Technical data

We sent our paddles out to Pickleball Science for a full engineering focused review.  Phil Hipol is a PE and his website is Recent Posts - Pickleball Science

These are his findings:

Static Weight – These results show that the Power paddle is the heaviest and the Touch paddle is the lightest.  Both the Carbon Pro and the Whoop Ass paddles have about an average weight.  A heavier paddle in general will feel more stable and can impart more momentum and velocity to the ball.  The down-side is that the heavier paddle can also reduce swing speed.  The Power paddle might be suitable for more advanced players who have a lot of arm strength.  The Touch might be suitable for beginners who have not yet fully developed the mechanics of their strokes.  Intermediate to advanced players might select an average weight paddle, such as the Carbon Pro or Whoop Ass.

Balance Weight – The swing radius defines the distance from the paddle pivot point (assumed to be 2” from the butt end of the handle to the paddle center of mass).  It appears that Quiet Play engineered the cG locations for each paddle at 7.75”.  The paddle balance wights therefore vary with the static weights.  As shown, the balance weights of all of the paddles are greater than or about equal to the balance weight of the average paddle.  At 67.5 oz-in, the Power paddle in particular will feel “head heavy”, and approaches the balance weight of the heaviest paddle (the Engage MX 6.0 Pro at 69.1 oz-in).

Recoil & Twist Weights – The recoil weight of a paddle defines its resistance to rotation about its lateral axis, whereas the twist weight defines its resistance to rotation about its longitudinal axisIn general, players should select paddles with larger recoil and twist weight, as they will feel more stable when striking the ball and will have larger sweet spots.  With the exception of the Power paddle, the Quiet Play paddles have a lower recoil and twist weights than the average standard paddle.

Swing Weight – The swing weight describes the paddle’s resistance to rotation about a lateral axis passing through the pivot point, assumed to be 2” above the butt of the handle.  In general, paddles with lower swing weights are easier to swing and will enable players to generate greater swing speeds.  As indicated in Table 1, the Quiet Play paddles have a slightly higher swing weights than the average standard paddles.

 

Stiffness and Dynamic Characteristics

The paddle stiffness characteristics were measured using a force-displacement gage as described in a previous article.  These characteristics were compared against those of the average non-EVA paddles in Table 2. 

The face stiffness defines the so-called trampoline vibration mode, and the throat stiffness defines the so-called diving board vibration mode.  As we discussed in a previous article, it is desirable for the “spring back” rate of the paddle to be greater than or equal to the period of the contact time to maximize paddle power.  Paddles with natural frequencies in the 118-125 Hz range are classified as “hybrid” paddles, with paddles with natural frequencies less than 118 Hz or greater than 125 Hz being classified as “power” paddles or “control” paddles, respectively.  As indicated in Table 2, all Quiet Play paddles would be classified as “power” paddles, with natural frequencies being less than 118 Hz.   

A more in-depth examination of the paddle stiffness components finds that the Quiet Play paddles derive their power from having extremely low values for throat stiffness.  Ideally, the face and throat stiffness should be balanced, or about equal.  As we see in Table 2, the stiffness range is much tighter for the Carbon Pro and Whoop Ass paddles.  This might give the paddles a better “feel” and make them more predictable whether the ball is hard or soft.

The Quiet Play paddles have a higher-than-average core stiffness.  This is needed in part to offset the relatively low values for face stiffness and to pass the USAPA stiffness test.  This test requires that the paddle core stiffness have a value of more than 1300 lb/in.  The higher core stiffness should not negatively impact paddle power or the ability to apply spin to the ball.  We do believe, however, that the greater amount of damping in the paddles will enable greater dwell or contact time between the paddle and the ball, resulting in a greater spin rate.  This has not been verified, however.

 

Acoustic Performance

Although the USAPA has created a “quiet category” of pickleball paddles, they have not yet published the criteria by which the “quiet” designation can be achieved, nor have they described their test methodology.  We have discussed pickleball noise extensively in previous articles, and have cautioned that the validity of acoustical measurements is highly dependent on numerous factors, such as the data acquisition (sampling) rate, frequency weighting, and ensemble averaging.  Although Pickleball Science continues to research quiet pickleball equipment and testing methodologies, it is currently not possible to quantify pickleball noise without industry-accepted standards.  We therefore performed a subjective evaluation of the Quiet Play paddles.

The noise levels from the Quiet Play paddles are about the same, and appear to be characterized by a low frequency “thump” as opposed to a higher frequency “ping”, which is common with standard paddles.  In the near-field (<100 ft), the paddle noise levels are noticeably lower than standard paddles, and are about equal to other so-called “quiet” foam-filled or foam or felt covered paddles.  One problem with all “quiet” paddles, though, is that in the far-field (>250 ft), atmospheric attenuation and scattering losses are not as effective for low frequency sound.  Therefore, quiet paddle technology may not be as effective over longer distances.

 

Summary

The Quiet Play paddles are USAPA-approved and provide a moderate amount of noise reduction when compared to standard paddles.  They have the look and feel of standard paddles and according to our natural frequency criteria, have greater power than all of the standard paddles tested.  While the Quiet Play paddles are not “silent”, they should be considered by players that need a moderate amount of noise reduction and the ability to play with their paddle at tournaments.