Gearbox Pro Paddle Review - It's the future and we're still living in the past
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- čas přidán 17. 10. 2023
- #pickleball #paddle
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Arguably the best paddle you can buy on the market at the time of recording this video. The perfect paddle doesn't exist but the new Gearbox Pro Paddles come awfully close and gives us a glimpse into the future of paddle technology.
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Another very good paddle review. It was getting harder to pick out which new paddle to buy, but I believe this is the one. Get one before they are sold out!
Wow that Today Show clip didn't age well. As always, fantastic review Will. This one made me laugh a few times.
nice review thanks you i just got the control elongated and used your link hope it helps :)
I love the internet creation clips haha
I have the Fusion power coming tomorrow. Cant wait to play with thst thing
Let us know your review
Got mine today (Pro Power Elongated) and took it and hit with a machine and switched a little back to the Legacy Pro every third shot. I've been using the Legacy for about 8 months now and previous to that the Ben Johns Hyperion and before that a Gearbox (super soft). Have tried a few other but always ended back on the Legacy. A guy also had a Perseus today which we switched for some hitting back and forth. The Gearbox like my original just feels so much higher quality and also the "feel" is superior but this Gearbox is not mushy like my original. Swapped that one out real quick. This one will replace my Legacy Pro finally. When you angle your shot off the paddle it does turn more so you do have to adjust but drops feel better as you don't have to push so much and the drive is really nice too. Felt slightly better than my Legacy as I was able to drive flatter. Will take some adjustment but I think it should be no issue. I kinda feel control is more player related and power is both paddle and player but that may be because the Legacy and this paddle made a huge difference coming from an older Gearbox and the Hyperion. Control just improved over time probably too. I like it.
Thx fir great review
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how good the paddle is the the user doesn't know how to play well. I've seen countless players use the top paddles out there and still struggle to make simple shots.
Great video honestly. Love your take and the humor involved. Also you can tell in the game footage that you’re a pretty incredible player. Great job man.
I appreciate that! Keep up your work bro 💪
“You know who you are 🫵” 😂😂
Aight I finally caved and bought this despite having and loving the Ruby and Shogun. I can’t help myself…
The "trampoline effect" is EXACTLY what tennis rackets do with a tennis ball.
It leads to greater spin, top/back and may help with control.
VERY interesting paddle.
It's still cheaper than Project-003 line of paddles...
$275.00/ is a grip but might be worth it in the end...
Christmas??
Had a GB CX11 and sold it after one weekend.... felt completely dead to me... been HAPPILY using a Vatic Pro Prism V7 for the last six months, but I listened to you & Chris' and ordered an Elongated Control paddle today... now backordered, so we'll see how the compare/contrast is in a month or so...
I just got the Vatic Prism Flash 14mm, now I'm so tempted to get this paddle 😭
Just smile with the Vatic Prism Flash and feel smug that you saved at least $175... (I caved though, out of curiosity on this one and signed for an Elongated Control model earlier today) - you chose wisely on the Vatic Prism though... it'll keep you smiling for a lonnnnng time...
Picklewilllll!!!
Out of curiosity, why the elongated for the control, but the fusion for the power? Thanks!
Great review! Leaning towards Fusion Power cos of the different shape. Chris was meh on the fusion, but you’re for it. What do you like about the Fusion over the Elongated?
Hand speed for doubles. Also since the sweet spot is shifted down it's much easier to control the power/pop imho
Great review.
Hopefully price will go down when their warehouse is stock up and sale volume is low 🙏 might get this when price goes down to $200 🤣
Good luck. GB never lowers the price of their paddles. CX line is still $199 and CX Ultimate still $249.
I think the gearbox pro power elongated paddle is a great paddle.
My thoughts on the Gearbox elongated pro power pickleball paddle.
The Gearbox elongated pro power pickleball paddle is a power paddles and if you want better control of a power paddle then you need to add weight around the whole pickleball paddle which made mine a power paddle and a control paddle. I added 11 three gram stripes around my pro power paddle.
Also the reason for adding weights to ANY paddle is so that the paddle does not seem lighter than the pickleball itself when hitting or striking the pickleball. which without weights makes ANY paddle harder to control. I prefer to use any paddle that is not dominated by the pickleball itself when striking the pickleball which is why it is good to add weights to any and all paddles. and adding weights around the paddle also increases the sweep spot of the paddle.
I think you may have worded that wrong! Eleven 3oz strips would be 33oz 😅 I’m guessing you meant eleven 0.3oz strips which is still an obscene amount of weight that thing must swing like a brick lol personally I’d say you’d want to go no more then 0.5-1oz of additional weight just to keep swing speed moderate and hands quick.
