GX2 Power: the one that surprised me
- 1. Gearbox GX2 Power Elongated 16mm — Serve speed 61 mph (radar-gun tested, 93rd percentile) · Spin 2220 rpm (camera-measured, 36th percentile) · Twist weight 6.3 (34th percentile) · Static weight 7.9 oz (27th percentile) · Swing weight 117 (74th percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $280
- 2. Gearbox GX2 Power Hybrid 16mm — Serve speed 60.9 mph (radar-gun tested, 89th percentile) · Spin 2162 rpm (camera-measured, 16th percentile) · Twist weight 6.7 (70th percentile) · Static weight 7.9 oz (35th percentile) · Swing weight 113 (35th percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $280
GBX Power: the one most of you should look at instead
- 1. Gearbox GBX Power Hybrid 16mm — Serve speed 60.6 mph (radar-gun tested, 70th percentile) · Spin 2278 rpm (camera-measured, 62nd percentile) · Twist weight 6.8 (76th percentile) · Static weight 7.8 oz (19th percentile) · Swing weight 112 (34th percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $180
- 2. Gearbox GBX Power Elongated 16mm — Serve speed 60.9 mph (radar-gun tested, 89th percentile) · Spin 2283 rpm (camera-measured, 69th percentile) · Twist weight 6.4 (47th percentile) · Static weight 8 oz (48th percentile) · Swing weight 120 (87th percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $180
GX2 Hyper: the control build hiding at the bottom of the price list
- Gearbox GX2 Hyper 16mm — Serve speed 59.8 mph (radar-gun tested, 35th percentile) · Spin 2071 rpm (camera-measured, 6th percentile) · Twist weight 6.6 (62nd percentile) · Static weight 8 oz (40th percentile) · Swing weight 108 (9th percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $270
The rest of the Gearbox lineup
- 1. Gearbox GX2 Elongated 16mm — Serve speed 60.1 mph (radar-gun tested, 44th percentile) · Spin 2204 rpm (camera-measured, 30th percentile) · Twist weight 5.9 (8th percentile) · Static weight 8 oz (48th percentile) · Swing weight 122 (92nd percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $270
- 2. Gearbox GX2 Integra XL 16mm — Serve speed 60 mph (radar-gun tested, 40th percentile) · Spin 2194 rpm (camera-measured, 25th percentile) · Twist weight 5.8 (6th percentile) · Static weight 8 oz (50th percentile) · Swing weight 114 (49th percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $270
- 3. Gearbox Pro Power Integra 14mm — Serve speed 59.1 mph (radar-gun tested, 21st percentile) · Spin 2166 rpm (camera-measured, 17th percentile) · Twist weight 5.2 (0th percentile) · Static weight 8.1 oz (73rd percentile) · Swing weight 117 (69th percentile) · Core 14 mm · Price $275
- 4. Gearbox Pro Ultimate Power 8.0 14mm — Serve speed 60 mph (radar-gun tested, 40th percentile) · Spin 2200 rpm (camera-measured, 27th percentile) · Twist weight 5.8 (5th percentile) · Static weight 8.1 oz (63rd percentile) · Swing weight 128 (100th percentile) · Core 14 mm · Price $275
- 5. Gearbox Pro Ultimate Hyper 16mm — Serve speed 60.2 mph (radar-gun tested, 47th percentile) · Spin 2203 rpm (camera-measured, 30th percentile) · Twist weight 6.3 (40th percentile) · Static weight 8 oz (48th percentile) · Swing weight 113 (40th percentile) · Core 16 mm · Price $275
- 6. Gearbox Pro Ultimate Elongated 16mm — Serve speed 60.3 mph (radar-gun tested, 51st percentile) · Spin 2000 rpm (camera-measured, 2nd percentile) · Twist weight 5.5 (1st percentile) · Static weight 8.1 oz (68th percentile) · Swing weight 125 (98th percentile) · Core 14 mm · Price $275
Frequently asked questions
- Is the $179.99 GBX the same paddle as the $279.99 GX2 Power?
