What’s all the racket about these quiet paddles? (Yeah, a weak dad joke, I know.) We had to check it out. First, there was the Owl, then some quieter options like Diadem’s VICE and Selkirk’s SLK Halo. But just two weeks ago, Diadem claimed to release the world’s quietest paddle—the Diadem Hush. Naturally, my pickleball buddy Paul at Diadem sent me one to test.
Right out of the box, the dense, textured surface makes it clear why it’s USAP Quiet Certified. And yes, it’s impressively quiet!
At $190, does it perform like other high-end paddles? Almost—but if you need a quiet paddle for noise-restricted areas, this is your go-to. I’m giving it a solid 4.5 balls out of 5 for hitting its mark, even at the higher price.
Quiet Play: Designed for minimal impact noise.
Balanced Power: 14 mm core offers both power and noise reduction.
Larger Sweet Spot: Elongated shape improves control and reduces mishits.
Comfortable Grip: Standard 4 1/8" grip with a longer handle for better control.
By The Numbers
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Length | 16.5” |
| Width | 7.2” |
| Thickness | 18 mm |
| Grip Length | 5.6” |
| Grip Circumference | 4.125” |
| Weight | 8.12 oz (marketed as 8.15 oz) |
| Color Choices | Black, Lavender |
| Price | $190 |
Nuts And Bolts
- Two piece Core Molding with carbon fiber paddle core
- Honeycomb 10mm core
- eTPU (expanded thermoplastic polyurethane) face
- Kraibon polymer composite face perimeter
- Hybrid flush face with hard protective edge
- USAP Quiet Certified
- Not approved for USAP tournament play
First Impressions
The paddle surface has a unique, highly textured, rubbery feel—unlike any other paddle I’ve held or reviewed. It’s a stark contrast to the felt-like cloth Acoustene® surface on the Owl paddle series. The handle length is perfect for me, but at 4.125” in diameter, I need to add a Hesacore base grip and an overgrip wrap to reach my preferred grip size.
Other than that, it’s very similar to my go-to paddles in terms of weight, balance, and swing feel.
Game On… the Play Testing
Like with any paddle that’s a bit outside the norm, I knew this one would take some getting used to—and it did.
My first game was indoors, and the paddle’s quiet, powerful, yet muffled pop was just as strange to my teammates and opponents as it was to me.
Adjusting to the Power
As expected with a new paddle, my first few shots went long; the paddle generates a lot of power and speed, and I needed to find the right touch. My first serve sailed three feet past the baseline, and the same thing happened on my second and fourth serves. I also had to work on finding the sweet spot—it felt a bit smaller, making my dinks and drops a little tricky.
But I reminded myself it was only my first outing with this unique paddle.
Progressing with Each Game
By the second and third games that day, I started to get the hang of it—my control improved, and I began to feel more confident with my dinks, spins, and drops. The small grip was still a bit of a challenge, so I knew I’d need to make some adjustments later.
I decided to put the paddle away for a bit and revisit it another day.
Taking on Tough Competition
A few weeks later, I brought the Hush out again, this time with some anticipation—I was up against tough competitors and almost went with one of my usual paddles.
But I decided to give the Hush another shot. The first game had its challenges, but I was determined to make it work.
After calming down and focusing on my technique, my play really started to click. I found control over my serves, hit deep baseline drives, and placed my dinks exactly where I wanted them. The spin and power were impressive, and adding a Lizard Skins overgrip made a huge difference in comfort and hand positioning.
By the end, I was really enjoying the paddle, and it felt great to see my game come together with it!
The Final Score
The bottom line here: if you are looking for a quiet, well performing paddle because of noise restrictions where you play (tight neighborhoods, condo/apartment living, indoor court areas with poor acoustics) this is a great paddle!
For you, it would be worth the $190 since it has very good performance while producing that hushed pop. Diadem states that the paddle is 40% quieter than the average paddle and I believe it. But give yourself plenty of acclimation time with the paddle.
Please know that the paddle is USAP Quiet Certified but not USAP tournament approved. If you don’t need a quiet paddle or want to play in sanctioned tournaments, you can find better paddles for the same or less money. Also, I confess that I like the noisy pop cadence during play with traditional paddles.
However, I can see how less “racket” from this paddle could be a sweet sound for quiet areas, and perhaps, something I may need down the road for quiet play!
Pickle on my friends, pickle on…
