Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the US. With more players hitting the courts every day, having the right paddle can make a big difference in your game. In this Babolat Pickleball Paddle Review, we’ll take a look at 4 top pickleball paddles from Babolat to see how they stack up for power, control, spin, and more.
Babolat RBEL Power Pickleball Paddle
The Babolat RBEL Power paddle is designed for performance players who want added power from their shots. With its lightweight design and carbon fiber face, this paddle generates impressive pop and speed. Let’s dive into the key features and performance.
Power from Advanced Carbon Fiber Face
The standout feature of the RBEL Power is the advanced carbon fiber face. Babolat uses an extra layer of carbon fiber woven into the surface to add rigidity and pop. The carbon fiber helps create a more powerful surface that generates speed and spin on contact. Compared to fiberglass or polymer paddle faces, the advanced carbon fiber face gives you more put-away power on drives and serves.
During play testing, the carbon fiber face really stood out. The paddle felt very solid and responsive across the entire surface. Power transferred extremely efficiently into the ball off of serves, third shots, and follow-up attacks. Drives landed deep with penetration. The paddle face was also rigid enough to generate ample spin when brushing or slicing the ball.
If you like swinging for power and putting shots away, the RBEL Power’s carbon fiber face delivers. The extra rigidity and responsiveness adds serious pop to drives, serves, and smashes compared to paddles with more flexible fiberglass faces.
Lightweight and Quick for Maneuverability
Even with the rigid carbon fiber hitting surface, the RBEL Power still weighs in at a nimble 7.6 ounces. The lightweight design combined with the thin 14 mm profile makes the paddle extremely quick and maneuverable.
The lightweight build gives the paddle a very fast swinging and quick feeling. It almost feels like an extension of your hand. The paddle is easy to whip through high ball contacts like overheads or quick exchanges at the non-volley zone. You can get the paddle in position and swinging speedily thanks to the nimble feel.
The quickness also aids in generating spin. You can swiftly angle or brush the paddle face to create heavy topspin or backspin with ease. The paddle reacts and gets into position for spins rapidly. If you like to mix in underspin dinks or topspin drives, the lightweight build definitely complements those shot types.
Overall, the nimble paddle feel enhances touch and finesse at the net while still retaining serious power for drives and serves. The blend of lightweight maneuverability and carbon fiber power makes this a paddle that excels for quick exchanges in the kitchen line or baseline rallies and attacks.
- Carbon fiber face creates excellent power and pop
- Lightweight and quick for easy maneuverability
- Expanded sweet spot from honeycomb core
- Ideal for aggressive all-around play
- Lacks the control and stability of heavier paddles
- Carbon fiber face doesn’t offer as much spin potential as grittier textured faces
Extended Sweet Spot from Honeycomb Core
At the paddle’s core is an EVA enclosed polypropylene honeycomb design. The honeycomb core expands the sweet spot for added forgiveness on off-center hits. Even on mishits towards the edge of the paddle face, the ball retained good control and pop.
The honeycomb core creates a rigid and consistent feel across the entire paddle surface. Mishits don’t get overly punished, so you can take confident full swings without worrying about errant shots. The expanded sweet spot gives you leeway to generate power while still keeping control.
Ideal For Aggressive All-Around Play
Weighing in at 7.6 ounces, the RBEL Power is on the lighter side of the spectrum while still retaining excellent power and control. It’s a great option for intermediate to advanced players looking for an aggressive and offensive-minded paddle.
The paddle is fast enough for quick volleys at the net, but can also generate heavy power on drives and serves. You get a blend of touch, finesse, power and spin all in one package. The carbon fiber face and lightweight design complement an aggressive all-around attacking style.
With its control, maneuverability and power, the RBEL Power works well for singles or doubles. It provides the mix of finesse, touch, and put-away power needed to win at the non-volley zone and baseline. The paddle is well suited for players looking to overpower and out-maneuver opponents.
Babolat RNDG Power Pickleball Paddle
The RNDG Power paddle focuses on delivering easy power and control through its flexible fiberglass face and lightweight design. Let’s take a closer look at the key specs and performance.
- Weight Average: 8.1 oz
- Weight Range: 7.9-8.3 oz
- Grip Circumference: 4″
- Grip Style: Uptake Grip
- Grip Length: 5″
- Paddle Length: 16-1/8”
- Paddle Width: 7-7/8″
Power from the Flexible Fiberglass Face
The RNDG Power paddle features a 100% fiberglass face to generate its powerful hitting surface. Fiberglass has a bit more flex and “trampoline effect” than materials like carbon fiber or polymer. When the ball makes contact, the face flexes and then launches the ball forward, adding extra speed and pop.
