I love Vatic Pro pickleball paddles, and I love the company mission and overall brand as well, so I was super excited to get my hands on the Vatic Pro Alchemy paddle that they came up with partner with pro player Spencer Smith.
I personally love both the Vatic Pro Flash and V7 and interchanged with them both a bit, switching for my own singles and doubles play to find the sweet spot in my play - and the Vatic Pro Alchemy is nearly right in the middle of those two paddles when it comes to a lot of things.
For this Vatic Pro Alchemy pickleball paddle review I'm going to be breaking down the comparison to the Vatic Pro Flash and Vatic Pro V7 paddles, which I love and wholeheartedly recommend almost all players, and I'll also be comparing it to other great paddles on the market.
We're in a specific point in time in the pickleball industry that Chris Olson of Pickleball Studio refers to as a "copycat phase" because a lot of brands are catching up with what is working really well and creating the best paddles.
If they don't have them, they're making them. And by them, I mean T700 Carbon Fiber Face with Thermoforming tech.
The heavy hitters in this category are paddles and companies like Vatic Pro, Six Zero, Legacy Pro, Ronbus, CRBN and a handful of others.
It's no surprise that my favorite paddles are Vatic Pro, Ronbus and Six Zero - with them coming in with extremely competitive prices AND some of the best paddles on the market at the same time.
That said, you'll get both the T700 carbon fiber face AND the thermoforming technology with this Vatic Pro Alchemy paddle, as well as some other things that make it extremely unique and fun.
That said, you'll learn all about the specifics below, and I'd love to know what you think. Have you tried the Vatic Pro Alchemy? Do you like it?
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Full Paddle Technical Specifications
PRICE: $179 ($169 with code TheSlice)
GET $10 OFF WITH CODE "THESLICE": Click Here
MATERIALS: Raw TORAY T700 Carbon Fiber and Optimized C7 Polymers and high-grade performance Honeycomb
THERMOFORMED: Yes
SHAPE: Elongated
THICKNESS: 13.5MM or 16MM
WEIGHT: 13.5mm: 8.3-8.5 oz [8.0-8.3 without guard] 16mm: 8.5-8.7 oz [8.2-8.4 without guard]
LENGTH: 16.5 in
WIDTH: 7.5 in
GRIP LENGTH: 5.5 in
GRIP CIRCUMFERENCE: 4.25 in
WARRANTY: 90 DAYS
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Brief Introduction and Discussion (Plus Pros and Cons)
The Vatic Pro is an elongated paddle that comes in with a 5.5" grip length and gives you the option of going with a 13.5MM or 16MM.
I have always been a 16MM player, especially in doubles (though I will play a 13-14MM in singles), so I was mainly hitting with the 16MM to come up with this review.
You're still getting the thermoforming technology that we love from the Vatic Pro Flash and Vatic Pro V7, so you will have the power coming from that with a little less plus feel that you might feel when you swing one of the Vatic Pro Prism paddles - and you'll also have the T700 carbon fiber face that brings up the swing potential on this one as well.
Another cool feature of this paddle is the aerodynamic design, and what Vatic Pro and Spencer Smith decided to do with it was put an edge guard in the aerodynamic "V" spot that can be removed or re-added as you'd like, allowing you to increase or decrease the weight of the paddle.
That said, the swing weight with the aerodynamic design comes in right in the middle of what you'd feel from the V7 and Flash model, while keeping the elongated design.
The Pros
Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None
Good Control and Feel
Good Power and Pop
Good Spin Potential
Super Unique Removable Edge Guard in the Aerodynamic Hole (+ or - 0.2 ounces)
Still Extremely Competitive Price for a Great Paddle with T700 Carbon Fiber & Thermoforming
The Cons
Feels Good in Most Areas, But Not Extremely Exceptional In Any
Comes in a Bit Higher than Vatic Pros Regular Extremely Competitive Price Range
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Control and Feel Review: 8.5/10
The Vatic Pro Alchemy has some great control and feel in all spots on the court.
While I wouldn't give it a 10/10 for control, and have played with a few paddles I prefer over it if comparing to a full control paddle, I would say that it is still better than most.
With the 16MM paddle you are going to have a fairly large sweet spot, better hand speed with the aerodynamic design than some other elongated paddles, and a softer feel than some of the more poppy thermoformed power paddles that are on the market.
Overall I love the feel of the paddle because I think they were going for a paddle that fell in that sweet spot of being good at all areas, and nailed it when it comes to control, power and spin potential.
