Diadem Hush Paddle Review: My Thoughts

(Picture Kip Lacey)

Hey guys, it’s Kip! I’ve got a fresh paddle to review for you today—the new Diadem Hush. This is the latest USAPA Quiet Approved paddle, and structurally, it is very different from anything on the market right now.

The major component of this paddle is an ETPU foam surface and body. ETPU stands for expanded thermoplastic polyurethane. It’s highly elastic, can withstand multiple compressions without permanently deforming, and is quite textured.

The frame of this paddle is a two-piece carbon frame, which Diadem says will increase the sweet spot, spin, and power. We’ve heard that from so many paddle companies on almost every paddle, but these components are completely different. I was very excited to see what the ball does with this frame.

This paddle is 18 millimeters thick, weighs 8.1 ounces, and feels pretty evenly balanced. It measures 16.5 inches long, 7.25 inches wide, with a 5.5-inch long grip and a 4.8 circumference. Diadem claims this paddle reduces noise by 40% compared to other paddles.

The Diadem Hush is pretty quiet unless you jump on a shot. Then you can hear a little click from the carbon frame.

View the Diadem Hush at JustPaddles.

(Picture Kip Lacey)

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the new Diadem Hush. I had reviewed the Owl paddle, which is also USAPA Quiet Approved, but it wasn’t an everyday paddle unless you live in a noise-restricted area. Going into this review, I thought the Diadem Hush would be similar, just another quiet paddle for those areas. But I was surprised in many ways. This paddle is a lot of fun to play with and does some cool things.

The ETPU foam surface really cushions the ball, making it extremely quiet unless you really attack the shot. If you’re hitting a serve or a drive, the carbon frame creates a slight clicking sound, so it’s not completely silent. But besides that, this paddle is super quiet and performs well. When I first started dinking with it, I was shocked by how well it performed.

This paddle reminded me of the Diadem Vice, where the ball just rockets off the face silently. However, the Hush offers more control. It still has power but is far more controllable. My average service speed with this paddle was 52.4 mph, and I didn’t serve under 50 mph. You can add topspin with great pace, and it’s still very controllable, which is a huge plus. The power is there, but so is the accuracy and control. Straight-line accuracy was impressive, and it allowed me to place shots where I wanted, as long as I didn’t over-swing.

Accuracy test (Picture Kip Lacey)

Consistency-wise, the ETPU surface does cause the ball to trampoline off a bit, which can be unpredictable at times. However, the more I played with it, the more consistent it became. The spin, thanks to the textured surface, was great. The ball stayed on the paddle for longer, providing a ton of spin. It’s also a very soft paddle, making it ideal if you have arm troubles like tennis elbow. You don’t need to swing hard to get the ball moving.

The paddle is very quick at the net. You don’t need to swing much in hand battles—the ball will just pop off the face. This makes it excellent for defense-to-offense transitions. Even though the Hush is designed for noise-restricted areas, I can see people using it as their everyday paddle because it performs so well in many areas. It takes time to get used to, but once you do, it’s a lot of fun to use.

I’m really impressed with how good this paddle is. I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s a lot of fun. I’d love to hear if any of you have used this paddle, especially if you live in noise-restricted areas. For me, this is like a controllable version of the Diadem Vice, but it still retains some sound.

Great job, Diadem, with the Hush.