The top ten pickleball paddles for under $100 come from a handful of the same brands that make some of the best paddles on the entire market.
Right off the bat in the top three slots you'll find the three brands I recommend the most in our recommended pickleball gear and codes with Vatic Pro, Ronbus and Six Zero dominating another category.
I make sure to give some more options for people who prefer other brands, but the top six paddles on this list are going to be my top choices, with seven and eight coming from Hudef not too far behind them (another brand I reached out to for a code for you guys because of their great paddles), and the rest being alternative options.
I explain that a good portion of these choices will come down to your preferred shape for a paddle, and you'll find our top paddles under $100 have primarily a hybrid shape (my preferred style), an elongated shape (the second most popular option) and a wide body shape (great for control and people who prefer a shorter handle).
That said, every option on this list is a great pickleball paddle for under $100, but I do my best to make it clear which I personally think are the standout paddles.
If you want more pickleball paddle reviews you can jump over there and find some of my top paddles choices or even take our Perfect Paddle Quiz to be placed with the best paddle for you!
Top Ten Pickleball Paddles for Under $100
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100
Number One and Two:
Vatic Pro Prism Flash and Prism V7
The Best Of The Best
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 7.7-8.2 OZ - V7 8.1-8.5 OZ
GRIP LENGTH: 5.3"
THICKNESS: Flash 14/16MM - V7 16MM
It doesn't get any better than the Vatic Pro Prism line.
You have both the Vatic Pro Prism Flash and the Vatic Pro Prism V7 coming in at number one and two on our list of the best pickleball paddles for under $100.
Both of these paddles come in at the same price of $99 ($89 with code "THESLICE"), making them both some of the best paddles on the entire market at under $100.
The choice between the two will simply come down to the shape and swing weight for these two with the V7 being elongated and much heavier than the Flash with it's hybrid shape.
Generally speaking, most players should likely be opting for the Vatic Pro Prism Flash, which was even ranked as the top paddle on the market under $100 by Chris Olson at Pickleball Studio as well.
The Prism line isn't to be confused with one of my personal favorites, the Vatic Pro Flash, as the Flash comes in with much more pop and power being that it is the thermoformed version - making it a bit less control oriented than the Prism versions.
I personally have Vatic Pro in my top three to four pickleball companies on the market right now - with two of the other options coming in on this list as well.
You can check out codes and more information for all three of them on our recommended pickleball paddles, gear and discount codes page as well.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100
Number Three, Four and Five:
Ronbus R1.16, R2.16 & R3.16
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 three, four and five on our list of the top ten pickleball paddles for under $100 are the three paddles that make up the Ronbus R Series.
The Ronbus R-Series has the R1.16 at a hybrid shape, similar to the Vatic Pro Prism Flash (or, one of my personal favorite paddles, the Ronbus Pulsar R1), the R2.16 comes in with a much different shape that Ronbus calls Isometric, with a much shorter handle and boxier shape, and the Ronbus R3.16 comes in with an elongated shape like the R3 Pulsar or Vatic Pro V7 we saw above.
The choice here is going to be similar to the one you had between the Vatic Pro Prism Flash and V7, where choosing between the R1 and R3 will simply come down to the R1.16 having much quicker hand speed, where the R3 has more weight for more power for drives.
The unique one here, obviously, is the R2, which will be for the player that already knows they prefer a more standard or wider shape face - being one of the only two on this list with that shape.
And, again, similar to Vatic Pro, the R-Series line is the one that comes in below the thermoformed line for Ronbus where the Pulsar line has the R1 and R3 Pulsar that are identical specs to the R-Series but with thermoforming technology, giving them more pop and power coming off the paddles.
The Ronbus R-Series starts at $120 but with code RCSLICE at checkout they come down to $99, making it right in the sweet spot for this list.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100
Number Six: Six Zero Sapphire
Six zero sapphire Specs:
PRICE: $99 ($89 with code "THESLICE")
SHAPE: Elongated
MATERIALS: 700K Japanese Toray Carbon and Honeycomb Polymer Core
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: 16.5"
WIDTH: 7.5"
AVG. WEIGHT: 7.9-8.0 oz
GRIP LENGTH: 5.6"
THICKNESS: 13MM
Coming in as our first solo paddle on the list of the top ten pickleball paddles for under $100 is the Six Zero Sapphire, what they refer to as the All Rounder paddle among their lineup.
Six Zero has the Black Diamond Power, the Sapphire and, the most popular among players (one of the most sought after paddles on the market), the Double Black Diamond Control.
You can read my Six Zero Double Black Diamond paddle review and learn it's one of my favorite paddles on the market as well (a top choice with paddles from other brands we've already seen), and the Sapphire does the job of giving their customers a great budget option to grab and jump on the court with.
And, don't worry, if you don't like the "Parti" color design I have shown above, they also have an option to go with a more minimalistic Black color.
This paddle has a nice long handle of 5.6" for people looking for a bit of extra length while keeping a very low swing weight of just 108 and still producing great spin and ample power.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100
Number Seven and Eight:
Hudef Viva Pro and Hudef Apex Pro
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 seven and eight on our list of the top ten pickleball paddles for under $100 are the Hudef Viva Pro and Hudef Apex Pro paddles that are both great paddles under a hundred bucks that bring two different designs to the table.
