TechTalk: ProKennex Kinetic Black Ace Paddles

For six years, ProKennex Pickleball has pushed the limits of pickleball paddle technology innovation, and has done so again with the iconic Black Ace series. These new paddles are the first ever TORAY carbon fiber-faced single-piece paddles, and the first ever TORAY carbon fiber faced paddles in an edgeless design. To better explain the benefits of the Black Ace line we talked with ProKennex about the features of their new paddles.

What's new about the Black Ace paddles? 

The Black Ace paddle is the first ever paddle with our patented Kinetic System introduced to the handle of the paddle. Any vibration that possibly leaks through the Kinetic System already in all our paddle faces, will be absorbed in to the Kinetic Chambers now installed in the handle of the paddle. We have installed a clear plastic cover over the handle so the ultra tech folks can actually look in to the handle and see the micro tungsten beads at work in the paddle.

What prompted you to develop this paddle?

There are currently many brands that offer the TORAY 700 carbon face, but we are the first to be able to manufacture this material into an aerodynamic single piece paddle, which significantly reduces drag from the wind, making it faster in your hands which ultimately increases hand speed, paddle speed, and power.

What inspired your Ovation paddle shape and how has it changed?

Ovation paddles are simply oval in design. An oval shaped paddle has two major benefits. First, with the square corners eliminated, corner weight is removed, making the paddle faster in your hand rotationally. An oval paddle with the same weight as a rectangular paddle will be faster in your hand. Second, because of the shape, the sweet spot is closer to the edge of the paddle, so on low shots where a rectangular paddle will scrape an edge making the ball strike close to the perimeter of the paddle and away from the sweet spot, an oval paddle, when hitting a low ball, still allows for the ball strike to hit the paddle's sweet spot.

Always looking to give our players an on-court advantage, we have redesigned our oval head shape to deliver a more efficient energy transfer. In simpler terms, more power. Many variations were tested to optimize power until we found the perfect shape.

The new Black Ace paddles are available in the ProKennex Kinetic Black Ace Pro, and the Kinetic Black Ace Ovation. Both come in a weight range of 7.9 - 8.0 oz. and have a core thickness of 11 mm.

Designed for maximum power and speed, the Black Ace paddles are some of the most aerodynamic and fastest paddles you can get your hands on, helping your reflexes in those fast exchanges at the same time give you more power due to the enhance swing speed delivered by their edgeless design.

If you have questions about ProKennex Paddles or anything else, our expert Customer Care team is happy to help. Call us at 1-888-854-0163 or email us at info@pickleballcentral.com.