Body Helix X-3 Pro and Lite Review

Company Info: We’ve got some new paddles from Body Helix today! For their company information, check our last post, which can be found here and here. 

Item: We have the Body Helix X-3 Pro and X-3 Lite pickleball paddles to review today.

Description: Both paddles feature a Kevlar/carbon blend paddle face. This is the first time we’ve seen this from Body Helix. The handle of each is a 6 inch solid state. From a visibility standpoint, the paddles look similar. They both are primarily black in color, with the Kevlar/carbon woven paddle face. The Body Helix logo is present at the top of the paddle face. There is a large “3” graphic on the right hand side of the paddle, which takes up just about 1/3 of the paddle face. The X3 logo is at the base of the paddle face and just above that is the USA pickleball approved logo. The edge guard is grey and the paddle handle has black grip tape.

               X-3 Pro: The Pro features a dark blue / purple color on all the graphics, which is carried over into the stitching of the grip tape. The paddle is 18MM and features a small cell polypropylene honeycomb core. It also offers a thermoformed unibody designed with 360 foam injection.

               X-3 Lite: The Lite graphics are a seafoam / teal color for the graphics and accent colors. This paddle offers large cell PP honeycomb core. The paddle is identical to the X-2 lite, except for the updated paddle face with the Kevlar/carbon blend instead of only the carbon.

Play Feel: As always, the Body Helix paddles feel extremely high quality and to date they have held up fantastic through testing (even our X-1 is still feeling great after months of play). The paddles feature the same face material and the Kevlar blend really does allow for an outstanding amount of spin.

               X-3 Pro: This paddle is a very high performance paddle which offers very precise handling. It holds up strong in hand battles and is great for resetting. The paddle has a sweet spot that is intuitive and it feels really balanced overall. There definitely isn’t anything that is “lost” here, as there is a great deal of control that allows for precise and consistent dinks, and the 18MM seems like it provides a great deal of power as well, especially on serves.

               X-3 Lite: The Lite is advertised for 3.5-4.5 players. I do think this is a true statement. The main reason being is that this paddle is really versatile and it’s also forgiving as well. It has a large sweet spot and doesn’t feel like you are “out of control” when hitting drives. It also is a 16MM paddle, and it provides a great deal of control.  

Price Point: The X-3 Pro is $180 and the X-3 Lite is $160 (both available on their website).

Recommendation: I have been a huge fan of the Body Helix paddles and I think these are just the next example of a high quality paddle to put in your rotation. Both paddles have been really enjoyable to test out and I think they stack up with the best of them.

Each paddle came with a paddle cover and also an accessory kit as well. I like this fact, because at the price point you get a top level paddle and also the ability to customize it to your liking as well.

The quality is evident and as I stated previously, these have held up great and even the X-1 is still standing strong.

I would definitely recommend giving these a try. If you’re looking for a more overall and casual paddle, I think the Lite would be perfect. If you are looking to take your game to the next level, the Pro is what you should go with!

Be sure to give them a look and for full photographs, check out our Instagram!