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Company Info: RDR Sports is a pickleball company based out of Ireland. They are the first company based out of Ireland to sell in the US. Their goal is to provide high quality pickleball products and also, to organize pickleball events and competitions. They want to be one of the leaders in growing the sport in Ireland. Review more of their info and product offerings at www.rdrsports.co.
Paddle Name: We’ll be taking a closer look at the RDR Sports Apex S1 16MM paddle today.
Description: The RDR Apex S1 features a black and light blue color combination. The paddle face is almost entirely black, with the Apex S1 and “Raw Carbon Fiber” words down the right and left side of the paddle face vertically and in blue. The RDR Sports logo is featured in blue as well, at the base of the paddle face, and right above the USA Pickleball Approved mark. The handle / grip is a light blue color as well.
The paddle is a 16MM with a raw carbon fiber face. You will notice that this paddle has an edgeless design, and does not feature an edge guard. It gives the paddle a unique appearance when comparing to others on the market.
The paddle included a limited edition paddle cover, which pays homage to their Irish roots. The paddle cover is bright green with the RDR Sports logo in white in the middle. The green pattern features four leaf clovers across the entirety of the cover.
Play feel: The first thing I noticed when first using this paddle was how solid and sturdy it is when handling. It felt very strong when playing and I thought it had a great deal of power. Although it’s a 16MM, I felt as though it had the power of those similar to a 13MM. The pop was evident even in my first rally with the paddle.
The paddle is comfortable when handling. The grip does not contain any ridges and is easy to utilize The paddle weighs below 8 ounces and is lightweight when playing.
The paddle face has a good amount of texture with the raw carbon fiber and I thought it was relatively easy to put a good deal of spin on the ball.
It did not take many games to get used to the paddle and to find the ideal sweet spot location. The paddle plays very true to what you would think.
Price Point: The paddle is available at the time of writing on their website for $135.00 (tax included).
Recommendation: I think this paddle is placed at a great price point ($135) and it has held up well over testing. It plays very well and the quality is evident.
I think the edgeless design brings a uniqueness that is cool to see at the courts. It’s also awesome to see an Ireland based company making an impact not only in Ireland, but in the States as well.
The limited edition paddle cover is also a talking point at the courts and we’ve received multiple compliments on it. Again, it adds the layer of uniqueness, while still having a paddle that performs at a high level.
Thanks to RDR for sending this our way, we’ve enjoyed playing with it and would definitely recommend checking them out! Cheers to “skill and luck” as they say!
Dimensions:
● Length: 15.7 inches
● Width: 7.55 inches
● Weight: 7.6-7.9 oz
● Thickness: 16mm
● Handle Length: 5 inches
USAPA Certified? YES
Be sure to give them a look and for full photographs, check out our Instagram!
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