- No, and they aren't even the same construction family. The GX2 Power is an SST carbon-rib core with foam and an edge guard. The GBX is a cold-pressed polypropylene honeycomb with a 7mm cell, TPU foam shaped in a C around the perimeter instead of an injected foam ring, and carbon plies that thin out toward the edge. On the numbers the GX2 Power gives you far more pop: 97th and 99th percentile against the GBX at 40th and 54th. The GBX gives you more spin, more stability and a much higher Control Score. The extra hundred dollars buys pop. Compare them side by side here .
- What is cold press, and why does Gearbox use it instead of thermoforming?
- Thermoforming molds the paddle under heat and pressure, usually around 130C. Gearbox's argument is that trapped water and gas inside the layup end up behaving as though they're far hotter, buckling the polypropylene cell walls before the paddle is ever hit, which is where core crush starts. Cold bonding cures the heat-sensitive pieces separately and joins them afterward at lower temperature, so the honeycomb never sees mold heat. The classic tradeoff with cold-pressed paddles is a smaller sweet spot and dead zones near the perimeter. The GBX works around that by tapering the carbon plies so the face thins toward the edge, and in play the response falls off gradually rather than sharply. Full breakdown in the GBX Power review .
- Do Gearbox paddles have an edge guard?
- Depends which model. The SST carbon-rib paddles are edgeless, which is the build the brand is known for. The GX2 line adds an edge guard to that same SST core, which Rafael described as a deliberate move to get more players onto the core without the failure modes of honeycomb. On the edgeless argument itself he's blunt: an edge guard is 30 to 35 grams of plastic whose real job is protecting the face when you scrape it on the ground. He also says the common belief that a bumper adds perimeter weight is backwards, because carbon can be pushed closer to the true edge than a bumper allows.
- Do Gearbox paddles actually last longer?
- I haven't measured lifespan. Gearbox has. Their internal test fires a tennis ball at 90 mph, 300 hits per cycle, three cycles, inspecting for core crush between each one. Rafa says a test player with a 75 mph serve gets about two months out of a GBX against a week and a half on competitor Gen 3 paddles. That's his number from his protocol. What I've verified is narrower: months of heavy play on both GBX shapes with no crushing and no change in how they play. Weigh the warranty alongside it. Gearbox covers its pickleball paddles for a year, matching JOOLA and RPM, but the GBX series is the exception at six months. Texture breakdown from normal play is excluded either way. More on how long paddles actually last .
- GX2 Power Elongated or Hybrid for a newer player?
- Hybrid, without much hesitation. It's lighter through the swing at 112.5 and noticeably more stable on off-center contact at a twist weight of 6.7 against the Elongated at 6.25. That shows up in the Control Scores, 52 against 31.
- Which Gearbox paddle is best for control?
- The GX2 Hyper 16mm, and it's not close. Control Score of 98, which is twenty points clear of anything else in the lineup, with a light 107.5 swing weight and a stable 6.6 twist weight. It happens to be one of the cheaper paddles they make at $169.99. The cost is pace: pop in the 27th percentile and the lowest spin in the lineup. If control is the whole game for you, check it against the best control paddles across every brand.
- Are Gearbox paddles approved for tournaments?
- Every Gearbox paddle listed on this page carries USA Pickleball certification. UPA-A sanctioning is a separate list, so if your events run under UPA-A, check that specific paddle before you enter. As of the date of this publication, only the GX2 Power Elongated carries both steps (and be sure to check the model details before purchasing).
- Which paddle on this list has the highest measured spin RPM?
- Gearbox GBX Power Elongated 16mm — 2283 rpm, camera-measured on the same protocol as every other paddle I test.
- Which paddle on this list has the fastest measured serve speed?
- Gearbox GX2 Power Elongated 16mm — 61 mph, radar-gun tested.
- What is the cheapest paddle on this list?
- Gearbox GBX Power Hybrid 16mm at $180.