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Ronbus surprised us all with some new technology they are introducing for thermoformed paddles. I didn’t think we were going to get anything different before the end of the year but Ronbus proved me wrong.
Players love thermoformed paddles because they provide extra power you haven’t been able to get from a 16mm paddle in the past, all while keeping the stability and forgiveness intact. But here’s the deal: thermoformed paddles still have this problem with delamination and core crushing though many brands claim to have “fixed” the problem. Although brands have made progress in reducing it, it’s not totally perfect yet. Ronbus is the first brand to make a structural change to the paddle in an effort to truly fix the problem. Here’s what they did.
A typical thermoformed paddle is fully encased with carbon fiber. Ronbus speculates that fully encasing the paddle with carbon fiber is part of the cause for core crushing. Instead of fully encasing the paddle with carbon fiber, Ronbus is using a carbon weave pattern instead though the paddle still goes through the same thermoforming process. See the picture below for reference.
The big question for me in this review is whether or not the paddle still plays like other thermoformed paddles with the change they made to the seam around the edge.
After drilling and playing with the Ronbus R1 Nova for over two weeks, here’s my review of its performance.
Performance Summary
In a nutshell, addressing the big question of whether it retains the qualities of a typical thermoformed paddle, the answer is no; it doesn’t quite maintain that identical feel. Instead, it introduces a subtle variation in gameplay compared to the conventional thermoformed paddle. This divergence might resonate positively with some while potentially presenting a drawback for others.
Compared to traditional thermoformed paddles it has a softer feel and less pop. The feel is a little crisper than paddles like the JOOLA Hyperion CFS 16 or the Vatic Pro Prism Flash that are not thermoformed but it’s softer than your traditional thermoformed paddle. The ball seems to sit on the face a little longer and doesn’t have as much pop though power from the baseline is similar to less powerful thermoformed paddles like the Ronbus R1 Pulsar or JOOLA Perseus 16mm. So it has this crisp, soft feeling that’s easier to control but still has some power from the baseline. It’s a nice combo.
However, the R1 Nova’s forgiveness rating isn’t as good as your typical thermoformed paddle. This is its main drawback. I always felt that one of the main draws to thermoformed paddles was their increased stability and forgiveness and we unfortunately lose some of that with the way the R1 Nova is made. The R1 Nova has a lower twistweight measurement of 5.82 and you can tell when you play. The sweet spot isn’t as good. It’s certainly playable and isn’t the worst sweet spot out there, but it’s not going to do you any favors either.
I’m categorizing the paddle as a control paddle though it’s one of the more offensive styled control paddles out there. It isn’t as poppy as original thermoformed paddles which makes it easier to absorb pace and connect with the paddle.
I think there will be players who will like the control oriented style of the paddle with a little extra power for offense.
Ronbus R1 Nova Stats
- Weight: 7.8 oz
- Swingweight: 115 (moderate)
- Twistweight: 5.82 (moderately low)
- Length x Width: 16.5″ x 7.5″ (elongated)
- Face: Raw T700 Carbon Fiber
- Grip Circumference: 4.125″ (octagonal)
- Handle Length: 5.5″
- Core: Polypropylene Honeycomb, Foam Walls
- Special Features: Thermoformed Weave
- Price: $180 (only $160 with code 10EFFECT)
- Warranty: 6 Months
(Get $20 off with the discount code 10EFFECT directly on Ronbus’ site)
| Pros |
|---|
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Doesn’t feel as stiff as a typical thermoformed paddle |
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Not as poppy as typical thermoformed paddles |
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Excellent spin potential |
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Lightweight |
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More power than other control paddles |
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Improved durability |
| Cons |
|---|
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Medium forgiveness/sweet spot rating |
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Only has one shape option for now |
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Needs lead tape for best performance |
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Not as powerful as typical thermoformed paddles |
Performance Details
What I liked
The R1 Nova is more control oriented and not as stiff feeling compared to your standard thermoformed paddle. If you’ve played a standard thermoformed paddle and it was too poppy for you or if you didn’t like the stiffer feel then you might like the feel of the R1 Nova. It feels more crisp than the JOOLA Hyperion CFS 16 but not as stiff as normal thermoformed paddles.
I felt confident in my soft game with it. The ball seemed to sit a little longer on the paddle which made it easier to hit more aggressive topspin dinks and angles when striking the ball from below the net while at the Kitchen line. This is one of the advantages I thought it had over poppier paddles.
