Top 5 Best Pickleball Paddles

Last updated: 1 September 2026

Pickleball is the fastest-growing racket sport in the country, and the paddle is the only piece of kit you really have to think about. You will see them called pickleball rackets or pickleball bats as well, particularly here in the UK, but they are all the same thing: a solid face with no strings, sitting somewhere between a table tennis bat and a tennis racket in size. TennisHQ is here to help, and our team has picked five pickleball paddles that suit players from a first game through to club standard.

Three questions are worth answering before you look at any specific paddle:

1. Are you playing socially a few times a summer, or joining a club and playing weekly?

2. Do you want the paddle to give you easy power, or control you can place the ball with?

3. Have you played tennis, squash or badminton before, or is this your first racket sport?

Two specifications do most of the work. Core thickness is usually 14mm or 16mm: a thinner core gives you more pop, while a thicker one absorbs more and gives a softer, more controlled feel with a bigger sweet spot. Surface texture matters nearly as much. A smooth face is forgiving and easy to use, while a rough or textured carbon face grips the ball and lets you generate spin, which is what separates a club player's dinks and drops from everyone else's. Weight is the third factor, and all five below sit between roughly 210g and 230g, which suits the vast majority of players. If you are still working out how pickleball differs from its neighbours, our Pickleball vs Padel guide is a good place to start.

1. Pickleball United Freedom Pickleball Paddle

The Pickleball United Freedom Pickleball Paddle, shown face on with a black and blue fibreglass face, a white P logo and a black wrapped grip.

Style of Play: All Round
Player Level: Beginner / Intermediate
Weight: 211-220g
Surface: Smooth

The least expensive paddle on this page and the sensible answer if you are not yet certain pickleball will stick. It sits at the bottom of our weight range, with a smooth fibreglass face that is forgiving on off-centre hits, and it carries both Beginner and Intermediate tags so it will not hold you back in a first season.

What it gives up is spin. A smooth face slides across the ball where a textured one grips it, so as your technique develops you will find you cannot place the ball the way an opponent with a carbon paddle can. Buy it for a few months of social games, or as a spare to keep in the car for whoever turns up. It is not the paddle for you if you already play a racket sport to a decent level.

2. HEAD Attitude Core Pickleball Paddle

The HEAD Attitude Core Pickleball Paddle, shown face on with a blue and black gradient face, white HEAD branding and a black grip.

Style of Play: Control
Player Level: Beginner
Weight: 221-230g
Surface: Smooth

The one we would hand to most people buying their first proper paddle. HEAD make equipment for players at every level of both tennis and pickleball, and the Attitude line is their genuine entry point rather than a budget sideline. The smooth face and Control character mean the ball goes roughly where you aimed it, which is the most useful thing you can have while you are still learning where to stand and when to hit.

We hold this deeper than anything else on the page, so it will still be here when you come back for a second one for a partner. The trade-off against the paddles further down is power: it will not put the ball away for you, and if you already generate your own pace you may find it a little muted. That is the right compromise for a first paddle and the wrong one for a competitive player.

3. HEAD Attitude SUPRM Pickleball Paddle

The HEAD Attitude SUPRM Pickleball Paddle, shown face on with an orange and red gradient face, blue HEAD branding down the side and a black wrapped grip.

Style of Play: All Round
Player Level: Beginner / Intermediate
Weight: 221-230g
Surface: Smooth

This is the same Attitude range as our second pick, one tier up, so it is worth thinking of the two as one paddle with a dial on it. The SUPRM swaps the Core's pure Control character for an All Round one: a little more pace available when you want it, without giving up the forgiving feel that makes the range a good place to start.

It is the pick if you have played tennis or badminton before and expect to progress quickly, or if you have had a few games on a borrowed paddle and know you are going to keep playing. It carries an Intermediate tag as well as Beginner, so it will still suit you in a year. If you are genuinely starting from nothing and playing socially, the Core above does the same job for less.

4. Li-Ning HyperPower 50 Pickleball Paddle

The Li-Ning HyperPower 50 Pickleball Paddle, shown face on with a black carbon fibre face, red and grey geometric detailing and a black wrapped grip.

Style of Play: Attacking Power
Player Level: Advanced / Professional
Weight: 221-230g
Surface: Rough

The first paddle here built for a player rather than a learner, and the best value on the page by some distance. It has a carbon fibre face over a 16mm honeycomb core, which is where most club players end up: the thicker core gives a large sweet spot and a controlled feel, while the carbon face is rough enough to grip the ball properly.

That texture is the point. Spin is what lets you hit a third shot drop that stays low and a dink that dies at the net, and you cannot do either with a smooth face however good your technique is. It asks more of you than the two HEADs above, and it will not rescue a mishit. Choose it if you are playing weekly and have started losing to people who spin the ball.

5. NOX Luxury Tempo Pickleball Paddle

The NOX Luxury Tempo Pickleball Paddle, shown face on with a black 18K aluminised carbon face, blue and grey chequered detailing and a NOX branded grip.

Style of Play: Attacking Power
Player Level: Advanced / Professional
Weight: 221-230g
Surface: Textured carbon

The most serious paddle on the page and the one you will not outgrow. NOX are a padel and pickleball specialist rather than a tennis brand extending its range, and the Luxury Tempo uses an 18K aluminised carbon fibre face, a denser weave that holds its texture longer than standard carbon, which is the usual weak point of a spin paddle.

Against the Li-Ning above it is the same brief executed further: more spin, a more solid feel through the ball, and a price to match. The honest comparison is that most players will not feel the difference in their first year, so it earns its place only if you are already competing. It is not a beginner's paddle, and a beginner would play worse with it than with our second pick.

Summary

If you want one answer, the HEAD Attitude Core is the paddle most people starting pickleball should buy, and we hold it deeply enough that you can come back for another. Beyond that: the Pickleball United Freedom if you are testing whether the sport is for you, the Attitude SUPRM if you already know it is and want the same paddle one tier up, the Li-Ning HyperPower 50 as the first genuine spin paddle and the best value here, and the NOX Luxury Tempo if you are competing. The two carbon paddles at the end are held in small numbers, so if you have your eye on one it is worth ordering rather than waiting. A fresh overgrip also makes more difference than most people expect and costs very little: browse Pickleball Grips and the full Pickleball Paddles range.