Gamma’s pickleball paddle line is full of classic and extreme paddle shapes. They seem to have every shape you would need, except one. Which may be the most popular shape in the game right now, the elongated shape. This was a gaping hole in their line, but not anymore. They went all in on the elongated shape and released three different versions. The 405, 505 and the Newman Signatures.
This article is reviewing Gamma’s 405 and 505. After drilling and playing over 30 games with the paddles, here’s my review of their performance.
Performance Summary
The Gamma 405 is a balanced 7.4 oz. It’s very light. Lightweight paddles have several benefits, including increased paddle speed, reduced injury risk and increased spin potential. However, these benefits are often overshadowed by low power and high torsion issues. Gamma found a way to create a stable lightweight paddle that also has power. A rare combination. The only other paddles I’ve seen with this same combination are the Prokennex Flight paddles.
This deadly mix of speed and power make the 405 a real threat. Its elongated shape and light weight improve your speed and reach while the surprising power gives you the weapons you need to finish points. I would categorize this paddle as an all court paddle. It has an excellent balance of power and control with the added benefits of the lighter weight.
The 405 has a firmer feeling at impact compared to the 505 and wasn’t as bouncy off the face so it was actually easier to control. I preferred the touch of the 405 over the 505 and found my soft game much quicker with it. Sounds like the perfect paddle, right? There is one catch. It’s not very forgiving. If you missed the tight sweet then the ball died pretty quickly.
The bottom line: The Gamma 405 is a lightweight paddle with surprising power. It’s quick in your hands and has a great balance of power and touch. But, there is one weakness, it has a tight sweet spot that isn’t player friendly.
Try Our Paddle Fitting Quiz
Not sure what paddle to get? Take our paddle fitting quiz and we'll recommend three paddles that suit your game.
GET FITTED
Price: $140
Quick Stats
| Technical Specifications | |
|---|---|
|
Weight |
7.4 oz |
|
Length x Width |
16 3/8″ x 7 3/8″ |
|
Thickness |
13mm |
|
Facing Material |
Graphite |
|
Handle Length |
5 1/4″ |
|
Handle Circumference |
4 1/8″ |
Paddle Design and Technology
This paddle features your classic elongated shape (16.5” x 7.5”) with a 5.25” handle. The handle length is longer to make room for two handed shots and increases the leverage you can get to add power.
It’s a thinner core paddle at 13mm with a graphite face. The thinner core gives you a little more power while the graphite face helps soften it up. It weighs only 7.5 oz. It’s well balanced, so it feels very light when you hold it too.
Talking more about the core of this paddle, Gamma calls it their Sensa technology. They’ve developed a polymer core with smaller honeycomb cells compared to what other brands use. This increases power and gives the paddle a firmer feeling.
Attacking
For how light the paddle is, I was surprised by how much power it gave me. Most other lightweight paddles I’ve tried from Franklin, Selkirk, TMPR and others don’t have as much power as the 405. I normally will weight my paddles to about 8.5 oz, so it felt even lighter to me. This made the paddle so quick in my hands. I noticed it the most during hand speed battles. I was just a hair faster to the ball and was able to keep the ball down and win more of those exchanges. Plus, it had the power to finish those points. I loved that about this paddle.
The thinner core and lighter weight made it easier to add spin to the ball as well. I could get the spin I needed with my serves, drives and rolls at the net.
Although it had good power, it wasn’t difficult to control the power. I felt I had enough power for counters and putting away high balls. It wasn’t quite enough power to easily overpower my opponents when they were at the baseline but I could still put good pressure on them.
The major downside of the paddle was the small size of its sweet spot. It’s not the most forgiving paddle. If I missed the sweet spot when the ball would speed up it died pretty quickly. I did make more errors than I typically would because of that.
Soft Game and Defense
I actually preferred this paddle over the 505 when it came to the soft game. Which I didn’t expect. I was able to dial in my thirds and resets much quicker with it than the 505. It’s not jumpy off the face and plays with a predictable amount of pace, as long as you hit the sweet spot.
I felt very comfortable with the soft game all over the court and was very consistent with it overall. It has a firmer feeling to it compared to the 505, but I felt more connected to the 405. The lighter weight helped me stay ahead of the ball which made it easier to get my paddle in a good position before I met the ball.
But again, the small sweet spot I’ve been talking about made me more prone to unforced errors when dinking, resetting the ball and blocking drives.
Other Player Comments
Who Would Like These Paddles?
I personally preferred the 405 over the 505. I was drawn to its speed and power combo. I’ve never felt so good when countering speed ups and initiating my own attacks. Plus, I felt very in control of my soft game with it.
However, the small sweet spot does not make it a player friendly paddle and it increased my number of unforced errors. If you are a 4.5 or better player, I think you should take a serious look at this paddle. If you are in that intermediate to beginner level, I don’t think you would like this one, you would benefit more from something more forgiving.
Shop Gamma Paddles
We don't carry this paddle in our store, but if you think this is the right paddle for you then you can pick it up from our friends over at Fromuth Pickleball.
SHOP GAMMABraydon competes at the 4.5 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.
