In March of this year, Gearbox introduced the CX14 Ultimate Power paddles. The recently released Gearbox Pro models appear to be a refinement of the Ultimate Power paddles. However, after playing with the Pro paddles, they should have called these the Ultimate Power paddles since they are more lively and offer more offensive ability compared to any other Gearbox paddles made to date.
Much of the same technology in the Ultimate Powers are in the Pro models in addition to a few enhancements. One of the biggest changes being the raw carbon fiber face they now have. If you’re interested to see what else they did, because it’s really cool, you can dive into the info on their website. I’m not going to go into that info too much since there is a lot and I decided to focus more on how the paddles played than the changes they made since Gearbox explains those changes much better than I can.
For this review I played with all four paddles in the Pro series which consists of the Pro Power Elongated, Pro Power Fusion, Pro Control Elongated, and the Pro Control Fusion. However, because there are so many paddles in the series I split up the review into two articles. A review for the Power models and a review for the Control models. This review is for the Control models.
Table of Contents
Gearbox Pro Control Series Performance Summary
Though not as powerful as the Pro Power models, the Control paddles are still lively off the face and offer a similar amount of power as 16mm thermoformed paddles and fall into the all-court paddle type category. They feel very different from thermoformed paddles, though.
I would describe thermoformed paddles as having a stiff feel to them. However, the Gearbox Pro Control paddles offer a classic, plush, and dense feel that makes it easier to connect with the ball and maintain control compared to stiffer paddles. It feels similar to the Ben Johns Hyperion paddle. It’s rare to find paddles that combine this level of power with a softer feel. Paddles that feel this good off the face are typically pure control type paddles.
Gearbox is not known for having the most forgiving paddles and a big question I had going into this review is if these will be better there. I think these paddles are more forgiving than past SST core paddles that Gearbox has made, though they are still below average compared to the rest of the market. This attribute will increase errors for the average player despite it’s nice feel and good levels of control when you find the sweet spot.
My spin tests for the paddles were averaging just under 2000 RPMs though I had a few results spike over 2100. These are very high spin paddles and they seem to add even more shape to the ball to the naked eye than other paddles. The reason I suspect the overall average RPM number was below 2000 is because the paddles have a tighter sweet spot so if you missed the sweet spot (which is more common since it’s smaller) then it produced less spin.
The last thing I’ll call out here is that all the paddles in this series are very quiet compared to your standard polypropylene core paddle. Gearbox said they added some technology that would do this and I can verify that it’s true. They have a muffled sound to them. It’s interesting.
Performance Reviews by Paddle
Pro Control Elongated
- Weight: 8oz
- Swingweight: 123 (high)
- Twistweight: 5.01 (low)
- Length: 16.5″
- Width: 7.5″
- Face: Raw Carbon Fiber
- Grip Circumference: 4″
- Handle Length: 5.5″
- Core: 14mm SST Carbon Fiber
- Price: $275
- Warranty: One year limited warranty
Attacking
The Pro Control Elongated isn’t as powerful from the baseline or on counter punches as the Pro Power models but it still holds its own. I found that more times than not this paddle had enough power for me to finish points and keep the pressure on my opponents. Offensively, these played very similar to the many thermoformed paddles out there in terms of power and spin potential.
You did need to find the middle of the paddle to access the power potential of the paddles as there is a more dramatic drop off in power around the edges of the paddle compared to high quality thermoformed paddles.
I found the Pro Control models to offer more variety when attacking than the Pro Power models. It was easier to hit off speed attacks, drop the ball short when your opponents were stuck at the baseline, or to find harder angles with aggressive dinks. Whereas the Power models seemed to only have one speed, and that was fast.
The Pro Control Elongated has a higher swingweight of 123, resulting in a noticeably head-heavy feel when picked up; additionally, it feels heavier compared to the Pro Power Elongated. It doesn’t move like a fast paddle but it does move a little easier than its higher swingweight suggests because of its sleek edgeless design.
Control
My ability to slow the ball down, control the pace of play and keep the ball down was much easier with the Control models than the Power models. No question I was more consistent with my drops, dinks, and resets. The paddle is still a little lively off the face so it took me a drill session and a few games to get used to it. I did get used to it though and felt confident in my soft game when playing.
Comparing the paddle to thermoformed paddles again, the Pro Control paddles have a more pleasing feel at impact that is dense, plush, and softer vs the stiffer feel of a thermoformed paddle. I preferred the feel of Pro Control vs the Power and also compared to thermoformed paddles. The downside of the Pro Control vs thermoformed paddles is that it isn’t as forgiving on mishits. So there is some give and take there.