On the offensive side it seemed to have similar power from the baseline with serves and drives as a regular thermoformed paddle but it felt less poppy when countering speed ups or drives.
It has a high spin rating with my RPM tests coming in around 1900. It was plenty of spin to do what I needed.
One other thing I liked was that it has a lighter average weight of 7.8oz and a very light swingweight of 115. For an elongated shape, 115 is a very low measurement. It definitely moved easier compared to other elongated shapes and felt fast out of the box.
Overall, it felt and played similar to the new JOOLA Perseus 16mm if you’ve played that one.
What I didn’t like
I was hoping for a more durable, all-court style thermoformed paddle but instead we got a good control paddle. Which may be a pro or con depending on what you’re looking for.
The main drawback for me was its lower forgiveness rating. It doesn’t have an oversized sweet spot like many of the traditional thermoformed paddles. It’s not the worst sized sweet spot, it’s certainly playable but it is noticeably smaller when you compare it to other thermoformed paddles like The Volair Mach 1 Forza 16mm or Six Zero Double Black Diamond 16mm.
Luckily, it has a lighter stock weight of 7.8oz and light swingweight of 115 which means you can add some lead tape to improve the twistweight and forgiveness of the paddle without making the paddle too heavy.
Straight out of the box, I thought the paddle was good, but not great. However, once you add lead tape, it improves the forgiveness and playability of the paddle quite a bit. Here are the numbers of the paddle once I added about 8g of lead tape, an overgrip, and some edge guard tape.
For reference, I added four inches of 1g per inch tape that covered the bottom corners and moved up the sides.
(Get $20 off with the discount code 10EFFECT directly from Ronbus’ website)
Did Ronbus Solve Delamination/Core Crushing?
I played with the paddle off and on for four weeks. It probably has somewhere around 15-20 hours of play. During my playtesting it didn’t have any delamination or core crushing issues. And the durability testing video Ronbus shared with me (shown in my video review above) was pretty convincing that this paddle is more durable than your typical thermoformed paddle, though time will tell now that people are getting these in their hands.
This is a pretty compelling feature of the R1 Nova, it’s nice to see someone making advancements and doing something structurally different to the paddle to improve the core crushing issues everyone has been dealing with all year.
Comparison to Other Ronbus R1 Paddles
When you compare the R1 Nova to the other paddles in Ronbus’ R1 lineup it sits right in the middle in terms of power and control of their R1.16 and R1 Pulsar paddles. Their R1.16 paddles are even more control oriented than the R1 Nova but the R1 Nova isn’t quite as poppy and powerful as the R1 Pulsar. The R1 Nova plays more similar to the R1 Pulsar than the R1.16.
The R1 Pulsar is a fully encased thermoformed paddle while the R1.16 is generation one carbon fiber paddle without the thermoformed design or foam edge injection.
The Ronbus R1 Pulsar is one of the weaker hitting thermoformed paddles and the R1 Nova is a little below it in power.
Here’s a chart showing how they compare. The number 1 represents it’s the best in that category while the number 3 represents it’s last in that category.
My Recommendation
Overall, I thought the R1 Nova was a good paddle out of the box but not great. It needs lead tape to improve its forgiveness and to get the most out of the paddle. When you add the lead tape I think it’s a really solid control paddle with the added benefit of a bit more offensive ability on drives and counters over past generation control paddles. Luckily, it’s a lightweight paddle so adding weight isn’t a big deal though it does reduce its benefit of being lighter and more maneuverable.
I like what Ronbus did, the paddle seems to be more durable based on their testing and my playtest. I think it and the JOOLA Perseus 16mm are two of the best control paddles with more offensive ability you can get right now.
Should you get the paddle? If you don’t mind adding lead tape then yes, I think it’s a great option. However, if you don’t want to mess with adding lead tape then I think there are other control paddle options out there like the Vatic Pro Prism Flash that have a better sweet spot out of the box.
Personally, I like the Ronbus R1 Pulsar out of the box more because it is more forgiving and only has a little more power than the Nova so it’s not a big drop in control. However, when I add lead tape to the Nova, I did like it more because I prefer a paddle with a softer feel vs those with a stiffer feel.
Is this the right paddle for you?
If you think this is the right paddle for you, pick one up directly from Ronbus' website for $20 off using the code 10EFFECT.
Shop RonbusBraydon competes at the 5.0 level and plays in 5-10 tournaments a year. He plays/drills 3 to 4 times a week and would play more if time allowed it.