During play, the fiberglass face delivered impressive power with little effort. The ball seemed to jump off the paddle even when not swinging full force. The flexible nature gives shots an extra boost while retaining control. The paddle face packs plenty of punch for drives and serves.
The ball dwell time also felt extended thanks to the elastic fiberglass face. This gave more ability to brush up heavy topspin or angle cross-court slices. The trampoline-like response aids spin generation.
Overall, the paddle feels very lively and responsive. The ball explodes off the surface with pace and action. The fiberglass face brings a nice blend of power, control and feel.
Overall Control and Stability
In addition to power, the RNDG Power maintains nice control and stability. The weight comes in at a moderate 8.1 ounces, giving the paddle solid feel and plow through. The polypropylene honeycomb core adds stiffness for a controlled and consistent feel across the face.
The paddle has a very smooth and accurate feel. Power comes easy, but not at the expense of control. Drives stay directed with penetration, and serves have pinpoint targeting. The weight gives the paddle nice stability for solid volleys and blocks at the non-volley zone as well.
While the flexible face adds pop, the honeycomb core keeps the paddle composed through the hitting motion and point of contact. You get lively power paired with directional stability.
- Fiberglass face provides nice blend of power and control
- Lightweight design for maneuverability
- Stable and accurate feel across paddle face
- Versatile for all-around play styles
- Not as powerful as carbon fiber paddles
- Minimal grip texture limits extreme spin potential
Versatile for All-Around Play
With its blend of power, control and stability, the RNDG Power works well for all-around play styles. It brings nice versatility for both singles and doubles.
The paddle provides good finesse for touch shots around the net, but can also put pace on drives and serves. You can mix in offensive shots or quick exchanges during a point without needing to compromise performance.
The 8.1 ounce weight hits a nice sweet spot – light enough for quick maneuvers but substantial enough for plow through on power shots. It’s a great fit for intermediate to advanced all-around players.
Babolat MNSTR Pickleball Paddle
The Babolat MNSTR brings together an excellent blend of control, power, and spin for advanced play. The carbon fiber face provides touch and pop while the midweight design offers all-around versatility.
Excellent Control and Feel
The MNSTR provides an extremely smooth and controlled feel during play. The carbon fiber face has a very precise touch and response. Dinks and drop shots have great placement and finesse around the net. Drives stay compact with directional accuracy.
A big factor in the precise feel is the SMAC handle technology integrated into the handle. SMAC helps reduce vibrations and diffuse shock for excellent ball feedback and control. You can really feel the ball pocket in the sweet spot for accurate targeting and placement.
In addition to control, the carbon fiber face supplies nice pop on power shots. You get a lively punch on drives and serves without losing composure. The paddle really shines in providing the complete package of power, stability and feel.
Ability to Rip Heavy Spin
With its RPM Max Grit textured face, the MNSTR paddle delivers heavy topspin and slice. The gritty surface bites into the ball to allow brushing steep spin on ground strokes or serves. However, the face isn’t so grippy as to hinder touch shots either.
During playtests, we were able to generate nasty topspin on drives and angles that dove deep in the court. Underspin dinks hugged the net with difficult bounces. The spin potential gives you another weapon to pull out tough opponents.
The paddle face has a good blend of control and grip. You can brush the ball aggressively at high swing speeds while still maintaining control of spin and targeting. The spin generation compliments an all-around attacking style extremely well.
- Excellent blend of control, power, and spin
- Midweight design offers great versatility
- Precision feel and touch on shots
- Balanced performance for any play style
- Higher price point than other options
- Lacks specialized power or spin of carbon fiber or gritty textured faces
Midweight Design Offers Versatility
Weighing 8.1 ounces, the MNSTR hits a versatile middle ground of being nimble yet sturdy. The midweight build allows taking big swings for power while retaining quickness for touch shots and rapid blocking.
With its well-rounded specs – midweight, 15 mm thickness, carbon fiber face – the MNSTR really provides an exceptional blend of control, stability, finesse and pop. It’s a true all-around performer.
