Episode 83 | Mid Year Paddle Awards, Best Shapes, New Balance 996v7

[00:00:04] What is up nerds? Welcome back to episode 83 of the The Pickleball Pursuit Podcast. We got Mama and Papa PP here. We got a pretty packed episode. Not a lot of talk about paddles, so Jason Dees, you'll be very happy. Yeah, well, a lot of talk about new paddles, but we're still going to talk about paddles. Oh boy, but yeah, we got a lot of stuff to talk about. How you been, Justin? You been good? Achilles finally getting there?

[00:00:34] Yeah, yeah, it's getting there. I would say I'm at 95%, so I've been just like playing the normal amount now. I haven't had to take extra rest days or anything. And only a little bit of soreness here and there. And usually it goes away within the day or by the next day. So all good. Got to work through it. Just tendinopathy stuff. Mine has been a little sore, which is slightly concerning. You better get on that PT early.

[00:00:59] I've been doing calf raises and whatnot. So I legitimately think that it was just the fact that I played in those Yola shoes. Not that they caused it, but just switching shoes and whatnot can definitely put more stress on your tendons, ligaments, if you're switching from something you're already used to. But I think that's probably just the culprit. Only play with them once, not going to play with them again.

[00:01:24] So I think I'll be fine. All right. Well, you want to jump into this? We got some stuff to talk about. Tell the people what we're doing. We're going to do a quick little look at the Forex paddle. Justin's going to tell us about his experience revisiting Gen 3, his favorite form of construction. Then we're going to talk about some of the best shapes in pickleball.

[00:01:53] And we'll go to mid-year awards. So we're going to give away some awards for the mid-year. Obviously, it's a little past the middle of the year, but we have this lull in paddle releases right now. So I figured this would be a great time to do that. And it's still, you know, relatively close to the middle of the year. Then we got New Week, New Main. And then Justin's going to give us a little sneaky peek at the new New Balance 996V7. Good job. Maybe?

[00:02:22] With the numbers. Yeah. Do a little sheet review. It's this, 996V7. These are brand new. Reading numbers is way easier than reading letters, by the way. It just came out not too long ago. But yeah, I've been nice. I've got four sessions on it now. So, heck yeah, dude. All right, well, let's move on. You want to start? Ready to roll? Go for it. This is you. It's all you, right? Yeah, this is all me. We got the Fortix.

[00:02:48] Lance, I played with this for four games the other day. And this was the paddle that said had a very similar grit texture based off the eye test and feel test as the Silkirk Boomstick. And can confirm? My thoughts were, you know, we're right. It is very similar to the Silkirk Boomstick. Yeah, feel.

[00:03:17] Obviously, different, you know, ball contact feel. But the way that the ball contacts with the face in terms of feel is very similar. Spins very similar. Yeah, just feels a lot like a boomstick, but a little bit more dwell. And I need to get more games in on this, but I imagine it's going to be somewhere in that lower part of the longer lasting grit textures. But yeah, good paddle. Felt solid.

[00:03:46] The only issue I really had with it was it was a little heavy stock, 122 swing weight and 5.9 twist weight. So below average. Didn't really feel sluggish, but it was definitely noticeably slower than the Spitfire and a couple other pedals I was testing that day. So like this paddle, I think it performs well. It's a pretty good price. I think it's $189 before Code. Code Pursuit, I think, brings it down 10%.

[00:04:16] Still, the jury is out on this one. Pretty square handle, which is probably the most problematic thing I think people are going to have with this paddle. It's pretty blocky. What do you know about the brand? It kind of reminds me. Because I haven't even heard of it before you were talking about this paddle right now. Literally nothing. Got this sent to you and it just happens to have something similar to Infinegrit, which we haven't seen from anyone else. If I'm not mistaken, they might have said that they used to work with Luz.

[00:04:46] They're from California. Don't quote me on that. If that is incorrect, I will put that in the video. But I'm almost certain they said they used to work with Luz or some other prominent company and started their own paddle company. Classic PP pod. Classic PP pod. But we are. Might be wrong. Don't quote me on that. Could be wrong. Don't quote me. That's just how I live my life. But yeah, that's really the extent that I know about this paddle. It's a solid one. Definitely one I'll play with more.

[00:05:16] But yeah, we need more information than that. Yeah. If I got to be honest, if that was considered a mini review, that was lackluster. No, not a mini review. Just a, hey, I play with this. It felt similar to the boomstick. The end. And it has grit similar to an infinite grud, which is the interesting part because no one else has had that yet. It's got a handle. It's got a face. It's got grit. It costs money. Paddle hit ball. Yeah, paddle hit ball. What else do you need to know? All right.

[00:05:45] Well, that's really all the paddles we're going to talk about. So we made it pretty quick for you guys this week. But all right, Justin, you, as I did, revisited some Gen 3 paddles. Yours was for a different reason. Mine was to compare to Gen 4 paddles. Yours was obviously, I imagine, you know, for other reasons. So why don't you go ahead and tell us your thoughts and just why Gen 3 is the best construction you can possibly make for a paddle?

[00:06:12] Overall, actually, similar reason to you. Once I saw your video come out, I was like, oh, hey, I just did this too because of a paddle I was working on in development that is technically a full foam paddle. But I was like, when I was playing with it and testing it, it had been a while since I hit Gen 3. So I hit a couple here and there, but like not very much. But when I said, I was like, man, does this feel like a Gen 3?

[00:06:35] You know, and then as I do sometimes when I play with the kind of big local group here, sometimes I'll have people I'll tell people, hey, would you want to help me test prototypes? All you got to do is play with the paddle. I'll pay you in over grips, you know, and I just yeah, people play with blank paddles for a couple of games. And then pretty people are bad reviewers in general. But I just ask them, like, what did you notice? What's your favorite thing? What's your what's your least favorite thing? You know, like it's crazy the stuff you get back, but sometimes it's valuable.

[00:07:02] Well, anyway, the one that I had thought, you know, does this feel like a Gen 3? The two different people, one person who plays normally with a Yolo Pro 5, basically immediately came back and said, hey, this feels a lot like my paddle. They're playing with a Cosmos Pro 5. And I was like, OK. So and then another person who plays with a Friday Fever 102, another Gen 3, said, yeah, actually feels kind of similar to my paddle. Is it is it similar? And I'm like, no, it's actually nothing like that construction wise.

[00:07:32] So because those two people said that unsolicited, I didn't tell them. I was like, OK, it's time for me to go back and re familiarize myself with a Gen 3 feel. So I grabbed a group of Gen 3s. I had a Pro 4 with me that day, but I don't have it in the stack. And I also had a Selkirk Era that someone's borrowing. But other than that was the 11624 Original Vapor Power, which is shockingly similar to the Era, by the way. So it can be a placeholder.

