Examining the Details: Part 2

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've also recently launched the AVANT: Create Your Own Signature Series of paddles and we'll be talking lots about those in the coming weeks & months, but for now, we're going to continue with Part 2 of "Examining the Details".

In Part 1, we talked about our custom-designed butt cap, the unique dome label, innovative injection-molded grip buildups, and our branded grip finishing tape. In Part 2, we're looking at a few other unique details--check them out!

• Serial Numbers - Each and every paddle we make is important to us, made with care and sent out for you to enjoy. We know the moment it was created, the parts it was made from, when it shipped out, and if problems should arise, can refer to all of this information immediately because each and every paddle we sell has a unique serial number. It's a no-brainer for us. When you buy a paddle from us, we connect your order number with your paddle's serial number, meaning you're automatically registered. If you have an issue with your paddle, we look up  your serial number and can tell when it was made, how long it sat on the shelf before it was sent to you, who made it, and more. Again, a no brainer, yet something that seems stunningly rare across the market.
• Paddle Cores - Our Gel-Core technology is a step up from any other core out there in terms of manufacturing processes. Introducing the elastomer-infusion step adds time and expense to our process, but the performance speaks for itself--and in spite of the extra step and material, we still manage to keep our Rogue paddles quite affordable!
• Edge Guard/Bumper - The industry-wide standard is extruded "u-channel". This type of product has the same contour throughout its entire length. This means the corners are the same as the straight edges and everywhere in between. This works fine, but is a minimum allowable solution approach to product design. Yes, it works, but is there room for improvement? YES, absolutely. We took a completely different approach with our new contoured edge guard and our TMD - "Targeted Mass Distribution". Our edge guard is thicker in the corners where extra impact protection is needed and thinner where the extra heft isn't needed. We can move the edge guard's mass outward to increase paddle stability while not creating an over-weight edge guard--all while looking much more stylish than a standard extruded part. It's an overall better solution to the problem. 
• Packaging - There are many approaches to packaging, and ours is one of conscious responsibility. It's important that the packaging be protective so your paddle arrives to you in perfect shape. It's important that the packaging be representative of us as a company--it must look good and proudly bear the Players Pickleball name. It's also most important that the packaging leave as little trace as possible. You're not buying a box--you're buying a paddle, and as such, you'll ultimately dispose of the box and any packing material inside it. For this reason, we've eliminated all non-biodegradable & toxic materials from our packaging. When you get your paddle from us, you can simply toss the box in your paper/cardboard recycling and know that you're helping us do good in the process--even the glue on the tape we used is corn-starch based! 
• Pricing - Price is a funny thing. People generally don't want to pay too much, and yet, if we don't pay enough, we feel that maybe we didn't treat ourselves right. Many of us feel we have to spend a lot to get a quality product, but still don't want to pay too much and feel cheated. It's a bit of a Goldilocks scenario, where we're looking for that "Just Right" amount. We've actually heard from a few top-level players that they hadn't tried our Rogue ($79.99) paddles because they "only play paddles that cost $120 or more". After some convincing, they tried the Rogue and were surprised that an 80 dollar paddle could perform like a 120 dollar one. We explained that with a traditional pricing structure, the Rogue would be a $120+ paddle, but because our focus is selling directly to the players, rather than through distributors, we can keep our prices low and our quality and performance high! Lots more on this topic is coming soon in an upcoming article. 

We'll discuss transparency, stewardship, the Avant, and more in Examining the Details, Part 3, coming soon!