After playing with the paddle for over two weeks, here’s my review of its performance. I’ll answer my questions above in my performance summary section and then will dive into the details of how it plays in the later sections.
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| Pros |
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The speed of a 14mm paddle with the control of a 16mm paddle |
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Good pop and power for an edgeless paddle |
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Big spin potential |
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Very classy look and design |
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Easier to to execute wristy shots like backhand rolls or overheads |
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Lightweight and easy to customize with lead tape |
| Cons |
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Medium forgiveness/sweet spot rating |
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Edges get scratched up easily |
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Not as powerful as typical thermoformed paddles |
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The face gets scratched and marked up easily |
The obvious improvement on the attacking side with the increased maneuverability is in hand battles. No question I was getting my paddle in a better position more often on counters and in fast volley exchanges. Plus, the paddle is still thermoformed so the pop was there along with the hand speed.
Another area I noticed an improvement was in wristy shots. So things like backhand rolls and flicks. These shots are typically more difficult to execute because they require stronger wrist strength to get the paddle action you need to generate a significant amount of spin and or power. You could get that spin and power off the backhand better with this paddle over other 16mm paddles.
Talking about spin. My spin tests averaged 2080 RPMs. This is a very high measurement. The spin is there. This is also a little higher than the original DBD 16 which I retested at the same time I did the spin test for the Infinity. The face actually felt smoother to the touch compared to many other raw carbon paddles so I was surprised by how well the spin production was. Particularly on serves, drives, and drops. The paddle has some really good bite there. There was a little less spin than I expected on dinks and smaller swings like roll volleys, but it wasn’t bad at all, just not quite as much as from the baseline.
The general power level on the Infinity is more subdued compared to the original, but it’s not crazy far off. However, it’s still thermoformed and some power was available when you needed it. Certainly has more than the majority of non thermoformed paddles.
Overall, the good spin, decent power and great maneuverability enabled you to attack and win points in a variety of ways. The paddle seemed to mold and work the way you wanted it to and enabled you to be crafty and clever with different angles and speeds. It was very versatile on the offensive side of things.
The subdued power and slightly softer feel of the Infinity over the original Double Black Diamond did make it easier to control than the original. Because of this I’m considering the Infinity a control paddle though that line was blurry. I imagine some players will still consider this an all-court style paddle.
If you have played any thermoformed paddle and can control those then you’ll be able to control this one just as well, if not better. It’s not an overly soft feel, it still has that stiffer, crisp feel that’s common with thermoformed paddles though it’s not quite as harsh as the original DBD.
I didn’t notice any issues with my soft game though I was prone to occasionally pop it up more than I would with a pure control paddle like the Selkirk Control Air when I was put in tougher spots.
The downside of this paddle on the control side when put up against the original DBD is the smaller sweet spot in comparison. Its sweet spot size is more similar to the original DBD 14mm than the 16mm which has an oversized sweet spot. That is to say it’s manageable but it isn’t perfect. You don’t have to be a 5.0 to play with this thing but don’t expect the same forgiveness level as the original DBD 16mm.
The paddle is forgiving enough that when dinking or resetting speed ups at the net, the power you get from off-center shots is often still enough to clear the net. However, when blocking hard drives or defending from the midcourt and catching an off-center ball, you can feel the smaller sweet spot and the ball will find the net more often than it does with the original DBD 16mm in those situations.
However, adding lead tape can help here while still keeping the lightweight nature of the paddle in tact. Check out my lead tape set up below.
(Get 10% off this paddle and any other Six Zero paddles or gear with code 10EFFECT on Six Zero’s website)
My goal with this setup was to improve the stability of the paddle without taking away what inherently makes the paddle good with its easy maneuverability and I think I accomplished that. With this set up the paddle’s sweet spot is increased and you see less unforced errors from mishits while still enjoying the advantages of the paddle’s fast nature.
And to be clear, I think the paddle is playable and fine without lead, you don’t have to add lead tape for it to be good. You should try it stock and see what you think first, than add lead if you think you need it.
Because there isn’t an edge guard, the paddle chips and scratches up easily. You will want to buy some edge guard tape to prevent this. I actually sell my own edge guard tape that I designed. I have several different colors and widths. Because this paddle is edgeless and thinner than paddles with edge guards, my narrow edge guard tape (20mm wide) fits it best. It covers the sides and goes over the edge just enough to protect everything without wrinkling around the corners when you apply it.
I think the maneuverability, spin and good feel combined with its decent pop/power is what makes this paddle unique. It is easy to manipulate and opens up the door to be creative and use a diversity of shots to beat your opponent. However, this does come at a cost of some forgiveness. With added weight, it gets it to an average sized sweet spot and still maintains what makes it unique. But if you want an oversized sweet spot that will help you reduce errors overall then this isn’t the best option. In that case I’d point you to the original Double Black Diamond 16mm which is still very relevant and not going anywhere anytime soon.
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