If you're looking for a paddle that has great control with decent hand speed at the kitchen, but can still generate great spin and a powerful drive - then this might be one you should be looking into ASAP.
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Power Review: 8.5/10
The Vatic Pro Alchemy has the potential for power, especially being thermoformed, but it doesn't come in with any insane pop.
Now, that's not to say the insane pop is always a good thing (I don't actually prefer how poppy the Legacy Pro feels, for example, and I don't play less then 16MM in doubles), but for the sake of this rating we're going to be basing it on the paddles overall power potential compared to other paddles on the market.
Being thermoformed, heavier and elongated you definitely feel the power potential in this paddle, which is why it gets a great score of 8.5, it just doesn't come in as powerful as some of the other paddles you may be used to swinging with like the Vatic Pro V7, Legacy Pro, or Ronbus Pulsar R3, to name a few.
But, I personally think it has plenty of power for most players and comes in with a great mix of power, spin and control.
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Spin Potential Review: 8.5/10
It should be no surprise that the Vatic Pro Alchemy paddle also comes in with a great spin potential as well.
With the T700 carbon fiber face, it is able to generate a lot of spin, and will be great for almost any player on the courts.
That said, there are definitely a handful of paddles that generate even more spin, but I had no problem putting top spin and slice on the battle whenever I wanted/needed.
If you're someone who wants the absolute most spin potential, and spin is the most important part of your game, then there are going to be some better options - but if spin is just one piece of the puzzle in your game, then this paddle definitely gets the job done with a high spin potential.
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Aesthetic and Personal Opinion: 8/10
As I mention in all my reviews: when it comes to aesthetics I personally prefer a minimalistic design like we see from paddle companies like Vatic Pro, Ronbus, CRBN and others.
That said, the aesthetics of this paddle are amazing, and the aerodynamic hole just add to that if you're someone who wants to stand out on the court.
You'll definitely have people asking about your paddle, similar to the way people feel when they see some of the aerodynamic Selkirks out there.
So when it comes to aesthetics I would say the paddle actually comes in pushing a ten, but what brings it down to an eight is my personal opinion of it.
An eight is still a GREAT score, and I will definitely be playing with this paddle more, but I wouldn't personally say it's my favorite paddle to play with, so I can't give this category a 10.
I love the fact that it's a jack of all trades and comes in with great power, spin and control - while still giving those of us who like heavier, elongated paddles some extra hand speed - but I just prefer the play I've been getting with some other paddles at the moment.
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Everything Else: 9.5/10
We've covered most of what we need to talk about in our Vatic Pro Alchemy paddle review, but I do want to go over anything we missed in this section.
One thing that I like to point out here is the price, which is going to be the biggest factor in the scoring of this section.
As with all Vatic Pro paddles, the Vatic Pro Alchemy comes in at a super competitive price point, beating out most competitors for what you're going to get.
That said, it is a bit pricier than the Vatic Pro Flash and the Vatic Pro V7 paddles, coming in at $179 ($169 with code "TheSlice") as opposed to the $139 ($129.99 with code "TheSlice") of the other paddles we've come to love.
For the players out there that love the fact that this paddle is a sweet spot between the V7 and Flash models and is a jack of all trades, while also having the unique ability to decrease and increase the weight with a flick of the edge guard in the aerodynamic hole - this one is going to be an incredible price point and paddle.
For the players that are like me that may end up preferring Vatic Pro's other paddles, the extra $40 might just be worth using towards making sure you have both the V7 and the Flash to compare.
Vatic Pro Alchemy Review -
Closing Thoughts: 43/50
For my closing thoughts on our Vatic Pro Alchemy paddle review I want to make it abundantly clear that I really love this paddle.
It won't become my personal preferred paddle, and I think I actually prefer Vatic Pro's other paddles even more (especially at the price point and being able to recommend some of the best paddles on the entire market to players on the court for $130...), but this one is just another incredible addition to their paddle line.
If you loved the Vatic Pro V7 and the Vatic Pro Flash, and had a hard time choosing which one you liked more, then this paddle is an absolute no brainer.
This is the perfect creation between the two that gives you the best mix of power, control and spin while also giving us some bonus feel at the kitchen line with the aerodynamic design bringing down the swing weight and letting us get aggressive.
Even while coming in $40 more than Vatic Pro's other paddles, this one still crushes most other paddles on the market while bringing you the T700 carbon fiber face and thermoforming technology that is taking over the paddle industry right now and keeping Vatic Pro as a top choice.
