As we have all seen recently, the paddle under scrutiny is the new “Gearbox Pro Power”. It creates unbelievable power, much like other paddles do when they delaminate (the layers inside the paddle separate and the paddle hits much harder than normal), but this paddle is made differently than others and does not fail the delamination tests. The paddle released prior to the “Gearbox” that caused controversy was the “ProXR” Signature paddle which passed the grit test despite having crazy spin. Both of these paddles serve as examples of the issue currently plaguing Pickleball which is that companies are figuring out ways to “game the system”. I think that we can expect to continue seeing this happen. As a player on the pro tournament circuit, what I have seen is the ProXR paddle is now being tested differently and is failing more. I think the same sort of adjustments will be made for the Gearbox paddle.
One solution that has been proposed is a different type of testing where there is less paddle variability. This will lead to fewer of these “one off” paddles that have a large advantage over any other paddle out there. This will also reduce the differences between the paddles that people use much like tennis, where what you use is more “preference” than “performance” based. Another place we see this is in baseball where you are now only allowed wooden bats which evens the playing field and looks to be the direction that pickleball is headed.
At just 21 years old, New Jersey native Richard Livornese, Jr. is a rising star in the professional pickleball world and a member of the 2023 APP Next Gen National Team. Initially a college lacrosse player at Stevens Institute of Technology, Richard switched gears to pickleball during the COVID-19 pandemic, co-founding a pickleball academy in his hometown and setting his sights on professional competition. Most recently he has committed to a three-year contract with Major League Pickleball, 2024 through 2026. Richard is an aggressively enterprising person and athlete that is not only finding success on the court, but plans to use his influence to promote the sport’s growth. As a regular contributor to Pickleball Portal, he provides valuable insights through news articles, reviews, and how-to guides.
richard@pickleballportal.com
At just 21 years old, New Jersey native Richard Livornese, Jr. is a rising star in the professional pickleball world and a member of the 2023 APP Next Gen National Team. Initially a college lacrosse player at Stevens Institute of Technology, Richard switched gears to pickleball during the COVID-19 pandemic, co-founding a pickleball academy in his hometown and setting his sights on professional competition. Most recently he has committed to a three-year contract with Major League Pickleball, 2024 through 2026. Richard is an aggressively enterprising person and athlete that is not only finding success on the court, but plans to use his influence to promote the sport’s growth. As a regular contributor to Pickleball Portal, he provides valuable insights through news articles, reviews, and how-to guides.
richard@pickleballportal.com
1 thought on “What I think about the new Gearbox Pro Power paddle”
When you say “Another place we see this is in baseball where you are now only allowed wooden bats which evens the playing field and looks to be the direction that pickleball is headed.” Does that mean you think pro pickleball is heading towards only allowing wooden paddles? That would be crazy!
When you say “Another place we see this is in baseball where you are now only allowed wooden bats which evens the playing field and looks to be the direction that pickleball is headed.” Does that mean you think pro pickleball is heading towards only allowing wooden paddles? That would be crazy!