For this pickleball paddle listicle we're coming in with the top ten pickleball paddles for beginners.
I'm going to be going through all different types of beginners from beginners on a budget to beginners who are coming from tennis, all the way to beginners that are super athletic and playing a lot and therefore finding themselves moving to intermediate and beyond faster than normal.
I do want to make mention that another great list to look at for the best paddles for beginners would be my list of the top ten pickleball paddles under $100.
A lot of the same paddles make it onto that list, and I do make some cuts to some paddles that I generally wouldn't put on a list that only make it onto this one due to a much lower price point for people looking to only spend a specific amount to try it out.
There are plenty of sayings that go to the tune of "it's not the arrow, it's the archer", which come to also have players saying or thinking "it's not the pickleball paddle, it's the player"; and in many ways that can be true.
But what I also want to remember is that archers are very particular about their bows the same way golfers are out there getting fitted for their clubs and pickleball players will need to choose the best paddle for them.
At the end of the day if you hand Ben Johns a wooden paddle he's still going to beat any beginner out there with the best paddle on the market - but there will come a point where having a paddle better equipped for your play style and/or level will make you a much better player.
So, yes, there are great beginner paddles to start with for people who have no racquet sport background or athletic background at all, and paddles that are great for beginners that are just looking to get into pickleball as a light side hobby, but then there will also be great pickleball paddles for people who are a little more used to holding a paddle or racquet in there hand or plan on taking it a bit more seriously (or playing more often, etc.).
That said, if you make it through this list and think I'm missing any other recommendations for pickleball paddles that are good for beginners please don't hesitate to comment below and let me know so I can check them out and add them to the list!
Top Ten Pickleball Paddles for Beginners
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
Number One and Two:
Vatic Pro Prism Flash and V7
The Best Overall Option
(Price, Paddle Quality, Player Skill Level Flexibility)
Buy Now For $99 $89 with Code "THESLICE"
Great Alternative: The Vatic Pro Prism V7 - Which is the elongated version.
VATIC PRO PRISM FLASH/V7 SPECS:
PRICE: $99 ($89 with code "TheSlice")
SHAPE: Flash Hybrid - V7 Elongated
MATERIALS: Raw TORAY T700 Carbon Fiber with Polymer Core
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: Flash 16.3" - V7 16.5"
WIDTH: 7.5"
AVG. WEIGHT: Flash 7.8-8.2 OZ - V7 8.1-8.5oz
GRIP LENGTH: 5.3"
THICKNESS: Flash 14/16MM - V7 16MM
Coming in at number one among our best pickleball paddles for beginners is the Vatic Pro Prism Flash.
The Vatic Pro Prism Flash is a paddle that you're going to see topping lists of all different types. The best paddle under $100, the best paddle for beginners, the best control paddle, and more.
This one does it all. It has great hand speed, spin, control, and supplies ample power when needed - especially for a non-thermoformed paddle under $100.
There's no beating this one, and only a few options even come close (like the Ronbus R-Series that make it onto our list of the best paddles under $100).
I personally use the thermoformed version of this paddle, which is what is going to join our list next, but you also have the option between the Flash and V7 model, which is really going to come down to deciding between hand speed. The swing weight is much higher on the V7, because it is an elongated shape, so I generally recommend the Flash for most players - but there are some that prefer a heavier paddle.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
Number Three and Four:
Vatic Pro Flash and V7
The Best Thermoformed Options
Buy Now For $139.99 $129.99 with Code "THESLICE"
Great Alternative: The Vatic Pro V7 or brand new Vatic Pro Alchemy (<- My Review).
VATIC PRO FLASH/V7 SPECS:
PRICE: $139.99 ($129.99 with code "TheSlice")
SHAPE: Flash Hybrid - V7 Elongated
MATERIALS: Raw TORAY T700 Carbon Fiber with Polymer Core
THERMOFORMED: Yes
LENGTH: Flash 16.3" - V7 16.5"
WIDTH: Flash 7.7" - V7 7.5"
AVG. WEIGHT: Flash 7.8-8.2 OZ
GRIP LENGTH: 5.3"
THICKNESS: Flash 14/16MM - V7 16MM
Coming in at number three and four on our list of the best beginner pickleball paddles are our Vatic Pro Flash and V7.
These should look extremely familiar considering they are identical in aesthetic to the Prism line that came in above, just orange instead of purple lettering.
The difference between the Vatic Pro Prism Flash and V7 and the regular Vatic Pro Flash and V7 is the fact that the Prism line is not thermoformed.
