Are you considering upgrading or getting your first Selkirk Pickleball Paddle? We’re here to help you with all information you need before deciding. Let’s dive into the Selkirk Amped Invikta review.
- Weight: 7.3 – 8.4 oz.
- Handle Length: 5 1/4"
- Paddle Length: 16 1/2"
- Paddle Width: 7.38"
- Face Material: FiberFlex Fiberglass
- Core Thickness: 0.63"
Overview of The Amped Invikta
Before Tyson McGuffin began playing with the Selkirk Invikta Project 002, his signature paddle was the Invikta Amped x5 core with the fiberflex face.
As such, we expected this pickleball paddle to be well-balanced and to effortlessly produce power. In this regard, the paddle did not disappoint.
The handle is elongated, measuring 5¼”, and has both standard and thin grips available. The paddle itself measures 16½” in length, which means it has to sacrifice some width to be fully legal.
The narrow paddle face is just over 7⅓.” It’s slightly smaller than the Selkrik Vanguard Invikta at 7 3/8″ but significantly smaller than the 8″ wide faces of the Vanguard S2 2.0 and the Amped epic.
This paddle is interesting because you’re not losing a whole lot of width compared to a standard-sized pickleball paddle, but you are getting a lot more length.
Even though it doesn’t have that paddle shape of a blade elongated paddle, the face specs are very much elongated compared to a standard-sized paddle.
Power
Unless you are already accustomed to playing with this shape of paddle, many aspects of your game may require fine-tuning to adjust to the Invikta Amped.
While the narrow paddle face results in a smaller, more defined sweet spot, when you connect squarely, your drives will have a ton of zip.
For us, when we connected cleanly, the ball felt as though it was coming out of a cannon. This pickleball paddle has the BOOM!
Consistently driving the ball with precision was more challenging.
It certainly took a bit of time to adjust to the power of this paddle, with several of our shots sailing long, but once we dialed in, our drives were able to put substantial pressure on our opponents at the net.
Feel
The x5 core has that signature Selkirk thickness that you see in most of their pickleball paddles. It offers a soft feel and forgiveness compared to other paddles that have similar specs to the amped invikta.
Drop shots may also take some adjustment – but with practice, you will find yourself confident in your ability to place the drops with proper distance and accuracy.
The narrow paddle face takes even more work at the net than the drop shots and resets.
Even if hands battles are your strength, this paddle requires a bit of practice to take full advantage of the power.
If you are patient in the dink game, you will likely find yourself moderately comfortable dinking with the Amped Invikta, though perhaps not completely so.
The narrow sweet may leave you wanting.
Additionally, further adjustment is necessary if someone attacks first as the paddle can feel clunky and cumbersome with counters.
Spin
The Amped Invikta pickleball paddle has fiberflex fiberglass face, which tends to spin slightly more than a graphite face.
Resource: Composite Vs. Graphite Pickleball Paddles
The spin was nothing special. There are better pickleball paddles for spin, but again, it’s mainly about your technique.
Who Should Use The Amped Invikta?
This is perfect pickleball paddle for those who love playing back and driving the ball.
Someone who comes from a tennis background may be able to easily adjust to this paddle.
It allows great power and forgiveness and the long handle and face make it perfect for two-handed backhand drives.
Furthermore, we believe this paddle is best suited for a more advanced player. One who has the ability to precisely place drops and dinks with any pickleball paddle and is not dismayed by the smaller sweet spot.
Final Thoughts
This is an interesting pickleball paddle. It’s got a little bit of everything.
The narrower face width offers speed of the face, but the thickness of the core and width of the padded offer good feel.
The elongated handle is designed for power and leverage.
PROS:
- LOADS of power to finish overheads and hit convincing drives
- Soft enough to land drops effectively and consistently
CONS:
- Hands battles are as much a struggle for yourself as for your opponent
- Dinks takes practice and precision with little room for error
Playability Score
We gave the Selkirk Amped Invikta a 75%. This paddle is for a very specific player – not for everyone.
