Since pickleball’s launch, great strides have been made in developing paddle surfaces. Players now have an array of picks that suit their style of play, from wooden to graphite surfaces, along with the great scope of choosing a pickleball paddle from a hundred products. The pickleball paddle surface materials are designed to assist in hitting and controlling the shots. The choice varies depending on your ability and skill, which are attributed to your level of play, from a beginner to an advanced player.
To understand how the surface materials impact your game, we’ll look at key differences in the most popular pickleball paddles and what they entail.
Table of Contents
- 1 Why Different Materials for Core and Surface in Paddles
- 2 Does Paddle Shape Have Correlation With Surface Materials?
- 3 Why Surface Materials Are Important in Your Game
- 4 Most Common Types of Surface Materials
- 5 What are the Main Core Materials?
- 6 Pros of Carbon Fiber, Composite, and Graphite Paddle
- 7 Cons of Carbon Fiber, Composite, and Graphite Paddle
- 8 How Does Carbon Fiber Paddle Make A Difference
- 9 How Does Composite Paddle Stand Out in Pickleball
- 10 How Can Graphite Paddle Improve Your Game
- 11 Which Surface Material is Good for Beginners
- 12 FAQs About Surface Materials
Why Different Materials for Core and Surface in Paddles
The core of the pickleball paddle is meant to complement the paddle’s feel and performance. Therefore, it is the most significant feature that influences your performance before the surface material. Essentially, the touch, feel, and pop sound depend on your paddle’s core. Polypropylene (polymer), aluminum, and Nomex are the main materials manufacturers use to make the core nowadays.
The preferred design in the market today is the honeycomb core—the comb is cut into a hexagonal shape. The advantage of this structure is that it offers better touch and feel because of its lower density. You can also have solid cores made from either of the materials with no honeycombs built in.
Does Paddle Shape Have Correlation With Surface Materials?
There are two main shapes paddles are made. Whether it’s a standard wide-body paddle or an elongated paddle, the surface materials used in them are entirely designed based on the usage type. Different shapes are used for the player’s preference of reach on the court, while different surface materials are used for controlling spin and other advantages.
Why Surface Materials Are Important in Your Game
The pickleball paddle surface materials are designed in a way that can determine your serves, return shots, speed, power, and maneuverability.
Power and Speed
The power and speed are determined by how hard or soft your pickleball paddle surface is, while the swing speed is determined by how light or heavy it is. And it is the surface material that determines the paddle’s weight along with the core. A lightweight paddle comes in handy for a fast reaction time and swing speed. Additionally, heavy pickleball paddles offer players more control and require less power to swing the paddle.
The drawback comes from the strain it causes on your shoulders and elbows. As a result, you’ll need to exert more swing strength if you opt for a lightweight material.
Accuracy
The pickleball placement is also pegged to this mechanism. Also, your game will be affected if you use a paddle that wears off easily because it develops dead spots on the hitting surface.
Control
The texture of the surface plays a vital role in determining how you control the ball and the power of your returns.
Spin
The texture of the pickleball paddle’s hitting surface affects the ball’s spin.
Most Common Types of Surface Materials
There are a few common surface materials for pickleball paddles, of which the ones below are the most reliably used:
- Carbon Fiber
- Composite
- Graphite
Carbon Fiber
As the latest paddles to be developed on the market, carbon fiber harbors the best paddle technology. They are composed of rayon and polyacrylonitrile, which are woven together to form microscopic crystals. Besides, characterized as a thin, durable, and super-strong material with the largest sweet spot and highest deflection rate, they can absorb the ball and compress the energy before releasing it. However, whether it’s carbon fiber or composite, taking care of your paddle helps make it durable and competent.
Besides, the carbon fiber paddles can hold on to the ball longer at slower speeds. You’ll be able to manipulate the ball, specifically while dinking and rolling it at the opponent’s feet. Fibers are elongated, allowing compression, making it suitable for control and power plus spin(wicked topspin or downward chop for backspin at the net). Finally, they offer an all-rounded performance suitable for experienced players, providing both power and touch.
Composite
Composite fiberglass is one of the market’s most popular pickleball paddle surfaces, commonly referred to as fiberglass pickleball paddles. It’s formed from an aerospace material type able to provide unsurmountable strength and power. While they can weigh up to 9 oz, they’re typically 7.5-8 oz. Opting for a composite paddle, you will likely experience more spin courtesy because of its texture.
This is attributed to its soft nature, which allows the ball to stay on the paddle longer, giving you the advantage of spinning it. However, the flexibility of this pickleball paddle surface increases the rate of deterioration and decay. The sweet spot is also minimal.
Graphite
Regarded as a revolutionary surface material in the market, online retailers have termed graphite paddles as their favorite pickleball paddles. They’re super light and thin, offering the perfect pickleball paddle-hitting surface material. The thin and lightweight nature of the graphite pickleball offers you a superb touch and feel of pickleball, with the thinness giving the notion of your extended hand. Its accuracy is compared with none, given its stiff nature. This rigidity can also deliver good control, though limited.
Count yourself lucky if you don’t get to experience more mis-hits than any other pickleball paddle surface material. Given its thinness, you wouldn’t want to get one that doesn’t have the edge guard, which leaves it prone to damage (chips or cracks) if dropped.
What are the Main Core Materials?