Thermoforming is the way the paddle is made in unibody construction, resulting in much more power, pop and durability.
That said, I would only recommend going to the Vatic Pro Flash and V7 if you specifically need help with power off the paddle
Generally speaking, beginners might have a hard time controlling the ball with the amount of power these two bring to the table - but I have met some people that have some shoulder issues resulting in less power in their swing that prefer a thermoformed option.
I personally play with the Vatic Pro Flash, and when you begin to dial in your control you may decide you want a thermoformed option as well.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
Number Five and Six:
Hudef Viva Pro and Hudef Apex Pro
The Next Best Options
Buy The Hudef Apex Pro Now For $89 $75 with Code "THESLICE"
Buy The Hudef Viva Pro Now For $99 $84 with Code "THESLICE"
HUDEF VIVA & APEX PRO SPECS:
PRICE: Viva Pro: $99 ($84 with code "THESLICE")
Apex Pro: $89 ($75 with code "THESLICE")
SHAPE: Viva Elongated - Apex Wide Body
MATERIALS: T700 Raw Carbon Fiber Face with Polypropylene Honeycomb Core
THERMOFORMED: No (Just Edges)
LENGTH: Viva 16.5" - Apex 16.06"
WIDTH: Viva 7.4" - Apex 7.9"
AVG. WEIGHT: 7.8-8.3 oz
GRIP LENGTH: Viva 5.5" - Apex 4.9"
THICKNESS: 16MM or 14MM (For Both)
Coming in at number five and six on our list of the best pickleball paddles for beginners are our Hudef Viva Pro and Hudef Apex Pro.
These were also on our list of the best paddles for under $100, and they are actually some of the best paddles for the price, especially the Apex Pro.
I did want to include the Viva Pro to give you guys another elongated option being that the V7 is so heavy, but the main winner here is the Apex Pro.
The Apex Pro comes in with a wide body shape that has an awesome sweet spot, but also has great spin and awesome control for beginners.
At just $75 with code "THESLICE" for 15% off, it's hard to not choose a frontrunner like this one if you're specifically looking for a wide body shape and/or shorter handle.
I personally love both of these paddles and even recently started adding the Hudef Viva Pro Gen2 paddle into my personal paddle rotation as well (the fully thermoformed option of the Viva Pro that I added to our runner ups below).
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
Number Seven:
Ronbus R-Series
A Special Shoutout
Buy Now For $120 $99 with Code "RCSLICE"
Great Alternative: Ronbus Pulsar Series - Which are the thermoformed options.
RONBUS RSERIES SPECS:
PRICE: $120 ($99 with code "RCSlice")
SHAPE: R1 Hybrid - R2 Isometric - R3 Elongated
MATERIALS: Raw TORAY T700 Carbon Fiber with Polypropylene Honeycomb
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: R1 & R3 16.5" - R2 15.7"
WIDTH: R1 & R3 7.5" - R2 8.1"
AVG. WEIGHT: 7.9-8.2 oz
GRIP LENGTH: R1 & R3 5.5" - R2 4.9"
THICKNESS: R-Series 16MM
Coming in at number seven among our best pickleball paddles for beginners are our three options from the Ronbus R-Series.
Being that this one is more of just an honorable mention, I'm only counting it as one paddle on this list so I can continue on with three more great options (and then some more alternatives) below.
The Ronbus R-Series is very similar to the Vatic Pro Prism series in that they are incredible options with carbon fiber faces that will produce great control and spin and come in with the hybrid and elongated option - BUT, they also have a wide body option as well (the R2).
Also similar to Vatic Pro, these come in under $100 ($120 down to $100 with code RCSLICE), and have an upgraded version of them that is thermoformed.
And, like the Vatic Pro Flash that I use, I also have the Ronbus R1 Pulsar in my top three paddles as well (the Pulsar line being the upgraded thermoformed series I made mention to).
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
Number Eight: ONESHOT Beginner Bundle
The Best Beginner Bundle Deal
Buy Now For $106.99 $96.29 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link
Decent Option: Build Your Own Bundle with JustPaddles (No Slice Promo)
ONESHOT BEGINNER BUNDLE SPECS:
PRICE: $106.99 ($96.29 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link)
BUNDLE: 2 Paddles, 4 Pickleball Balls and a Bag
SHAPE: Standard
MATERIALS: Composite Face with Polypropylene Honeycomb Core
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: 15.7"
WIDTH: 8.2"
WEIGHT: 7.2-7.3 oz
GRIP LENGTH: 5"
THICKNESS: 12mm
Coming in at number eight on our list of the best pickleball paddles for beginners is the ONESHOT Beginner Bundle.