Playing against an eva or a delaminated legacy paddles raise a red flag with me. I guess if you can’t beat them I have to join them. Yes I want a gearbox pro
You think it’ll get banned?
Also, does the panda have a name?
The backhand shot at 2:15 wtffff
Love the analogy and connection with the Internet, so clever. Quickly pulled me in.
Yes totally will get banned. Check out the PickleballCentral review (they cut the paddle open), this paddle has foam all over it! The edges and all in the middle. Somehow this foam paddle got approved, it is crazy, I guess foam plus ribbing make it legal? Sad to see pickleball getting too fast for its own good, racquetball 2.0 coming if they don't slow it down.
Currently using the cx14 ultimate standard length and love it. Amongst these four though which one would feel the most similar?
Control Fusion would be the closest but I would also try the power fusion
Is there a big difference in power between the control and power version??
Epic review. I have no interest in playing better. I just want to hit harder. Mine arrives tomorrow 😎
I bought one couple days ago and they haven’t sent it yet .. When you bought yours ??
My brotha!
@@RickLeon7same. I bought one morning of release it hasn’t shipped or given me any updates. I bought well before the 2-4 weeks back order was showing on website
Did y’all get your already ?
It’s out for delivery. The hype got me good so I ordered the second it became available.
Thank you for your time and posting. Bought one three days ago. $275? Four years ago, EVERYONE was complaining about the $200 price of a Selkirk paddle and said they would never sell at that price point. But they sold out for many months. So is $275 too much. Not really, is spending $200 to go out to dinner too much and all you really have are memories (if you remember) and a crap the next day? :) Just different opinions. And just a note, for $275, a better grip would have been nice.
I wonder if the other top tier paddle companies, i.e. Joola, Selkirk, etc. are now scrambling to develop something similar.
They are all developing something. Might not be in the same way
Hey will you brought up the Selkirk power air. How does it compare with feel/stiffness? I have some soft hands and looking to upgrade to more stiff and pop.
The gearbox pros feels much softer and the sounds is more satisfying. The Selkirk Power Air will feel stiffer. It's a completely different feel and sound. I think the Pro will have a bit more pop but it will feel like it lags when coming off the paddle face when compared to the Power Air
Liked. Read quite a few scattered comments that the retail versions are a lot less power than the ones they sent to reviewers. Wondering if you can find a retail version ordered by someone off the street (not yourself) and see if they are the same. Curious.
It takes some break in time but I doubt the reviewers got anything that different
Great review, Will! I’m wondering how these paddles are purposefully designed to do exactly what a delaminated paddle does; by pocketing the ball and creating the trampoline effect, but somehow can still be legal and pass deflection? Even if they are perfectly legal, if someone’s easily able to produce 30% more power without any negative effects to control, these will completely change the game; in rec play no one will want to play against someone that has one, and all the paddle companies will have to start paying Gearbox for their patents. I’m not sure this paddle being legal is good for Pickleball but I’m sure there’s going to be a huge uproar in the professional Pickleball community. I love the tech and innovation, but I wont be an early adopter for this one.
The testing parameters are set. Smart engineers can make something powerful that is still within the testing parameters. New testing parameters have to be made.
Agree, I’m out on this. There’s a fine line between power and something being dangerous. When a young and skilled player literally can’t avoid a powerful speed up at close range, it now becomes dangerous…especially for older people or out of control knuckleheads who only go on the court to flex how hard they can hit.
Bought one three days ago. You have a choice to play with me or not. USAPA approved the paddle. You shouldn't be playing with that knucklehead who only goes on the court to flex how hard they can hit it anyway. IMHO. :)
has yours shipped yet? I bought mine on Monday as well and it says it might take 2-4 weeks to ships :(@@Mr.DJones
@@Mr.DJonesI bought one too.. Did they ship yours already?
Volair forza or gearbox pro power elongated?
Will, on this edgeless paddle (my first edgeless) are they designed to have the gearbox protective nylon tape around the top like 10-2 o'clock.? or does Gearbox have the edgeless protection built in to the carbon fiber edge. thanks. Just Subscribed , liked, and commented.
These paddles have a decal around the edges already but it’s more to cover up any minor blemishes that is a result of the bonding/curing process. I would recommend adding an additional layer of protective tape if you are a player that sometimes scrapes your paddle on the ground
thank you!@@PickleballWill
@pickleballwill any chance you can do a review of the new Vauraus paddle by your buddy Cliff Pickleball? Also, what do you think of the new Hufdef Viva Pro GEN2? thanks!