[00:08:00] The Friday Fever, the GBX Power Gearboxes Gen 3, and then kind of the mainstays. Franklin C45, YOLA Pro 5, YOLA Pro 4, which I don't have in front of me. But I just wanted to talk about this because I know a lot of people out there are still playing with Gen 3s. And there was some stuff I found interesting. In general, I was shocked as someone who's been playing with only foam for so long. I pretty much went straight from Gen 2 to Gen 4 as soon as it came out, if you want to call it Gen 4.

[00:08:31] These paddles feel stiff, dude. Like, I was shocked. Oh, yeah. Gen 3 is like pretty stiff comparative to full foam paddles. Yeah. And it's not a bad thing, but maybe crisp is a better word because it's just more plasticky, which makes sense, right? You've got like a plastic core. There's less dampening going on. And I did not love that. I was like, wow, I'm shocked. Because all the time you hear people talk about, oh, I just love the feel of Gen 3. I can't get away from it. And I'm like, what?

[00:09:01] This is what you guys like? Some of them do feel more dwelly than others, but as a whole, far less dwelly feeling than foam. And yeah, just another interesting or maybe not so interesting thing. The Pro 4 and the Pro 5, so similar. So incredibly similar. No, you don't say. And that was the Pro 4 was someone else's I had to borrow. So this is the first time I was hitting them side by side.

[00:09:32] And yeah, I was like, oh, okay. This just feels like the same paddle. If you had like a scale of stiffness being at 100 for the Pro 4, the Pro 5 would be 95% stiff. Yeah. I mean, and overall, the Pro 4 and Pro 5 were definitely not the stiffest of the Gen 3s, which is nice. No. So if we're 100 stiffness scale, let's just say like the Pro 4 is a 75. The Pro 5 is a 72. Yeah. It's like very, very minimal. So similar.

[00:10:03] And yeah, that made it feel like a little less poppy, which is nice. I would prefer it. I would prefer the Pro 5 over the 4. And out of the group, I think it was my third favorite. But here was the other kind of shocking thing I found. My favorite was actually this gearbox, the GBX Power. Like buy a lot. And maybe that's because it feels the most dwelly and the most like vibration dampening.

[00:10:32] But it hits hard, dude. It's really hard. I mean, a lot of these paddles have some juice, but I almost think that this gearbox is the most powerful of the bunch while also feeling the best. And the shapes are good. Do you know if anything has been done to fix the issues with durability on that GBX? I don't know. I mean, I actually don't know about widespread durability issues. You and I know the same person in Dallas who had some durability concerns.

[00:11:01] And we saw that pretty early on with multiple copies. I've heard a lot. Oh, you have? Okay. Yeah. I've heard a lot. Probably five or six people. Okay. No one locally plays with this paddle. Wow. Nice. Nice. But yeah, maybe I should actually give one of mine. I have a hybrid and elongated to somebody because there's people around here who'll just play with paddles. I'm just like, hey, this is a new paddle. Feels fantastic for a Gen 3.

[00:11:31] Yeah. This was my favorite. And the hybrid shape. This is the hybrid shape. Solid. I mean, this is a little bit of a sharp angle, but it's still enough. Yeah. So anyway, I just thought there were some interesting things in there that I discovered. I mean, and this isn't interesting to everyone because all this stuff is probably fairly obvious. Oh, the Pro 4 and the Pro 5 feel identical? Cool. Oh, Gen 3s are stiff? Cool. Like people are like, we already know this, dude. But yeah, the gearbox.

[00:11:59] But yeah, there is this foam paddle that is a prototype right now, which I have no idea if it will get to development. It's still very early. But for the first time, I know people have said this so many times, it feels shockingly similar to Gen 3. It felt a lot like these. So I don't particularly like it, but people are liking it. The people that I've tried or have tried it. So you just made a Q2. Feels probably not as powerful. Different than the Q2. Yeah, yeah. Not as powerful. Not as boingy. More of that crisp. Boing?

[00:12:28] Like more of that crisp, almost stiffer feel that it does give good feedback. You like know what the paddle's doing. But yeah, not nearly as trampoline-y feeling. Yeah, we'll see if that comes to market. If it does, then I'll tell you guys at that time, hey, this is the one that felt like a Gen 3, in my opinion. But yeah, man. Back down memory lane and I don't miss it. I'm glad I went from Gen 2 to Gen 4. Gen 3 is not for me. It's not for me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:12:57] It's, my thing has always been, it's like the performance, identical. Gen 3 and Gen 4. Maybe a better performance. I think you get better performance overall from the Gen 4. Yeah. Feel, it's not like insanely different from a lot of Gen 4 paddles. I get flamed for saying that every time, but I'm going to stick by it. Yeah. I think I disagree with you on that.

[00:13:26] Gen 3 is insanely crazy different from these floating Gen 4 cores. I think I'm going to disagree with you on it. I think it feels very different to me. But that's okay. That's a feel. Feel is subjective. Yes. And I do think that, I think the sweet spots are legitimately better on these full foam paddles. Oh, yes. 100%. So that's the main performance benefit. You could have the same amount of power, the same amount of spin, the same amount of control, if you want to call it that.

[00:13:55] All that stuff could be equal across the board. But in general, I would say that full foam paddles have larger sweet spots or more consistent response across the face. There's less of a drop off. So for sure, I think that's where the technology has really kind of shined. And then of course, not to mention, we're seeing more and more. Yeah. Yeah. True. Durability. And we can tune the feel a lot more, which is going to happen a lot more nowadays. Now that like we have so many of these just typical floating foam cores, it's going to

[00:14:25] be like, okay, now what? Now we can tune the feel. And the vibration profiles and things like that. Yep. Well, yeah. All right. Well, sounds like you were pretty similar with your findings to me as, you know, even though I was a little less aggressive with the differences in feel. Yeah. But yeah, I still think Gen 3s are great paddles. They're just hard to recommend, you know? Yeah. That's just my... Better be cheap and have a warranty.

[00:14:55] Yeah. If I was going to recommend it. It's cheap, has a good warranty. That's why Luz. Yeah, exactly. For the only Gen 3 battle you ever see me say, hey, yeah, go buy this. It's $92 and you get a one-year warranty. Yeah. So if someone's like, I really particularly like that feel, Gen 3 feel or honeycomb feel, then that's the only way I would personally recommend a Gen 3. Affordable and has a warranty. So the cannon and glider fit that for sure. Yep. Yep. All right.

