My personal favorite paddle has quickly become to Ronbus R1 Pulsar, and you can read all about that on it's own review: Ronbus R1 Pulsar Pickleball Paddle review - but for that reason I was even more excited to be able to finally get my hands on the Six Zero Double Black Diamond.
To make it clear right off the bat: I'm a 16mm player, so that's what almost all my pickleball paddle reviews are based on, with the exception of a few that come in other shapes and sizes.
I've heard some other awesome paddle reviews (like Chris Olson at Pickleball Studio, for example) make mention to the fact that these two paddles feel so similar, but he actually prefers the DBD and has it as one of his main paddle choices.
Coming in being a big fan of the big competitive "copycat" market phase we're in right now among pickleball paddles, loving the feel of the thermoformed tech with T700 carbon fiber faces, I knew I was definitely going to love the Six Zero Double Black Diamond, I just wasn't sure if it was going to be my new all time favorite.
In our full Six Zero Double Black Diamond pickleball paddle review below I'll be breaking down exactly what I loved about it, and some of the only reasons it didn't get a higher score (albeit few reasons).
I'll also be talking about some of my other favorite paddle choices, strictly in the form of comparisons for our current paddle market competition, as well as sharing my code "THESLICE" that you can use to grab your own Six Zero Double Black Diamond paddle - saving you an immediate $18 at checkout.
That said, you'll also learn all about the specifics below, and I'd love to know what you think. Have you tried the Six Zero Double Black Diamond paddle? Do you like it? Where does it fall within your top 5-10 paddles?
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Full Paddle Technical Specifications
PRICE: $180 ($162 with code THESLICE)
GET 10% OFF WITH CODE "THESLICE": Click Here
THERMOFORMED: Yes
SHAPE: Hybrid
MATERIALS: Toray 700K Raw Carbon and Premium Honeycomb Polymer Core
THICKNESS: 14mm or 16mm
WEIGHT: 8.1 oz
LENGTH: 16.3 in
WIDTH: 7.5 - 7.7 in
GRIP LENGTH: 5.5 in
GRIP CIRCUMFERENCE: 4.25 in
WARRANTY: 120 DAYS
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Brief Introduction and Discussion (Plus Pros and Cons)
The Six Zero Double Black Diamond Paddle comes in at either 14MM or 16MM allowing you to choose if you're going to want a bit more pop off the face (I personally don't think most players will need it at 16MM, as I'll discuss below), and has a hybrid shape to it.
It has the T700 Toray 700K Raw Carbon face that allows it to have insane spin and uses thermoforming to make it super durable while also giving it the extra power and pop that gives us nice drives while staying categorizes as a control paddle.
The grip length is 5.5", making it perfect for 2H backhands and the 16.3 inch length allows for nice drives from the baseline, while the 8.1 oz (mine was 7.99) feels light and quick.
At $180 ($162 with code "THESLICE"), this paddle stays extremely competitive while being one of the best performing paddles on the market.
The Pros
Insane Spin Potential
Incredible Control and Feel
Massive Power Potential but not too poppy
Great Swing Weight for Quick Hands
The Cons
Currently Super Limited Stock (Six Zero is actively working on fixing stock issues)
They're working to fix delamination issues
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Control and Feel Review: 9.5/10
The Double Black Diamond paddle is up there with the best control and feel I have ever had from a paddle - feeling soft and plush while still allowing me to generate power AND feel like I have hyper quick hands at the net.
I personally think I have played with a couple paddles that seemed to have a little more plush, soft feelings that really grabbed the ball and let me control it ever so slightly more, which is why this one comes in at 9.5, but it's so minimal and the trade off that the other paddles had for pop, power, spin and durability put them no where near the level of the Double Black Diamond.
This paddle is extremely forgiving with a nice sweet spot, making it a great pick for all levels of players.
I was originally thinking of finding a way to bring this one slightly above the 9.5 that I gave the R1 Pulsar because it's a bit more stiff, but I think after some play time with both paddles these both have the control that warrants the 9.5 score - it'll just be more about what the individual player prefers.
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Power Review: 9/10
With the amount of control you get from the Six Zero Double Black Diamond players might immediately assume you'd sacrifice some power for it - but I have actually seen some paddle reviews categorize this paddle as a power paddle (when compared to all paddles) - though I would personally put it in the all around category.
