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PickleballCentral Expert's Corner:
Test Reviews of the XJ-900 Composite Widebody
First impressions can be really deceiving. There was nothing spectacular looking about the XJ-900, except that it appeared so wide you could rent billboard space on it. How could a paddle face that wide be stable?
As it turns out, the width of this paddle serves to provide an incredibly large sweet spot. I am, or at least I had been, completely happy with my paddle of choice, and I picked up the Topp XJ-900 just to see what it would feel like. Immediately I noticed that the grip was long–a good transition from tennis, and thin–good for smaller or female hands. The length appealed to me, however I would likely add an overgrip to thicken it out a bit. During my warm-up routine I start out at the net drilling dink shots. The XJ-900 had a responsive touch; the ball came off the paddle easily and didn’t require over working it to achieve desired placement.
The best for last: power and stability. I was very impressed with the increased speed of my serves! They flew off this paddle and yet stayed in. I didn’t change anything about my serve initially, but as they continued to sizzle over the net, I began to experiment with placement and point of contact. It didn’t seem to matter, it was like this paddle couldn’t hit a serve out.
Overhead smash shots were where the power and remarkable sweet spot of the XJ-900 really stood out. Smashes were even more powerful than serves, and ground strokes came with strong stability. A wide hitting face, a very large sweet spot and no wobble in the paddle.
It was a pleasure to use, and I’m thankful to PickleballCentral for making it available. I must have been fairly verbal during play, as a couple of other players on the court that day decided to give it swing as well.
Scott Hedrick of Wheeling, WV (4.0)
The TOPP XJ-900 helped my game in several ways. I like to play a hard, fast game and this paddle with its composite core helped keep the ball in-bounds. With its extra width it seems to have a larger sweet spot which leads to more accurate placement of shots. I also like the handle which is longer than my original paddle.
I was able to test the XJ-900 for several games and enjoyed it. When I switched back to my regular paddle I noticed my games weren't as good, so I wanted to use the XJ-900 for the rest of my games that day and am looking to get one for my next paddle. Considering it's price in comparison, it's a great value!
Dan F. of West Milford PBC, 4.0 player
I have several high quality paddles that I lend out to players for testing. All of them are in the $110-150 range so they are generally considered very good paddles. I was testing the TOPP XJ-900 during a game and liked the soft touch and control it gave me, especially since I play the net game and focus on dinking and placement. It has a large sweet spot. Good texture for imparting spin and excellent control. We play indoors on 6 courts and the noise can normally be significant, but this paddle is quiet.
Service, return of serve placement and spin were outstanding. It worked great until I found that my opponents were avoiding me and concentrating on my partner who was trying a heavier paddle and hitting too many shots out of bounds! We switched paddles and the XJ-900 made a major difference in her game. She is a very agile player and almost every shot was now in bounds. She was able to return tougher shots and her placement improved. Later in the day I played against her and definitely noticed the changes in her game. She did, too! It's such a good paddle and great value that I'd recommend it for any level player.
Jack W., Pickleball Coordinator of West Milford PBC, 3.5 player
The XJ-900 is lighter than my usual paddle and it seems to give me better accuracy on my long shots.
I found it to be more ergonomic, too. Many times at night my hands will normally hurt, especially since I play 3 days in a row, but I didn't have any pain this week! I believe this paddle may not only benefit my game, but my health.
Debbie G. of West Milford PBC
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Still testing