[00:15:21] Well, so we're going to move on to some awards. We'll start first with the best shapes. So what we believe are the best shapes in pickleball for wide body, hybrid, elongated. I thought this would be interesting to talk about because that is, in my opinion, one of the most staggering differences between a lot of paddles now is how some people just get the shapes pretty wrong. It's less prevalent.

[00:15:50] It used to be really bad. I mean, people used to be making some dog water shapes. Shape is a foundation for a paddle. It's so important. Yes. Yep. And it, I mean, you said it best. It's a foundation. And if you mess up the foundation, the whole paddle's ruined, in my opinion. Yeah, exactly. All right. Let's start first. You want to start with elongated or wide body? Go top down or bottom up? Wide body because people care less. And we haven't shared these with each other, so these would be surprises. Yeah.

[00:16:20] I'll go first. We're surprising each other. To me, this isn't an obvious one in that people will think of it right away, but this is an obvious one for me whenever I hold all the various wide body shapes and when I've played with them. And when I played with this one, I was like, oh yeah, this is it. This is like peak wide body. And when we say wide body, it means standard or wide body. People might think I'm about to say the Neonic Flare shape, which is the same as the Selkirk shape, which is very good. But I think this one's slightly better.

[00:16:49] It's the Gherkin W shape. Oh, interesting. It isn't like it's like kind of it's unique looking. So you're either going to be like, I like the look or I don't like the look. So it's not like the prettiest shape, but it just everything. It checks all the boxes perfectly. Like it's the right shape to have all the right metrics as far as stability and swing weight. It maxes out dimensions. For I kind of pick these shapes based on the people who would play these shapes.

[00:17:16] So for wide body players, they want something, you know, that is really girthy basically and really stable and just has a huge wide. And girth. Big sweet spot. Go hand in hand, if you know what I'm saying. Yeah. So yeah, the Gherkin W shape. This is the best wide body shape on the market right now, in my opinion. And yeah, just a massively wide sweet spot.

[00:17:45] Just big sweet spot. And the handle is long enough. Yeah. But it isn't crazy long, which gets weird on wide bodies. You know, I kind of have an honorable mention for each of these categories. So my honorable mention for wide bodies is the Honolulu J3 shape. And the reason why I say that is because I personally really like it, but I don't think it's the best wide body shape for wide body users.

[00:18:12] I like it because it balanced, it swings more like a hybrid, but it's got a really big sweet spot. And a long handle. So that's one that I personally like, but I wouldn't say that if you're a wide body player through and through, I wouldn't be like, go for the J3. No, actually, that feels pretty different than most wide bodies. But I would say, yeah, Gherkin W. Nailed it. Gherkin. All right. I guess I'll do mine. Mine's going to be pretty easy. Oh, wait. Hold on. What's that? I grabbed the wrong one. Is it? Yeah.

[00:18:43] We got the Silkirk wide body. I just think this is pretty much flawless. I mean, what did it do wrong? The Neonic shape, right? That's the Neonic flare shape. A little more rounded, obviously. Is it different? I think they're identical, right? In the pickle hurricane shape? No, they have a slightly rounded, more rounded top with a flat center at the top. Close. Very close.

[00:19:08] But yeah, I mean, easily could swap this out with the Flare Prime X and wouldn't mind. Either way. A pickle hurricane. But I think this is just a great shape. Yeah. It doesn't really do anything wrong. Handles perfect. Really good. Maxes out dimensions. Really good. Yeah. Silkirk did it right with this. Just a really solid one. All right. Let's get on to the shapes people care about. Hybrid. Truly. Hybrid. What do you got? All right, man.

[00:19:37] This one was hard for me. You were like, when I told you it was hard, you were like, there was one super obvious one. I think we're going to have different picks. A clear winner in... I'm right. I'm just going to go ahead and say this. But you go first. Show us what the wrong choice is. This is like a... I'm going to tell you my deep cut one first because people don't really have this paddle yet, but this Neonic Frost shape. It's exactly 16.25 by 775. The handle is long. It's super stable.

[00:20:06] It's like what people say that the balance and swing of a hybrid, but the like kind of sweet spot in face area of a wide body. Yeah. Okay. Now, I'm pretty biased. I designed the shape. So because of that, I'm going to pick some other ones. It's... Now, what I said before about the wide body, like what do I think would be best for the whole market? If someone was like, I'm a hybrid player, and I was like, I got to hand you one shape

[00:20:31] that I know you're going to like, period, because you play hybrids, it's probably this MPP Turbo Hybrid shape. Okay. It's kind of vanilla, but it does nothing wrong. You know? That's surprising for me. I thought you were going to say the handle was too short. No. I said this is for the market. For the market. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's short for me, but if someone's like, I'm a hybrid player, I play hybrid everything, I'd be like, you will like this shape. You know, I guarantee it. It's great, Jay. Yeah. It's great.

[00:21:00] It just checks all the boxes, nothing wrong, not that special, but very good. Very good in all ways. Yeah. And then my like little asterisk, I had a second honorable mention, and it's the Ultra, which is good, but it's not really a true, true hybrid. Hybrid, it honestly, it feels more like a elongated, you know? Yeah. It's right in between hybrid and elongated. So this isn't like the hybrid player's hybrid paddle, although it's a very good shape. So I'll give it some love.

[00:21:30] Yeah. That's one of the more unique shapes on the market. And I mean that in a good way. Um, yeah, I've always said, you and I have said this many times. I think there is a benefit from having a slightly shorter, you know, elongated paddle, if you will, that also maxes out the width. Oh, it's a great shape, but that's why I said it doesn't really, I didn't fit exactly hybrid. So yeah, it's a tweener. It's a tweener. Um, all right. Well, here's why you're wrong. What is it? The chorus HX shape.

[00:21:59] Just the H though. Not the HX, right? I'm sorry. Whatever the newest one is. Um, the HX flares. I almost said this one. I almost said this. I had it out. I was holding it in my hand. Show me how you're holding in your hand. Two hands. It's big enough for both hands. Wow. Yes, it is. Uh, good for you, sir. Uh, but yeah, the chorus H, um, that's very good. Perfect. Literally perfect. There's no notes. Flat top. Doesn't taper.

[00:22:30] Handles perfectly long enough. Uh, not too long. Too long of a handle. That was my one little teeny tiny gripe with the frost frost frost. Yeah. The neonic. Yeah. Yeah. Just barely felt just a tiny bit too long for me. Um, yeah. And I think this is elite. There's it's perfect. It's very good. Uh, yeah. I held it up next to this MPP turbo by the way. And it's, they're almost identical. Just the chorus has a longer handle and a different taper. That's it.

