Selkirk is back. After a string of releases that felt aimed more at mass-market looks and gimmicks than true performance, the Boomstik is a clear return to form. This paddle is built to win points, not just fill shelves, and it fills a gap in both the power and foam paddle categories.
It hits harder than a JOOLA, keeps the crisp, hollow feel Gen 3 fans will love, and pairs it with a foam core that will not core-crush. You get explosive power and pop right out of the box with no break-in period required. Players who enjoy the stiffer, more hollow sensation will feel right at home, but those who prefer a softer, more muted feel will find it less to their liking.
Selkirk sent me the Boomstik Widebody and Elongated to test, but this review is completely my own. No payment and no promises, just my honest take to help you make the right choice. However, if you decide to grab one, using my code INF-BRAYDONU gives me a small commission that supports future reviews.
Use code INF-BRAYDONU to add a gift card to your purchase.
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Boomstik X-Ray
Boomstik Elongated
MOI Tuning System
A couple of months ago, I visited Selkirk’s headquarters to see their operations firsthand, and I came away impressed. They have state-of-the-art testing equipment, an educated staff, and all the resources they need right at their fingertips. I would be surprised if any other brand could match the depth of their in-house capabilities. It is cool to see all of that come together in the Boomstik with the introduction of a few new technologies that work as a system to create a unique paddle.
These are in addition to the InfiniGrit surface texture they’ve used on a few paddles now. The real magic here is the way the EVA Foam Ring, core and MOI Tuning System work together. Together, they give the Boomstik a distinctive performance profile right out of the box.
Foam core paddles are starting to take over the power category, and I am all for it. Selkirk put their foam core through extensive testing and multiple iterations to make sure it met their durability standards, allowing them to confidently offer a limited lifetime warranty. Paired with their InfiniGrit surface, you get longer-lasting grit to go with a longer-lasting core. I’m hoping this combination is a glimpse into the future of paddle design because it’s exactly what pickleball needs. I’m ready to move past Gen 3-style paddles that tend to break down faster and replace them with builds like this.
I didn’t experience any break-in drift with the Boomstik. Many paddles, especially in the power category, can soften or gain more offense after the first several hours of play. These felt just as strong and consistent after the first 10 hours with them as they did right out of the box.
While the core and grit show real promise for better durability, there have been some early reports from some players of the edge guard starting to lift in the areas where the MOI Tuning System weights are installed. While this hasn’t happened to me, it’s something to be aware of and is covered by the warranty. I expect they will iron out that edge guard issue over time.
Boomstik Elongated & Widebody
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The Widebody delivers better maneuverability and forgiveness, while the Elongated adds reach and extra power, though it sacrifices some maneuverability and sweet spot size. Both paddles still offer oversized sweet spots for their shapes.
The MOI Tuning System boosts twistweight and stability, though it also raises swingweight relative to each shape. Even so, the numbers are in a good range considering the added weight. If I were customizing with tungsten tape, I would likely match the widebody’s specs, while placing the weight lower on the elongated to keep swingweight under 120.
I think the MOI Tuning System is a clever idea that genuinely improves performance. The added stability and expanded sweet spot make the paddles more appealing to advanced players who can handle the extra weight, and even some less experienced players who have never customized their paddle before and may appreciate the boost in forgiveness without having to mess with tungsten tape. It’s like getting a pro-level setup right out of the box.
That said, many players enjoy fine-tuning their paddles to match their exact preferences, whether that means adjusting weight placement for better maneuverability or dialing in the swingweight for a certain style of play. With the MOI Tuning System, the permanent weights limit that flexibility. For paddle tinkerers, those fixed positions can feel restrictive, especially if they would prefer the weight distributed differently to better suit their game.
Power and pop are both in the 90th percentile, giving these paddles a very high total firepower rating. Generating pace is easy, though it still takes a little intent to fully unlock it. When the paddle is static during a reset, it feels slightly tamer thanks to the foam core’s extra dwell time and the added weight, which help absorb pace. But as soon as you put something behind the ball, it responds instantly.
