If you follow us on Facebook you may have noticed that I spent the month of December and part of January trying out various demo paddles before making a purchase of a paddle I liked. And after playing with 8 – 10 different pickleball paddles I settled on a paddle I really enjoyed playing with and that is the Selkirk Epic Amped x5 paddle. I knew the moment I stepped on the court with this paddle it was going to be my choice, and let me share with you some of the reasons why.
Paddle Specifications for the Selkirk Epic Amped x5
I know these specifications can be looked up anywhere on the internet, but I will include them here just for reference purposes.
Weight Range: 7.3-7.8 oz. (Light Weight)
Weight Range: 7.9-8.4 oz. (Standard Weight)
Grip Circumference: 4″ (Thin Grip) 4 1/4″ (Medium). Actual grip sizes may vary up to 1/8″
Grip Style: Perforated Cushion
Grip Manufacturer: Selkirk
Handle Length: 5 1/4″
Paddle Length: 15 3/4″
Paddle Width: 8″
Face: FiberFlex (fiberglass)
Core Material: X5 Polymer Honeycomb
Core Thickness: 5/8″ (0.625″)
Edge Guard: Low-Profile Vinyl Edge Trim
Manufacturer: Selkirk Sport
Made in the USA
I don’t plan on talking about the latest paddle technology from Selkirk because I am not an engineer and I don’t want to pretend to understand what all of the technology is that Selkirk designed in to this paddle.
I am a tennis and a pickleball player and I love the feel of a new racket or paddle, the joy you get as a player when you demo a racket or a paddle and you find “the one”. And this is what happened to me when I stepped on to the court and started playing with this paddle, I knew it was the right one for me.
My Review of the Selkirk Epic Amped x5 Pickleball Paddle
What I liked about this paddle and the first thing I noticed is how much power I was able to generate when hitting with this paddle. Compared to the paddles I have been playing with and the ones I had tried up to this point, the power I was able to generate with the Selkirk Epic Amped x5 paddle was noticeable.
The first few drives I hit sailed long because it is so easy to hit with power with this paddle, you need to take the foot off the gas a bit to adjust your swing down a notch so the ball lands in. I actually liked that, and I adjusted quickly as I played more with the x5 paddle.
The Selkirk Epic Amped x5 has a large sweet spot and I have grown to love this feature of the paddle as I play more with it. I struggled initially with the thought of buying a paddle with such a large hitting area, because I thought it would be more of a hindrance to play with such a large paddle compared to the compact model I have grown used to.
But it hasn’t been a problem at all and I have adjusted quickly to the larger hitting area as I play more games.
One thing I like about the paddle is that even though it is designed as a power paddle as explained to me at the local store where I purchased the paddle, it has also been easy to have control over the finesse shots like a third shot drop which was unexpected. I thought buying a pickleball paddle designed with power in mind would mean that I would have to give up control since I couldn’t have both in the same paddle, but that hasn’t been the case for me.
I am happy so far with the control I have with drop shots, dinks, and shot placement with the Selkirk Epic Amped x5 paddle.
The paddle I purchased has a weight of 8.0 oz and I added lead tape to make it approximately 8.2 oz since I wanted a paddle on the heavier side which is better for my game. Most of the paddles that I tried in the demo program trended on the 8.0 oz and above weight class.
I purchased this paddle for $149 from my local tennis and pickleball store which I felt was a fair price based on the paddles at different price points that I tried.
All in all, my experience so far with this pickleball paddle has been a positive one and I would certainly recommend it to another player.