HEAD Radical XL Pickleball Paddle

There are many elements of this paddle that I really enjoy. Let me list them:The grip is fantastic, I sweat a lot and even with my hand saturated with sweat, along with light rain the other day, my grip did not slip once during our three hour Pickleball session.The extra length is unbelievable. I am reaching many shots that I had been just missing or hitting the rim of the paddle.I do not mind loosing the one inch in width for I hit most shots in the middle of the paddle.I noticed there is tremendous pop towards the logo portion of the paddle and less towards the handle. There is an advantage using the lower portion for soft shots like dinking and the upper portion for ground strokes and smashing.The rim band is flat and close to the paddle face unlike some of the others paddles having the rim band be thick and pointed.I’d do like the design and logo.Did I mention that I love this paddle? If it could talk I might take it to bed with me.

Nice paddle. It feels very well balanced and has an excellent grip. The sweet spot seems elongated somewhat and the weight is just right for me. I had no problems transitioning from my old square paddle. The face offers good control and spin as well as power. I've only played with it twice but I'm very pleased. This paddle weighs right at 7.55 ounces. The "red" version weighs about 8.0.

This paddle is not only sweet-looking but also has a good balance between touch and power. The only drawback is that it only came in the larger grip size. I prefer the smaller. Also, because of its added length, the sweet spot is very small. Consequently, it does not forgive mis-hits. Still, for a price, this paddle will do the job and help you reach those drops that might otherwise be out of reach.

This is my first paddle I've purchased. I'm a seasoned Racquettball player, so athe paddle feels natural to me, but pickleball is very new to me. I have used other players paddles, but not this one. I read reviews and decided on this one. When I received it, looking at it, I thought that maybe I had bitten off more that I could handle, because this paddle is very narrow. After playing with it, I know I've made a good choice for me. I didn't have any more mis-hits with it, than I had with other paddles. This paddle has a lot of power when hit in the sweet spot. Most the other players have several paddles. The first one they bought when they first started and then they bought a more expensive paddle. I feel confident that this paddle is the only paddle that I'm going to need. I've also bought a Head Racquettball glove in matching colors. The glove just feels natural to me from playing Racquettball for many years.p

As a tennis player who recently started playing Pickleball, I realized I wanted a racket with a bit more reach. This did the trick. Wasn't sure how I was going to enjoy playing with it, but so far it's been great. I don't miss the inch I'm missing on the width, but the 1" extra reach has been worth everything.

I am an avid pickle baller and play at a high level so I ventured into the elongated paddle realm to possibly increase reach and power. This paddle has a very good handle with a wrap which remains tacky even with extremely sweaty hands. It also has a good sweet spot but seems to loose its strength, responsiveness, and manipulation in the remaining areas of the hitting surface. Since no one always hits perfectly in the sweet spot the other areas of the paddle are critical to the play and control of the game. Subsequently, I returned this paddle.

The longer paddle face allows that slightly longer reach. I have also found that my very fast top spin serve is even faster and has more top spin and dip, due to the soft face of the Head paddle. The soft face also allows for a very good stop/backspin volley at the net, but took me 2-3 weeks playing 3 times a week to adapt to the lack of bounce, but now I have the bounce mastered it is deadly! Great for spin and soft touch, with slight increase in power.

First of all, I am probably a negative 1.0 player if that was a rating. I bought this paddle hoping to bring me up to 0.0 or into the positive rating with the realization that wasn't a true expectation. However, my background during my youth was playing tennis, mainly as a singles player and I wasn't really good but not bad. Of course playing PB, I have had to learn to forget my tennis instincts like playing at the baseline and only playing at the net on occasion. I found that I had to swing really hard with this racket, like in tennis, just to put the ball into play. I tried this for about a week and went back to using my $50. beginners racket which I didn't need to swing as hard for the same results. Super light, but maybe that's the issue. Returned it today.

Great for reach. Good balance.

The racket is as expected

Very nice & balance paddle with a lot of feel & control.

A great lighter paddle for mid to advance players. Xtra spin and length is a real advantage. The only criticism that I have is with the grip as I have small hands and would like to see this offered in less than 4.25. Otherwise happy with this.

Good control on returns and spins