I reviewed several of TMPR’s paddles about a year ago and have been a fan of the brand ever since. They recently released a new shape called the Expanse. If you know anything about TMPR, you know that they think differently about the shape of the paddle and how to utilize it for optimal performance. The Expanse is a unique shape, though it’s not as radical as some of their others.
The new Expanse shape is meant for players who value forgiveness, control and defense. If this sounds like you, it’s offered in TMPR’s LX and GXT lines to give you a couple different options of playability.
After drilling and playing with both the Expanse LX and Expanse GXT for over two weeks, here’s my review of their performance.
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If you think the Expanse LX or the Expanse GXT is the right paddle for you, pick one up on our store. Free shipping and returns.
SHOP TMPRPerformance Summaries
Price: $149
Expanse LX Quick Stats
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Expanse LX Performance Summary
I’d categorize the Expanse LX as a control paddle. It has a light, medium soft and stable feel at impact. The shape fills you with confidence when dinking and blocking shots. Most true widebody paddles I’ve played like this tend to twist a little easier on you with off center shots, but the expanse was stable at impact which allowed you to take full advantage of its wide shape when dinking and blocking shots.
My consistency and touch at the net was a highlight of this paddle. I was hitting good drops and resets from the midcourt after some practice. The GXT performed a little better when it came to drops from the baseline and midcourt. But overall, it didn’t take me long to adjust there. Fiberglass faced paddles like the Expanse LX usually have a little jump off the face that makes them a little harder to control, but LX didn’t have that. I think it might be because of its widebody shape.
Comparing it to the GXT, it’s not quite as soft but it does offer a little more power. The LX has a lower power rating in general, which can be expected for a control paddle, but it wasn’t so low that it noticeably hampered my ability to attack. One downside of the LX and the GXT was the lower spin rating. I would have liked to have a little more spin potential to make up for the lower power rating.
The bottom line: The Expanse LX offers a large, forgiving and stable paddle that reduces mishits and improves your consistency. It’s not without power but it would have been nice to have a higher spin rating.
Price: $129
Expanse GXT Quick Stats
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Expanse GXT Performance Summary
I’d categorize the Expanse GXT as a control paddle as well. The GXT has a soft, almost buttery type feel at impact that was really nice. My drops from the baseline and midcourt felt a little more precise compared to the LX as a result. The GXT infused me with confidence when at the net. The paddle played more forgivingly compared to the LX though it wasn’t as stable. If I had a looser grip and caught a ball near the edge of the paddle I noticed it wasn’t as steady as the LX.
Every area of my soft game from drops, resets, to dinks benefited with this paddle in my hands. It was great. I preferred the GXT model over the LX because of the extra control it offered.
When it came to generating some offense, like the LX, it had a medium power range. Though it offered a little less power compared to the LX. In my opinion, the gains you got from the soft game outweighed the slight reduction in power. The GXT is thinner so was more maneuverable and cut through the air well.
However, like the LX, it has a lower spin rating. Drives and roll volleys at the net were all a little higher and had less topspin than I would like and can get from other paddles.
The bottom line: The Expanse GXT is a top tier control paddle that helps your soft game and your ability to control the pace of play. Its large, forgiving hitting surface is player friendly and easy to wield. However, it does lock some offensive ability with its lower spin and power rating.
Paddle Design and Technology
I want to talk about some shared characteristics of the paddles in this section. Starting with the shape. A true widebody paddle measures 15.5″ by 8.5″. The Expanse measures 15.88″ by 8.13″. It is still a widebody paddle, but it is a little longer. The shape itself is mostly square with slightly rounded sides. This shape gives you more breathing room from side to side and is generally more forgiving than elongated paddles that are skinnier. You sacrifice some reach with this shape but you gain consistency and forgiveness.
Another design piece I want to mention is TMPR’s vibration dampening technology. They add this insert into the handle that helps reduce vibration transferred to your arm. This ultimately helps prevent common overuse injuries like tennis elbow. It’s a subtle feature that goes a long way. I like this simple innovative feature.
Attacking
Both paddles have a similar attacking ability. The LX offered more power though it wasn’t much. I could generate the power I needed to keep the ball deep for serves and returns with both paddles. Putting away high balls wasn’t an issue either. My drives and counters weren’t as fast but could still be effective. They are both control focused paddles so the reduction of speed is expected and not entirely a bad thing.
Both paddles have a lower spin rating. I wish the faces were more textured to help with generating topspin on drives and roll volleys. This would have helped compensate for the lower power ratings. I noticed it most when attacking balls that were below the net. I couldn’t generate the same top spin in those situations, but as long as I was hitting my targets I could still do damage.
Because of the shorter nature of the paddle and the sweet spot being in the middle, you lose some reach. I typically play with an elongated paddle so I may be hyper sensitive to this, but I did miss the reach I’m accustomed to when dink volleying. I found myself stepping back for dinks more often rather than the offensive approach of taking them out of the air.
Soft Game and Defense
Both paddles shined in this area. The wide, forgiving shape of these paddles are suited well for the soft game and defense. The GXT had a softer feel and was little more forgiving compared to the LX, so it performed better in this area but the LX wasn’t far off.
The highlight of these paddles for me was my consistency and control when dinking. I hit less balls into the net because of their large forgiving shape. Additionally, pop ups came less often because of the added control the paddles gave me.
Drops from the baseline and midcourt came easily, it didn’t take me long to adjust to their feel. The GXT had a better feel from the baseline and midcourt. The LX had a light feel at impact that didn’t translate as well to drop shots as it did to dinking.
Taking pace off the ball with blocks and resets was another area the paddles performed well. This is such a big part of pickleball so it was nice to have.
Other Player Comments
Who Would Like These Paddles?
If you like to dictate the pace of play and wear your opponents down with your soft game, precision and consistency, you’ll love what these paddles will do for you. Conversely, if you struggle with the soft game, then these paddles will help enhance your touch and produce less errors.
I preferred the Expanse GXT over the Expanse LX. I thought the gains I got from the extra feel of the GXT outweighed the extra power you got from the LX. But that’s just me, I lean into my soft game to win points more than my offensive ability.
With performance level paddles ever increasing in price, it’s nice to see that these only cost $149 and $129. I think TMPR offers some of the best performing paddles in that price range.
The downside of these paddles was the lower spin rating. They also had less reach and lower power, so if those are things you value then these may not be the best paddles for you.
Shop TMPR Paddles
If you think the Expanse LX or the Expanse GXT is the right paddle for you, pick one up on our store. Free shipping and free returns.
SHOP TMPRBraydon 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.
