Volair Mach Series vs Volair CTRL: Paddle Review

(Image Credit: Dennis Rodriguez)

First Look

(Image Credit: Dennis Rodriguez)

If you’ve read my past reviews, you know I’m a proponent of less color and pizzazz but, I’ll admit, The color choices Volair picked for their CTRL series actually had me questioning my usual simplistic preferences. The almost neon blue and green actually look really nice with the aramid face. When it came to feel of each paddle in my hand, all felt very comfortable. I did notice that the swing weight of the 14mm Mach 1 vs. the 16mm MACH 1 was significantly less, coming in at 110 vs 117. You feel this immediately as you swing the paddle through the air. Overall my first look was very positive; good colors, the paddles felt durable and well built, and the shape and thickness variety were what I would expect out of a top-tier paddle company.

My Experience

Consistency & Accuracy

To help orient yourself to the shapes of the paddles, any paddle that ends in 1, ie. MACH 1 or CTRL 1, refers to that elongated shape. Any paddle ending in 2, ie. MACH 2 or CTRL 2, refers to the wide-bodied shape. Both of which have their pros and cons but I have to say, no matter what shape I tested in this line-up, all provided exceptional control and accuracy. I have played Volair paddles in the past and have always found them to be reliable when executing drops, resets, and dinks. They have a very consistent bound off the face and both shapes have a good sized sweet spot.

Power

If power is your priority, I recommend testing the MACH 1 or 2 Forza in the 14mm thickness. I found these to be a bit more poppy off the face, great for counters and quick flicks. While the power I generated from the baseline during drives and serves with the 14mm was not drastically increased when compared to the 16mm, there was still an increase that some may find important. I would still classify all these paddles as all-court over power paddles.

Spin

I’ve always found Volair paddles to give good spin and the Forza models, both MACH and CTRL, were no different. The spin rates were ranging from 1900-2100 RPM. I did notice I was consistently getting slightly higher numbers with the CTRL series. Both paddles offered plenty of spin to dial in those drives and top spin drops.

Defense to Offense

Because of their all-court feel and design, transitioning from defense to offense is very comfortable with all of these paddles. The 16mm are a bit easier to execute resets with, but overall, the control you get with both the 16mm and 14mm is still very good. Half the battle of transitioning to offense is simply being able to get to the kitchen. Drops were effortless so getting to the kitchen was a breeze.

Feedback & Feel

The wide bodied models (remember, any paddle ending in 2), definitely have a larger sweet spot. Because of this I do feel the player loses a bit of feedback on mishits but gains a more forgiving paddle. All paddles feel very comfortable in your hand and the ball has a nice response off the face. Because these paddles are on the less poppy side, I saw an increase on the dwell time of the ball when contacting the paddle face. This helps add spin and also gives the player a bit more control.

(Image Credit: Dennis Rodriguez)

Looks & Design

With so many color options, there’s no denying these paddles look good and perform as well as they look. They are durable, especially the CTRL series with that aramid face. I put a couple of these through the wringer and they continued to power through with minimal loss in spin rates and kept their grit. The “pure soft TPU edge guard” held up very well and shows no signs of serious damage or any areas that are coming unglued.

Overall Experience and Thoughts

Overall my experience was extremely positive. I did have the luxury of having all models and shapes at my disposal so I was able to really pick the one that suited my play style best. That being said, I feel that you really cannot go wrong with any of these paddles. I personally really enjoyed the 14mm MACH 1 Forza. After adding a bit of weight to the top corners and a little on the side, I found it to be extremely balanced and provide me with the amount of power and control that I like. Because the swing weights are lower on these paddles, it allows for additional customization by utilizing tungsten tape. While all the paddles were great stock, I did see noticeable improvements in stability and power when adding weight to the spots I stated earlier. I would recommend both the CTRL series and the MACH series to any player who is more focused on the balance of control and power rather than a paddle that is simply a rocket. For under $200 you cannot beat the quality and consistency of the MACH & CTRL Forza paddles.

(Image Credit: Dennis Rodriguez)