, but highly marketed to the average player.” (JOOLA owner, spring 2025)
Fair. But the data says spending less usually doesn’t save you anything if you end up not liking the paddle. Owners who planned to spend under $100 had negative NPS scores. Set a budget around how often you play, then buy the best paddle you can hit inside it.
Durability. “That the combs inside last longer. I have dead spots.” (Selkirk owner, fall 2025)
A dead spot is a patch of the face where the ball comes off flat and quiet. Tap your paddle across the face every few weeks and listen. When one area sounds different from the rest, your next paddle is closer than you think.
Arm health. “Was loaned this model and found many of my shoulder, elbow and wrist issues disappeared, and my overall game improved.” (Paddletek owner, fall 2025)
If your arm hurts after you play, your paddle is part of the conversation. A loaner is the cheapest test you’ll ever run.
What’s next
The next time a new paddle shows up at open play, you’ll know what to do: hit it, ask around, and buy on purpose.
We’re not done asking, either. The survey runs again, and every answer makes the next report sharper. Pickleball Union subscribers get the invite first.
- Find your next paddle in 60 seconds: take the paddle quiz
- See every chart: read the full 2026 Paddle Consumer Report, free
- Get the next survey invite: join the Pickleball Union newsletter
Source: Pickleball Union 2026 Paddle Consumer Report, pickleballunion.com/paddle-consumer-report/
