Guides
From the bench
What a season of play does to a paddle, what ends one, what yours is worth, and how to buy secondhand without gambling. Written from the bench everything here crosses.
Whether to buy used at all, and how to choose well when you do.
Buying
- 3 min
Are open box pickleball paddles worth it?
The short answer is yes, with one condition attached: you have to know what you are getting. Here is what actually degrades on a paddle, what does not, and when to ignore all of this and buy new.
- 2 min
Paddle grades explained: Mint, Like New and Excellent
Three grades, twelve checks, and one rule: the grade describes the paddle, it does not describe a repair. Here is what separates the tiers and which one is the right buy for you.
- 3 min
What $100 buys you in a used pickleball paddle
At a hundred dollars the new market gives you an entry level paddle and the used market gives you something that retailed for two or three times that. Here is how to choose well at the bottom of the price range.
- 2 min
How to choose a pickleball paddle: shape, weight, core and face
Four numbers decide most of how a paddle feels. Everything else on the box is detail. Here is what each one does and what it costs you.
What wears on a paddle, what ends one, and how to tell the difference by hand.
Condition
- 2 min
How to tell if a pickleball paddle is dead
A dead paddle rarely looks dead. Here are the three failures people call dead, how to tell them apart in about thirty seconds, and which ones end a paddle.
- 2 min
Used or new: what you actually give up
Five differences, only two of which favour new. Here is the honest version, including the cases where we would tell you to buy new instead.
What a used paddle is worth and how to get the best offer for yours.
Selling
- 3 min
How to sell a used pickleball paddle
Every route to selling a paddle trades money against effort. Here is what each one actually costs, and the four things that move an offer regardless of who you sell to.
- 2 min
What is my pickleball paddle worth?
Five factors decide it, and only one of them is the model name. Here is how a used paddle is actually valued, and why any number you get before it has been inspected is an estimate.
What to look for on a secondhand paddle from the brands we see most.
By brand
- 2 min
Buying a used JOOLA paddle
JOOLA sits at the top of the professional game and at the top of most people's wishlists. Secondhand, one construction detail decides almost everything about whether a given paddle is a good buy.
- 6 min
How to spot a fake JOOLA paddle
Counterfeit JOOLA paddles exist, and JOOLA says the convincing ones now carry the logo. Here are the checks JOOLA itself publishes, in the order you can run them with the paddle in your hand, and what changes when the paddle has already been across a bench.
- 3 min
Buying a used Selkirk paddle
Selkirk is the brand most players trade up to, which means the secondhand market is full of them. Here is which line does what, and what wear to expect on each.
When you are ready