NEW INFORMATION – INDOOR VERSUS OUTDOOR PLAY
I use different paddles for doubles depending on who I’m playing against and the weather conditions. My main objective in doubles is control, not pace. For singles I use a Hudef 6.8 because it has a lot of power. I can hit low lasers with it a bit better than I can with other paddles. While “hard and low” is okay for doubles, it is much better for singles.
Recently, because of the weather, I played indoors, something I really don’t like doing. The courts were fine, but I have a bit of an issue getting enough pace on soft indoor balls. I decided to use my Hudef 6.8 because, although it is lightweight, it has quite a bit of pop. It worked out just fine on serves and drives, but also at the net, because the indoor balls don’t bounce up as high as outdoor balls, and I could easily push dinks cross court. Most players like the “drive” dink and are less skilled with a push dink. Given the opportunity to drive one, I could put a good deal of topspin on a cross court dink.
The big difference, though, was in spin, The Hudef does not use grit, but rather a texture surface. An indoor ball will compress more against the surface of the paddle, and when it hits the softer indoor court surface, will really take off.
For a 15% discount follow this link and use the code “Greg” at checkout:
REVIEW OF THE HUDEF 6.8
The Hudef 6.8 is a pickleball paddle with a totally new technology.
Hudef has introduced a totally new technology for paddle construction (as far as I know). Below is a picture of the paddle structure.
Note, first, the “through-rod engineering.” Instead of a one-, two-, or three-layer honeycomb, there are rods running the length of the paddle as well as a polypropylene honeycomb.
Second, the paddle face uses .03 mm “dimples” instead of grit to provide spin. Unlike grit, these will not wear out.
A thin layer of carbon fiber topped by Kevlar provide a strong surface, and the one piece construction minimizes vibration.
So, the specs:
- Weight – 7.5 – 7.7 ounces
- Paddle Length – 16.34 inches
- Paddle Width – 7.64 inches
- Thickness – 11 mm (Same as Gearbox thinner paddles)
- Grip Length – 5.71 inches
- Grip Circumference – 4.02 inches
- Thickness – 11 mm
- Paddle Surface – dimpled carbon fiber face with Kevlar surface
Performance:
- Feel/performance on dinking – No vibration and very good control, both straight on and cross court. Easy to put top spin on cross court dinks.
- Performance on ground strokes – Here, given the thickness and the weight, I was very surprised. I expected to be unable to hit hard, deep strokes but I was wrong. It may be my imagination, but I felt that the construction of the paddle allowed me to hit hard, low shots with a lot of spin. Unlike the traditional paddles with all honeycomb, there is not “trampoline” effect.
- Performance on serves – Easy to get my serve deep, again with top spin and side spin.
- Performance on volleying – the light weight makes it ideal for close up battles.
Summary:
I really like this paddle! The light weight and technology make it a great paddle for any level of player.
You must be logged in to post a comment.