Best Thermoformed Pickleball Paddles

What is Thermoforming?

I wanted a definition from a company that actually performs thermoforming, so here is a definition from Sealwerks on what thermoforming is

“Thermoforming is a process of heating a thermoplastic sheet to its softening point. The sheet is stretched across a single-sided mold and then manipulated. Then, it cools into the desired shape.

The most common methods to get the sheet to conform to its final shape are vacuum-forming, pressure-forming, and mechanical forming.”

Now, how is thermoforming used in pickleball? Thermoforming has been being used to wrap the outer edge of paddles in plastic that essentially create a seal of the paddles faces and core which has been traditionally covered by the edge guard.  

What is Delamination?

Originally, the reports were that the new thermoformed paddles were delaminating and this was causing a trampoline effect that gave more power to the paddles. 

Most reports say that delamination is the process of the core separating from the paddle face. Whether or not this is the reason the paddles start hitting harder is now under debate because another problem has been discovered with the thermoformed paddles and that is the crushed core problem. 

The honeycomb core of the thermoformed paddles is becoming crushed in certain spots, and this is causing the paddle to gain extra power.  Either way, these paddles can become defective and dangerous. 

If you notice your paddle sounding different or if you press on it and hear some cracking/crinkling there is a good chance your paddle has an issue and you should stop using it.  

Which Paddle Should You Get?

I’m going to go over what I believe are the best thermoformed pickleball paddles and give you my pros and cons.  There is also an award list at the end of the article if you are looking for certain criteria 

Also Check out: Our Favorite Pickleball Paddles This Year

Best Thermoformed Pickleball Paddles

SixZero Double Black Diamond 14mm

The Double Black Diamond 14mm does well in every category and that makes it the best overall for me. It is near the top of spin, power, and control. The only thing holding it back right now is it can be hard to get, and the price is higher than some of the competition.

 

Legacy Pro Pickleball Paddle

Do you love power?  The Legacy Pro has all the power you could want in a paddle and I think there is enough control with time and practice that you can harness this power to win a lot of pickleball games. All the paddles on this list hit hard, but the Legacy Pro is my top pick for most power with and without hitting the sweet spot. 

The Legacy Pro might be the most controversial of the thermoformed paddles because most people either love it or hate it. I fall in the love it camp and I can understand why some people hate it. 

Everyone can unlock the power and spin with this paddle but it takes some time to unlock the control and resets.  Once you relax your grip pressure and let the paddle do the work, you will soon realize the potential of this paddle. 

I also recommend making this grip bigger by putting on multiple over grips if you have big hands because this comes stock with a very small grip and that makes it even harder to control if you have bigger hands. 

SixZero Black Diamond

CRBN1x

The CRBN1x 16 has the best control & feel of the group.  If that is your style of game then I think you will love this paddle and it really does stand out above the rest with the Vatic Pro a close second. You do lose some power compared to the other paddles on the list, but if you play heavy control style game then this is worth a try.  

Vatic V7 Pro

The Vatic Pro had the best spin for me but let me tell you all these paddles have great spin. The difference from the top spin to the bottom spin paddle is not much and I wouldn’t decide on these paddles based on spin.  

Final thoughts

All the paddles on this list are good buys and each one feels slightly different.  If there is a certain attribute you favor a ton then I would go with the paddle that won, the award for that attribute.  I see a lot of Legacy Pros on the courts as well as Vatics, but the others I don’t see as often.  I would ask your friends to use them for a bit if you can because how each paddle feels can be different from person to person.  

There are many paddles companies popping up trying to capture the momentum of thermoformed paddles and there isn’t much information about many of these new players.  I hope to bring you reviews on some of the new companies and if there are any requests let me know @PickleballDad on TikTok.