So, you’ve fallen in love with pickleball and are ready to pick up a nicer paddle for yourself or a loved one? Having a paddle that you love truly does make the game a whole lot more enjoyable.
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard that pickleball paddles can get very expensive. It’s true, as some of the most popular paddles cost north of $200. Those fancy Selkirk Project paddles? Those are $330, which is wild.
But it’s also true that you don’t have to pay that much to get your hands on a great paddle. There are some impressive new paddle companies hitting the scene that are offering up well-crafted paddles that rival the big companies’ offerings and are priced much more competitively.
You don’t want to go on Amazon and just buy the first paddle you see for $99. The $100 price range is great for paddles, but there are still a lot of duds in this price range that aren’t worth your hard-earned money.
In the $100 price range, you have a lot of good options that just didn’t exist a few months ago. While you can pay less, the paddles on this list are all significant steps up from the cheaper ones on my best paddles for $50 list.
Contents
How I compiled this list
I’m a devoted pickleball player/paddle tester and spend every day testing paddles while keeping up with the nerdiest sectors of the online pickleball paddle world.
I’ve play tested every paddle on this list and a large handful of paddles that didn’t make the cut. I’m constantly searching for the best paddles available updating my articles with new offerings. You can rest assured that this article is up-to-date and has the goods that you’re looking for.
Without further ado, let’s get to the list of my 5 top intermediate paddle recommendations
Ronbus R1/R2/R3.16
- Price:
$120($100 with code DASHPB) - Paddle type: All-court
- Where it excels:Â Excellent overall all-court carbon fiber paddle performance.
- What it lacks:Â Thermoform power and perimeter edge-foam injection.
- Read the full Ronbus R1.16 Review
The Ronbus R series paddles offer an affordable, clean-looking choice that plays very similarly to the highly popular Joola Hyperion CFS paddle. The R1 Ronbus is hybrid-shaped, while the R3 is a traditional elongated shaped paddle. I actually prefer my R1 Ronbus over my Joola Hyperion CFS, which is crazy, because the Joola is $220 and less durable than the Ronbus.
With the Ronbus, you’re getting a reliable, balanced feel, great control, top-tier spin, and plenty of power. I wholeheartedly stand by this paddle and its place at the top of this list. I’ve been playing with and recommending this paddle along with its thermoformed counterpart, the Ronbus Pulsar, for months.
Vatic Pro Prism V7
- Price:
$99.99($89.99 with code DASHPB) - Paddle type: All-court/Elongated
- Where it excels:Â Top-tier spin, control, and build quality, length for reach
- What it lacks: Thermoformed power
- Read the full Vatic Pro Prism V7 Review
Vatic Pro hit the pickleball scene in a big way this year with some awesome unibody thermoformed paddles: the Vatic Pro V7, Vatic Pro Flash, and Vatic Pro Alchemy. While those paddles are great, they all cost more than $100.
But now Vatic announced the Prism. It’s a unibody, edge foam-injected paddle for under $90. With these features at this price, it’s quickly become one of the best offerings in this price bracket.
Just like the Ronbus R series, the Prism feels similar to the expensive Hyperion CFS 16mm paddle. But the Prism is even better than the Hyperion, in my opinion. It’s not quite as soft and plush as the Hyperion, as it has a tiny bit more stiffness and pop, which is a tradeoff that I prefer. You also get more durability with the Prism (the Hyperion has durability issues) and you also get higher levels of spin.
Vatic Pro Prism Flash
- Price:
$99.99($89.99 with code DASHPB) - Paddle type: All-court/Hybrid-shaped
- Where it excels: Top-tier spin, control, and build quality. Low swing weight for fast hands at the net
- What it lacks: Thermoformed power
- Read the full Vatic Pro Prism Flash Review
As mentioned above, the recently released Prisms with unibody build and edge-foam injection have become one of the best paddle offerings in the $100 price bracket.
The Prism Flash differs from the V7 in that it is a hybrid-shaped paddle while the V7 is a traditional elongated shape. The more aerodynamic Flash will feel lighter and faster to swing, which is especially helpful when playing fast at the net. The V7 will give slightly more power and reach.
Due to the shape, the Prism Flash plays even more similarly to Joola’s top-of-the-line Hyperion carbon fiber paddle. Even though I love the Hyperion CFS, I now prefer the Prism over it. This is impressive because the Hyperion is $220 and the Prism is only $89.99 when discounted.
