JOOLA Stratos or Essentials Pickleball Paddle – Reinforced Fiberglass Surface, Honeycomb Polypropylene Core, USAPA Approved, Durable & Beginner-Friendly Pickleball Racket with Comfortable Grip

Personally find this to be a very forgiving paddle for people who are beginners to intermediates. The paddle is quite light and lends well to hitting crisp placement shots. Having come from a badminton background, I admittedly had an easier time easing into pickleball. Have since upgraded to a more expensive paddle but I still use this time to time as it's still a fun one to use. All that said, this is a great value entry-level paddle from a reputable pickleball brand.

Comfortable and good

Joola makes a number of high priced paddles. Some what of an elite brand I figured some of that quality would rub off on an entry level priced paddle. So far I think my logic was correct. Compared to my previous paddle this is a banger. Clearly more POP. Hit on the sweet spot and you get the strong loud POP that I like. Joola white handle looks premium... but is already showing some staining and this is from indoor play. Weight is fine but the paddle does feel 'small'? Possibly because of the handle which is maybe a 1/2 inch shorter and a bit thinner than my previous paddle. IF I decide to return the paddle, the length of the grip will be the reason. So far I have found the ribs on the grip on one side of the paddle fit my hand well. That has become my front, attack side. If I reverse the paddle, my hand does not fit well. Raised ribs land in the wrong place. I never noticed the front / back grip difference on my previous paddle. I do wish Joola had added a nice Joola cover. It would have felt more premium, less basic, and I would have gladly paid an extra $10 or so. Guess that makes me a name dropper? I may demo another brand or two before finally deciding if the Joola Essentials is a keeper.

Pros: great at hitting ball over the net. Cons: Me

I like ce this paddle. It’s great quality materials and slim design has helped my game ten fold. I am an Advanced Beginner and highly recommend this paddle.

I started out with a basic wood paddle then I upgraded to this one and I feel like a pro. Perfect weight and grip

This is a beginner/ intermediate paddle, it’s 12 mm thick with a slight texture to it and plays very well. The only downside I would say is the handles is a little bit short.

I’m kind of a rookie, so I haven’t used a ton of paddles. This is better than the 2 I’ve used otherwise. I really like it a lot, and my friend who plays much more than I do liked it enough to buy one for his wife. This paddle rocks, and thankfully doesn’t cost an insane amount. I think it’s pretty worth itOnly complaint is the white handle. Who asked for that? Obviously it started to discolor after a few sweaty uses. Should’ve had black grip tape.