While this one might not be as powerful as some of the super poppy paddles like the CRBN 1X Power Series and Selkirk Power Air, you definitely have plenty of power to put balls away and drive through your opponents.
Actually, I personally think it has the perfect amount of power potential that allows you to have put away power without becoming too poppy and losing the control like you may with some of the other paddles I mentioned.
But, considering this is a score ranking based on the overall amount of power the paddle has, it is coming in at a 9 out of 10, though I suppose an argument could be made that the 10 out of 10 scores should actually be lower considering in order to get there they had to sacrifice some control.
The Double Black Diamond is thermoformed, which is what gives the extra durability and natural power behind it, and Six Zero does an incredible job making the best mold of both power and control for this one - where there Black Diamond (not DOUBLE Black Diamond) is the power choice out of their two pro paddles.
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Spin Potential Review: 10/10
There's not all that much to say about the spin potential of the Double Black Diamond paddle other than the fact that it consistently ranks in within the top ten paddles on the market.
Chris Olson (Pickleball Studio) has it at number seven out of TONS of paddles in his RPM (Spin) category, Pickleball Journey ranks it at number three, Pickleball Effect scores it Very High (his highest category) and I agree - knowing that this one is definitely going to be able to give ANY player the spin potential they need to do what they want with the ball.
Top spin? Slice? No problem.
Both the 16MM and the 14MM are going to be able to generate an insane amount of spin, putting the Double Black Diamond up there with some of the other King of Spins amount paddles on the market - fully deserving of the ten out of ten score.
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Aesthetic and Personal Opinion: 10/10
Every time we get to this section I make mention to the fact that I personally prefer a super minimalistic and plain black design when it comes to my paddles.
I do like being able to add some colored grip and edge guard if I want (to make it pop), but that's about it.
That said, I need to give credit where credit is due: the Six Zero Double Black Diamond not only looks awesome in it's base form, but Six Zero is constantly giving options to make it look even cooler for players who like a bit more flash.
They've had their limited edition rainbow variation, they have their black with white logo, cherry blossom pink, and now even a cherry blossom pink variation with pink edge guard to add the pop for you.
Tack on the fact that this is now tied as my personal go-to pickleball paddle, and there should be no surprise that I'm giving this one a score of 10 out of 10 for this category as well.
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Everything Else: 9.5/10
Similar to the R1 Pulsar from Ronbus, the Six Zero Double Black Diamond paddle hits all the marks you could want in a pickleball paddle, and does them all extremely well.
While other paddles might be exceptionally good at one category, or a jack of all trades that don't seem to shine in any specific category, the Double Black Diamond not only does all the categories well, but it blows most paddles out of the water in each of them.
There are some other paddles on the market that compete with it, with companies like Ronbus, Vatic Pro, CRBN and a few others doing extremely well with their T700 carbon fiber faces, thermoforming and similar specs - Six Zero comes in at an extremely competitive price range, beating out tons of competition.
Where Joola, CRBN and Selkirk might come in at $200-300+, Six Zero joins other companies like Ronbus and Vatic Pro that bring you a pro level paddle for under $200 ($180 down to $162 with code "THESLICE" is just insane for this paddle).
There are a couple newer companies that are bringing in some similar specs at prices under $150, so I won't give this one a ten out of ten, strictly to be fair as I do think there is a tiny bit of wiggle room in the market, but if it were up to me to make a quick score on this one it would pass with an A+++ here as well.
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review -
Closing Thoughts: 48/50
There you have it, only our second paddle amount our pickleball paddle reviews to score this close to a 50/50, which is obviously why it is one of my top choices in paddles when I'm hitting the court (and I obviously have a LOT of choices in my bags).
While you might not find it among our Pro Player Pickleball Paddle Database, you have a player like Jaume Martinez Vich who is quickly rising through the ranks (especially in singles) that prefers the Six Zero Black Diamond Power paddle on the court; and I'm sure more pros will quickly be picking the Double Black Diamond as well.
As long as Six Zero continues to improve on their stock issues with the Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond, bringing out more and more paddles for the increasing demand of players that want to get their hands on them - and the delamination issues they have had in the passed - they will easily continue to grow into one of the top paddle companies in the industry.
Have you played with the Six Zero Double Black Diamond?
Is it in your top three preferred pickleball paddles?