Might not get to the Vauraus soon. I did speak briefly about it in my last Update video as well as the Viva Pro 2. Viva 2 is good paddle with a very high swing weight and is very well suited for singles and for very aggressive baseline play. You wanna make sure you have your technique down for doubles
@PickleballWill thanks Will! Exactly my concern with doubles...the hand speed with the high swing weight of 124. Coming from a tennis background, singles would be fine. I've been trying to transition from my Ronbus R3.16 and that really helped me cut down on my drives, like my "banging all the time" days are over lol and I've gotten comfortable with my dinks and resets. I'm looking for an all around paddle, and I've demo'd the R1 Pulsar, R1 Nova, and the 16mm Forza. I know you're an R3 Pulsar fan but that too has a high swing weight of 124. I'm just intrigued with the Vauraus which is 16mm, elongated with a 6-inch handle, claiming to have swing weight of under 120...hmmm. I'm gravitating towards the R1 Pulsar but still eyeing the Viva Gen2 or Vauraus. Maybe I can get them and just get low and choke up on the grip, up in the throat just like you and your buddy Briones suggested when you get up at the net 😁
How good is this paddle?
Half a dozen guys I know playing 4.0+ at my club got them and every one of them was noticeably better right away.
I got my power elongated 2-3 months ago and everything else feels like a pillow, even my Legacy Pro, which I love. Save your nickels and get one.
hey Will, which one is closest to the DBD 14mm Control, ya think?
Fusion Control
I finally made it on a video lol
Will why did you prefer the control? I got mine today control fusion model. I'm definitely trying to adjust.
The adjustment feels like when I first started using my cx14h 2 years ago where I felt like the more I let loose the better it gets. I didn't feel crazy power yet but I think I'm playing right afraid to pop too much. The sound is amazing I love that it's so quiet.
I am gonna put lead at 8-10 like Jon kew and see how it feels .
That power elongated is just too much for me to handle and play my best in all areas. My drives become insane with it at the cost of my resets and touch. The Power Fusion isn't nearly as bad as I feel I can control that one better. The Elongated Control is probably the overall best for me and my style as I like to drive a lot but I don't want to sacrifice my touch and resets. Since I do have the opportunity to play with some pretty high level players and sometimes pros, my soft game needs to be as good as i can get it and i just dont think i can do it with the power elongated
With the increase of power and put aways, would that diminish those epic & endless rallies at the net? Because i think that what most fans love to watch & players long for when they get to those back & forth exchanges
It’s def a possibility but could also incentivize players to get better. Only time will tell
USAPA has rules on how stiff a paddle can be, how is it able to have the trampoline effect without breaking the stiffness regulations?
Because it’s the opposite of stiff. Even though I bought this one, I think it might get banned at some point.
would I buy this paddle...too late, already did...yup, I am psycho but I gotta at least try it before it gets banned..LOL
Oh it for sure won’t get banned. USAPA would get sued
@@spencerfisher4080why? It’s not USAPA that will ban it. It’s likely PPA and MLP that will ban it.
Which model
Did you get ?
@@douglasmurdoch7247for sure if BJ gets beat , just like he tried to with PROXR
@@douglasmurdoch7247 rethink your definition of likely
How does this compare to the diadem vice?
Kinda sounds like it but not as powerful. Much more controllable
If you are one of the many who paid a premium for this paddle and got a dud. And Gearbox won't stand behind the warranty. Simply file a claim in your community small claims court to hold them accountable.
Will, after all the time spent playing them , have you settled on the Power Fusion or elongated?
Power Fusion and control elongated. Would probably go for power fusion
Thanks for the reply! lOve your channel.@@PickleballWill
Will someone please explain to me why my Gearbox Power Pro Elongated has no power and even less pop? I have never seen a paddle got such great reviews so I had to buy one and I am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED with the paddle! What am I missing? I am a 5.0 player and I hit with a lot of top spin but my volleys had less pop than my Ronbus by far!!! Not happy at all with this paddle!!!
So the big question is would you opt for this over the new LUXX coming out next week? There’s zero info about that paddle out there for some reason 🤔
The Luxx is a retail version of Selkirk Labs 003
@@JoshPainterDrums thanks for the info
Tough to say. As I do really like the Luxx control air. I actually think I would if I was strictly a doubles player. The control air I think is a better control paddle
I think the second gen will be better made - the edge tape-like construction looks lest than robust and the face do not look flat??? The rest of the specs looks top notch 👍👍
if they are the same thickness, can someone clarify what is actually technically different between control and power models?
How the cores are designed with the stiffness, arrangement, and width of the folded sst core carbon fiber sheets
Also I think something about the way the carbon fiber layers are laid. The straighter the fiber the more the flex. Some of the layers are put at 15 or 60 degree angles to each other varying the flex. Huge generalization of course, I’m not an expert in any way.
