Bread and Butter Filth Pickleball Paddle Review

At first, you may assume that this is another one of those “Gen 2” paddles: unibody, edge foam-injected, thermoformed, raw carbon fiber paddles. You are somewhat correct as it is all those things, but also unique in a few ways. Having used The Filth side-by-side with other paddles of the same makeup, it is quite easy to see and feel the differences. Just don’t stare at the graphics on the paddle too long or you might get dizzy.

I would say that The Filth is on the softer side of the thermoformed paddles, but sometimes that is what you need. Getting the ball back over the net is rule number one. Rule number two is keeping it in the court, and The Filth has the qualities to help you do both really well.

The Filth Paddle Specs:

Core:	Thermoformed Polypropylene Honeycomb
Surface:	T-700 Raw Carbon Fiber
Grip:	8-sided, vibration dampening with sweat proof faux leather wrap.
Specs:	16.4” H x 7.5” W
Weight:	8.0 oz
Grip Length:	5.5 in
Grip Size:	4.25 in
Core Thickness:	16 mm
Features:	Three color options to choose from

Bread And Butter Filth Paddle Review

The balance and maneuverability of The Filth immediately drew me to greatly enjoy using it. One of the downsides of elongated, rectangular shaped paddles is that typically, they are not so aerodynamic. This makes quick motions at the net slower.

However, The Filth did not present this issue for me. Its balance point felt low to the handle, and because the handle is on the longer side at 5.5”, the face of the paddle is slightly shorter with a more tapered draw to the handle, allowing for less air resistance when making short, compact swings.

The interesting part of this paddle is that you would assume that because of how soft and consistent it was at the net for dinking and resets, it would be slow on drives from the baseline, however, that is not the case. Combine the power, control, and spin of this paddle and you get a paddle that is, without a better word, Filth-y.

Spin:

Many aspects of the paddle go in to developing the spin that it produces: surface compression, abrasiveness of the surface, and how aerodynamic the shape is to name a few.

These aspects combine to give The Filth some intense spin allowing for slice returns cutting hard to create confusion or top spin drives dipping over the net.

The spin that was generated from this paddle was one of my favorite aspects of The Filth as I tend to incorporate spin into almost every shot I make, and it did take a little time to reel myself back on the amount of room for error that I was giving for some shots. However, the learning curve on spin was short-lived as it became easy to get accustomed to.

I wouldn’t say that The Filth had more spin compared to other raw carbon fiber paddles, but there are a select few that seem to generate more. 

Power/Pop:

As stated above, The Filth would be on the softer side of the thermoformed paddles, but it certainly does not lack power. Baseline drives come off with great speed, and the ability to whip the paddle on overhead smashes aid in putting the ball away when it counts. Blocks were well-directed, but it does absorb some of the momentum of the ball, albeit a small amount. 

I have been using this paddle for singles, as well as doubles because it does have the power to control the court during singles, while also being exceptional at firefights and speedups for doubles. 

Control:

Resets are one of the most important skills in my mind. Being able to transition to the NVZ after being on defense at the baseline is incredibly important to regain control of the rally, but this skill is also one of the most difficult.

As you move up in skill level, it becomes more important to have a soft game; banging can only get you so far. The Filth seemed to excel in this regard of the game. A large sweet-spot combined with the paddle’s reactive touch helps to feel just how much cushion you should use to steal momentum, resulting in consistent resets, drops, and dinks.

While playing with The Filth, this was the most commented on aspect of my play- how consistent I was with the paddle. Even from the first time picking it up and hitting some warmup dinks and drops, the feel was quick to adjust to. 

Durability:

Delamination being one of the biggest worries for thermoformed paddles at the moment, I have been keeping up and keeping an ear out for how often and which paddles are succumbing to this issue.

Bread and Butter seemed to have it mostly figured out and even offering a 6-month warranty, excluding normal wear and tear. The number of Filth’s having delamination symptoms is clearly on the smaller side of the spectrum.

Coupled with the speed of response to resolve any of these issues, I am keeping the durability worries in the back of my mind and so should you.

Drawbacks:

Having to really scour to find any complaints about The Filth led me to finding either 5/5-star reviews or 4/5 on their website.

The comments behind the 4-star reviews are either that it has less power than other paddles, or that the sweet-spot was smaller than was hoping for.

However, both of these issues can be resolved with a few applications of lead tape at the top or sides of the paddle face. The last repeated complaints that I was able to find was that it was not as fast in the hands as other paddles. Personally, I did not have this issue, but some players that already have this issue with their current paddle, will not find a solution to that problem with The Filth.

Final Thoughts:

Having interacted with one of the owners, Doug, many times, it is clear to see how this brand has become so popular so quickly.

Always asking consumers for their thoughts and taking them to heart, along with putting out video blogs weekly to engage customers and keep them informed of future endeavors.

Bread and Butter clearly take the desires of the consumers into account before releasing their next product, or even altering an already existing product. Bread and Butter truly care about what the customers want.

Finally, as stated before, The Filth excels in the control aspect of the game.

Myself, along with many other that I let try the paddle, all unanimously agreed on this. Feeling smooth and reactive in your hands pushes this paddle high up on my list of my overall favorite paddles, again because it makes abiding by rules number one and two easy. I highly recommend The Filth to anyone looking for a soft, but still powerful, elongated paddle that can be used for singles and doubles.