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Company Info: Mark Pickleball was founded by a Father and Son duo. They are dedicated to delivering innovative and high quality paddles, that are also affordable. They come from a tennis background and discovered pickleball through the search for an inviting recreational play. Outside of their products, which feature paddles, gears and accessories, they also aim to unite players of all skills and ages and to leave a positive impact on the community. You can find more on them at www.markpickleball.com.
Item: We have the Kinetic (Kevlar Hybrid) paddle to take a look at.
Description: The Mark Pickleball Kinetic paddle is a 16MM Kevlar hybrid paddle. The Kinetic has a black paddle face that features a dark red colored woven design diagonally across. The handle / grip tape and the edge guard are both entirely white, with no additional markings. There is no further detail on the handle cap.
The “Kinetic” wording is vertical down the left side of the paddle face in white. The Mark logo is located on the paddle face near the handle, which sits right above the USA Pickleball Approved logo. There is also a very small text vertically on the right hand side of the paddle face that states “Dynamic Kevlar I 16MM.”
As stated previously, the paddle face material is a Kevlar hybrid, which is a blend of Kevlar and carbon fiber. It does have a strong and gritty texture to it. The Kinetic has a polymer honeycomb core and is thermoformed with a foam injected edge and handle.
Play Feel: First thoughts about the paddle were that the sweet spot was basically across the whole paddle face. There didn’t seem to be any “dead spots” at all from the top corners to the base of the face. I was definitely impressed by this.
There is noticeable texture on the paddle face, which is typical of the Kevlar blends. This allows for a very solid amount of spin to be utilized when striking the ball. Being a 16MM, I found this paddle to have good control and strong power, without being overbearing.
The paddle felt on the heavier side as far as being “top heavy” is concerned. The handle is comfortable and does not feature any texture or ridges.
The paddle took minimal time at all to get used to and it has held up great over our testing period.
The paddle is very sturdy and holds up well when defending power shots or in fire fights.
Price Point: The paddle sells for $149.99 on their website.
Recommendation: From a performance standpoint, I think this paddle stacks up with some of the higher end paddles in the market. I think it’s a very well rounded paddle and I was very fond of the sweet spot capabilities. I believe it stacks up to its price point and gives you a competitive paddle to play with.
In reviewing the design, I would like to see more branding from Mark perhaps with a handle cap logo or perhaps on the edge guard. I would also use an overgrip tape as personal preference.
With that being said, this paddle is ready to play with, fresh out of the packaging, without any alterations as far as overgrip or lead tape is concerned.
I definitely think this could be a strong option in any paddle rotation. If you’re looking to switch it up and snag an advanced paddle to compete with, I would recommend giving this a look!
Thanks to Mark for letting us check this out, we’ll be on the lookout for their future drops.
Be sure to give them a look and for full photographs, check out our Instagram!
Dimensions:
- Shape: Arc Wide Top
- Material: Dynamic Kevlar
- Features: Thermoform Edge Seal, Foam Injected Edge PP Core and Fill in Handle, Unibody Construction
- Surface Roughness: 30/40 rz
- Size: 16.25 by 7.75 inches
- Thickness: 16mm
- Weight: 8.1oz ± 0.1oz
- Grip Circumference: 4 1/8 Inches
- Grip Length: 5.3”
- USAPA Approved
- Ox Forged handle
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