I’ve been playing for a few years, play in a few competitive leagues probably a 4 rating. I started with a Wilson Juice paddle I bought from our local tennis pro and played with that for two years. Last year I upgraded to a Selkirk LUXX Epic. I’ve really enjoyed playing with it but feel like I wanted something a little more aggressive. I absolutely love my LUXX, the feel on it is amazing and my precision shots win me lots of points. My biggest complaint is that I really have to let loose to “smoke” a put away shot. For reference My LUXX is stock, no tape for weight. I watched a lot of video reviews for the Honolulu brand and decided that because of the muted feel reviewers have talked about the Jk2ti was the paddle for me as opposed to the j2k. While I’ve only played a few sets with it, all outdoor, I can tell you that I likely won’t be playing with my LUXX anymore.
The feel on this is absolutely amazing and the sweet spot is something to behold. For me there is a ton of pop and power (but again I’m coming from a LUXX). I played against my son who is a smasher and I was thrilled with how I was still able to hit a good third shot drop, win hand battles and just get a paddle on some of his shots and watch the ball pop off. That’s something my LUXX just does not do.
The power for me is going to take some getting use to. I was sailing nearly all of my serves tonight and found myself having to take a lot off of my serves to keep it in, I’m sure that will get better with time.
The look of this paddle is beautiful. I bought the blue and it is an absolute thing of beauty. The case is great too. I absolutely love the branding and design.
I am going to purchase a second paddle for my son and will likely buy one for my partner too.