When Joola first announced their Pickleball paddle lineup, I was shocked that they didn't announce thinner versions of Ben John's signature Hyperion CFS. They had thick/thin versions of almost every other paddle except the Hyperion. Well, after many months, the 14mm is finally here, and it is really good.
Specs:
•Price:$219.95
•Thickness:14mm
•Weight range:8.2oz
•Shape:Elongated
•Handle length:5.50"
•Grip circumference:
Simone's model:4.125"
Ben's model:4.25"
•Face:Raw carbon fiber
•Core:Polymer
•Swing weight:112
Two primary features in Joola CFS paddles are the carbon forged handle and the hyper-foam edge wall, where Joola puts foam in the edge guard to increase the sweet spot and make the paddle feel more solid. The Hyperion CFS 14mm has both of these, and just like the 16mm, the foam in the edge guard feels excellent. Ever since Joola started doing this, I have been a huge fan of it because it makes a noticeable impact on sweet spot performance and makes the paddle feel more solid. While the edge-foam implementation in the 16mm Swift was lackluster, I feel it works great in the 14mm Hyperion CFS. The carbon forged handle seems to be proven as more of a joke than anything else. I’ve heard about more handles snapping or breaking on CFS paddles than I have any other brand in the last year. So I wouldn’t buy into that as being a reason to purchase. Aside from what appears to be dodgy build quality for the handle, it does feel much better than a lot of handle son the market in your hand. Feels solid and less cheap than those with exposed polymer.
The swing weight reduction is very important to point out, because 112 is noticeably less than the 127 than the Hyperion 16mm scored. The swing weight was a big issue for many players, including Ben himself who has been spotted several times using a Joola Vision 16mm instead of his signature Hyperion paddle in the last few months. He seems to rotate between the Hyperion and the Vision depending on event/weather conditions, or so I’ve heard.
Spin:
My Hyperion 14mm is by far the grittiest paddle I have ever touched. The first time I felt it, I said, "There is no shot this paddle is legal." After that, several other players touched the paddle and had the same reaction that I did. So I tested mine with the Starrett meter using the same procedure that USAP uses, and mine tested 10-20% over the legal limit. I don't know if this is a widespread issue or not. I am not USAP, and these are my own personal results, unless stated by USAP I wouldn’t be worried about the paddle.
I’ll save the grit debacle for another post.
Regardless, the spin result I got was 1624 RPM which is very good. There was no time when I felt like spin was an issue with this paddle. Singles is where I push paddles' spin rates to the limit, and I loved every second of using it in singles. I've been implementing more of a drop-drive passing shot into my game, and it felt very easy to hit with this paddle.
There have been a lot of complaints about Joola paddles losing spin potential anywhere between 1-3 months of use. For my Hyperion 16mm, after 3 months I noticed quite a bit less spin. I put my Hyperion 14mm under a microscope along with a brand new untouched Hyperion 16mm Swift, and an Electrum Model E and I noticed a few interesting things.
You can click the pictures to expand them and see the details better. The red circles outline areas that seem to be separating, crushed, or fraying in the fibers. When you look at the Electrum Model E, the fibers look more tightly packed. They don’t appear the same as Joola. This could be due to Electrum using Toray T700 carbon fiber and Joola not using Toray as their carbon fiber supplier. Joola has never stated that theirs is Toray T700 and the difference in these pictures leads me to believe they are using something different. I can only guess, but the pictures are quite telling in my opinion.
Power:
The 14mm Hyperion CFS fixed one of the issues some people had with the original 16mm, which was that it lacked some power. The 14mm has noticeably more pop, and one of the biggest advantages is that the swing weight is noticeably reduced. The Hyperion 16mm CFS was 127, while the Hyperion 14mm CFS is 112. 112 is much closer to the average swing weight of an elongated paddle, so it feels significantly faster in your hand. This makes hand battles much easier, and with the additional pop off the face of the paddle, you don't have to do as much to get power. The face is stiffer, and you can tell the ball is more aggressive off the face than it was with the 16mm. For singles, I could drive the ball very hard and keep it in due to the high spin rate. Combine that with the extra pop, and you can have some really aggressive drives to keep your opponent off balance.
Control:
Despite the power upgrades, I didn't find that the soft game was compromised as much as I thought it would be. My primary paddle right now is the Selkirk Labs Project 003 Invikta, which is a 20mm thick reset monster, and I had no issues transitioning into the 14mm Hyperion. Initially, my resets and third shot drops were a little bit higher than I would prefer, but after one play session, I felt pretty confident with both.
