If you have watched any professional pickleball, then you’ve seen Vulcan’s paddles on the court and on the podium. The most dynamic players in the game like Tyler Loong, Jay Devilliers, and Corrine Carr play with their paddles. They have established themselves as one of the top pickleball brands and somehow seem a lot cooler than all other paddle companies.
Vulcan is also known for their unique and good looking graphics. You feel confident with a Vulcan paddle in your hands. As the saying goes, “look good, feel good, play good”. And if you’re not playing good, then at least you look good!
They have a wide variety of paddles to fit your needs and budget. Their V300 Series is for entry level players while their V500 and V700 paddles are designed for intermediate to advanced level players.
Their most recent addition to their V500 Series is the V560. The V560 has a Power and a Control model. I was lucky enough to get my hands on each version to compare and review. After drilling and playing over 20 games with both models in the course of a couple of weeks, here is my review on their performance.
The Core and Paddle Design
The V560 Control and Power play differently, but they share the same shape. They have an elongated shape that is 16.5 inches long and about 7.5 inches wide. The longer paddle shape will give you more reach and increased power when compared to none elongated shapes, but at the sacrifice of a smaller sweet spot.
Both paddles also have the same handle length of 5.5 inches, which is a little longer than a standard 5 inch handle length. It was nice to have the extra length for two handed backhands and to extend the reach of the paddle. If you don’t play a two handed backhand, then the extra length isn’t annoying. The handles were pretty slim, though. I had to add an overgrip to make it bigger or it felt too small in my hands.
They both have a 13mm poly core. The thinner core will give you more power, but still maintain a softer side.
The face of the paddles are textured. They grabbed the ball nicely, making it easy to spin the ball and control your placement.
The paddles come in one weight option that measures about 8.4 oz. This is on the heavier side and will help add stability and power to the paddles.
The only difference between the two paddles is the facing material. The Control has a fiber glass face and the Power has a carbon fiber face.
Quick Stats and Paddle Performance Synopsis
This section shares a short synopsis of each paddles’ performance to give you a general idea of how they play before I dive into the details.
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Vulcan V560 Power
The Vulcan V560 Power felt more firm but actually plays with more control and less power than the Control model. It had a very even and consistent response across the face, improving your accuracy and defense. I wasn’t able to overpower my opponents every time, but the thinner core still gave you a good amount of power.
Vulcan V560 Control
The Vulcan V560 Control feels softer off the face than the Power but it had more power and pop. Its easy power combined with the spin you could generate gave you confidence to attack and overpower your opponents. The face of the paddle was a little less inconsistent compared to the Power giving it a little less control.
Soft Game and Defense
V560 Power
The Power model felt more firm than the Control, but it played with less power and more consistency. The ball didn’t jump off the face like it did with the Control, but offered great control with blocks, dinks, and drops.
No matter where you hit the ball on paddle, it came off the face with a similar speed. This helped improve all elements of the soft game and especially when you were scrambling or over extended.
The extra reach of the paddle helped me pick up more dink volleys and cover more ground at the net. I found that I could keep the ball alive longer because of the paddles great consistency and extended reach.
The paddles even response and ability to absorb the power from my opponent really enhanced my defense. I was consistently hitting good resets and limiting my opponents opportunities to attack.
The paddle was very well balanced in my hands which increased its maneuverability. You could stay nimble at the net and get your paddle into position quickly.
I adjusted to the paddle very quickly and was hitting good drop shots and playing the soft game well right out the gate.
V560 Control
The V560 Control felt a little softer than the Power, but the ball definitely jumped off the face more than the Power. Though the Control model had a little more pop, I was still able to control it and was consistently hitting good drops, and dinks.
Where it got me in trouble sometimes was when I was scrambling for the ball or was overextended. In those moments I popped the ball up for my opponents more often with the Control than I did with the Power model.
The extra pop was nice when dinking. I could shorten my back swing a little and found it easier to be offensive with my dinks without sacrificing accuracy.
Because of the elongated shape of the paddle, I was able to cover more ground at the net and pick up more dink volleys. I liked the extended reach at the net.
Like the Power, the Control is very well balanced in your hands which helps increase its maneuverability, but it wasn’t quite as quick in my hands at the Power for some reason. It’s possible that the carbon fiber in the Power model is just slightly lighter than the fiber glass in the Control model.
The extra pop of the paddle took a little longer to adjust to, but over time I developed a solid soft game with it. The biggest difference between the two was that I wasn’t as consistent with resets and when I was scrambling with the Control vs. the Power.
Attacking
V560 Power
I really like the paddle’s ability to create spin. I didn’t have to exaggerate movements to create topspin. This gave me the confidence to attack low balls and speed up the ball at the net knowing I wasn’t going to hit the fence.
The paddles thinner core offered a good amount of power with drives and overheads. I couldn’t hit my drives as hard as the Control, so I didn’t win as many points off of drives but it still set my team up for easy 5th shots. I couldn’t always overpower my opponents with hard volleys when they were at the baseline, so I had to focus on good placement as well as hitting it hard to win those battles.
I’m not the hardest hitter in the world, but if you can generate power on your own then you won’t find that this paddle holds you back. It responded well when you swung harder, but it didn’t generate the power for you.
If you compare the Power model to paddles from other brands that offer a similar amount of control, the Power gives you more ball speed than those.
The longer handle made two handed backhand drives feel natural and comfortable, I like that about the design of the paddle.
V560 Control
Like the Power model, the Control could generate a good amount of spin. Giving you the confidence to be aggressive and put pressure on your opponents. The paddle’s pop made it easy to put pace on the ball, even for players who can’t generate lots of power on their own.
You could be aggressive with serves and drives knowing that the topspin you could generate with the paddle would help keep the ball in play. The extra pop also helped keep your return of serves deep, even when faced with a tough serve.
Punch volleys and other attacks at the net came hot off the paddle to end points quickly. The Control was really fun to play with at the net and made it easy to speed up the game and attack.
The longer handle made two handed backhand drives feel natural and comfortable, I like that about the design of the paddle.
My Recommendation
I was really impressed with both paddles and loved how they played. Each paddle has its strengths and weaknesses, though, and fit different playing styles.
The Power model is more player friendly and fits a variety of play styles. It enhances your consistency and soft game. If you want less unforced errors, extended reach, and are able to generate enough of your own power, then this is a great option for you.
The Control model felt softer and nice off the face, but came with more pop and power than the Power model. Its easy power combined with its ability to create spin make it a big weapon in your hands. It still maintained a soft side to manage the soft game, but was difficult to keep the ball down when you were on the move or overextended. If you are prone to popping the ball up, then I would recommend the Power. Otherwise, this is a great option.
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