There are many materials used as the core for pickleball paddles, but below are the popular ones:
- Nomex
- Polymer
- Aluminum
Nomex
The first composite core to be manufactured was the Nomex, which gives you immense power and a pop sound but has less touch and control. This is attributed to the fact that Nomex materials are stiffer, repelling the ball quickly. As a result, the paddles’ surface material with this core material will emit a pop sound upon impact with the pickleball.
Nomex is expensive compared to the polymer core. The idea of having different materials in the core and the pickleball paddle surface complements each other. A noisy Nomex core fitted between a stiff graphite paddle relays a more controlled overall paddle performance by slowing down the Nomex and balancing the paddle output power.
Their light nature makes them easy to swing, and their hardness gives them decent power, giving off a strong drive which is sometimes hard for some players to control the ball.
Polymer
The polymer cores are the most commonly used material for pickleball paddles, especially for elite players, because they have a quieter and softer feel and display a lot of power. They’re hailed for their durability and thickness range, which aid in dampening the vibration, hence creating a solid feel upon impact. In addition, polymer cores are estimated to last longer and are stronger than other cores in the market.
Polymer cores offer an even balance between power and control, ensuring you can maneuver the ball and hit it with decent power.
Aluminum
With their proper density and thickness, aluminum cores are known to be the heaviest paddle cores geared toward adding control, not power. However, you can combine it with a composite surface material to exhibit more power. Getting damaged easily has made manufacturers avoid incorporating them in their pickleball paddles. However, the indoor pickleball is softer on the aluminum material.
Pros of Carbon Fiber, Composite, and Graphite Paddle
| Pros of Carbon Fiber | Pros of Composite | Pros of Graphite |
| Largest sweet spot | Soft and flexible | Ultra-Light |
| Highest legal deflection rate | More spin | Cost-effective |
| Combination of control, spin, and power | Powerful performance | Great feel |
| Stiff | Pocket-friendly |
Cons of Carbon Fiber, Composite, and Graphite Paddle
| Cons of Carbon Fiber | Cons of Composite | Cons of Graphite |
| Very Limited in the market | Small sweet spot | Thin-easily damaged |
| Expensive | Highest decay rate | Low Power |
| Noisy | Mishits | |
| Less Sweet spot |
How Does Carbon Fiber Paddle Make A Difference
Control
Aside from its grainy texture, the stiffness of the carbon fiber surface provides players with more pickleball control. In addition, because of its ability to spread the ball’s energy across the paddle, you’ll have fewer mis-hits and larger sweet spots.
Power
Though carbon fiber is a strong material, it provides less power because it’s a light material. However, it compensates for this drawback as you can return hard shots or change to a soft return.
Spin
The spin experienced with carbon fiber pickleball paddles is attributed to the grainy texture of the pickleball surface. For elite players, the paddle’s ability to spin is key.
How Does Composite Paddle Stand Out in Pickleball
Power
Composites are heavy materials that can give off more power on your serves or returns.
Spin
You’ll notice that you get the opportunity to work the ball better, giving it that spin, because the pickleball stays longer on a composite paddle surface.
Control
Weighty paddles offer better ball control, and a composite paddle is one of the heaviest pickleball paddle surface materials.
Speed
Its soft and flexible nature allows composite paddles to absorb the ball’s energy before relaying it, giving off the “pop” sound. This concentrates the ball’s energy into a single point, minimizing the sweet spot.
Accuracy
Composite paddles are designed to achieve precision and offer better ball placement accuracy.
How Can Graphite Paddle Improve Your Game
Better Touch and Feel
The ultralight quality gives a better touch and feel, responsive speed, and maneuverability.
Power
Though power can only be attributed to the heavy surface material, the ultra-stiff characteristic of graphite enables it to give off more power to rival any heavier paddle.
Control
Its characteristic combination of being both light and strong provides players with more power without sacrificing control.
Which Surface Material is Good for Beginners
Using an overhead smash, you constantly hit the pickleball behind the baseline. A lighter paddle may cause the paddle to be off when connecting with the ball, and you’ll hit the ball further past the baseline.
Heavier paddles are better used by advanced players whose major concern is power and not control, and who also understand how to maneuver the ball. On the other hand, you’ll have a hard time hitting harder and longer shots with lighter paddles.
Consistently missing serves and easy shots that you usually wouldn’t miss indicate that your paddle is lightweight. It best serves players who want more ball control rather than power.
Mid-weight paddles are best designed to suit beginner and intermediate players learning the ropes and do not necessarily prefer either control or power.
FAQs About Surface Materials
Q1: Which is the Best pickleball surface material?
A: At face value, carbon fiber materials are lauded as the best pickleball surface materials, given the technological advancement used in making them. With crystal-like texture from the woven bonding of rayon and polyacrylonitrile, they offer an exceptional combination of power, control, and spin.
Q2: Can I alter the surface of my pickleball racket?
A: No. Especially if you intend to use your pickleball paddle for local or international tournaments under the supervision of USAPA. To reduce the trampoline effect, every paddle material is subjected to a rigorous test known as the pickleball paddle deflection test by the USAPA.
Additionally, the paddle is joined together with strong adhesive, and a print is on top of the surface material. Then the edge guard is carefully placed to minimize damage. It would be ill-advised to try dismantling and replacing the paddle surface, given the tough construction process to make paddles efficient.