I personally don't love bundle options, but I know some people are going to be specifically looking for them, so I wanted to give an option on this list.
This is the best bundle option you can grab for under $100 (if you use the link it'll auto give you 10% off that will be applied in the cart, making it less than $100), that also includes 4 balls and a bag.
If given the option, I'm telling you guys to grab two Vatic Pro Prisms for $89 each and a couple balls, but I know sometimes people are looking for a less expensive way to try it out.
I also added the option to build your own bundle with JustPaddles, which is one of our partners, but being that you get a big discount for those, The Slice promo won't be added on top.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
Number Nine: Head Radical Elite
The Best For Ex-Tennis Players
Buy Now for $64.95 $58.45 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link
Good Alternatives: Upgraded Versions of the Head Radical Line (10% Off with This Link)
HEAD RADICAL ELITE SPECS:
PRICE: $64.95 ($58.45 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link)
SHAPE: Standard
MATERIALS: Fiberglass Face with OTC Polymer Honeycomb with Extended Powercore
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: 16"
WIDTH: 7.875"
AVG. WEIGHT: 8.1 oz
GRIP LENGTH: 5"
THICKNESS: 15MM
At number nine on our list of the best pickleball paddles for beginners is the Head Radical Elite.
I added the Head Radical Elite Pro to our best paddles under $100 list, but I wanted to add this one here for a couple reasons.
I know a lot of people get into pickleball and like this shape and the side of the handle, but that's really not the reason.
The reasons are actually because I wanted to make sure we had more than one decent option close to $50, and the main reason is because HEAD actually had a ton of different variations to the Radical line that range from this $58 price point all the way to $189 ($160 with the promo link) or so - that make it a decent option for those of you looking to jump in at $50, $100, or even $150 that may be fans of the brand.
Yeah, I'm talking to you ex-tennis players out there.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
Number Ten: Diadem Hero
The Best Option Under $50
Buy Now For $49.95 $44.95 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link
Good Alternatives: Gamma Conquerer for $54.99 $49.49 with JustPaddles Promo
DIADEM HERO SPECS:
PRICE: $49.95 ($44.95 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link)
SHAPE: Wide Body
MATERIALS: Composite HMT Fiberglass Face with Polypropylene Honeycomb Core
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: 15.6"
WIDTH: 7.8"
AVG. WEIGHT: 7.6oz
GRIP LENGTH: 5"
THICKNESS: 13MM
Finishing off our list of the best pickleball paddles for beginners is our only paddle under $50, and one that really only makes it onto this list for that reason: the Diadem Hero.
As I mentioned above, I personally would recommend anyone looking to try pickleball to just spend the extra $30-40 and get a paddle that's near a pro level paddle from one of the brands like Vatic Pro, Ronbus or Hudef - but I know some people are looking to get their feet wet with a bit less money.
You can grab a pair of these for under $100, with different color options available, so this could be another good alternative to the bundle above, or a decent option for a single player looking to spend under $50 to try it out.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Beginners - Runner Ups (Other Great Options, In No Specific Order):
- Six Zero Sapphire ($89 with Code "THESLICE")
- Bison Summit (CRBN 1 Clone) and/or Bison Rampage (CRBN 2 Clone)
- Electrum Model E 16MM ($107 with this Slice Promo Link)
- Hudef Viva Pro Gen 2 ($110 with Code "THESLICE" & Thermoformed)
- Selkirk SLK Evo Series
These best pickleball paddles for beginners are a wide range from $50 all the way to $130 and varying in all different directions, and I'm sure it's enough to make your head spin.
Chances are you're going to go through a few paddles in your pickleball career regardless, so I wouldn't get too stressed about it and instead I'd choose the best spending range for you and make an educated decision you're happy with from this list and go with it.
You can also check out all of my pickleball paddle reviews as well as go through our Pro Pickleball Player Paddle Database to check out even more paddles; or, if you're feeling like you need help I also have our Perfect Paddle Quiz that helps find the best paddle specifically for you.
I have my personal preferences, but at the end of the day the choice is yours and your play style and ideal paddle will be based around your own preferences, so get out there and play!
You were a beginner once. What was your preferred pickleball paddle when you started out?
