When you think of pickleball paddle brands, Prokennex is not the first brand that comes to mind. However, I started seeing their paddles in more players’ hands at tournaments within the last year. So, I decided to get one in my hands to try them out and see what they were all about.
After doing a little research on the company, it turns out that Prokennex is a long time manufacturer and designer of tennis, racquetball, and squash rackets (dating back to the 1980s) that recently started using its unique technology in pickleball paddles.
You can learn more about their paddle technology on their website at prokennex-pickleball.com.
Prokennex offers two paddles. The Pro Speed and the Ovation Speed. Both paddles are constructed the same, the only difference is the shape and balance. The Ovation paddle has an oval design while the Pro Speed has a more traditional rectangle design.
After drilling and playing with the two paddles, here are my initial quick stats. Both paddles play very similarly since they have the same construction so I would give each the same ratings below. I’ll talk about the effect of the shapes later in the review.
Paddle Design & Shape Effects
The Ovation Speed paddle stands out with its oval design that is unique to the pickleball world. I don’t know of another pickleball paddle with an oval shape like this. However, oval designs are the standard in all other racket sports like tennis and ping pong, so is it really that weird? I’m actually surprised there aren’t more oval-shaped paddles. How often do you hit a ball with the corner of paddle anyway? Then for those who can’t get past the oval design, they have a traditionally shaped paddle in the Pro Speed model.
The paddles are very thin and have no edge guard, much like the Gearbox paddles. I personally like the no edge guard and thought it gave the paddle a nice look and mentally gave me a larger surface area to play with on paddle.
After playing with both paddles, you can’t tell a difference in how they feel when you hit them in the center of the paddle. However, I found myself consistently hitting more shots in the center of the Ovation Speed paddle. I think it’s because of it’s shape and balance. If I were going to pick between the two designs, I would pick the Ovation Speed for that reason.
Additionally, the Ovation Speed felt like it had better maneuverability over the Pro Speed. Again, I think the oval design is what’s causing that.
Playability
Right out the gate, the paddles feel very solid and the ball really takes off. It doesn’t feel out of control, but the ball is very responsive. My serves and groundstrokes instantly got a little faster without changing my swing. However, despite the solid feel and additional power, I didn’t lose the feel of the ball. When doing drop shots and playing the net game, I quickly adjusted to its power and was able to hit effective drop shots and dinks. I wouldn’t buy this paddle in an attempt to improve my control, but it didn’t take it away with the additional power.
The power and control of the paddles were excellent, but I did feel like I lost a little spin. I like hitting deep backspin and sidespin return serves and putting a little backspin on my dinks. Those shots didn’t quite have the bite I’m used to with other top tier paddles. But I have to say, the additional power without loss of control is worth a slight decline in spin for me.
One difficultly of the additional power is when you are exchanging fast volleys with your opponent and you are late to a volley. If you are a little late to the volley and have your paddle angled slightly upward, then this paddle will pop it up more than other paddles and give your opponents an easy put away.
My Recommendation
I’d recommend this paddle to any 4.0 + player that likes power and has a high developed feel for drop shots and dinks.
If you are a power player, this paddle will only improve your ball speed. But be weary if you don’t have a good feel for dinks and drop shots as the additional power can make your dinks more attackable.
If you are a touch/feel player, this paddle can improve your power on your serve, groundstrokes, and volleys without sacrificing control.
Caution. If you are weaker at the net and don’t have as quick as hands as your opponents, I would not advise this paddle because it will pop up the ball (more than most other paddles) for easy put aways if you are late to a ball and don’t have your paddle in a good position to keep it down.
If you’re a 3.5 player or lower, you may have a harder time controlling the power on your groundstrokes without a lot of topspin. You may also have a harder time keeping the ball down around the net when you are dinking. But, you’ll like how what it does for you when your opponents pop it up to you.