I don't know that I would necessarily call the Hyperion 14mm a power paddle when paddles like thePro Kennex Black Ace,Selkirk Labs Project 002, andSelkirk Vanguard Power Airexist and hit noticeably harder. I would probably place the Hyperion 14mm between the listed paddles and the original 16mm Hyperion. The Hyperion 14mm really does feel like an overall good balance between a power and control paddle.
One thing I have been working on adding to my game is keeping my paddle more still while resetting in the transition zone or at the kitchen. With the extra pop you get, I found that it was easier to keep my paddle still because the paddle was helping do more of the work for me.
Sweet spot:
While the edge foam is helping with the sweet spot, it wasn't as forgiving as the original 16mm. The 16mm is the closest paddle to having an edge-to-edge sweet spot. Of course, it isn't actually, but it is one of the best sweet spots in the game right now. I think. I would say that the 14mm feels better than the average thin core paddle but not as good as the 16mm I think this is because Joola put less foam in the edge guard to cut down on weight.
I say this because the Solaire 14mm is an identical paddle in spec to the Hyperion 14mm, but it weighs 0.3-0.4oz more on average. As a result, when hitting them side by side, the Solaire feels a bit more solid, but the trade-off is that it's heavier, and the swing weight is a bit higher. I think that Joola tried to find a better balance of weight to make it more appealing to the masses. So in order of best to worst sweet spots for Joola paddles, I would say it goes: Hyperion 16mm > Solaire 14mm > Hyperion 14mm > Vision 16mm > Vision 14mm.
I also think that adding a little bit of lead tape to the bottom corners of the paddle would be a good recommendation for most people. It will help the paddle feel just a touch more solid without sacrificing hand speed.
Durability:
So, while it technically isn't my 14mm Hyperion, my 14mm Hyperion Swift had the handle ready to snap after just a week of play. You can hear a clicking noise when I swing, and the throat flexes more than expected. I talked to many of you, and you told me this happened on your 16mm Hyperions. I was shocked at how many people messaged me saying this has been an issue on their Hyperion 16mms since I never had the issue. I'm convinced that if I swung hard enough and stopped abruptly, I could get the Swift to snap at the neck.
Again, this didn't happen to my 14mm Hyperion, but be aware that I'm seeing a trend of Joola Hyperion paddles having issues with durability at the throat. One of my local players is on his 10th replacement in 7 months because of the handle snapping.
Closing thoughts:
The Hyperion 14mm is one of the best paddles you can buy on the market. It solves people's head weight issue with the original 16mm without sacrificing much of what made it great. While the sweet spot isn't as close to the edges as the Hyperion, I think that's the sacrifice you have to make if you want a thinner paddle with less head weight. While people had issues with the 16mm weight, I think that's part of what made the performance so good.
If I had to compete in a tournament tomorrow with it, I would have no issues doing so. Sacrificing some control felt fine to gain faster hands and more pop. Both of them excel in their own regards, and it depends on what you can tolerate for weight and potential loss of hand speed.
If you liked the Vision 14mm, this is a direct upgrade in almost every way. The weight and swing weights are similar, but now you're getting the edge foam, making the paddle feel much more sturdy.
I think the only issue I have fully recommending this paddle is the potential issue with Joola’s carbon fiber. I haven’t heard people complain nearly as much about spin loss on other carbon fiber paddles as they have Joola. Now, part of this could be that there are more Joola’s in circulation, so you’re bound to hear more complaints at some point. But, based on the microscope pictures, I do think they may be using a lower quality carbon fiber.
It’s hard to say how long the surface will last you, as they is going to vary for each individual. With my original Hyperion 16mm, I got 3 months out of it and that was with 3-5 days a week of hard game play. If you play more casually, you may not see an issue for quite some time.
After talking to my good friend Pickleball Will, he noted that if you don't have the budget for the Hyperion 14mm,the Solaire 14mmis a great alternative. You can watch his review here. While it is a bit heavier than the Hyperion, you are saving $30 and getting a nearly identical paddle except for the head shape. The Hyperion 14mm is not the best-value paddle, but it is rock solid in terms of pure performance. If you’re looking for strictly value, then you could buy the Vision 14mm or 16mm and add lead tape to mimic a Hyperion. It’s not going to be the same, but it is a good alternative if you’re on a tighter budget.