Am I being dumb? But what spec wise is different between the control and the power?
none, except the core and feel
The angle that the carbon fiber is laid at. Makes a big difference in response... golf clubs, bats, bike parts, etc. All use angles to create desired effects. Skis and snowboards as well
Filthy banger 😂
Another great review Will! 👏
Kudos to Gearbox for getting an EVA paddle approved. I don't think it will pass MLP's deflection test nor the upcomming coefficient of restitution test that will be implemented by PPA and MLP. I think USAPA missed the mark on this paddle approval.
Yeah, the core is stuffed with foam. To be fair though, this paddle has already seen professional tournament use and it’s been challenged and it has not been deemed out of spec. If you look at the PB Central review, they have a cross section and the individual cores have foam.
Great call @paulelkins425 this is an EVA paddle all the way. The EVA foam is providing all the power while the little bit of core structure helps keep the deflection low enough to pass USAPA testing. It should have not been approved. You have to wonder if the USAPA even cut the thing open to look inside.
Fusion power or fusion control?
Fusion power for me but elongated control
@@PickleballWill do you think the power is too hard to control ?
@titochop it’s not too hard to control but you have to be confident with your touch. I’d say it’s easier to control than the Black Ace and Power Air
@@PickleballWill do you think the fusion power or volair forza easier to control ? I have the forza now.
@titochop they are about the same to me. Fusion Power might take a bit more of an adjustment
Thanks for the review! @PickleballWill will toy guys be reviewing the Spartus Ballista V2 anytime soon?
Unfortunately not, I actually have yet to hit with any of the paddles from Spartus
@@PickleballWill oh bummer. The new ballista looks very interesting and there’s on very detailed CZcams review about it. Thanks for the reply!
I REALLY hope there’s eventually a mph limit, or something along the lines soon. I’m genuinely worried for the sport and people if these become a staple that everyone has to have. Sure, it would be fun to use, and maybe watch a couple pro matches where they all use OP paddles, but it will get insanely, dangerous, and stale at some point. There’s already bangers out there who ruin the game for most anyway lol
We have the technology to find the loopholes in legality of paddles, it’s just going to keep happening.
How do bangers “ruin the game”? If you’re struggling against bangers you’re probably a low level player. Hit deep returns and drop shot/dink at their backhands.
@@bobbyknight9709 take it with a grain of salt.
Idk if putting a hard arbitrary limit on mph is the answer but the limits should be obtained by the rules implemented by the governing body on testing and materials
@@PickleballWill wouldn’t there be loopholes found in that as well?
Feels like these paddles are gearing more towards the younger more competitive players since they will be able to unleash its potential. I like it lol
sold out until December and doesn't say so on their sight. I found out after ordering day of release and had to call to find out. I cancelled my order.
Ya I’m my opinion, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage playing with the fusion shape. That extra real estate needs to go somewhere, whether it’s to widening the paddle face or even to just the handle length. You have a less overall hitting surface, less reach and it didn’t even increase the sweetspot, in fact, the sweetspot is now worse and all that for a little more handspeed.
By this time next year, you will be able to buy the best pickleball paddle that has an AI technology built in it. It will literally play for you for a super low price of only $50K. Pickleball companies are becoming so greedy so fast for a sport that is still in its infancy. It’s a price that we have to pay for living in a capitalistic world. For a brief moment in history when the VaticPro came out with great paddles that are affordable for the masses, I thought that the industry was moving in the right direction then Selkirk came out with some ridiculously overpriced paddle and from that point on, it became a race to see who can make the most expensive paddle. It has really become a major turn off for me to continue playing pickleball when it has now become just another snobbish sport reserved for the rich and famous!
I can see where you are coming from. Becoming snobbish, probably. But you don’t have to pay these prices for a good a paddle and their are other options out there. Both Selkirk and Joola have entry level and affordable options for the masses as well as a myriad of other companies that are entering the space. I think it’s a good thing that the sport can support such a wide price range for equipment as it shows that we as sports community can grow and support a larger player base and that’s what these companies ultimately want
Did my research and made the decision to pay the full price. My #1 reason for that is "IT'S NON POLYPRO CORE" constructION. Durability, quality materials and high technology is the other. Not your cookie cutter stamped out clones like most of the others.
GEARBOX.....THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE.!!!
Ferrari, must be laud though fast. Still think a Tesla is faster! lol Eventually they will come out with a paddle as quiet as a Tesla run!! lol
So, you say this Gearbox is better than the new Engage paddle that recently came out?
I think it’s overall better. The Engage Pursuit pro I would probably prefer in terms of touch and feel but the Gearbox pro is just constructed better and better looking imho
@@PickleballWill, hopefully I get to test hit someone’s who gets it and feel it myself! Everyone has a preferred feel to paddles and I still can’t find one that I like better than the Franklin paddle. Don’t need power from a paddle as I already have that within my strength and seek for something that has control but looks cool.(^^)smile
One thing for sure it is the most expensive