Project Boomstick Paddles
From the £30 starter paddle that won't embarrass you to the £250 tour-approved frames the pros are actually using — all in one place, all UK-stocked. Pickleball paddle, bat, racket, racquet — they all live here. We cover every spelling and every level.
- Tour-Approved Range
- Stocked Locally
- Free £50+ Delivery
- From £29
The line-up
The paddle category has consolidated quickly. Five years ago dozens of small brands competed; today the top tier is a half-dozen well-funded brands (JOOLA, Selkirk, Head, Franklin, CRBN, Six Zero) plus a credible direct-to-consumer challenger (Vatic Pro). This collection reflects that consolidation — we stock the brands serious players are actually buying, not the long tail of also-rans.
Three specs do most of the work in choosing a paddle: core thickness (13mm/14mm/16mm), face material (carbon, fibreglass, hybrid), and shape (standard, elongated, widebody). Everything else — colour, cosmetics, handle length tweaks — is secondary. We list those three on every product page so you can compare like-for-like.
Modern paddle construction has settled on thermoformed unibody as the premium standard. Older sandwich-construction paddles still sell at the entry tier, but the dead-spot creep that used to kill paddles after one season has been mostly engineered out of thermoformed builds. If you're upgrading, the thermoformed option will outlast a sandwich-construction paddle by 1.5–2x.
If you're searching for boomstick specifically, you're in the right place — every paddle, ball, or piece of kit on this page is matched to that intent and stocked here in the UK.
What this collection covers
UK warehouse, no customs
Every paddle in stock here ships from a UK address. No customs delays, no surprise import VAT.
Carbon vs fibreglass split
Carbon for spin and stiffness, fibreglass for soft hands. We list both because they're different tools.
Skill-level filters
Beginner, intermediate, advanced and pro tiers — sorted by what UK players at each level actually buy.
UK warehoused. UK shipped.
No customs delays, no import VAT surprises. Straightforward UK pricing, straightforward UK delivery.
What to weigh before buying
- Start with skill level. Beginners benefit from widebody, 16mm, fibreglass faces. Intermediate and above can pick by style preference.
- Pick a style: control, power, or all-court. If you don't know yet, default all-court — it covers the most situations and rarely surprises you.
- Choose the shape. Standard 16" for forgiveness, elongated 16.5" for reach, widebody for the biggest sweet spot.
- Set a price ceiling. £80–£150 covers 95% of what most players actually need. Above £150, returns diminish and brand premium starts to dominate.
Related collections
Frequently asked
What size pickleball paddle should I buy?
Standard pickleball paddles are roughly 16″ long and 7.5–8″ wide; elongated paddles run 16.5″ for extra reach. If you're new to the sport, start with a standard or widebody shape — bigger sweet spot, more forgiving on off-centre hits.
Do I need a USAPA-approved paddle?
For sanctioned tournaments, yes. For club play and casual games, no — but most paddles from established brands are approved anyway. The non-approved exceptions are usually wooden bats and very budget paddles.
Can I use a tennis racket for pickleball?
Not for sanctioned play — paddles are smaller, solid-faced (no strings), and dimensionally specified by the rules. For backyard play with friends, anything goes, but you'll get a lot more out of a proper paddle quickly.
Are 16mm or 14mm paddles better?
16mm paddles are control-first: more dwell time on the ball, better for resets and dinks. 14mm paddles trade some control for power and a faster ball off the face. Most improvers settle on 16mm; aggressive baseliners go 14mm.
What's a thermoformed paddle?
Thermoformed paddles are pressed as a single unibody piece — face, core and edge bonded under heat. They're stiffer, quieter, and less prone to dead-spot creep than traditional sandwich-construction paddles.
Carbon fibre vs fibreglass — which face material?
Carbon fibre faces (especially Toray T700) bite the ball for spin and feel stiffer through contact. Fibreglass faces are softer, more forgiving, better for control-first players. Hybrid faces split the difference.