Ethos Pickleball Arete and Scoria paddle review

Company Info: Ethos Pickleball is a pickleball brand based out of North Carolina. They were founded in 2022. The word “ethos” is Greek and means “character” or “the spirit of a culture.” Their goal is to “support player-first pickleball, which means innovating, fostering community, and treating others with respect.” They have a full range of pickleball paddles available. Find out more on them at www.ethospickleball.com.  

Paddle Name: Today we are taking a closer look at both the Arete and Scoria pickleball paddles.  

Description: Both paddles come in a variety of color combinations. For the Arete, we have the version that features the standard black paddle face, with a pink edge guard. The grip tape and neck guard are white. Down the right hand side, the name Arete is present in English and then on the flip side, in Greek letters. The same goes with the Ethos logo. On one side, it is featured at the base of the paddle face (just above the USA Pickleball approval logo, both in white) and on the other it features the Greek symbols. Down the left hand side of the “English” side, in small white letters, it states “Designed in North Carolina.”

The Scoria is similar in that one side features the wording in English and the other features the Greek lettering. The Scoria that we have is entirely black, from the edge guard, to the grip tape, and even the Ethos logo / USA pickleball logo / “Designed in North Carolina” wording. The pop of color comes from the Scoria wording (on both sides) in a orange/amber color.

Both paddles are 16 MM and feature a 6 inch handle length. The paddles are thermoformed unibody construction through heat welded carbon fiber. There is foam injected throughout the perimeter as well. The paddle face is crafted from three layers of Toray T700 raw carbon fiber. The approximate length of both is 16 inches with the width being approximately 7.5 inches. The grip is not ridged and does have a decent amount of “stickiness.” The rubber neck guard does not feature any additional markings.

Play feel: Both paddles feature a strong sweet spot that is true to what you would believe. The main difference here between the Scoria and the Arete is the paddle shape. The Arete paddle face is around 9% smaller than most, with the majority of that coming near the base of the paddle. It starts narrow and becomes wider like your standard paddle. With this, I found the Arete to feel a little more top heavy, which felt like I had a lot more power.

The Scoria is more of your traditional paddle shape. With this, there is a nice balance between power and control. I found the sweet spot to be true to what you would think and didn’t notice any dead spots across the paddle face.

The paddle faces on both are the same and although they don’t feel rough to the touch, they do pack the ability to create a lot of spin. They do offer lead weights as well, to customize to your liking.

Both paddles feature the extended handle, which makes it easier to utilize the ever-popular two-handed backhand. I also think the quality is very evident on both paddles and neither sowed any signs of wear and tear during our testing period.

Price Point: Both paddles are available for $159.99 on their website.

Recommendation: Both of these paddles feel really sturdy and the quality is evident. I like the difference in the paddle shapes and I found the Arete to be really fun to play with. Both paddles held strong in fire fights and I did not notice any issue after our testing period.

For a personal preference, I would utilize an overgrip if you have sweaty hands. I also would like to see them maybe come with a paddle cover.

These paddles are priced just below some of the more well established brands and I think they stack right up there with the top. The materials are standard for your upper echelon of paddles and I did think these had an easy transition to play with.

From a design perspective I love the innovation and play on the Greek name with each side featuring the same message with different lettering. I like the all black with the pop of color as well.

I would definitely rate these very high and would recommend giving them a look for your next paddle as you look to build your collection or upgrade your paddle!

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