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Company Info: “PROE Pickleball” is a pickleball paddle and (in the future) apparel company, based out of Utah. Their goal and focus is to bring stylish gear / merchandise that still has a competitive edge. You can find more on them and shop here: https://www.proepickleball.com.
Paddle name: Today, we have the PROE “Original” paddle.
Description: The “Original” paddle is a very sleek design. The paddle itself is white with bold, black lettering. The accent edge guard is also black, as well with the grip tape. While the entire paddle is black and white, the grip tape stitching is actually a light/baby blue, which does give the slightest pop and just brings this paddle an extra element. The paddle face features a “P” on one side, with the “PROE” logo on the other. On either side, towards the handle, there is a smaller logo, opposite of whatever is featured (the “PROE” logo is small on towards the handle on the “P” face side, and vice versa). Aesthetically speaking, this simplistic design is super visually appealing and the white and black is a classic look. It’s very sleek. The grip cap also features the P logo, which makes for an even further quality feel and really “complete” paddle look upon first inspection.
Play feel: The first thing I noticed about the play feel with this paddle was the grip and the paddle weight. The grip had ridges similar to a Joola grip, however, when playing, they weren’t as prominent as the Joola grips, which I really enjoyed. Personally, I am not a huge fan of a grip with the increased grip elevations. This particular grip was comfortable and felt good quality. The paddle itself is pretty light and made for easy play.
While playing, the paddle definitely had a good “pop,” but I did feel as though the “touch” was a little tougher to master given the paddle is not as thick as others. The paddle felt sturdy when serving and for drives as well. It was not a difficult transition to play games with this and still remain competitive. From a durability standpoint, it has also held up well, and the graphics on the front have not been damaged or faded from hard drives / serves thus far.
The paddle features a fiberglass face, and as such, it does lack some texture on the front. This is not uncommon in my experience. It makes for slightly higher difficulty to be an increased amount of spin on the ball. I think this feature really boils down to play style and if this is a massive part of your game or not.
Price Point: As of the time of writing, this paddle is available for $60 directly from the PROE website.
Recommendation: I definitely think this is one of the most visually appealing paddles that I’ve played with thus far as far as a simplicity, sleek design is concerned. PROE is going to focus on some limited paddle drops in the future as well. I think at the price point, the paddle plays well without breaking the bank. While I do not believe this paddle would compete with some of the most expensive paddles, I also think that for $60, this is a durable and solid paddle to play with and remain competitive. I will be interested to see what further items this company comes out with in the future, especially given how stylish this paddle is currently.
Dimensions: These paddles are made of a polymetric composite interface, with a fiberglass face and rubberized tape grip. I did not see the official sizes listed on their website, but did measure them myself. Below are the approximate sizes based on my review:
Length: 15.75" Width: 8" Grip Size: 4.25” Grip Length: 4.9” Weight: pending
USAPA Certified? NO
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