Upgrading to Paddletek Tempest Reign v3: Game-Changer or Overhyped?!
| Verdict |
|---|
| This paddle is a great paddle for beginners looking to take the next step in their game. I think it has very good spin and control. For those who want to work on moving the ball around in the kitchen, getting to the line and adding spin to their game, this paddle will help you reach those goals. By the same token, this paddle lacks the long handle that many people love, and does not have much pop. I think that for players who don’t have a lot of power or come from tennis with a two hander, this paddle may not accentuate your game as much as you want it to. View at Pickleball Central |
| Specs | Description |
|---|---|
| Paddle Weight | 7.6 ounces |
| Paddle Face Material | ICED Carbon Fiber |
| Paddle Core Material | Polymer Honeycomb |
| Paddle Shape | Elongated |
| Paddle Length | 16.5″ |
| Paddle Width | 7.5″ |
| Grip Size | 4 1/4″ (Medium), 4 1/8″ (Small) |
| Handle Length | 5.25″ |
First Look
The first thing that caught my eye is the unusual shape of this paddle. It has a slightly shorter handle and extended face. After getting over the first impression, I think that the Tempest Reign v3 has some serious upside with its larger hitting surface and sweet spot. The handle and cap are the standard ones found on all Paddletek paddles. If you feel the face, you can immediately tell, that this is not the same old Paddletek paddle. It has a legit carbon fiber face with some real grit. For people that are moving away from their first paddles to the newer, higher end paddles, carbon fiber is the way to go. The roughness of the surface provides more spin and control than its fiberglass or graphite counterparts. Overall, I was intrigued by the unique shape of this paddle more than anything.
Background Research
The Paddletek Tempest Reign v3 is a paddle that was designed to address some specific issues. This paddle was made with reach as its number 1 priority. Because of the elongated face, the sweet spot on the paddle is higher than pretty much all other paddles. This will help when reaching into the kitchen and attacking balls out of the air. This paddle has the carbon fiber face (iced carbon fiber according to Paddletek, I am confident ice was not involved) which gives it much more spin and control than the older Paddletek models. And, the core, is the Paddletek PolyCore, which they advertise as giving the paddle more “pop”. Many of the carbon fiber paddles (more spin but less power) lack the “pop” of the fiberglass or graphite paddles and this version attempts to address that.
Who is This Paddle For?
I think this paddle will be beneficial to the beginner- intermediate crowd. Specifically, I would recommend this kind of paddle to players looking to move up from “starter” paddles. It will give them more stability as they work on aggressive dinking, and attacking out of the air, as well as allow them to utilize spin. I would say this is not a paddle for high level players as the longer face will not be as beneficial to them. These players have a solid feel for the paddle and a finer touch, so using the Tempest Reign v3 would mean sacrificing some power and handle length, which is vital for the Pros.
Performance Review & User Experience
Feel/Warmup
Initially, I was a little uncomfortable with the paddle as it was shaped very differently than paddles I have used and it had a smaller handle than I was used to. After playing with it for a bit, I was surprised by the feeling on the net. It was very natural with dinking volleys and a few times I even noticed the higher sweet spot when reaching into the kitchen on volleys. As I backed up, I noticed two things I didn’t love as much as the rest, The paddle does not have as much power as others I have used and I could not easily hit my two hander. To be fair, I have large hands so this may not be an issue for others. The power could be fixed by playing around with lead tape. If you put a lot of tape on top of the paddle it would play with a lot more “pop” than it does currently.
Control
The paddle’s biggest strength is the control it affords as well as how forgiving it is. This is due, in large part, to the shape and carbon surface. For people using graphite and especially, fiberglass you will notice that you have siginificantly more control with this paddle as compared to what you’re using now.
Spin
For legacy Paddletek users, I think the most exciting part about this paddle, is the spin. This can possibly change your game if you can learn to use it. For beginners coming from tennis who already can slice and put topspin on the ball, this paddle will let you hit similarly to your tennis form. With a paddle like this you can serve and drive out of eastern or even a semi western grip, which will give your opponents lots of trouble as they struggle to return or volley your shot.
Comparative Analysis
This Tempest Reign v3 is unique in shape to any other that I have used so far. I think that is probably the one thing that is special to it. The surface is much like other non-thermoformed paddles in feel and spin potential, like the Hyperion or the Diadem Edge.
Wrapping Up
Paddletek ranked this paddle as follows:
| Power | 8/10 |
| Control | 8.5/10 |
| Forgivness | 8.5/10 |
I would rank it like this:
| Power | 5/10 |
| Control/Spin | 8/10 |
| Forgivness | 9/10 |
