Thrive AZUL Paddle Review: My In-Depth Thoughts

Have we finally found a Kevlar “Power” Paddle?

(Picture Dennis Rodriguez)

First Look

The Azul by Thrive is a paddle featuring a Carbon/Kevlar surface that has gained significant attention among players, establishing itself as one of the leading Kevlar power paddles of 2024. The paddle is thermoformed and has that very popular hybrid shape made famous by the Six Zero DBD. Thrive has done a great job with presentation right out of the box, it comes with Thrive lead tape bars, a Thrive sticker, as well as a Thrive keychain. One of my favorite things that Thrive does with their paddles is adding the swing weight, twist weight, head heaviness, and static weight of the paddle. This is not a range, this is the actual specs of the exact paddle you’ve purchased. All paddles will vary slightly and it’s nice to know the exact specs of your paddle.

Once I held the AZUL in my hand, I immediately noticed how well balanced it is. It felt very comfortable in my hand and the swing weight was right in my wheel house, being 117.92. Another great first impression was the generous amount of grit on the face of the paddle.

(Picture Dennis Rodriguez)

My Experience

Consistency & Accuracy

A standout feature of the AZUL is that there is almost no learning curve. I felt very comfortable from my first dink to my first drop. The control definitely caught my attention immediately. The ball went where I wanted it to, with the amount of pace that I expected. The grit allowed me to execute a variety of both top spin and backspin drops with little effort. There is nothing better than a paddle that does what you expect it to. I felt as though I no longer had to think about mechanics such as grip pressure, form, or pace. This freedom allowed me to focus more on simply playing the game and keeping my eye on the ball.

Power

I have played many of these carbon/kevlar blended paddles and Thrive’s Azul puts almost all of them to shame. The only other comparable carbon/kevlar blend I have found to have just as much power is the Maverix Havik 15 – Pro. Serves and drives are effortless with the Azul. I felt very comfortable executing speedups as well. Contrary to what others have said about the pop of the Azul, I felt it to be a little less than what I was expecting. My primary paddle has quite a bit of pop so I noticed my mid-court resets with the Azul sometimes fell a bit short. This is all preference and was very easy to adapt to after a few drill sessions and play tests with it.

Spin

Spin on the Thrive Azul is definitely above average! I was averaging around 2200 RPM consistently and was blown away with the amount of ball movement I was able to produce with this paddle. Because it has great feel, executing multiple types of dinks at the kitchen also felt very advantageous. One of my favorite shots is the two-handed backhand roll dink. I have never felt so confident executing that shot than when I used the Azul.

Defense To Offense

Like I stated previously, my primary paddle is just a bit poppier than the Azul so resets were probably the only thing I had to adapt to when using the Azul. Once I dialed those in, transitioning from the baseline to the non-volley zone was incredibly simple. The feel and spin of the Azul makes executing drops much more consistent. Dinking at the kitchen took no time at all to adapt to, and in fact improved my soft game almost immediately. As someone who likes to use a variety of spin types in my game, I found the Azul to be more than adequate for any shot I could think to execute.

Feel & Feedback

The Azul definitely has a stiffer feel to it than other Kevlar paddles I’ve used, making it a much easier transition for someone coming from a raw carbon faced paddle. The shape of the paddle allows for a large sweet spot and gives its user a good amount of feedback during ball contact.

Looks & Design

I’m a fan of the navy blue Kevlar face and the navy blue edge guard. The shape is one that many players are already so familiar with, which makes the Azul a little less intimidating for most players.

Overall Experience

My overall experience with the Thrive Azul was great. It plays very easy, is just so well balanced, easy to maneuver, great spin, and a solid amount of power. I really have nothing bad to say about this paddle. It looks like a professional grade paddle and it definitely plays like one. I was impressed with how easy it was to transition from my current paddle to the Azul. With it being a bit more of a power oriented paddle, beginners may find the added power and pop to be a bit much but with some drill time there is no doubt the added power will become appreciated. At $199, Thrive really makes this paddle worth the investment. I would definitely recommend this paddle for players looking to try out a Kevlar paddle without sacrificing that power.

Check out the other paddles I have reviewed here. See ya next time.