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Witnessing your pickle paddle developing dead spots within few games isn’t pleasant. Do your current paddles wear out quickly? If yes, then this is the perfect time for you to buy the right paddle for your thrilling pickleball journey. Which brand am I referring to? It’s none other than Gamma. (Stick close, we’ll be revealing our top 5 pickleball paddles from Gamma Sports.
Gamma is based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has a rich history of manufacturing quality tennis equipment for more than 40 years. Their journey began with manufacturing innovative designs for tennis rackets and strings. Quality products and tons of positive reviews over the years made Gamma, a popular choice.
When pickleball burst onto the scene, they quickly developed and launched a line of pickleball paddles and equipment. Their innovation, state-of-art-technology and the desire to provide the best paddles have made them one of the leading brands in the sport of pickleball.
Gamma Professional Pickleball Players
While pickleball is a rapidly growing sport, the current pro pickleball paddles who use Gamma pickleball paddles include:
| Players | Paddle |
| Lucy Kitcher | Phaser 2.0 – Mirage – Needle |
| DJ Howard | Mirage |
| Gene Smith | Razor |
| Davon Martin | Dart |
Gamma Pickleball Paddles
There are 15 premium Gamma pickleball paddles within three ranges available in the market. Each of these paddles is tailor-made for a particular aspect of the game. Before moving on to our top five picks, let us understand the three ranges of product.
| Technology | Paddles |
| Aramid Core 2.0 | Voltage 2.0, Neutron 2.0, Atomic 2.0, Phaser 2.0, Fusion 2.0, Micron 2.0 |
| Sensa Poly Core | Needle, Pin, RZR, Mirage, Twister, Dart |
| Neucore Poly Core | Compass, Shard, Legend |
Top 5 GammaPaddles
We saw the three different ranges of Gamma pickleball paddles in the market. These are the active range of products being sold by the brand across the globe. Out of these 15 designs, we’ll be picking our top 5 Gamma paddles based upon their design, construction, and the price range.
1. Compass Neucore Pickleball Paddle
Our personal pick for the best Gamma pickleball goes to this latest premium unveiling from the brand. Comprising of top-quality polymer core, this paddle features a 25% thicker core when compared to a general paddle.
However, the bulkiness doesn’t take away from the gentle feel and is still able to deliver maximum impact. Its graphite face really helps with spin shots and overall this paddle has a perfect balance.
Owing to its innovative build, it helps you to play at the highest standard with the maximum smoothness, dynamism, and adaptability.
Specifications:
| Skill Level | Advanced to Professionals |
| Weight | 7.75oz |
| Paddle Length | 16 5/8″ |
| Width | 7 1/8″ |
| Grip Design | Cushioned, Perforated & Ribbed |
| Face | Textured Graphite |
| Core | NeuCore technology |
| Price | $$ |
Ratings:
| Aspects | Performance |
| Shot Control | 9.8 |
| Shot Power | 9.7 |
| Shot Spin | 9.6 |
| Paddle Grip | 9.8 |
| Sweet Spot | 9.6 |
| Price Range | 9.2 |
2. Needle Elongated Premium Poly Core Paddle
Gamma Sports launched the Needle Pickleball paddle in March 2018. Since then, pickleball players have been loving this paddle. Its elongated sweet spot as suggested in the name increases the power and helps deliver excellent backhand shots.
Needle, at around 7.6 oz is a middleweight paddle but still doesn’t fail to deliver quality performance when serving and returning. It’s great for blocking and dinking shots. It boasts incredible control and offers excellent shot precision in all areas of the court.
Featuring the honeycomb cushioned grip, it has an incredible feel to it. It carries a perfect handle. However, you can still add high-quality grip tape to increase the grip size. Overall, the Needle is an absolute value for money and is excellent for beginners and advanced players alike.
Specifications:
| Skill Level | Beginner to Professionals |
| Weight | 7.6oz |
| Paddle Length | 16 5/8” |
| Width | 7 1/8” |
| Grip Design | Cushioned, Perforated and Ribbed |
| Face | Textured Graphite |
| Core | Sensa Poly Core |
| Price | $$ |
Ratings:
| Aspects | Performance |
| Shot Control | 9.5 |
| Shot Power | 9.4 |
| Shot Spin | 9 |
| Paddle Grip | 9.5 |
| Sweet Spot | 9.2 |
| Price Range | 9.2 |
3. Mirage Premium Poly Core Paddle
Launched in October 2018, the Mirage Premium Poly Core Paddle is slightly on the heavier side with 8oz of weight. Due to this, it offers great power while serving or returning. The composite face allows a remarkable ball control adding to the shot precision.
Coming from the honeycomb cushioned family, we cannot praise the grip enough. It’s excellent for any kind of shot and is amongst the most affordable pickleball paddles out there.