[00:23:00] Yeah. I think the tapers chef's kiss. Uh, great job, Matt. All right. Well, uh, I'll let you have it. You're my wife. You're always right. Go ahead. Go ahead. You can have that one. Uh, what do you got for elongated? I'll tell you my honorable mention first because it's an oldie, but a goodie. Go ahead. This Franklin dynasty shape. Oh yeah. Just another one of those. Nothing wrong. Yeah. Not a single thing wrong.

[00:23:27] It's just a touch short as is the Perseus, but it actually adds the extra width. So you get, it's a, it's a pretty stable elongated, but it still feels and swings like an elongated, um, handle is perfectly long. I mean, nothing wrong. So this is a great shape. I've liked this shape basically since the first time, you know, we held it when it came out. Uh, but my actual winner, what I think is the best elongated shape right now is the J6. Yeah.

[00:23:56] Just from an engineering and design standpoint. I mean, you may not like the looks of it, but this is max performance. This is what max performance looks like for any elongated. Yeah, dude. So that's the peak male physique right there. Big dog. Um, yeah. All right. My winner. Same as you. J6 shape. I mean, flawless. Uh, 16.42 give or take, you know, a little bit, uh, by what is that? 7.6.

[00:24:26] It's full. Yeah. Such a, such a good shape. Uh, it is great. This doesn't interfere with you, but it does maybe save one or two points of swing weight. Some might call this the throat goat. Um, but yeah, no, such a good paddle. That was you, not somebody. And we're not repeating that anymore. Uh, but yeah, such a good paddle. Great shape. Did we? Did we? Well, yeah, we talked about this. We said no more saying throat goat on our pickleball podcast. Got it.

[00:24:56] Got it. What are we not supposed to say? All right, big dog. You could interchange that by the way, uh, the Gherkin E shape. I have a backup. I forgot. I have a backup. Oh. It's right here. The Gherkin E, right? The Gherkin E. So similar to the, uh, the J6. So also good for all the same reasons. You know, intelligently engineered to, to maximize performance. Yes, absolutely. Gherkin. Uh, I mean, yeah, Gherkin shapes, all three of them. Great. All good. Like we could have just chose the three Gherkin shapes.

[00:25:26] They're, they're no nuts again. Pretty much. Pretty much. Yeah. Um, I would say Gherkin, Chorus, and probably Honolulu have like across the board, the three best shapes. So like all three of their shapes are really, really good. Um, there's no compromise with their shapes, which, you know, you can't say the same about many companies. There's usually like one kind of, eh, that one, that shape kind of isn't that great, you know? Um, but yeah, those are my picks. Those are Justin's picks.

[00:25:56] Let us know in the comment section what y'all's picks are for best hybrid shape, elongated shape, wide body shape. Uh, we'd love to hear what y'all think. All right. Moving on to mid mid year awards. We're going to do just a couple. We're not going to do, we're not going to go all out like we do at the end of the year. We're just going to start with, uh, we'll do four categories. Yeah. We're going to go surprise of the year. Then we're going to go most improved. Then we're going to go best all court. And then we're just going to go paddle of the year for us.

[00:26:26] So, um, surprise of the year is what we're going to start with. Do you want to go first? You want me to go first since you went? Um, I forgot what I was supposed to actually say because I told you mine initially and you were like, no, it should be a good surprise because what I wrote down. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember what you said. Yeah. Do you want me to say what you said? The Yola Pro 5, which that one surprised me that they changed nothing basically for three years in a row.

[00:26:55] I was just a surprise. Yeah. I mean, just like it, the three, the three S, the pro four, the pro five. I'm like, really? Yeah. Really? 2026. Y'all are still sticking with this. So, but then you told me that it's supposed to be positive and now I forgot what I, I didn't write it down. What was it? What did I tell you? It was the, you said the Spitfire. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. That's obvious. I forgot about that. Yeah. The Sparta Spitfire. I mean, not a lot of you guys have it in your hands yet, but just out of nowhere,

[00:27:24] Sparta is like, you know, getting attention for the P1 and Permagrit. Um, but then maybe those are moving a little slow and they're like, oh, we're just going to release a hundred dollar paddle by the way. Then it was like quickly announced and then it was out and you're like, what the hell? This is amazing. And it also has durable grit and it's so good. And it's a hundred bucks. Like we thought you were working on this other stuff. So that was a very positive surprise. Very great paddle. Yeah. That one definitely surprised me as well. I was not expecting it to be, you know, I was like, okay, it's going to be a hundred dollars with durable grit. It's probably just being average, you know?

[00:27:53] And you look at the Microsoft paint on it, you know, the design, you're like, there's no way this is going to be good. It looks like shit. Yeah. But. Oh my God. Well, Josh is going to backhand you. Um, but yeah, the, uh, I agree. That's a great surprise. Um, it was one that, you know, you thought like, okay, there's gotta be something that they're gonna like sacrifice on, but no, not really. But, uh, for me, it's not my surprise of the year.

[00:28:23] Uh, I'm going to go with a paddle that was on literally no one's radar. Not a single person was thinking about it ever. This company, no one thought about for years. Um, if even, uh, and then they came out with arguably, sorry guys, arguably the best power paddle, which is the pack of fuse. Uh, yeah. $92. Uh, this paddle rips the ball.

[00:28:52] Uh, I mean, they've sent me paddles in the past that were just average. Um, you know, they weren't bad, but nothing that was like, oh yeah, this is something I need to talk about. But this is one that is legitimately one of the best power paddles that you can buy right now. And it's also the cheapest, um, $92. They have a durable grid option. I would hold out until they, you know, fix that issue and, uh, just get this $92 version, save yourself $10.

[00:29:22] It's going to last longer. Uh, but yeah, that's my pick for surprise of the year. That's pretty good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. You're going to move on to most improved. I have two. So, but you go first. Now you mean the brand, I assume. Yes. Yeah. Most improved. You're giving us awards to a brand. Mine is so easy. And whenever I say it, if this is not what you have, you're going to be like, you're right and I'm wrong. So. All right. Got it. It's 11, 6, 24, bro. It has to be.

[00:29:49] The power two came out this year with hex crit and they got sponsored pros and they updated their crazy wonky shapes. And now they have the ultra, which is like everybody loves. Crazy wonky shapes. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. We love you, David, but we've already been over the taper situation multiple times. You know what I mean? Like, look, they had, they had good paddles and they were like building a good brand, but

[00:30:14] they have like blown up this year and hex crit has proven to be like amazingly good. Yeah. And the power two itself is a legitimate big improvement over the 11, 6, 22 power, which was already a good paddle from last year. So yeah, they did everything. Like they did nothing wrong. And, um, you know, I feel like they're getting the attention and accolades they deserve. So easy for me. All this stuff happened in 20, 26, most improvement, 20, 26, 11, 6, 24. I like that. That's a good pick.

