Selkirk VANGUARD Power Air Invikta Middleweight Paddle Review

The Invikta Power Air has all the looks, but looks aren’t everything…so does this thing play as good as it looks?

Verdict

This paddle packs some serious heat! Making accurate shots with the Power Air can be a challenge when hitting the ball softly because it is so responsive and sensitive. Great for the aggressive player that likes to hit drives, while also being able to generate plenty of spin. Selkirk recommends this for advanced players but I think that intermediate players could dial this in with some reps and practice. If you have a pretty solid soft game and want extra power, you will have a lot of fun with this paddle.

Specs	Description
Paddle Weight	7.8 – 8.2 oz
Paddle Face Material	QuadFlex 4 Layer Hybrid Face
Paddle Core Material	SuperCore Polymer Honeycomb Core
Paddle Shape	Elongated
Paddle Length	16 1/2”
Paddle Width	7 3/8″
Grip Size	Standard – 4 1/4″
Handle Length	5 1/4”

View at JustPaddles

First Look

When I first saw this paddle, I knew I had to try it. It has such a different look compared to most paddles you see on the market these days. It’s sleek, edgeless design would appear to have many advantages when it comes to the amount of speed you can generate with this paddle. Reminded me a bit of a Gearbox paddle at first look. As expected, I was able to generate much more speed than other paddles I’ve used. I typically play with 16mm thick paddles as I prefer control over power. With this paddle being only 13mm I was pretty pleased with the size of the sweet spot. Much bigger than it’s original project model, the Selkirk Project 002, however, a similar amount of power.

Build Quality

This paddle appears to be built to last. First off, Selkirk removed the edge guard from this paddle. The edge guard has always been known to be one of the weakest parts of the paddle, many times coming unglued which causes the core of the paddle to be exposed. I have also cracked a couple paddles in the past and it always seems to be near the edge guard. Down side of no edge guard means that the edges definitely can scratch easily so I’d recommend putting electrical tape around the edges more so to prevent those scratches even though they wouldn’t affect the play.

The surface texture on this lasts very long as well which keeps the spin of this paddle high, even after months of use. After over a month of continuous use, and a bit of paint chipping (as seen in the picture below), I noticed almost no change in the amount of spin I was able to generate! This is huge for the average consumer who is making their first higher level paddle purchase and wants to get the most use out of it. Other paddles can wear down and lose spin within the first couple months of play.

Feel

The standard grip size of 4 1/4 felt very comfortable in my hand out of the box. I did wrap it once with over grip just to preserve the longevity of the original grip. I do not like grips that are too small as they cause you to have to grip the paddle too tight which in turn causes a lack of feel and control, not to mention can lead to tennis elbow. As you hit this paddle you will notice minimal compression as you make contact with the ball. As stated earlier, this is a “poppy” paddle designed for speed, power, and spin.

Think of it like this, playing with a 16mm paddle is like hitting a ball with a pillow (slightly exaggerated) in the sense that the ball will sink in a bit to the paddle before launching off it. Playing with a 13mm paddle built for power is like hitting a ball with a brick (again, slightly exaggerated) in the sense that the ball basically launches off the paddle right after it makes contact. The sweet spot on this was actually pretty nice for a power paddle. I only noticed issues when i would hit the ball near the four corners of the paddle, or near the “open throat design”, which is Selkirk’s fancier name for the hole at the bottom of the paddle.

Responsiveness & Power

As stated previously, this thing packs a serious punch when hit well. I had a top 300 ATP pro tennis player hit a few drives at me with this paddle and I was blown away with the amount of speed and spin. It honestly didn’t look real, the ball would whistle through the air at such a fast pace and then suddenly dip down, sometimes before I could even get a paddle on it. I have never missed a ball more than when he was hitting them at me with this paddle.

Soft Game

Okay okay…this is unfortunately where this paddle lacks the most. The ball comes off so hot with this paddle that it takes quite a bit of playing before you begin to even remotely get a feel for dinking, drop shots, blocks, and resets. I popped up more balls than I ever had using this paddle because I was not used to it. After a few hours of play and adding a bit of lead tape to the lower sides of the paddle, I eventually got a feel for it. I still have to be aware of my grip pressure on the paddle because it can pop up so easily if my grip pressure is too firm.

Overall

This paddle is definitely going in my bag for singles. My serves, drives, and speed ups were instantly more powerful on day one of using this paddle. As for doubles, which is what many of us really enjoy playing, this paddle just didn’t work for me. I really need a softer feeling paddle in doubles. As someone who enjoys dinking, this paddle was just too powerful for me to really dial in my soft game.

All in all if you are a player who wants to have a couple paddles in your bag, I’d definitely recommend adding this to your collection, however, if you are the player who wants to have one paddle that does a bit of everything, I’d consider something with a bit more touch like the Joola Vision.

---