PRODUCT REVIEW

ENGAGE ENCORE

ENGAGE ENCORE BLADE ‘ LITE ’

ENGAGE ENCORE X-SERIES

BY WAYNE DOLLARD | PICKLEBALL MAGAZINE WITH ASSISTANCE FROM ROBERT ELLIOTT ( ENGAGE PICKLEBALL ) AND JIMMY BLUE ( PICKLE-BALL INC .)

2015 marked the 50th anniversary of our beloved sport founded on Bainbridge Island , WA , back in 1965 . Pickleball experienced very mild growth until a few years back when everything really took hold . According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association ( SFIA ), pickleball now has close to 3 million players ... and it ’ s still rapidly growing . Just six years ago , that number was 100,000 players .

There are now close to 50 “ Approved ” manufacturers for the sport ; however , the 13 paddle makers featured here control 99.9 % of the tournament paddle market . Of these 13 , seven control 90 % of all tournament paddle sales . They are : Pickle‐ball , Inc ., Paddletek , Pro‐lite , Selkirk , Engage , Gamma and Escalade Sports ( Onix ). At the same time , there are over a dozen other paddle producers that are rapidly growing due to high quality and technological improvements . These include : Franklin , Riverstyks , PBZ , Wolfe , PAC , and Manta . So what characteristics make a paddle unique ? The short answer is three things : the core , surface ( also called the skin or face ), and weight . Depending on the materials and layering used , every paddle will play differently by manufacturers tinkering with these three things .

Weight : 7.2 - 7.7 oz . Dimensions : 15.38 " x 8 " Core :

Polypropylene / Polymer Honeycomb

Surface : Specialized Fiberglass Price : $ 75

ENGAGE ENCORE PRO

Weight : 7.7 oz - 8.3 oz . Dimensions : 15.5 " x 8.13 " Core : Polymer Surface : Proprietary Fiberglass Price : $ 89

Weight : 7.3 - 7.6 oz . Dimensions : 17 " x 6.5 " Core : Polymer Surface : Proprietary Fiberglass Price : $ 89

ENGAGE ULTRA

Weight : 6.7 - 6.9 oz . Dimensions : 15 " x 8 " Core :

Aerospace Aluminum Honeycomb

Surface : Specialized Fiberglass Price : $ 75

Weight : 7.3 - 8.0 oz . Dimensions : 15.5 " x 8.13 " Core : Polymer Surface : Proprietary Chemical Bond Price : $ 89

GAMMA PICKLEBALL

ATOMIC 2.0

Weight : 8.0 oz . Dimensions : 15.6 " x 8.25 " Core : Aramid Honeycomb Surface : Textured Composite Price : $ 90

CORES

The main types of paddle cores are aluminum , nomex / aramid , polypropylene and polymers . Though less expensive , maple wood is another option for the traditionalist , but is rapidly being phased

Continued »

GAMMA PICKLEBALL FUSION 2.0

Weight : 8.0 oz . Dimensions : 15.7 " x 8.2 " Core : Aluminum Honeycomb Surface : Textured Composite Price : $ 70

GAMMA PICKLEBALL PHASER 2.0 GRAPHITE

Weight : 7.9 oz . Dimensions : 15.7 " x 8.2 " Core : Aramid Honeycomb Surface : Textured Graphite Price : $ 80

GAMMA PICKLEBALL NEUTRON 2.0 GRAPHITE

Weight : 7.0 oz . Dimensions : 15.6 " x 8.25 " Core : Aluminum Honeycomb Surface : Textured Graphite Price : $ 100