[00:30:44] Uh, good reasons. I went a little different, you know, different lane. I went with, um, paddle companies that had paddles in the past. They were meh, you know, they weren't bad, but they were certainly were not great. Um, but 11, 6, 24 power one series was great. Yeah. And that was like a huge release. Um, for sure.

[00:31:09] But these two companies, in my opinion, I think did it, uh, just a little bit more improvement in terms of overall paddle performance. So I'm gonna go first with, uh, I thought I had it out here. First is enhance. Um, I think the turbo series was a huge, uh, give this to them last year though. Most improved. Yeah, probably. I'm pretty sure at the end of the year last year. Yeah. We said it because of the duo. Yeah.

[00:31:37] But turbo series legitimately good paddles. I mean, they sneak into almost anyone's top 10, uh, in terms of raw performance. Uh, but the biggest improvement of 2026. Yes. You reckon? Uh, yeah. I mean, humongous improvement. Nothing was bad about their previous paddles.

[00:32:03] Um, but they didn't have an elite paddle and this Draco is an elite paddle. Uh, it's an elite paddle. Yeah, actually under the radar. Yeah, for sure. But it's got a, it's got a cult following. You know, there's people who still make top five videos or like, you know, best, best videos for four or five players on TikTok. And people are like, what about the Draco? What about the Draco? So I'm like, ah, okay, cool. It's catching on. Yeah, that's a good point. It's catching on. Yeah. Um, but I know I like your, I like your choice.

[00:32:31] Yours from a standpoint of just pickleball and brand identity and brand, you know, uh, reputation. Yeah. 11, 6, 24. Yeah, they improved in like so many aspects across the board. Killed almost anybody this year. Uh, I don't think it's even close when you, you weigh that in. You know, they went from a enthusiast brand to a legitimate professional well-established brand. And kind of leading the conversation in durable grit also. Yeah. Yeah. Which is the biggest conversation in 2026.

[00:33:01] Yep. I like it. All right. Um, all court battle. All court paddle of the half year. Of the half year. I couldn't, I couldn't choose, man. Um, yeah, there's two options here. All court is super weird. It's like, are these power paddles? Are they all court paddles? Um, I'll just tell you my two and you can tell me which one's truly an all court or if neither of them are. And I was, you know, out of my head here, but I would say, uh, Spartus P1. Oh, Coral Pro.

[00:33:33] Oh, Spartus P1. Oh, I don't. Yeah. And I, I can see what you have. I don't have that paddle, so I can't speak on it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, I understand where you're going with it. I want to bring a runner up in, in here because, uh, you, you've been having runner ups, but, um, P1, I think it's a power paddle, but I could see where you would think. I mean, the Coral Pro is kind of the same power as the P1. I hit them side by side the other day. They're the same. I think the P1 probably hits harder, but I haven't hit them side by side. So I'll trust your judgment on that. The Coral Pro, though, is a little bit harder than the regular Coral.

[00:34:01] And the regular Coral was released last year. So, but yeah, so air might chill out. Coral. I don't know. Coral. Coral. Um, yeah, let's go with your pick because I don't think either of these perfectly fit, but if, if I had a friend come up to me and was like, Hey, I want a really good paddle, but I don't need something super powerful. I want something more all court. These are the two I would recommend to them personally. Yeah. So if, uh, so here's, I'm going to go one B then one A.

[00:34:31] Uh, if somebody is like, Hey, I want an all court paddle that is not super powerful. I want it to be like really easy to control. Friday aura is by far the pick. Um, easy to control a little softer than the, uh, in terms of power output, the feel is very similar to the Coral and Coral Pro, but the power output and response that you get off the face is a little more subdued with the aura compared to the Coral. What my one, a pick winner would be Coral Pro.

[00:35:00] Um, I think this is just a fantastic paddle. Uh, it's my number four paddle right now. Uh, spins crazy, gets way more spin. The aura hits a little harder, a little more pop, probably about the same sweet spot. Um, but it feels like the aura pro has a better neck taper, which is more ideal for my needs.

[00:35:24] And, um, yeah, the, uh, six zero neck taper is just a little wide, uh, for my preference, but more than capable for two handed backhands. Just not going to be something that's like, Oh yeah, this feels amazing. But with that being said, yeah, or it's great paddle. I just think the Coral Pro is a little bit better in, yeah, let's say eight out of 10, you know, playing characteristics. If we're going to 80% of it playing characteristics.

[00:35:51] I mean, yeah, this has been a common theme across all these awards and it's going to be throughout all of 2026. So durable, if that you'd say, if they were otherwise very similar, but one has durable grit and one doesn't, it's very easy to pick what you would recommend to people. Cause that's how, when we're talking on the podcast, that's, that's how I'm thinking about it. If someone came up to me and asked, what would I recommend for this specific category? That's what I'm picking, you know, based on what I recommend to people. Um, yeah.

[00:36:16] Cause I would hope that that's what you like you guys, the viewers, you know, find interesting or helpful. Yes. Okay. All right. Uh, panel of the half year, baby. Paddle of the half year. You go first. It's your ladies first, wife's first, dude. I can't pick. So I'm going to say two. I'll pick. And if you have one of these two, then we know that that's the paddle of the year to me, but it's very clear. These are the top two.

[00:36:47] It's 11, 6, 24 power two series. Mm-hmm. Honolulu CR series. To me. Those are really good picks. Phenomenal. Is that not what you picked? No. Wow. No. I can't wait to hear what this is. Uh, so do you want to give your reasoning why before I give mine? Uh, there's no reason not to. The reason would be why not for either of those paddles. They're amazing in every way. And they have, you know, great shapes at this point.

[00:37:17] Lots of options. Um, durable grit. The CR is a little bit hard to get a hold of and people in our comments say that their customer service isn't as good, but that's not the point of, is this the paddle of the year? You know? Yeah. So. Yep. Um, all right. My paddle of the year is the Sparta Spitfire. Oh my God. This guy. I think that, uh... This guy. It's only out in one shape.

[00:37:46] But is it? Go ahead. So here's my, here's my reasoning. Um, this is elite performance. And I mean, you would agree. It's elite. Yeah. It is. Across the board. Durability? Solid. Not elite. Better than average. Uh... Better than average for sure. Power 2. So very good. J6 CR. Elite durability. Elite performance. The difference for me is I think this, when you balance every single thing that is weighed

[00:38:15] into a purchasing, you know, decision, this checks every box. It's got durable grit. It's got elite performance. And it is by far the best value on the market right now. Um... It doesn't have the shape options, though. That is true. Exactly. Yeah. But they have said that they will be doing more shapes. Um... Mm-hmm. If that ever comes to fruition, you know, it's still, you know, up for, uh... Up for, you know, us to find out in the future. I'm sure it'll happen.

