Core – The Bantam core is well known as one of the most powerful in the industry, and it's impressively executed without the use of heat molding in the construction process. Paddletek engineers are able to extract this power using a combination of a large-celled polymer honeycomb core that interacts with a fiberglass layer between the face and core that offers a crisp feel and great energy return to the ball.

Surface – LIke the rest of the updated Bantam Series, the Esquire features American T700 Raw Carbon Fiber that we have found to be some of the most durable and consistent in the industry. Players can expect elite tier spin potential with good durability capable of competing at the highest level.

Perimeter Weighting System – Earlier this year with the popular Bantam TKO-CX paddles, Paddletek unveiled their steel perimeter weighting system that boosts the stability of the paddle without the need for weighted tape. We were happy to see that tech also used inside the Esquire.

Shape – The Esquire measures at 15.9" in length and 8" in width making it what's known as a widebody paddle. Widebody paddles are very stable and forgiving meaning they make it easier to play the game without worrying about mishits when you miss the center of the face.

Handle – Unlike older widebody paddles that typically feature short stubby handles, the ESQ-C has an elongated 5.5" handle we used to only find on elongated paddles. The idea is to provide players plenty of room for two-handed shots while also offering the most forgiveness possible, giving players who want these characteristics the best of both worlds.

Dinks and Drops – On drops and dinks, there’s plenty of spin available, but I found I really had to be on my game with paddle face angle and swingpath to make sure I created the right amount of compression to place the ball accurately. Especially with the thinner 12.7 model, I found I had to fully commit to any shot where I was brushing the ball to avoid either missing high or in the bottom of the net. The 14.3mm model wasn’t “effortless”, but I didn’t have to be quite as locked in to avoid mistakes. To adjust to this, when I was out of position or off balance, instead of attempting higher risk aggressive topspin drops or dinks, I chose to hit a flat more “dead” ball to get the ball back in play and recover for the next shot. With such a powerful core, it’s understandable that touch shots take more skill to execute.

Resets and Counters: Andrea Koop helped design the Esquire, so you better believe it’s a defensive powerhouse. The paddle’s stability made me confident in my resets once I dialed in the pop off the face, and because it has good pop, you really don’t need to do much outside of positioning the paddle correctly to put the ball back in play. Where that pop really came in handy though was on counter attacks, and paired with the maneuverability the paddle offers, I felt like my handspeed was through the roof.

Drives + Serves:  The Esquire let me shape my serves and drives aggressively, and I could confidently swing out knowing that the ball would bend back in the court. With such a poppy core and face layer build, both thicknesses of the Esquire bring the heat when you want it for sure. One of the benefits of such a wide face is that on a typical topspin stroke, you get more surface area to work with when you brush the ball, and while I had some mishits off the top of the paddle getting used to the shorter shape, I rarely mis-hit the ball laterally.

With the stats of the Esquire so similar to the new ALW-C paddle released by Paddletek not long ago, it may be difficult to choose between the two. The ALW-C comes in slightly more powerful and a touch longer making it more of a true standard shaped option that’s more offensively tuned than the Esquire. Drives, serves, and putaways felt more solid with the ALW thanks to the extra length and plow through. The ESQ is still a powerful paddle, but the shape and build lends it to more defensive play. The main difference on paper though is handle length, and while the Esquire wins out on that competition at 5.5” , the updated ALW has a usable 5.3”, which is enough for most players to fit two hands on the paddle, but if a longer handle length matters to you, the Esquire takes the cake on this one.