Sweet Spot and Lead Tape
Gearbox is known for having paddles with smaller sweet spots and they didn’t resolve that issue for me with these. The Pro Control paddle still has a below average sweet spot both side to side and towards the tip of the paddle. The sweet spot is a small improvement from previous Gearbox SST core paddles but it’s still a demanding paddle. I believe the improvement in sweet spot from previous SST core paddles can be primarily attributed to its higher swingweight and not to any technology they added.
However, I will say that adding lead tape in the spot I suggest in this video helps a lot in terms of improving its stability and forgiveness. However, the it has a higher swingweight to start with so I would start by adding about 3g on each side. That will help with its stability and not increase the swingweight too much.
Is a Smaller Sweet Spot a Big Deal?
Because of thermoforming technology, there are many good all-court paddles with similar power as the Pro Control paddles and are more forgiving. So for the Pro Control paddles to have a lower forgiveness rating is knock on it more than the sweet spot for the Pro Power models since that’s the sacrifice you usually have to make for power paddles.
So is it a big deal that this paddle has a smaller sweet spot? I think it’s a drawback for the paddle and something to be considered. Lead tape does help but then the weight starts to get up there.
My recommendation
I really liked the dense, plush, familiar feel this paddle gives you along with the little extra power that puts it in the all-court category. This is unique and nice. However, the higher swingweight and not amazing sweet spot is a drawback.
If you’ve tried thermoformed paddles and don’t like the way they feel then you should consider the Pro Control Elongated. It has the plush feel of a control paddle with the power of an all-court paddle.
But is it worth $275? I will do my best to answer that question at the end of this review.
Pro Control Fusion
- Weight: 8oz
- Swingweight: 116 (moderate)
- Twistweight: 5.13 (low)
- Length: 16″
- Width: 7″
- Face: Raw Carbon Fiber
- Grip Circumference: 4″
- Handle Length: 5.5″
- Core: 14mm SST Carbon Fiber
- Price: $275
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime
The Pro Control Fusion is constructed the same way as the Pro elongated version except that it is shorter. Not wider, just shorter. It’s 16” long while the elongated version is 16.5” long. It’s a new paddle shape that no one else has done. The paddle looks and feels small when you first hold it, almost like a kids paddle. But you get used to it how it looks after a couple of games.
I’m going to keep this one pretty short because a lot of the things I said above are also true for the Fusion model except for a couple key differences.
- It is noticeably lighter and more maneuverable though it has the same static weight as the elongated version. The lighter swingweight combined with the edgeless design made it feel pretty quick in your hands.
- It didn’t feel any more forgiving to me than the elongated version because it’s the same width as the elongated.
The lighter swingweight not only made the paddle more maneuverable and faster but it also reduced its power level a bit. This, however, also made it easier to add weight to improve its forgiveness rating. You could pack on more weight without it getting away from you which makes it attractive compared to the elongated version.
Are the Gearbox Pro Control Paddles Worth $275?
Gearbox is pushing the price boundaries with these paddles, as several new and emerging brands are offering paddles that are $100 or more cheaper and are very good. This has led many players, including me, to question whether these paddles are truly worth their hefty price tag of $275. This is a tough and subjective question but here are the pros and cons that I considered that factor into the price when I was thinking through this.
Pros:
- Good power for how plush, soft, and dense it feels.
- Unique, carbon fiber core that will last longer than a polypropylene core before it forms any dead areas in the sweet spot.
- Gearbox’s tech package in their paddles is not a copy cat of any other brand and their paddles can’t be replicated because of their patents.
- The SST core generates some spin from the core so the paddles will have more spin at six months than a polypropylene core paddle will though the spin will be significantly less than what you started with.
- Limited one year warranty – Six months or less is more common.
Cons:
- The grit on face is subject to wearing out quicker than the core will. You can expect 6 months or so of good spin production.
- The paddles produce the power of thermoformed paddle with a softer feel but they aren’t as forgiving as thermoformed paddles that you can purchase for around $150.
- The Pro Control paddles have more competition in the all-court category and aren’t as unique as the Pro Power models.
Ultimately, I’ll leave it up to you, but for me this is harder sell than the Pro Powers at $275 since there so many good all-court paddles out there for much cheaper.
Is this the right paddle for you?
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Shop GearboxBraydon 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.