Hudef Viva Pro
- Price:
$99($89 with code DASHPB) - Paddle type: Power/All-court/Elongated
- Where it excels:Â Thermoformed power, spin, touch, long handle
- What it lacks:Â A comfortable grip (in my opinion)
- Read the full Hudef Viva Pro Review
Hudef has been around in the paddle manufacturer scene for years. I haven’t always a big fan of their paddles, but they’ve made a big push recently and released some much-improved and innovative paddles.
The Viva Pro is a Gen. 2 raw carbon fiber paddle, i.e. hot-molded unibody thermoformed with edge-foam injection and a T700 raw carbon fiber face.
Paddles with these features typically cost $140+, so the $89 after-discount price is excellent. The Viva Pro plays comparably to the best Gen. 2 thermoformed paddles out there. It strikes a great balance between power, spin, and control.
The only thing the Viva Pro lacks is raw power. Though more powerful than Gen. 1 paddles, it doesn’t hit as hard as most Gen. 2 thermos. You’ll have to bump up to the $150 and under price range to access the most powerful thermoformed paddles.
Six Zero Sapphire
- Price:
$99($89 with code DASHPB) - Paddle type: Power/All-court/Elongated
- Where it excels: Thermoformed Power, high-tier spin, low swing-weight for quick hands.
- What it lacks: The control of a thicker paddle.
- Read the full Six Zero Sapphire review
Six Zero is a newer paddle company based out of Australia. They’ve exploded onto the paddle scene recently with their premium thermoformed paddles the Black Diamond Power and the Double Black Diamond Control.
While not as popular as the more expensive Diamond series, the Sapphire is an excellent unibody thermoformed paddle that’s an incredible deal for under $100. It has a great combination of spin, power, and hand speed.
With its thinner 13mm core, the Sapphire is the best paddle on this list for power players that prefer raw power and fast hands over stability and plush control.
Bison Summit (CRBN 1 clone)
- Price: $99
- Paddle type: All-court
- Where it excels: Spin, control, pop
- What it lacks: Not as powerful as newer power paddles
The original CRBN 1 paddle with its stellar performance and elongated paddle was one of the most popular premium paddles in 2022. The Bison Summit is a literal copy of the CRBN 1 at a much more affordable price than the CRBN.
It has great spin and control and produces enough power and pop to keep up with anyone. The elongated design is great for attacking and getting that extra reach. You can probably find a player in your area that’s played with the original CRBN 1 or still is.
XSPAK has done something similar by also cloning the CRBN 1. They’ve had a lot of success selling them and people have been happy, but the company’s customer service and warranty are subpar. Bison is much better in this regard and features a 6-month warranty, which is quite long in the pickleball paddle space.
Bison Rampage (CRBN 2 clone)
- Price: $99
- Paddle type: All-court
- Where it excels:Â control
- What it lacks:Â raw power, elongated handle/reach
Like the Bison Summit’s replication of the CRBN 1, Bison Rampage is an identical clone to the CRBN 2 16mm paddle. It’s an excellent control paddle with nice spin capabilities. It’s great for players that focus on placement and precise control.
If you like to focus on drops, blocks, and resets, this paddle should perform well for you. Just be aware that it doesn’t generate a ton of power, which can become a hindrance in higher-level play.
Engage OMEGA Evolution Max
- Price:
$110($99 on JustPaddles with this discount link) - Paddle type: All-court
- Where it excels:Â Good, consistent feel, control, and a nice grip
- What it lacks: Pop, the spin potential drops quickly after grit wears off
Engage is one of the most popular brands in pickleball. You’ll see their paddles everywhere, especially the Engage Pursuit series paddles.
The Evolution Max has solid control capabilities and plays nearly as well as a number of $200+ control paddles. It has a soft and plush feel that’s easy to connect with. It’s easy to execute drops and dinks with. It’s very stable, which reduces errors and dead blocks. Great for your soft and defensive game.
The Evolution Max is a great paddle that just makes it under the $100 mark with a discount code. I prefer the Evolution Max over the higher priced Evolution Pro. It also comes with an excellent warranty and Engage’s top-notch customer service.
In conclusion
In a sea of mediocre paddles, the ones on this list really stand out. You’ll likely be happy with any one of these paddles.
If you’re an intermediate player, I recommend checking out my list of best paddles for intermediate players.
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