The paddle is a great fit for singles or doubles. The touch allows winning battles at the net, while the carbon fiber pop lets you counterpunch or put away off-drives. For advanced all-around players, the MNSTR supplies a complete and balanced game.
Babolat XPLR Pickleball Paddle
The XPLR paddle from Babolat is designed for beginner to intermediate players looking for an affordable and user-friendly option to improve their game as they learn. The lightweight design allows easy maneuverability for starting players.
- Weight Average: 7.8 oz
- Thickness: 13 mm / 0.51 in
- Width: 198 mm / 7.8 in
- Length: 410 mm / 16.1 in
- Grip Circumference: 4″
- Grip Length (in): 5″
Lightweight for Control and Comfort
Weighing in at just 7.8 ounces, the XPLR offers a very lightweight and maneuverable feel. The paddle is extremely easy to wield and swing quickly, making it ideal for new players developing stroke fundamentals.
The lightweight build makes the paddle comfortable and easy on the arms even during longer play sessions – great for beginners building endurance. Young players will also appreciate how easy it is to use.
On court, the XPLR offers nice control and finesse. The paddle is quick and easy to maneuver for accurate targeting on shots. The responsiveness also helps with developing touch on tricky shots around the net.
While it doesn’t pack huge power, the control-oriented design helps beginners focus on technique and ball placement as they progress. The friendly specs make it a nice confidence builder for improving basics.
Polymer Composite Face Offers Forgiveness
The paddle face uses a polymer composite material. Polymer faces are pretty forgiving for mishits while still retaining decent pop. When contact is off-center, shots maintain relatively true flight and control.
Compared to carbon fiber or fiberglass faces, the polymer material is a bit more muted and flexible. But that lends itself nicely to beginners still developing consistent timing and centered contact. The paddle isn’t overly harsh on off-center hits which helps build confidence.
The face is paired with a polypropylene honeycomb core for an added boost in sweet spot size and rigidity. Overall, the materials offer nice feedback and playability for new players.
- Very lightweight and easy to maneuver
- Polymer face forgives off-center hits
- Comfortable feel, even for longer play sessions
- Ideal for beginning and improving players
- Lacks power and spin capabilities for advanced play
- Polymer face doesn’t provide as much pop or precision as composite faces
Ideal for Beginners Ready to Learn the Game
With its control-focused design, the XPLR is ideally suited for beginners looking to develop their skills and get into pickleball. The specs make it easy to use for players of all ages and abilities.
The paddle provides nice touch on finesse shots, with enough stability for solid volleys or returns. While it doesn’t excel in power or spin, the strengths in control and forgiveness help build key techniques.
As a bonus, the XPLR comes at an affordable price point compared to many composite paddles. It brings nice quality and playability at a beginner-friendly cost.
For new players getting started in the sport, the XPLR hits all the must-haves. The lightweight build, polymer face, and comfortable feel come together to make pickleball easy to learn and enjoy.
FAQs
The MNSTR and RNDG Power are great versatile options for doubles play thanks to their blend of power, finesse, and stability.
The MNSTR and RNDG Power provide the most control and stability from their midweight designs and composite materials. The RBEL Power sacrifices some control for quicker maneuverability.
The XPLR paddle is the best choice for beginners due to its lightweight, forgiving polymer face, and comfortable control-focused design.
The RBEL Power paddle provides the most power and pop thanks to its advanced carbon fiber face.
The Takeaway: Babolat Offers Paddles for All Player Levels and Styles
As the babolat pickleball paddle review says, Babolat has built an impressive lineup of pickleball paddles that cater to players across the spectrum. Their paddles offer an excellent blend of power, control and playability for every skill level.
For developing beginners, the XPLR provides a comfortable, lightweight feel to make learning the sport easy and fun. Intermediate players that like to attack will appreciate the spin and power from the RBEL Power or controlled pace of the RNDG Power. And for competitive all-around players, the MNSTR delivers an exceptional blend of power, finesse, control and feel to take your game to the next level.
No matter your skillset, Babolat has a paddle that will match your game and help elevate your play. Their paddles allow focusing your strengths while still being able to expand your skills over time. If you’re looking for quality craftsmanship engineered for performance, then Babolat is an excellent option. Get out on the courts and take your pickleball play to new heights!
I am a professional physiotherapist and the author of the BallSportsPro. I worked with athletes of all levels, from amateur to professional, and i helped them overcome injuries and improve their performance. I am a certified Pickleball instructor and has been playing the sport for over 10 years.