[00:38:45] It's gonna take some months. Yeah. Yeah. It's not gonna be like, oh, yeah, two weeks from now, hey, go ahead and send in your order for the hybrids. It's gonna be a little bit. Uh, it'll take a minute. But, uh... If I just went off of all-out performance, put price aside... God, dude, I'm gonna have to agree with you. Power 2 series or the J6CR... Or the 6CR series, I mean... You can't compete with those battles right now. Yeah, how do you differentiate between the two of those? CR with blue grit or Power 2? I would say...

[00:39:13] I can't differentiate between the two of them. Which one has better raw performance? Same. They just have a different feel. And they have different shapes. That's it. Yeah. I mean, it's very close. I think the only difference is that the sweet spot is better on the CR series. And it has... And this is completely personal. The throat is the goat. Um, but this is totally preferential.

[00:39:43] If you are someone who wants more firepower, I think the J6CR, the CR series edges the Power 2 series. However... That's tough. With the coin, if you would rather a more easy paddle to play with, the Power 2 series is clearly the choice. Between those two battles. And then it can come... I mean, the decision can come down to so many different things for if you're buying it. Which brand do you like more? Which look do you like more? Which shape do you like more? Which one can you get without waiting three months?

[00:40:12] Which brand has had better customer service experience? Right now, what we hear is 11624. Like, you cannot go wrong with either of those. And we talked... I said earlier that we're choosing this based on what we'd recommend. And like, this is obvious. If you look at the people I play with right now, two of the guys I play with the most both have J2CRs. Blue Grit. Because they tried mine and then immediately ordered it. Yeah.

[00:40:36] There's two other people who have Power 2s because they tried mine and I recommended it. There's another guy who... Now, this is a new paddle. But said, hey, me and my buddy both actually, it's time for us to get new paddles. What should we get? And they sent me some link and I was like, don't. And I just sent them the Spitfire link. I was like, this is literally launching on Monday. It costs $100. Buy this. Because they're like, you know, like three, five players who are getting better, but they don't know paddles very well. I was like, just buy this. It's... Mm-hmm.

[00:41:06] So... Yeah. All three of the paddles we listed are three paddles I'm readily recommending all the time. And yeah, you cannot go wrong with any of them. So... No, no. In a good place. I think this is one of the most competitive years. And last year was crazy competitive. But I think this one is even more competitive. But if I'm just going off of like, let's say who had the best innovation, I might give 11624 HexGrit the nod.

[00:41:37] Because it came first before BlueGrit? Came first. I just... For whatever reason, I like it better. You know, I like the idea of HexGrit. Um... There have been some inconsistencies with Blue. I don't know, bro. Oh, okay. I see. You mean like application inconsistency? Yeah. Yeah. Um... But the core tech on the CR is way better. Or more advanced, put it that way. Yeah. More advanced for sure.

[00:42:05] And the feel is definitely, for me, much better in the CR series. Yeah, I agree. But I like the feel of the Spitfire probably better than all of them. If I'm comparing them. Yeah. But, totally personal preference. Um... Feel is by far the most preferential thing. You know, feel and then your power levels that you want. Those are the two things you need to decide on first when purchasing a paddle and comparing

[00:42:33] the ones that are, you know, in your potential, you know, buys or buy list. So, yeah. A lot of good paddles, bro. A lot of good paddles. Anything else on the mid-year awards before we move on to New Week? No, I mean, it wasn't really... It was more like mid-year conversation. We didn't really give out awards. We didn't even agree on a lot of stuff. No. But, yeah. That's cool. Yeah. I like when we disagree. Competitive year. When we fight, it just makes it more fun, you know? No. No. Move on.

[00:43:04] All right. Thanks, guy. Let's move on to everyone's favorite segment, New Week, New Main, sponsored by Bode Performance. If you're looking for tungsten tape, sleeves, grips, and tons of other pickleball-related accessories, use code PURSUIT when checking out at BodePerformance.com to save 15%. I think I said that? Maybe I didn't. I messed that one up. You got it memorized. I got lost in your eye contact. I was just waiting. You've been nailing the ad read.

[00:43:34] Before we move on, I just want to say that Bode is doing a 10K community giveaway on Instagram. Go check it out. It's kind of crazy how much stuff they're giving away. There's a lot. The main prize is sick. So I'd definitely go check that out. It's BodePerformance on Instagram. And, yeah, they got a lot of stuff. They got an ultimate setup, a performance bundle, a community bundle, and then how to enter. So go on Instagram. Follow BodePerformance. Like their post.

[00:44:03] Comment below and enter that giveaway if it is something that you're interested in. All right. It's sleeve season. It is sleeve season, dude. You see Bode has sun hoodies now, too? I did not, dude. They got sun hoodies. I'm getting some of those to try out. Yeah, that is right up your alley. And yours. I see you wearing it. He might have sent me one now that she said. He asked my shirt size the other day. Yeah, you probably got some on the way. Yeah, that's tight. All right. Okay. New Week, New Main.

[00:44:33] Look, I feel like I've been misleading our viewers. Dude. Because... All you do is mislead me. Lead you on, I think is what you mean to say. Yeah, well... Same thing. So, you know, we've been doing New Week, New Main. I've been saying it's the Honolulu J2CR. Look, that is in my bag. And in the spirit of New Week, New Main, if I had to play a tournament with a certified paddle, that's the one I would pick.

[00:45:02] However, is that what I've actually been playing my sessions with? No. No. I got a main that is this... You're a poser. And it's a new prototype that hopefully... It's pretty deep in the process, so hopefully we can talk about this soon. And then you guys might have maybe have it within a couple months. But anyway, very good. It's got all the stuff. So you're cheating on the CR going deep with another paddle.

[00:45:32] The CR is... The J2CR, Blue Grit, Long Handle, it's very good. Like I said, if there was like, oh, you've got to play in a tournament, you need an approved paddle, that's what I would pick right now. But that isn't actually my main. So I had to come clean with you guys. Not that it matters. These consultants, man, they're just throwing paddles around with reckless abandon. Good for you, man. One day, who knows, I'll just burn all my NDAs and just say a bunch of stuff on the podcast.