Hudef also offers a 15% off discount code which is different than some of the other companies on this list that offer $10 or 10% off (and Ronbus offers $20 off, but comes in with a much higher starting price), which bring these two in as some of the most inexpensive paddles on the entire list.
The Viva Pro has the elongated face we've seen among some of the other paddles on this list and the Apex Pro has a wide body face that's most similar to the Ronbus R2.16 if I had to describe it to any other we've seen thus far, and like it, has a shorter handle than the other paddles on this list as well.
The elongated shape of the Viva Pro will give it more drive power, but the wide body shape and large sweet spot of the Apex Pro will be a great choice if you're looking for more control and awesome resets to keep yourself in the point.
Hudef also just recently came out with their Viva Pro Gen2 paddle that is fully thermoformed this time around, but the starting price is $129.99, which brings us to $$110 with code "THESLICE", making it just above our budget for the list (and therefore I added it to the honorable mentions).
That said, the Gen2 would be the only fully thermoformed paddle on this list, as the Vatic Pro Flash and V7 would come in at $129 even after a discount code for their thermoformed variations - so it could be a great option for players looking for some more power and pop.
But, before I go too far on about a paddle that's not technically on this list, I do want to say that this ends the paddles that I would say are the top and obvious choices for the top paddles under $100 and begins bringing us into some alternatives for people who prefer other brands and shapes.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100
Number Nine: Engage Omega Evolution Max
OMEGA EVOLUTION MAX Specs:
PRICE: $109.99 ($98.99 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link)
SHAPE: Standard
MATERIALS: Max Grit Textured Friction-based Carbon Fiber & Polymer Honeycomb Core
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: 16"
WIDTH: 8"
AVG. WEIGHT: 7.8-8.1 oz
GRIP LENGTH: 5"
THICKNESS: 12 7/8"
Next up, coming in at number nine on our list of the best pickleball paddles for under $100, is the Engage Omega Evolution Max paddle.
I live in Central Florida and Engage HQ is not too far away, about two hours or so, and that means there are a lot of Engage fans that I play with - and I know there are a lot just starting out as well.
And while Engage might be a bit pricey, they did just release their new raw carbon fiber line (although still extremely pricey) that is bringing them back into the competition with big brands like Joola and Selkirk a bit - and I wanted to give players who see some of their favorite pro pickleball players using Engage an option to go with as well.
The Engage Omega Evolution Max paddle is $110, but with our JustPaddles partnership you get a 10% discount on most brands, so it comes down to $98, giving it a spot on this list!
This paddle is great for players looking to play with that 5" handle that some players prefer, not far off the Hudef Apex Pro and Ronbus R2.16, and has a all around playability design to it that makes it great for both control, power and spin when needed.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100
Number Ten: Head Radical Pro
HEAD RADICAL PRO Specs:
PRICE: $109.95 ($98.95 on JustPaddles with this Slice Promo Link)
SHAPE: Standard
MATERIALS: Composite Face with Polymer Honeycomb Core
THERMOFORMED: No
LENGTH: 16"
WIDTH: 7.875"
AVG. WEIGHT: 8.1 oz
GRIP LENGTH: 5"
THICKNESS: 1/2" (12.7MM)
Last on our list, before I bring you down into some more alternative options below, coming in at number ten among our top pickleball paddles under $100, is the Head Radical Pro.
I am personally not a huge fan of this paddle, but I know a lot of people who really like it.
Similar to the Engage Omega above, this one comes in with the 5" handle that is shorted than a bunch of the others we saw towards the top of the list, and has a standard shape to it.
This one doesn't have a carbon fiber face, so you won't be getting as much spin as the others, but HEAD does say they have "Extreme Spin Technology" and a "Dynamic Power Shape", so if you're a fan of HEAD, then this could be a good option for you to get started with, and there are some different variations to it that you can check out when you use the JustPaddles link to get 10% off, bringing this one down from $110 to $98 with our partnership as well.
There are a couple great pro players that prefer HEAD paddles, but we're still waiting for them to make waves with the new design they've been teasing.
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100
The Top Ten Pickleball Paddles For Under $100 - Runner Ups (Other Great Options, In No Specific Order):
- Bison Summit (CRBN 1 Clone) and/or Bison Rampage (CRBN 2 Clone)
- Electrum Model E 16MM ($107 with this Slice Promo Link, not >$100)
- Hudef Viva Pro Gen 2 ($110 with Code "THESLICE", not >$100)
- adidas Drive 2.0 (most inexpensive option at $69.99)
- Selkirk SLK Evo Series
The best pickleball paddles for under a hundred dollars coming from a bunch of different brands, but many of which you're likely familiar with if you've read the site and know which ones stand out as some of the best on the entire paddle market.
There are certain brands that are really leading the way with their paddle technology, and they thankfully also do a great job with their cost, leaving them with options for people looking to spend under the $100 mark, while still getting an incredible paddle.
I'd love to hear from you if you've used some of the paddles on this list.
Which are your favorites? Are there any other you personally recommend?
