| Verdict |
|---|
| This is a paddle with an interesting twist: Titanium weave in the paddle face. This gives it a very interesting feel, but reminiscent of the classic graphite paddles. This allows this paddle to function all around very well, being able to hit every shot with a good balance of control and power. However, this paddle will do nothing “fancy” or augment your game, but that’s not always a bad thing. View at Bread and Butter |
| Specs | Description |
|---|---|
| Paddle Weight | 8 Oz |
| Paddle Face Material | Carbon Fiber Surface |
| Paddle Core Material | Polypropylene |
| Paddle Shape | Elongated Standard |
| Paddle Length | 16.5″ |
| Paddle Width | 7.37″ |
| Grip Size | 4.25″ |
| Handle Length | 5.5″ |
First Look
This paddle has a flashy design and fiery red colors inspired by Japanese culture. It arrives in a custom box with stickers and bonus materials, all featuring custom graphic design. The most surprising part of the package was the inclusion of “Shogun” brand hot sauce. I was a bit thrown off at first, but the hot sauce was delicious, and I ended up using it all!
About Me
This review is brought to you by me, Coach Destin Perry from Tallahassee, FL. I’m a 4.0-4.5 player and Pickleball Coach with years of experience, including tournament play. My style is focused on “Drive and Drop,” with an emphasis on spin and powerful strokes.
I’m also a certified gear nerd with a background in tennis and a technician certification for rackets. I love tweaking and modifying gear with lead, balance, and different setups to optimize my play. It’s one of the most satisfying aspects of racquet sports, and I highly recommend it—just be careful, it’s a bit of a rabbit hole!
Research
Bread & Butter is a company all about style, and their graphic design on all their paddles shows this. They want to make “cool” paddles, and they succeed. What’s awesome about them though is they aren’t just stylish, like a lot of pickleball paddles on the market. They’re truly competitive paddles in the realm of the best and at a semi-affordable price. This company has an “About Us” page, and you can find their very open expression of themselves and their employees. I urge you to check out their website—it’s an adventure.
This is one of the only paddles on the market with a titanium weave, and the best part is it’s coupled with an elongated standard shape, which I believe personally is the most effective paddle shape for all-around 4.0+ play. It has a great balance in what it offers at that level. I prefer the feel of that leverage in my hand with the length as well. So, if you’re someone who wants to try this titanium technology in a paddle, this is my best recommendation for the product to choose. The weight at 8 oz is very standard for most advanced paddles, but I end up almost always adding additional weight afterward, somewhere in the realm of 4-8 grams in the form of lead tape at the 12, and 9 and 10.
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My Experience
This paddle does not get spin like a Diadem 18k, or Joola Hyperion, but this change to me was welcome. The industry is getting way too obsessed with adding more power and spin into their products, before asking what specifically is necessary for playing a solid and strategic game. The point is, are we asking what “wins” pickleball games, or what is “some attribute we can market to sell paddles”? To me, the balance that this paddle allowed me to experience the game again in a rounded bubble, where all my shots were predictable, crisp, and stable. Overall, hitting with this paddle was crisp, felt solid, and the experience was controlled. This definitely goes along with the specs, as I expect a 16mm to feel this way.
For me, I’m not picky about the handle. I am able to play with a variety of grips, and it’s not something that’s a make or break for me with a paddle. Especially since I can usually add a lot of weight, I generally am not opposed to adding an overgrip or even extra replacement grip to build up and add weight to a paddle handle.
In terms of performance, the paddle has a crisp feel across all shots—groundstrokes, volleys, dinks, and serves. Every hit feels solid, and it’s excellent at redirecting power, provided you hit the sweet spot. However, the sweet spot feels slightly smaller compared to a graphite paddle, possibly due to the titanium weave.
What stuck out for me:
- The King of All Arounders
- Very solid, like a rock coming through the ball, while not being too heavy in static weight
- Comfort: I felt a crisp feel, and this to me was a fun and comfortable change-up.
This paddle was above average in the “noisemaking” department. In terms of durability, I think one of the best things about it is that it will stay very predictable from the paddle face for a long time. It is a tank in terms of durability, as far as I’ve seen from about four months of testing.
Comparative Analysis
I really loved this paddle, and even though I have certain paddles I have more play time on (The Diadem Speed 18k, and the Legacy Pro) I am finding myself playing and teaching with this paddle a LOT. It’s probably my favorite paddle in fact right now to just take out and play. I love the feel of it, the branding is cool, and the paddle is flashy! Even better, the paddle also performs well. I would say anyone should try this paddle and see if they like it, and only skip if you’re a beginner or early intermediate, as this paddle doesn’t do anything flashy in its play. It won’t have a big sweet spot, it won’t give you massive spin, and it won’t make your shots laser fast. But what it does do, is give you a predictable response which allows any player to play their game from anywhere on the court, with a ton of stability and crisp performance.
Here are some of Kips thoughts on the Bread & Butter.