Overall, it’s an excellent paddle which is ideal for beginners to intermediate players. Though we do not suggest this for a professional match, it’s still an exciting affordable option at an advanced intermediate level.
Specifications:
| Skill Level | Beginner to Advanced Intermediate |
| Weight | 8.0 oz |
| Paddle Length | 15.875″ |
| Width | 8″ |
| Grip Design | Cushioned, Perforated & Ribbed |
| Face | Textured Composite |
| Core | Sensa Poly Core |
| Price | $ |
Ratings:
| Aspects | Performance |
| Shot Control | 9.3 |
| Shot Power | 9.1 |
| Shot Spin | 9.2 |
| Paddle Grip | 9.2 |
| Sweet Spot | 9.1 |
| Price Range | 9.4 |
4. Dart Pickleball Paddle
Dart Composite Pickleball adds finesse and precision to your game. Offering exceptional light-weight composite paddle, the Dart Pickleball paddle offers quality at an affordable rate. One of the highlights of this paddle is the spin you’re able to generate because of the texture.
Grip, though not as good as the Compass still offers tackiness in the right amount. Cushioning keeps your hand comfortable whereas the polyester core adds to the shots.
With a black surface and intricate design, the dart pickleball does what it says –Hitting the bullseye. Lightweight construction and a good amount of width help you place your shots perfectly. The only aspect not so impressive about this paddle is a small grip circumference, which means it’s perfect for players with small hands.
Specifications:
| Skill Level | Beginner to Advanced Intermediate |
| Weight | 7.04oz |
| Paddle Length | 15 5/8” |
| Width | 7 ½” |
| Grip Design | Cushion, perforated, ribbed |
| Face | Textured composite |
| Core | Poly Core |
| Price | $ |
Ratings:
| Aspects | Performance |
| Shot Control | 9 |
| Shot Power | 9.2 |
| Shot Spin | 9.3 |
| Paddle Grip | 9.1 |
| Sweet Spot | 9 |
| Price Range | 9.5 |
5. Voltage 2.0
Continuing its excellent presence in the pickleball world. Gamma has re-designed and re-textured the Voltage to offer professional feel to it. Its revamped design is simply fantastic and it helps achieve a good amount of spin and pop.
Its unique flush edge guard prevents mis-hits and provides excellent control over your shots. It’s amongst the top-tier paddles offered by Gamma and is certainly capable of electrifying your game.
Furthermore, you can adjust the weight range. It’s natural 7.6 ounces of weight places it right between light and middleweight category. However, with its big sweet spot and small grip control, you get the best of both worlds i.e. precision and control. Similar to all the designs, it features a trademark honeycomb pattern which will help you take your game to the next level.
Specifications:
| Skill Level | Intermediate to Advanced Players |
| Weight | 7.60oz |
| Paddle Length | 15 3/8” |
| Width | 8-1/8” |
| Grip Design | Cushion, perforated, ribbed |
| Face | Graphite |
| Core | Nomex honeycomb |
| Price | $$ |
Ratings:
| Aspects | Performance |
| Shot Control | 9 |
| Shot Power | 9 |
| Shot Spin | 9.1 |
| Paddle Grip | 9.3 |
| Sweet Spot | 9.2 |
| Price Range | 9 |
History of Gamma Pickleball Paddles
Dr. Harry Ferrari, a nuclear engineer by profession and a tennis player set out on a mission to develop innovative tennis strings in 1974. In this quest, he gave birth to the new string pattern called as the gut tennis string.
Photo Credit: Wall Street Journal
Today, this patented design continues to garner accolades from tennis communities as the best tennis strings in the market. However, that wasn’t all for Harry and his venture.
He studied the growing nature of pickleball and realized that there was a great demand for innovative and durable paddles when pickleball was first starting.
After its success story in the sport of tennis, Dr. Harry soon wrote yet another legacy, this time with pickleball though. After intensively testing the first sets of paddles for 9 months in the labs and in courts, the first set of paddles were made available in the market. Using their experience in the tennis market, their premium brand brought over many advanced techniques used in tennis equipment manufacturing to pickleball.
The response these products got was phenomenal. Banking on the success of the first lot, Gamma continued its excellence and took the paddles to the competition stage. At that time, many professional players switched to Gamma from their existing paddles due to the phenomenal design and output.
For the current generation of pickleball players, if you’re looking for durability with cutting-edge technology, you have to look no further than these Gamma paddles.
Final Thoughts
I personally love the Needle Elongated Paddle because it suits my game style. For me, its solid design and lightweight is the key as it offers me to hit those spin shots with real ease. However, that takes nothing away from all the other 14 patterns and the 4 others which have been listed here.
These are my personal favorites. Have you tried a Gamma compass pickleball paddle? Feel free to drop your opinion in the comments and share your Gamma Paddle story!
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