Bread and Butter has, in my opinion, set what will become the standard for all new paddles coming into the market – a Titanium-Carbon Fiber weave.
WHAT IS A TITANIUM-CARBON WEAVE?
Recently I have been investigating Kevlar-Carbon weaves that are used in pickleball paddles. I assumed that there would be other manufacturers that use a Titanium-Carbon Fiber weave, but, if there are, I cannot find them. It seems to me that Bread and Butter is the only manufacturer using the weave, except for a company in China that I cannot locate and that only sells its paddles on Amazon (company name is INSUM).
So, what is a Titanium Carbon weave (Carbotanium)?
According to Wikipedia, Carbotanium is a combination of beta titanium alloy and carbon composite. It is commonly used in Pagani cars, you know, like the car I take to the pickleball courts.
Carbotanium is a combination of beta titanium alloy with advanced carbon composites, having a matched yield strength and moduli of elasticity ratio. The components of Carbotanium; carbon fiber and titanium, are woven together to form a strong, light material that can withstand significant amounts of heat and strain. This is because carbon fiber has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any current fiber and titanium has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any current metal.
The metallurgical development of titanium with carbon fiber has opened up new possibilities in various fields, such as the aerospace, automotive, and sports industries. These alloys offer a unique combination of strength, stiffness and low weight, making them ideal materials for applications where high performance is required.
REVIEW OF THE SHOGUN
When I received my Shogun paddle, I immediately knew that there would be something different about it based on the box alone.
Most paddles usually come in relatively plain boxes, but this box was quite impressive.
Then I opened the box and, again, definitely knew that there would be something different about the paddle.
Also contained in the box was a paddle cover, one with a very impressive design. Again, not a plain old paddle cover.
Note the phrase “Takoyaki Tennis” inside the box. What is Takoyaki, you may ask? I first encountered it while doing a bit of consulting at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in Aomori. My Japanese hosts put us up in a traditional Ryokan that was off the beaten path, one where breakfast consisted of a whole steamed fish with rice and egg.
Anyway, Takoyaki is usually grilled octopus bit inside a ball of rice flour, green onions, and ginger. Not my favorite food, but I had no choice but to try it at the time. Fortunately, the Japanese guys I was with were fond of beer, as was I, so that made it palatable. I figured that the Takoyaki Tennis related to the Japanese text inside the box, so I set out to translate it. It is hilarious, and I will post the translation in a separate blog post.
Anyway, what does any of this have to do with the performance of the paddle? Nothing, so let me address the performance right now.
If you have a Filth which is, as I understand it, one of the most popular paddles around, you will love the Shogun.
It performs equally as well as the Filth, but has a bit more pop on serves and ground strokes, and it is still soft at the net.
Below is a photo of the paddles showing a breakdown of the specs.
Note that my paddle came in at 8.2 ounces, but it has a relatively low swing weight of 121.
It is hard to tell from this photo, but the grip on the handle is quite different from other grips. It is very soft but tacky. I really like it.
What about the Titanium-Carbon Fiber weave?
Here is a closeup image of the face showing the weave.
You can actually see the weave. So, does the titanium component of the weave make a difference? I believe it will enable the face to last longer – a LOT longer. BTW, I have done an extensive search looking for PB paddles that have a titanium component and have not found a single one. I guess that other manufacturers will soon jump on the bandwagon.
So, here is the bottom line on this paddle. I ran through the following drills with the
Shogun:
- Dink straight on and cross-court
- Windshield wiper dinking
- Volleying
- Windshield wiper volleying
- Dink, drive, block
- Slinky
- Third shot drop, medium drive, hard drive
My wife and I then hit groundstrokes straight on and cross-court, after which we played skinny singles.
The Shogun performed extremely well but, as I mentioned earlier, had a bit more pop on serves and groundstrokes. Regarding spin, I was able to put a great deal of spin on my serves and groundstrokes. I’m not sure if that is due to the titanium component or not, but I suspect that it is.
Bottom line – the Shogun is suitable for beginners and advanced players both.
If you are interested in this paddle, and you should be, you can purchase it at the following link: https://breadbutterpickleballco.sjv.io/0Z7QqN
Use this code at check out for a 10% discount: GHANSEN15
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