Examining the Details: Part 1

Over the past few months, we've talked a lot about "Gel-Core" and while that is at the heart of our Rogue paddles, there is so much more to them and to us as a company. We're going to share about it all in a multi-part segment we're calling, "Examining the Details".

From the outset it's been one of our goals to stand out from the crowd. There are plenty of paddle companies on the market with more arriving almost every week. If you browse Amazon, for example, you'll find dozens of brands and hundreds of paddles. As time goes on, some of those brands will thrive and others will quietly drift away. We believe the brands that are truly passionate about the sport, its technology, and most importantly, the players will be the ones to emerge as front-runners as the the sport continues to grow.

At Players Pickleball, we can't hide our passion and we believe it shows most when you meet us in person or spend some time chatting with us. Since we can't be everywhere all at once, we think the next best way to show our passion is in our products--and specifically in the attention to the details. Let's select a few of those details and look at them in-depth:

• Butt Cap - It's an often forgotten component of the paddle. Life at the end of the handle can be difficult. For this reason, we use a high-quality, in-house CAD designed butt caps on all of our paddles. We don't shortcut with off-the-shelf hardware-store caps or ready-made solutions that are "close enough" to work.
  
• Butt Cap Dome Decal - Rather than just leave the butt cap bare, we add a color-coordinated decal to the butt cap. While mostly cosmetic, this also serves the very practical purpose of helping your paddle stand out of a lineup when waiting your turn at a busy court.
  
• Grip Buildups - These are a critical component of the paddle handle. They create the foundation for the grip's shape. Rather than balsa wood or hand-sanded foam, we use precision-molded & injected closed-cell polyurethane that's lightweight and rigid. Each piece is exactly the same shape, meaning our paddles epitomize consistency and reliability.
  
• Grip Finishing Tape- So many manufacturers use off-the-shelf electrical tape to secure the end of the grip tape and prevent it from unraveling. It's such a missed opportunity. We custom-print finishing tape in-house and color-match it to the paddle's design. It's just another small detail that brings an extra cosmetic touch.
  
  
  

We discuss serial numbers, the contoured edge guard, packaging, pricing, and more in "Examining the Details: Part 2"