The XS XSPAK pickleball paddle has been making quite a bit of noise among pickleball enthusiasts which is interesting considering it’s not made by any of the large pickleball paddle manufacturers. The XS XSPAK has the same T-700 Raw Carbon Fiber face used by CRBN, GRUVN. and Gearbox, but it’s under $100.
But is it the right pickleball paddle for you?
I personally review the XS XSPAK and tell you exactly my thoughts and insights about this paddle and see if it lives up to the hype.
It’s also worth noting that at the time of writing this, the Amazon listing grossly misrepresented a lot of specs. It says it’s a graphite face, but it’s a raw carbon fiber face. The listing also says it’s 11.4oz, but it’s closer to 8oz.
XS XPAK Carbon Fiber Pickleball Paddle Specifications
| Face Material: | T700 Raw Carbon Fiber |
| Weight Range: | 7.9-8.1oz |
| Core: | Polymer |
| Grip Length: | 5.5″ |
| Thickness: | 16mm |
| Length: | 16.5″ |
| Width: | 7.4″ |
XS XPAK Carbon Fiber Pickleball Paddle vs. CRBN 1 Paddle
This paddle shares a lot of similar specs with the CRBN 1 paddle. They’re almost indistinguishable if you’re looking at them from afar.
They both use a T-700 raw carbon fiber on the standard-sized face with a 5.5″ grip length. The CRBN 1 grip circumference is slightly narrower at 4.25″ while the XS XSPAK is 4.35.”
They both have a 16mm polymer core, and overall, they’re just a very sleek and very good-looking pickleball paddle.
The best part is that the XS XSPAK is half the price of the CRBN 1.
XS XPAK Carbon Fiber Pickleball Paddle Review
Spin
The polymer core paired with the T700 raw carbon fiber face is a perfect duo for generating a ton of spin. It’s a noticeable difference during serves, drives, and roll volleys compared to some of the premium $200 paddles on the market.
This paddle was so efficient at generating spin that it almost felt illegal, but this paddle is USAPA approved. It’s also worth noting that a majority of generating spin comes from your technique so the amount of spin will vary from player to player.
Power and Control
The 16mm core makes this paddle perfectly balanced in terms of power and control. It was very easy to execute blocks, resets, and dinks but since it it a slightly heavier paddle you have a lot of weight moving through the ball which can generate a lot of power.
The XS XSPAK outperforms many premium paddles, in my opinion, if you’re looking for a great balance of feel and power.
Feel
Carbon fiber paddles can feel pretty stiff, but this one felt especially stiff, so that may take some getting used to especially if you’ve never used a carbon-faced paddle.
Other carbon fiber paddles I’ve used can sometimes feel soft, like the ball sticks on the face a little bit, but the XS XSPAK feels very rigid across the entire face. Despite the stiffness, it still has very good control.
The sweet spot feels great when you connect. Overall I would say this is a relatively forgiving pickleball paddle. but like most paddles, if you catch the ball out on the edges it’s not going to feel great.
Durability
I haven’t had this paddle too long, but from what I can tell, it seems very durable. The raw carbon fiber face doesn’t have any scratches or dings (yet) and the feel has been remarkably consistent over the last 4 weeks of play.
Carbon Fiber in general is a far more durable material than fiberglass, and the firm, rigid feel gives me a little extra confidence in its durability.
Drawbacks of The XS XSPAK Carbon Fiber Pickleball Paddle
As far as the feel and the specs, I enjoyed it, but it’s subjective. Some players may not like the rigidness of the paddle and may be looking for something that feels a little softer.
The only real drawback with this paddle is that there is no manufacturer warranty, and the customer service is not as good as some of the major paddle manufacturers.
What are other’s saying?
Conclusion
The XS XSPAK pickleball paddle looks, feels and plays very similar to a CRBN 1 16mm. If you’re looking to get that CRBN paddle this is a great substitute that will save you a little bit of money.
Overall this is one of the best pickleball paddles under $100 that might be available on the market today and it’s nice to see that you can still get a lot of amazing performance, modern tech, and playability at a good price.
Thank you for the clear and accurate review, I was about to make another decision but this review helped me to make the correct one! Get the XS and I love it!
Hey Roger! That makes me so unbelievably happy. That’s the goal here with these reviews. I’m not just trying to get people to buy the paddle for the sake of buying I really want to review who it’s best for so that the player who buys the paddle knows they made the right choice! Happy hitting!
Hi Jay
Larry here again– read your note. Nice! And yes, I do appreciate the work you have put into reviewing many paddles. With my down time during hip recovering I am doing more reading and watching some pro pickleball on YouTube.
I read some more of the reviews today on your website which were interesting and informative. You mentioned the Roger Federer picture, and the other tennis pros pics, LOL, how can they photo shop a paddle on their picture and get away with that I wonder.
So, I am only two years into playing picklball but now have a small collcetion of paddles. I started out with the upstreet paddle, then being a former tennis played got the Prince Resonse Pro which I played with until a couple months ago when I purchased the XS XSPAK after reading about paddles with the t700 carbon face and seeing for it under $100. Right away I had more control of my shots, folks I play with noticed an improvement in my shots and asked about the paddle. I regripped XS XSPAKwith a tan leather grip and it looks awesome.
I will play mostly with the xspak as I get better and will keep the Prince as a backup. I also have an Onix Z5 which was given to me, I tried it a few times and found it alittle too poppy and harder to control. With my extra paddles I can now give freinds a chance to try picklball.
I was a tennis fanatic many years ago and now playing pickelball has brought back that excitment; reminding me of the years I was playing high level tennis; and without all the running and practice that tennis required.
Jay- thanks again for a cool website with lots of interesting reviews.
Hello Jay:
I was just looking at your website and came accross the review of the XS xpak you recently wrote. I am a xs owner as I purchased one from Amazon in Jan after seeing a review on youtube where it was compared to CRBN as being a twin.
I am a 4.0 played in Conway New Hampshire got a chance to play with the XS only a few times before taking a few months off because I had to get a hip replacement (50+ years of skiing) not a pickleball injury.
I did post my own review on Amazon on Feb 3 after using it for 3 weeks, and agree with your impression of that paddle. Glad I found “The Pickle Sports” web site and enjoying all the content.
Hey Larry! I can’t express how much that comment means to me. Thank you so much for the support! Also… How incredible is the XS XPAK? I’m so glad that there are still a few paddle companies out there that give you an extremely well-built paddle without having to break the bank.
Don’t let the picture they photoshopped of Roger Federer using this paddle fool you!