VolairPickleball - Mach 1 Forza Paddle - for Spin, Control and Power - Toray T700 Carbon Fiber Surface - Thermoformed - Foam Injected w/Headcover, Eraser, Extra Black Grip

I have been playing pickle ball for 4 years and this is at least the 5th different paddle I have purchased and played with over that time. For the past few years I have played with both an Engage and Gearbox paddles that I purchased for a lot more. The Gearbox I found had good power and the Engage had better control. This Forza paddle is the best combination of the two with great pop off the paddle on speed ups and phenomenal control when you need to slow things down at the kitchen. I play with a lot of spin and the face has great grip that produces a lot of spin on backhand slices. I did notice that now after playing with it for the past 3 months the grip has faded a bit and I do not get as much spin, but still similar to the competition.

I love the way this paddle feels. Very controllable and feels good in hand. Swinging to hit feels continuous without loosing grip and feel of the paddle. Power and spin is very good. I’m glad I bought this paddle would buy 10 more if I could.

I’ll start with the packaging which is an absolute game-changer from anything else currently in the industry. I’ve purchase many paddles, I don’t think any other company put this much effort in just the presentation plus the goodies that come with it.The paddle itself is great, I come from playing with a DBD 16mm which I’ve had for a few months, it plays very similar to it, but to me it felt more powerful and slight more spin. The handle is great, I don’t think you necessarily need an over grip but I’m used to using one. If you have never played with a thermoformed paddle, it will take some time to get used to but once you do, the touch on this paddle is incredible.Happy with purchase!

I ordered this paddle after testing out the Volair Mach 2 Forza for a month and really enjoying that paddle. I generally prefer playing with an elongated paddle and thought that the Mach 1 Forza might be exactly what I was looking for. I’m a 4.0 player with a generally aggressive style of play.Initial Impression:Product packaging and presentation is top notch, almost over the top for a pickleball paddle. I’ve received more expensive paddles that just came in a bubble wrap bag and nothing else. Volair’s customer unboxing experience is like no other paddle and it comes with some usable extras like a nice paddle cover, carbon eraser, extra overgrip and Volair branded neck band.Initial paddle weight was 8.2oz with protective edge tape but no weight. The paddle actually measures shorter than the spec. It should be 16.5”, but measured 16-3/8” long. This is almost splitting the difference between a hybrid (16.2-16.3) and elongated shape. The grit on the Mach 1 Forza was notably less than the Mach 2 Forza I have. I don’t know if this is just manufacturing variance from batch to batch, or if this was by design.Initial testing:Unmodified, I found the Mach 1 Forza 16mm to feel slightly softer and less poppy than the Mach 2 Forza 16mm which was a surprise. The sweet spot was significantly smaller and I found this paddle to be a bit unforgiving compared to other similar paddles I have owned or tested. Power was just average at best. I tried playing this without added weight at first in an attempt to keep as much hand speed and maneuverability at the net as possible, but I determined that there was no way I could use it without weight.With Customization:After significant testing I ended up adding lead tape to the sides from the middle to bottom of the wide portion of each side with a total paddle weight of 9.1oz. This dramatically changed the feel of the paddle and made it much more stable and forgiving without feeling too heavy for me. It is still a bit less forgiving than the Mach 2, but is still very playable. Hand speed is slightly slower than the Mach 2, but still reasonable. The paddle now has decent power and I’m able to keep heavy top spin serves deeper with the added power. The Mach 1 still feels like it plays a bit faster (hand speed) than your average elongated paddle. I’d attribute this to the shape (rounded top) and long 5.5” handle and tapered bottom edges which remove some paddle head mass.Power:Power with the added weight is good. This isn’t an overly poppy paddle in 16mm form. I’d call it somewhere in the middle of the road for the average thermoformed raw carbon fiber paddle, and slightly more than an average first generation raw carbon fiber paddle.Control:With the added weight, this paddle has decent control. I am confident with my drops and in resetting driven balls at the kitchen. Both the Mach 1 Forza and Mach 2 Forza have very good control. I would give the edge to the Mach 2 only due to the added forgiveness it has which translated to fewer missed resets if I missed the sweet spot.Spin:I was really impressed with the grit and the resulting spin I got on the Mach 2 Forza. I found that the grit on the Mach 1 Forza was notably less than the Mach 2 Forza and it doesn’t quite seem to have the incredible spin performance that I get from the Mach 2 Forza. However, it still generates a decent amount of spin and most players should be satisfied with what they get.I’m still switching back and forth between the Mach 1 and Mach 2 as my primary paddle to determine which one actually works best for me. Mach 1 - added reach and power. Mach 2 - huge sweet spot, faster hands, max spin, but less reach. Both are solid paddles once customized to suit the player’s preference.

Excellent control and power combination. Best paddle I have use.

Solid, good looking paddle. I purchased this paddle 3 months ago and have noticed a great improvement on my spin due to the surface grip on the face of the paddle. Get this one.

This paddle grips the ball like a tennis racquet with strings! I’ve tried the $250 Joola Perseus and Selkirk Invicta. This paddle blows them away! This paddle has been tested to have the most spin, and it delivers! The sweet spot is pretty big!

This is a great paddle and I really enjoy using it. Grip feels good, lightweight, and it includes a tool you can use to erase the marks from the paddle fairly easily. I imagine the cost will be prohibitive to many, and if you are thinking that you are probably right and should find a different paddle. I don't think the difference in quality will matter much to your average pickleballer.

This paddle is light but pretty awesome in the hitting great in the nvz too ! I’d buy it again