There are many great options for USAPA-approved pickleball paddles with large sweet spots. One of the best is the Paddletek Tempest Wave Pro. Other options include the Engage Encore EX 6.0, the Gamma NeuCore Hellbender, and Selkirk Vanguard 2.0.
The Pickleball Paddle with the Largest Sweet Spot
If you’re looking for a paddle with a big sweet spot and a ton of forgiveness, look no further than the Paddletek Tempest Wave Pro.
The Tempest Wave Pro is a midweight paddle with a slightly longer handle to offer greater control and balance (there are two grip size options: standard or thin). It is aimed at intermediate players and above, meaning this might not be the best paddle for beginners.
If you’re looking for our top paddle picks for intermediate players, click here.
With a carbon fiber face and graphite-polymer honeycomb core, the technology on this composite pickleball paddle from Paddletek is up there with anything on the market. Where the Tempest Wave Pro shines is the size of its sweet spot. This paddle is incredibly forgiving, offering a great response off the whole paddle face and making it one of the best pickleball paddles available.
It isn’t the most powerful paddle on the market, meaning you have to hit the ball a little harder on those drives and winners. However, the level of forgiveness offered by the Paddletek is so high that you’ll feel confident enough to give the ball a whack!
6 Other Pickleball Paddles with Large Sweet Spots
Gearbox CX14E
The Gearbox CX14E features an ‘edgeless design’ with no edge guard, meaning the whole area of the paddle face can technically be viewed as a hitting surface.
The idea of this design is to reduce the ‘dead areas’ in the corner of the paddle, leading to a massive sweet spot for players to aim at.
As well as being forgiving, the 100% carbon fiber design means this is a super durable pickleball paddle and a great option for players of all skill levels.
Prolite Supernova LX
The Prolite Supernova LX uses an interesting face composition to aid the size of the sweet spot. The face is made of woven carbon fiber, which is designed to reduce the impact of mishits and create consistent performance off the face.
Pickleball players gaming the Prolite also benefit from a huge surface area on the paddle face, giving you loads of room and confidence when you’re playing pickleball.
Engage Encore EX 6.0
Engage’s pro pickleball paddles are always full of interesting technology, and the Encore EX 6.0 is no different, using FiberTek for the paddle face. FiberTek offers maximum spin and a larger sweet spot for advanced players looking for better control on the pickleball court.
The Encore EX 6.0 comes in midweight as standard, but there is also a lightweight paddle option. Both the lightweight and the heavier paddle are designed to be quiet off the face, allowing for stress free play even in residential areas.
Selkirk Vanguard 2.0
Selkirk’s Vanguard 2.0 benefits from key design elements that allow it to boast a larger-than-normal sweet spot.
- First, the standard shape offers a slightly wider sweet spot than modern, narrower paddles.
- Secondly, the face is composed of a two-layer carbon fiber weave. This creates an ultra-consistent performance off the face, reducing the impact of any mishits.
Oneshot Proshot 2.0
If you can’t break the bank on one of the more premium models, a brilliant – and slightly more affordable! – option is the Oneshot Proshot 2.0.
This paddle has an interesting square-shaped face, which widens the sweet spot for better contact on strikes left and right of center.
The Proshot’s polymer core, made of a polypropylene honeycomb composition, provides a soft and responsive feel—it doesn’t provide the best power, but it makes the paddle extremely forgiving and offers excellent control.
Gamma NeuCore Hellbender
Gamma’s NeuCore Hellbender is a fantastic option for players who want a forgiving paddle. It’s the only paddle on this list with a teardrop-shaped design—this elongated shape can sometimes reduce the size of the sweet spot, but not in the Gamma.
What’s interesting about the NeuCore Hellbender is the combination of a rigid carbon fiber face and a soft honeycomb core. It makes this a relatively adaptable pickleball paddle—certainly not the most powerful, but lightweight enough that you can swing it fast to generate power.
Why Is It Good to Have A Pickleball Paddle With a Large Sweet Spot?
Large sweet spots give you more margin for error. In the heat of a game, it can be tricky to strike the exact center of the paddle every time. A paddle with a big sweet spot allows you to miss the center by a little and still produce a good shot.
The further you get from the center of the pickleball paddle, the more erratically the ball behaves when struck. A ball hit from the edges might spin more or less than expected, go in a different direction than intended, or come off the paddle with less power.
A paddle with a larger area of consistent contact offers better control for every shot.
