It’s a great paddle
The paddle you stop thinking about. Drives land where you aimed, resets die short, and a ball caught off the edge comes off like you meant it. Our highest rated paddle, at 4.9 from 900+ owners.
900+ verified Ultra reviews
4.9 average, our highest rated paddle
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HOW IT PLAYS
Forget the spec sheet for a second. This is what changes in a game.
You know the one. Slightly late, slightly off the middle, and it floats just high enough for someone to put away. The foam perimeter takes the energy out of that ball instead of handing it back. It comes off soft, stays down, and you stop losing points you technically played fine.
Sixteen millimetres is enough core to absorb pace and put it where you aimed rather than four feet past the baseline. Owners describe it the same way over and over: more controlled, without giving anything up on the drive.
On most paddles that is a dead ball and a look at your partner. Here it comes off close enough to the middle that nobody notices. That is what a reliably big sweet spot actually buys you. Fewer moments where the paddle is the reason.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
THE CORE
Every brand says core technology. Here is the specific construction behind those three shots.
Run a single uniform core to the edge and the edge goes soft. Three foam rings sit around the perimeter here, each doing a different job, so the outside of the face answers the ball the way the middle does. Owners call the sweet spot reliably big. That is where it comes from.
The centre is a honeycomb blend we spec ourselves rather than an off-the-shelf polymer. It keeps the paddle quiet on contact and stops the foam perimeter turning the whole thing mushy. Foam alone is dead. Honeycomb alone is harsh. The blend is the point.
We build a 19mm and a 14mm and both are excellent at what they are for. 16mm is the middle, and the middle is a skill of its own: enough core to absorb pace on a reset, enough spring to give it back on a drive. That is what lets one paddle be genuinely all-court.
Face, walls and throat are thermoformed as a single unit. Fewer seams means fewer places to fail, which is why the paddle still feels the way you remember in month nine rather than going quietly soft.
SIDE BY SIDE
If you are weighing the Ultra against the premium end of the market, here is where the two diverge.
| CPX ULTRA | PREMIUM PADDLES AT $250+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Face material | Raw aramid blended with carbon | Carbon, or a coated finish over it |
| Core | Three foam rings around a honeycomb blend | Commonly one uniform core, sometimes foam walls |
| Core thickness | 16mm, tuned for both ends of the court | Usually 14mm or 16mm, built around one |
| Construction | Thermoformed unibody | Thermoformed or bonded, varies by model |
| Vibration dampening | From the aramid itself | Often an added foam or handle insert |
| Protective cover | Included with every paddle | Usually sold separately |
| Sanctioned play | USA Pickleball Approved, PBCoR 43 | USA Pickleball Approved |
| Price | From $199.97 | $250 and up |
The comparison column describes construction and terms commonly found among premium paddles priced at $250 and above. It does not refer to any single brand, and specifications, warranties and prices vary by model and retailer.
THE WALKTHROUGH
Every Ultra standing side by side, with the details called out on the paddles themselves. The face, the core, the shape and what separates one finish from the next. Watch this and you will know exactly which one you want.
Full dimensionsTHE NUMBERS
A 4.92 inch handle with a 4.21 inch grip circumference, which is a standard size that suits most hands without regripping, and enough length for a two-handed backhand.
Five paddlesTHE LINEUP
The Air is built to last, the Pro is built for touch, the Max is built for pace, the Hyper+ is the flagship. The Ultra is the one for players who want all of it from a single paddle, which is why it is the one we hand people who cannot decide.

RAW ARAMID
Aramid is the fiber used in body armour. It is tougher than carbon alone and it absorbs vibration instead of sending it up your arm. Players with a history of tennis elbow bring this up more than anything else about the paddle, and it is the reason a lot of them are still playing five days a week.
WHICH ONE IS YOU
We would rather you end up on the right paddle than the expensive one. Here is the honest version.
Take the Pro. 19mm, the thickest core we make, and the most forgiving paddle in the lineup on a soft ball. Plenty of players buy it and never want anything else, which is exactly right.
Take the Max. 14mm, thermoformed, elongated, and built to put pace behind a drive. If your game is aggressive, that is the one that suits it.
Take this one. The Ultra is what we hand players who do a bit of everything and do not want to choose between a soft game and a fast one. In the reviews it is the word balance, over and over.
Cover includedIN THE BOX
Grip fitted, edge tape on, cover in the box. Nothing to buy, nothing to set up, and the break-in is short enough that most people feel it on the first session.
THE LINEUP
Core thickness is the clearest way to explain the range. The Pro is built for touch, the Max for pace, and the Ultra sits between them for players who want both.
16MM · DURABILITYAirClassic shape, built to take a beating.
$99.97
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19MM · CONTROLProThickest core we make. Touch at the kitchen.
From $99.97
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14MM · POWERMaxThermoformed and elongated. Real pace.
From $159.97
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16MM · ALL COURTUltraThe Goldilocks number. Does everything.
From $199.97
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FLAGSHIPHyper+Hyperfoam X core, biggest sweet spot.
From $150.00
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QUESTIONS
Three foam rings layered around our own honeycomb blend, at 16mm. The foam rings sit toward the perimeter so the outside of the face responds like the centre does, which is what gives it the wide sweet spot. The honeycomb blend in the middle keeps it from going soft. Foam on its own is dead, honeycomb on its own is harsh, and the combination is the whole idea.
Because we build a 19mm and a 14mm and we know exactly what each one is brilliant at. The Pro at 19mm is the softest, most forgiving paddle we make. The Max at 14mm is the fastest. 16mm is the Goldilocks number in between, which is why the Ultra can honestly be called all-court.
11.6 inches long by 7.48 inches wide, 16mm thick, weighing 8.2 oz. The handle is 4.92 inches with a 4.21 inch grip circumference, which is a standard size that suits most hands without regripping.
Elongated means longer and therefore narrower than a widebody. You get reach and a higher balance point, and enough handle for a two-handed backhand.
Short. Owners consistently describe it as immediate or a couple of sessions, and several mention the balance feels right out of the box. If you are coming off a much lighter paddle, give it a week.
No. Same core, same aramid face, same 16mm elongated shape across all seven, so they all play identically. What changes is the finish and how many we made. Launch Edition at $199.97 is the original run and the best value.
Three go further than paint. Azure has a brown Alcantara suede handle, Titanium ends in machined titanium, and Gold in a machined gold cap. Those are materials rather than colours, which is why they sit at the top.
If almost all of your game happens at the kitchen line, the Pro is the more forgiving paddle and it costs less. Take it and enjoy it. If you are driving from the baseline as much as you are dinking, the Ultra is the one built for both.
We are not going to promise anything medical, but aramid absorbs vibration rather than transmitting it, and owners with a history of tennis elbow mention that more than any other feature on this paddle. If harsh contact is what stops you playing, it is the one in our lineup worth trying.
Every Ultra is covered against manufacturing defects. If you want cover for the everyday stuff, bumps, scrapes and normal wear for as long as you own it, the Lifetime Warranty add-on covers that too.
USA Pickleball Approved and PBCoR 43 Certified, so it is legal in every sanctioned tournament. Orders placed on a business day ship the same day from Chicago with free shipping, usually landing one to two business days later.
WHY THE ULTRA
More than nine hundred players have rated the Ultra and it comes out at 4.9, our highest. The reason they give is almost never a spec. It is that the paddle stopped being something they had to manage, and the game got easier to play.