UPDATE
I was playing the other day in calm conditions, so I was using a light paddle whole drilling. When the wind came up and we began serious games, I switched to my B&B “Bread Head” paddle (see picture) because it is heavier than the one that I was using. It performed great! I was able to hit deep serves and ground strokes into the wind with a lot of top spin. I was also able to use the topspin to serve and hit ground strokes with the wind. The paddle is perfectly balanced, not too heavy and provides the ability to generate spin.
If you are interested in purchasing a B&B paddle, use this code for a 15% discount: GHANSEN15
PS: B&B is coming out with a new paddle – I’m anxiously waiting to give it a try.
There are two messages I want to convey with this review:
MORE EXPENSIVE DOES NOT MEAN MORE CAPABILITY
LESS EXPENSIVE DOES NOT MEAN LESS CAPABILITY
Don’t let the company name Bread and Butter fool you – this is a serious pickleball paddle (and ball) manufacturer. I had some questions about the terminology used in the specifications of the paddles, and emailed the owner, Doug Sapusek. He and I spent an hour and a half on the phone with him going over the technology of pickleball paddles. He was very generous with his time and I learned a lot. I may do a separate blog post on technological terminology in the future.
In this post I am going to review two paddles – the Spear and the Drip.
The Spear’s 13mm polypropylene core & carbon fiber face provide great power with a solid combination of control, spin, and power, and is an all-around versatile pickleball paddle. It reminded me very much of the Prince Response Pro paddle that my wife used for years (as did Simone Jardim in the 2018 Open) because of its rounded shape.
The Drip paddle reminded me of the Diadem Warrior paddle, which everyone at my club knows I love, except it is slightly lighter. It also reminded me of the Joola Simone Jardim paddle, except it seemed a bit more powerful.
Let me detail the specifications of each paddle before I discuss performance.
SPEAR SPECS
Weight: 7.6 oz (216g)
Size: 15.94”x7.87” (405mm x 200mm)
Face Material: T700 Carbon Fiber
Core Thickness 13mm
High Density Polypropylene Core
Graphics UV printed directly onto core surface
5″ Grip Length, 4.24″ Circumference
Octagon Handle with vibration dampening wrap
DRIP SPECS
Weight: 8.25 oz (233.8g)
Size: 16.4”x7.48” (417mm x 190mm)
Face Material: T700 Carbon Fiber
Core Thickness 16mm
High Density Polypropylene Core
Graphics are UV printed directly onto core surface
5″ Grip Length, 4.24″ Circumference
Octagon Handle with vibration dampening wrap
T700 CARBON FIBER
So, what is T700 carbon fiber? T700 is a high tensile strength, standard modulus carbon fiber which is standard industrial fiber. According to the property test of T700 carbon fiber, the tensile strength is 4900 Mpa, the modulus is 230 GPa, and the strain is approximately 2%. Also, the matrix strength of the composite material is 85 MPa, the modulus is 2.8 Gpa, and the strain is 4%.
What does all that mean? I don’t have a clue, except to say that my research indicates that it is a very strong, lightweight carbon fiber. I can also say that most paddle manufacturers are moving to T700 carbon fiber, while others are playing catchup.
PERFORMANCE
Dinking
I usually start my testing by dinking. Both paddles had a very soft feel and were very quiet. I was able to hit lift dinks with accuracy, and to put good spin on push serves and, again, dink with accuracy.
Ground Strokes
I was able to hit deep forehands and two-handed backhands with excellent top spin. I could also hit underspin ground strokes with such a spin that they stayed down. We all know that pickleballers (me included) hate to bend their knees. I think, however, that the best feature of these paddles are their accuracy. Because of my recent rotator cuff surgery, I have gone to a two-handed backhand and found it easy to control my shots.
Serves
I have to admit that I changed the order of testing this time around. Because our courts were damp the day I tested, I decided to do a few serves. I wanted to get my serves deep and with top spin and was surprised that, without really trying too hard, I got most, if not all, my serves within a foot or two of the baseline with enough topspin to make the ball “whoosh.” I also tested my side spin serve and was able to get the ball to kick a couple of feet to the right when it landed. Short answer – both paddles enable you to get your serves deep and with spin on them.
Volleying
My wife and I volleyed for about a half hour when we tested the paddles and they performed extremely well. We do a drill called dink-volley-block. One person dinks, the other volleys and the other person blocks the volley back into the NVZ. The person receiving the blocked volley then dinks, and the routine continues. What you don’t want is your block to turn into a volley, or for it to be popped up. These paddles performed very well.
Bottom Line
Both of these paddles are great paddles, comparable to the Joola (Simone) and Diadem Warrior, the other two paddles I had in my bag and that I pulled out for comparison purposes. But here is the best part:
PRICE — SERIOUSLY
Somewhere along the line people are going to say prices are too high for pickleball paddles. Well, guess what? The Bread & Butter paddles are priced as follows:
Spear Pickleball Paddle — $80
Drip Pickleball Paddle — $95
Less than half the other more popular paddles on the market right now!
Other Stuff
One other thing – B&B offers a variety of paddle faces. I (despite that I think the Grateful Dead are an overrated Country and Western band, not a rock band) just order the “Bread Head” paddle. I just had to have one and received it today. You will see me on the courts with it soon.
If you are interested in either of these paddles, follow this link:
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