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Company Info: Kamikaze is a pickleball is a pickleball brand created by a team that grew up in the 90’s. The wanted pickleball gear that brought the 90’s nostalgia. Their goal is to look good, feel good, and play good. They have a range of pickleball paddles and other merch, with the same vibe. They have spent the last year creating their newest paddle, which we’ll dive further into below. More on them at www.kamikazepickleball.com.
Item: We have the Kamikaze Night Owl Pro pickleball paddle.
Description: The Kamikaze Night Owl Pro is a 14MM carbon fiber paddle. The paddle itself is primarily black in color, with the face, edge guard, and grip tape all being black. At the top of the paddle face, the “Night Owl Pro” name is available. The “Night Owl” wording is in a neon blue, with “Pro” being in hot pink. The Kamikaze logo is at the base of the paddle face in their signature, vibrant yellow, blue, and pink. The USA Pickleball Approved logo is directly below the Kamikaze logo, in a shiny black. Both the grip ring and handle cap feature the Kamikaze wording and logo in black.
The paddle itself features a fully thermoformed construction. The perimeter (including the handle) is 100% foam injected. The face is a T7 carbon fiber. As stated before, the paddle is a 14MM. It weighs approximately 8 ounces.
Play Feel: The paddle feels light when handling and the grip is comfortable. While the grip isn’t overly sticky and lacks ridges, but it is easy to utilize.
The paddle has a good deal of power and “pop” off the face. I was impressed by the ability to generate power, given how light the paddle feels. Even being a 14MM paddle, the Night Owl Pro also provides a good deal of control for the softer shots. I think on the balance spectrum, this provides more “power” than anything, but overall it is well rounded.
The paddle face has a good deal of texture with the carbon fiber and it’s evident you can get a great deal of spin on the ball. You can generate a lot of topspin with minimal effort here, which is great.
The paddle has shown little to no signs of wear and tear during our testing period. The only thing I can see on the paddle face was the ball wearing off on it, given that the face is almost entirely black (it’s easier to see the bright color of the ball on it).
Price Point: The paddle is available for $150.00 on their website.
Recommendation: At first glance, this paddle looks pretty standard, but I love the little details that are all in black. The Night Owl Pro has a lot more than meets the eye with the black on black color combinations. Being from the 90’s, I enjoy the retro 90’s feel of the overall design. I also enjoy the overall branding throughout, even if it may be difficult to see at times.
The paddle itself performs well and the quality is evident when handling. It does feel very strong in fire fights and I liked the power it provides.
The grip standard, but it is cushioned and comfortable. As a personal preference, I would utilize an overgrip.
The price point of this paddle puts it below some of the highest marketing in the game. I think for the money, this is a very quality paddle that can hold up against some of those most popular brands.
If you are an intermediate / advanced player looking to upgrade your current set up, I would definitely give Kamikaze a look! This is a great step up from beginner paddles, at a more affordable price point.
Be sure to give them a look and for full photographs, check out our Instagram!
Dimensions:
Raw T7 carbon fiber space
14mm
Thermoformed core
100% foam injected perimeter
8 oz Weight
Total Length- 16.5"
Total Width- 7.5"
Handle Length- 5.5"
Grip Circumference- 4.5"
Paddle Weight- 8.0 OZ
USA Pickleball Approved
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