I found it surprisingly easy to reset under pressure, but controlling drops and dinks required more adjustment. Everything comes off the face a bit hotter than you might be used to, so touch shots demand precision. The power and pop here are significant enough that this is not a highly accessible power paddle. You need a developed soft game to manage it well. If you have that soft game and are coming from another Gen 3-style paddle with strong power and pop, like the JOOLA Pro IV, you should adapt quickly and will likely be pleasantly surprised at its reset ability compared to other big-hitting paddles.
Last note here is that paddles don’t have as high of a launch angle as some other foam paddles I’ve reviewed like the Gearbox GX2 Power Series and the CRBN TruFoam Genesis Series. It’s more on par with your typical 16mm honeycomb paddle.
Foam core paddles are starting to take over the power category, and I am all for it. Selkirk put their foam core through extensive testing and multiple iterations to make sure it met their durability standards, allowing them to confidently offer a limited lifetime warranty. Paired with their InfiniGrit surface, you get longer-lasting grit to go with a longer-lasting core. I’m hoping this combination is a glimpse into the future of paddle design because it’s exactly what pickleball needs. I’m ready to move past Gen 3-style paddles that tend to break down faster and replace them with builds like this.
I didn’t experience any break-in drift with the Boomstik. Many paddles, especially in the power category, can soften or gain more offense after the first several hours of play. These felt just as strong and consistent after the first 10 hours with them as they did right out of the box.
While the core and grit show real promise for better durability, there have been some early reports from some players of the edge guard starting to lift in the areas where the MOI Tuning System weights are installed. While this hasn’t happened to me, it’s something to be aware of and is covered by the warranty. I expect they will iron out that edge guard issue over time.
The Boomstik’s sweet spot is large and forgiving, especially compared to many power paddles. That extra hitting area adds consistency and confidence on off-center contact. The tradeoff is a slight loss in maneuverability, especially in quick exchanges, due to the added weight and stability features. Players who value a bigger sweet spot over maximum hand speed will appreciate the balance Selkirk struck here. But if you want more hand speed plus bigger power like these paddles then you’ll have to look elsewhere like a Body Helix Flik F1.
Braydon Playing With Boomstik
With a measured spin rating of 1,980 RPMs, the Boomstik’s spin potential is good but not exceptional on paper. Interestingly, I would have guessed the number was higher based on how it played. I could shape the ball easily and was getting plenty of dip on serves, drives, and dinks. At no point did I feel like I was lacking spin, and the longer-lasting texture from Selkirk’s InfiniGrit is a nice bonus for maintaining that performance over time.
The Boomstik sits on the higher firepower in the power paddle category. I’ll compare it to few other popular power paddles like the JOOLA Pro 4, Flick F1, Gearbox GX2 Power, and Honolulu J2NF.
If you like the feel of Gen 3 paddles but want the durability and sweet spot benefits of a foam core build, the Boomstik delivers both with more stability than you are likely used to in this category.
How does it compare to the SLK ERA?
Selkirk recently released another power paddle in their SLK line called the ERA, which uses Gen 3 technology. The ERA is not as powerful as the Boomstik but still offers a good sweet spot, though it is smaller than the Boomstik’s. It also has a stiffer, hollower feel, but not to the same extreme. The ERA is more approachable and easier to control, making it a better fit for a wider range of players. It comes with a one-year warranty and is more susceptible to break-in and core crush than the Boomstik, although it is still more durable than most other Gen 3-style paddles.
At $333, the Boomstik is a serious investment, but it delivers a unique combination you will not find elsewhere. Explosive sound and feel in the foam category, paired with the durability and stability needed in the power category. If you want a paddle that hits hard, lasts longer, and offers a unique playing experience, it is worth considering. If price is your main concern, there are more affordable foam core options, but none with this exact blend of performance and longevity.