[00:46:01] Not really. No. Yeah. Definitely not. But the other parts of New Week to Main are always boring now. Shoes and bag. Yeah. How about we only just say it if it changes? Because it ain't changing. I'm still using the ADV backpack. I'm still using the CG2s. I am so deep. I have a problem. I was telling Louis before we started, I just got two new pairs of CG2s because they were on sale for $60. I don't even... And you have... How many do you have that are unused? A pair in my bag that I'm trying to get through the warranty on.

[00:46:30] I have a pair on the shelf that I only use for Nerdy Tourney. So it's been used for five days. So basically new. Yeah. Basically new. I have another pair that is maybe a couple weeks old in a different colorway. So I'm going to have five colorways. Bruh. You're an addict. You have a problem. I know. But they're $60. And if you go through the warranty, you get two of them. It's just a freaking good deal, you know? And they are for me, like it's like a little bit of a safety blanket situation for my stupid Achilles injury.

[00:46:59] Like I always know I can go back to those and they're like, Dave, my foot feels good and I can play and all that. Yeah. Anyway. Dang. This guy. This guy. All right. New week. New main is new week. Old main. Sparta Spitfire. I'll be using this guy for the foreseeable future. New week. New main is going to be very boring for the next, I imagine, a month. I mean, there's not a ton of paddles coming out that will. Maybe I'll try to spice it up. Yeah. Spice it up for me, dude.

[00:47:29] I've been telling you to try to spice it up. All right. Shoes. CG2's bag. Bodhi. Pro backpack. Why does that name always trip me up, bro? I can never get it right. All right. That's it for new week. New main. Let's go to sneak peek, baby. We got some shoes to talk about. Just get it, baby. So sneak peek is going to be our little running shoes. Really? Yeah. They look more.

[00:47:59] This look like the most running shoe courts you have ever seen. They look pretty sleek because they're decoupled. Yeah. Like two different souls. But when you see them in person, they're a little chunkier than what you think. Gotcha. They're not like running shoes. Because they're not that sleek. They're pretty actually wide in the forefoot. So these are the New Balance 996 V7. So the seventh version of the 996 model. I'll tell you up front, way different than the 996 V6.

[00:48:26] So if you're somebody who's like, oh, I've been wearing the 996 V6 for years. I love them. You may like these, but it's not going to be because they're the same. They're very different. And to me, that's a good thing. These shoes are actually very good. So the, hmm, I'm trying to think of where to start here. They are a little bit heavy. However, most of the weight is in the midsole and the shank. So they're very bottom heavy. So they don't play heavy. It's almost like the same thing as a paddle that has like a low balance point and a low

[00:48:55] swing weight, even if it has a high static weight. So you look at the weight of these and you think these are clunky shoes. But when you're actually wearing them, since it's bottom heavy, it doesn't feel that way. The fit of them, I'm pretty sure they're built on the exact same last as the CG2. So because I can hold up the insoles. You can do this on basically any shoe. You can hold up the insoles on them and see the different shape of the toe box and the midfoot and the heel. And these are identical to the CG2 in the same size. Nice.

[00:49:23] And what that means is that is a medium to snug midfoot, a medium to snug heel, but a wide forefoot. And that's exactly how this shoe fits. You really feel it. In the CG2, there's so much upper going on that you're just like containment 11 out of 10, just like locked in. The difference here is that there's not nearly as much upper in the forefoot.

[00:49:48] Uh, now the lacing structure through the midfoot, uh, has these gussets. And so it locks you down pretty good in the midfoot, but it feels like this is a tale of three shoes to me when I'm wearing it. The heel, the midfoot and the forefoot all feel and fit slightly different, which is kind of a weird, uh, combination. The heel, uh, is not the greatest lockdown you've ever had. And there is no runner's knot, there's not an additional island.

[00:50:17] So I would say that heel slip is a mild. If you want to use foot Dr. Zach's terms and that kind of sucks. I don't, I don't love shoes where my heel doesn't feel secure because of my Achilles injury. That alone could keep me from wearing these shoes more. If that wasn't a problem, I actually probably wear these a lot more. Now the tale of three shoes to the midfoot, the lockdown and the containment in the midfoot is excellent. Like this part of the shoe and this lacing, uh, structure here just grabs your midfoot

[00:50:46] so good. And you are not moving. You're not moving laterally. You're not sliding on the footbed. It's great. The forefoot now is actually quite wide. I would say it's wider than average, but not like the D width is as wide as a two E or anything. Um, but it, there's not nearly as much containment or lockdown. So it feels like, and a lot of people I think will like this. It feels like your toes can splay out and maybe move around a little bit, but because

[00:51:14] your midfoot like through here is locked down so tight, your actual foot isn't moving. It just, you can kind of feel your toes don't feel cramped in any way. Um, which is a great feeling. It's a great feeling for, I think a lot of people are going to love that about this shoe and this fit. Um, it's not my favorite thing. I kind of prefer sort of a one-to-one hugging fit. It just feels secure to me. Um, to kind of throw in a little, um, bogey.

[00:51:38] I think that is the major, anybody who's wearing like barefoot or anatomically correct shoes knows that there are issues with those in terms of the midfoot containment. Yes, you want a wide toe box so your toes can splay, but they also almost always have a super wide midfoot.

[00:52:03] So in actuality, your foot's just willy nilly moving around in the shoe itself. So it's like, you gotta usually have a really tight heel, a fairly wider, maybe mid to wide midfoot. And then a very wide toe box, which is, it's almost counterintuitive. It's like, okay, this is really just good for walking, you know, any lateral movement. This is worthless.

[00:52:29] So, uh, I'm not saying that's everyone, but if you've ever worn any anatomically correct shoes, they usually have that issue. This doesn't feel like those. Um, this is a different, it's more akin to the CG twos. For those of you who have worn them, the toe box on the CG two is appropriately wide. It doesn't crush your pinky toe or your big toe at all, but no, it's great. The containment on the midfoot is excellent in both this shoe and the CG two. It's just that the heel is the big difference. The containment, the heel on the CG two is elite. And on this, it's kind of mid.

[00:52:59] I think that a lot of people won't care because it reminds me of how the heel, the, uh, tornado three was for me, which I complained about. And you were like, I didn't care. But then after I said it, you're like, I kind of noticed it. You do have a little bit of heel slip, but it's okay. It like, it's okay. It's mild. It's not a big deal. But for me, I'm just sensitive to that. Anyway, I wanted to talk about the fit first because I think that's going to be sort of make or break for a lot of people on this shoe. I think a lot of people are going to fall in love with this shoe because that fit and other people are going to be like, Ooh, I don't like it because of that fit.

