Pickleball Ape Proline S Paddle Review: My In-Depth Thoughts

Blend of Kevlar and Carbon fiber from pickleball apes

(Picture @nitesh)

First Look

This paddle has a neat and simple design, since its blend of carbon fiber and Kevlar, paddle face has nice color contrast for black and red color. Face feels pretty gritty and rough compare to all carbon fiber and Kevlar paddles. It has a 16.5mm core and an elongated shape. which helps with better control.

(Picture @nitesh)

(Picture @nitesh)

Balance and Weight Adjustability

The paddle’s stock weight is about 8.1oz, which is light enough to allow for the addition of lead tape. This customization can help balance between swing weight (118) and twist weight (6.34), depending on whether you want more power or a larger sweet spot. I personally added lead tape at the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions. This increases the twist weight, resulting in better control and a larger sweet spot. The trade-off is a slight reduction in hand speed, but it’s a small compromise for the benefits gained.

Adaptation

Regarding the handle grip, which feels somewhat thin and hard underneath, Adding an overgrip or replacing the stock grip, especially if you’re not used to playing with overgrips will help with better hand speed and balance.

If you’re already accustomed to playing with an elongated carbon fiber-surfaced paddle, adapting to this paddle won’t take much time. It performs well in blocking drives and making resets in games. The only issue is that sometimes when blocking drives, if the ball doesn’t hit the sweet spot, it might just drop short and not reach the opponent’s court. However, I’ve noticed that after adding some lead tape, this problem has been significantly reduced.

Durability and Protection

This paddle comes with a sturdy edge guard that has proven its durability; despite dropping it twice, I noticed no damage. However, it tends to collect dust, so I suggest using a paddle eraser to keep the face clean. This simple maintenance step significantly improves control and spin.

This is how the paddle face looks like after around 8-10hrs. I used eraser on half remove dust for actually see only damages on face, but it look pretty solid.

(Picture @nitesh)

1-year limited warranty that covers any manufacturing defects. Please note that this warranty does not extend to natural wear and tear or damages resulting from negligence or abuse.

Performance

Power 8/10

The Proline S offers a decent level of pop and power. It’s powerful enough for hard baseline topspin serves and drive shots, I don’t think players need more power, else it will be hard to control drop and dinks from the paddle. Additionally, its 16.5mm core absorbs some of the power, which can be an advantage when blocking powerful drives from opponents. This feature makes this paddle is full court paddle.

Spin 9/10

This paddle has an RMP score of around 2200 RPM, which is impressive and comes around 90% percentile compare to other paddles in market. The carbon fiber and Kevlar face has a gritty and textured surface that helps generate spin shots, I feel it has almost the same spin capabilities as the Six Zero Ruby. If you are the player who relies heavily on topspin and slice shots, you should choose paddles that have a high-RPM score.

Control 8/10

This paddle stands out in terms of control because it has a 16.5mm core. This improves accuracy and consistency because the paddle is more forgiving, which helps in reducing mistakes.

Comparative Analysis

If we compare number of Six Zero Ruby and Proline S they are very close to each other, Ruby is already very high in demand but I am confident that once the Proline will start showing up on courts more often, rec players will love it.

I have taken few photos to compare proline with Ruby.

(Picture @nitesh)

(Picture @nitesh)

The Proline S is ideal for all the players who are looking for balanced power, control and great spin capabilities, because it offers a well-rounded combination of these major aspects.

The paddle’s higher swing weight aims to balance power and control, but this comes with a trade-off: it can slow hand speed across the net. Sometimes, this makes it challenging to quickly reposition the paddle, leading to missed second or third volley shots.

I handed the paddle over to several local players who already own the Six Zero Ruby. Their unanimous feedback was straightforward: the Proline S closely mirrors the Ruby but offers improved spin and slightly more power. Additionally, the Proline S boasts a 4.8-star rating from nearly 140 reviews on its website and is competitively priced at $170 as of this writing.

I’m keen to hear from others who have tried the Proline S. Please share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.

References

pickleballapes.com, justpaddles.com