If you like the feel of Gen 3 paddles but want the durability and sweet spot benefits of a foam core build, the Boomstik delivers both with more stability than you are likely used to in this category.
Use code INF-BRAYDONU to add a gift card with purchase.
The Selkirk Labs Boomstik is a big-hitting foam core paddle that blends Gen 3-style pop and crispness with the durability and stability advantages of Selkirk’s foam core and MOI Tuning System. It offers one of the largest sweet spots in the power category and spin that plays better than its numbers suggest. While it requires some touch to control, it rewards players with instant offense and a unique, lively feel.
Who This Paddle Is For:
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We’ve categorized paddles into three categories. Control, All-Court, and Power. Paddle categories are determined by Braydon after he hits or reviews the paddle.
A paddle’s weight represents the inherent mass of the paddle as measured on a scale. However, relying solely on this static weight measurement can be misleading when assessing the true perceived heaviness of the paddle. Even if two paddles both clock in at 8 oz, their actual heft in your hand can markedly differ due to variations in weight distribution within the paddle. This is why the static weight should be considered with the swingweight of the paddle. See the definition of swingweight below.
The weight value listed in the database corresponds to the paddle’s weight that I used to gather the swingweight and twistweight measurement. It’s possible that if your paddle has a different static weight than then the swingweight and twistweight may be slightly different.
Swingweight is a measure of the paddle’s resistance to swinging about the end of the handle. The higher the swingweight number the heavier it will feel in your hands. A higher swingweight has more power but is harder to swing, lower swingweight is easier to swing but has less power. Sometimes a faster swing with a lower swingweight can make up for power lost in swingweight. The price paid for that is greater impact shock. Stock swingweights will vary between 100 – 140.
Twistweight is the resistance to rotating around the long axis through the middle of the paddle from butt to tip. The higher the twistweight the more resistance the paddle has to rotating on off center hits. This measurement is closely related to the amount of forgiveness or the size of the sweet spot of the paddle. A higher twistweight indicates a bigger sweet spot. Twistweight numbers range from 5 – 8.
Measuring the revolutions per minute (RPMs) off of a serve you get a number that shows the spin potential of a paddle. Using these RPM measurements I’ve created five buckets that a paddle will fall into indicating its overall spin potential. The five buckets are:
1900 or Higher = Very High
1700 – 1900 = High
1500 – 1700 = Medium
1300 – 1500 = Low
1300 or less = Very Low
You can tell a big difference in the amount of spin a paddle generates when you compare a Very High paddle to a low paddle. But the gains from Medium to High to Very High are marginal. We’ve found that having at least a medium rating is often enough if you’re looking for a good spin paddle. However, if you’re a big hitter then you will benefit more from a high spin paddle to help you keep the ball in play more often.
The power level of a paddle is shown in miles per hour (MPH) after taking ten measurements with a speed gun of hitting a serve as hard as I can. This measurement gives you an idea of how hard you can hit the ball when given the chance to take a full swing. So shots like serves, drives and overheads. The higher the MPH reading the more power you can generate with the paddle.
I also show the percentile ranking of the measurement to give you an idea of how it stacks up against the rest of the paddles in my database.
The pop level of a paddle is shown in miles per hour (MPH) after taking the average of ten speed gun measurements of hitting a punch volley as hard as I can. This measurement gives you an idea of how hard you can hit the ball on shorter swings and gives you an idea of how quickly a ball comes off the face when you apply less force on the ball. So shots volleys, dinks, counters, and resets are all affected by the pop measurement. The higher the pop measurement the stronger your counters will be but it takes more skill to keep the ball from floating or popping up on you when resetting a hard hit ball or when dinking.
I also show the percentile ranking of the measurement to give you an idea of how it stacks up against the rest of the paddles in my database.
Looking for the right paddle to fit your game? Take our paddle fitting quiz for three recommendations that will match your style of play.