[00:53:28] Cause it, it is kind of a unique attribute. Um, but beyond that, the other like kind of standout feature here is the cushion. This shoe is very cushioned. Um, and the cushion feels very good. It is a, like a really nice blend of, uh, plush. It doesn't feel like hard, like a board at all, but also it has pretty good bounce and energy return. And you definitely feel that when you're like running and playing the cushion is excellent. Um, actually the cushion is better than the CG twos.

[00:53:57] Whenever I get in these, I'm like, Oh yeah, that's nice. Nice little plusher. Yeah. Uh, but also quite bouncy in the forefoot. Uh, like maybe it's a little bit less court feel. Uh, it feels more like a, the cushion on a typical basketball shoe will feel where there's a little bit more energy return. Where court shoes are normally very stable. They don't really have like kind of a bounce to them. They might have some protective type cushioning, but this is more of a energy returning type cushion, which is quite nice. Um, and then the outsole looks like this.

[00:54:27] There is a six month warranty and that is decoupled, meaning there's two pieces. And this is a big plastic shank. And when you're holding the shoe in hand, you're like, dang, this isn't flexible at all because this giant piece of plastic. However, to go back to our tale of three shoes, once you put this on, you'll notice that it is indeed not flexible at all in the heel and the mid foot. This keeps you locked in, but the plastic ends about here. So the forefoot, you can actually move super freely.

[00:54:54] Uh, once you're on your toes, the shoe will flex all around quite nicely, uh, which is great. Nice. Uh, I think that's protective for injuries cause it locks you down to places you need, but it gives you a lot of, uh, you know, no, uh, makes you, allows you to be nimble on your toes up here. So all good things. And what else was I going to say about it? Um, the tongue, man, what a miss to me. It's like got these padded pod areas. There's a big one up the center.

[00:55:21] And then there is a padded pod on the medial, like the inside here of the top. But this side where it has the new balance logo, no pad. So, and I'm sorry, I said that backwards. This is the outside of your foot. So since the heel lockdown isn't great, I find myself cranking the laces. There isn't a additional island or runners not. So I have to really lace this top islet pretty tight. And when I do that, if you think about your foot, you have like a tendon sort of right here that runs

[00:55:49] up the medial side inside your ankle. And when you flex your foot forward, that little tendon pops out. Well, these laces are really tight. So there's a good bit of lace irritation. I'm going to put like some mole foam, which is basically sticky foam that you can put on the inside of the tongue here and see if it solves it. Because that's the only part of lace irritation was this top islet. And it's simply because you have to lace them pretty tight at the top for the heel lockdown. Too early to say durability, only four sessions. But I mean, it has a warranty and it has got a pretty thick outsole.

[00:56:18] So I'm and it's a like flat herringbone. So there's a lot of coverage. So I'm assuming the durability will be really good. Last thing I'll say as a comparison, if any of you guys have worn the Asics Solution Speed FF4s, these shoes are kind of weirdly similar. The New Balance, the 996V7 feels like the big brother to this shoe. It is a little bit bulkier. It's a little bit heavier. There's a little bit more cushion.

[00:56:48] It's a little bit more containing. But the personality of the shoes are quite similar. They feel like a speed shoe that has a surprising amount of stability. Whereas I guess the 996 is more of a balance. But in the same way, this Asics has that excellent midfoot lockdown, pretty good heel lockdown. And then the forefoot is a little bit wider and allows you to have that freedom of movement. They both have the decoupled outsole that allows the shoe to flex a lot. But they both have the shank in the middle that keeps the midfoot stable.

[00:57:17] So they both have good arch support. Like I said, it's like you played in the Solution Speed FF4 and you're like, I love it, but I want a little bit more. This would be the ideal shoe for you. Also, this one has a warranty. This one does not. And you will wear through it. What's the price on the New Balance? $135 before a code that we don't have. Oh, that's pretty dang good. Yeah, it's solid. For a six month out to order. We don't have any kind of discount code. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So $135 new.

[00:57:44] And as you know, because we say it here all the time, you can find New Balances on sale. Like all lot. Now, these are a brand new model. So I doubt we're going to be seeing these on the outlets anytime soon. But you will eventually because they're constantly releasing new colorways for their pros. And then the old colorways go on discount. Joe's New Balance. That's where we buy our CGT's for anybody. Yeah, and that's the legitimate New Balance outlet. Like when you email their customer support, it's just customer care at New Balance for Joe's.

[00:58:13] Another positive thing about these, they don't necessarily look like it, but they actually breathe quite well. I was playing with these in the heat in the summer and all this mesh here. So they're not a hot shoe. So I don't know. I rambled for a while. It's like these are great. And there's a couple things that probably keeps me from manning them. A little bit of heel slip, a little bit of lace pressure. Maybe this heel slip goes away with a little bit more break in and I'll put a piece of mole foam there.

[00:58:40] All that said, if those two things are fixed, I'd be like, ooh, these might be the new mains. Because I think they look pretty good and they feel good. And the grip of the rubber, for those of you wondering, any sliders out there? These are slider friendly. These will slide a lot easier than the CG2s. These feel more like an A6 rubber that will allow you to slide. It's not like an ultra grippy rubber at all. It's more of a forgiving type of grip. Well, I don't know. I should have organized that a little bit better. You got me. You got me good. Not even a nerd sound, bro.

[00:59:10] Y'all down. I know. No, that was interesting. That was a good review. I was interested. A lot of people say my eyes glaze over. They do. But I am listening. I never stop listening to my wife. Super wide. Interesting shoes. I like they have gum bottoms. That's something you'll see a ton of. Good looking shoe, I think. Just clean. Very simple. They have all black with the gum bottom as well. Nice.

[00:59:40] The dad shoes. Yeah, I know, right? All right, dude. Anything else? No. That's it. No nerd town this week. No nerd town. Give me some topics or something. There's a few things I could talk about, but they're not that interesting or I need more information. But I also like to keep the nerd towns sort of current. Like what do people care about right now? What are people learning right now? What are the reviewers talking about right now? Or what's happening in the world with, you know, testing or manufacturers.

[01:00:09] But yeah, if you guys have any questions or anything you'd like for me to nerd out about, leave it in the comments. That way we have, we'll keep a list of ideas for nerd town. Yeah. Get nerdy. Yeah, let us know. We always appreciate those. Can't tell you how many times we've done a nerd town because someone has asked a question from the past. Yeah, a lot. So quite a few of them. So don't be afraid to ask. We are happy to cover great questions. So I think that's really it.

[01:00:38] That was our mid-year awards, best shapes in pickleball. And then we just talked about a bunch of other stuff. So if you have any comments, put them in the comment section below. Any topics you want us to cover in the future, drop them there as well. Until next time, I'm your host here with my co-host Justin from Pickleball, etc. We'll see you guys soon. Peace. Peace. Peace.