11six24 Jelly Bean 2 Review: Best Gen 4 All-Court Paddle?

11six24 started as a smaller, budget-friendly paddle brand, but it has become one of the more innovative names in the market. The Power 2 introduced HexGrit as a longer-lasting alternative to traditional raw carbon-fiber texture. Now the Jelly Bean 2 brings that same face technology to a softer, less powerful, and more affordable all-court lineup.

After testing three of the four shapes, I think the Jelly Bean 2 is one of the strongest Gen 4 all-court paddle options I have tried—especially for players who prioritize control, resets, and grit durability over maximum power.

You can watch my full 11six24 Jelly Bean 2 review on YouTube or continue below for the written breakdown.

My name is Pickle Li. I'm a 5.0 pickleball player who has reviewed over 50 paddles, and I created MyPickleList, a community-driven paddle rating platform with more than 1,000 ratings.

Caveats & Disclosures

This is a first impressions review, not a long-term durability review. I played with these paddles for a few sessions, so I cannot personally confirm how the core or face will perform after months of use.

The Jelly Bean 2 uses a Gen 4 foam core and the same HexGrit face technology found on the Power 2 series. Both are intended to address common paddle durability concerns, but my conclusions here are based on early on-court performance.

11six24 sent me the paddles for review. If you decide to buy one, use code PICKLELI for $10 off through 11six24.com/pickleli. The paddles are listed at $169.99, bringing the price to $159.99 with my code.

Jelly Bean 2 Shapes

The 16mm Jelly Bean 2 comes in four shapes:

• Vapor Jelly Bean 2: hybrid
• Ultré Jelly Bean 2: elongated
• Hurache-X Jelly Bean 2: elongated
• Pegasus Jelly Bean 2: standard

I tested the Vapor, Ultré, and Hurache-X. I did not receive or test the Pegasus, so my performance impressions do not cover that shape.

The presentation is better than I expected for this price range. The colors look great, the included paddle covers feel higher quality than the typical free cover, and the HexGrit face gives each paddle a more premium first impression.

Control & Feel

Control is where the Jelly Bean 2 lineup shines.

The paddles have a soft, dense, and muted feel. The ball does not jump off the face too quickly, which allowed me to swing through drops and resets without constantly worrying about launching the ball. The sound is unusually quiet and muted, but I could still generally tell where the ball was going.

Compared with the Six Zero Coral Pro, the Jelly Bean 2 has a similar overall all-court profile but feels a little softer and less poppy off the face. I personally preferred that softer response. It also feels denser than the Engage X2.

Across the three shapes I tested, drops, resets, and the soft game were the clear strengths. There is enough response to make balls and defend effectively without the paddle feeling overly reactive.

Vapor: Better With Weight

The Vapor was the weakest of the three for me in stock form. Its sweet spot felt smaller than I wanted, I caught the edge more often, and I had more difficulty getting the ball to dip.

I experienced something similar with the Vapor Power 2. That paddle's spin improved dramatically after I added weight, especially toward the top of the paddle, so I tried a related setup here.

Adding 3 grams at both 3 and 9 o'clock made the Vapor Jelly Bean 2 noticeably better. It became more stable, reset more easily, and produced the type of spin I expected. The change was meaningful enough that I would personally recommend adding weight if the stock Vapor feels inconsistent to you.

Ultré & Hurache-X: Strong in Stock Form

The Ultré and Hurache-X surprised me in a good way. Both elongated shapes had very good sweet spots in stock form, and I did not need much time to adjust to them.

I actually had fewer edge hits with the elongated models than with the Vapor, which is unusual for me because I normally prefer hybrid and widebody shapes. Drops and placement felt intuitive, and I did not notice a major performance difference between the two elongated shapes during my limited testing.

I spent more time with the Ultré simply because I had not used that shape before. I also added weight at 3 and 9 o'clock to experiment. It may have gained a little stability, but it was already playing well enough that the difference was much smaller than it was with the Vapor.

Pop & Power

Pop is average to slightly below average. It is enough for controlled counters, but it does not make it especially easy to end a hands battle against a strong opponent who is ready for the ball.

One of my 5.0 friends tried the Ultré and initially felt that his counters needed more power, so he added weight. That was during higher-level games, where a little extra speed can matter more, but it captures the tradeoff: this is an all-court paddle designed around control, not an explosive power paddle.

Overall power sits firmly in the all-court category. I had to work to drive serves and returns deep, and putaways did not finish points as effortlessly as they would with a top power paddle. On the other hand, the power level was excellent for keeping balls in play, making drops, and resetting pace.

If you are moving from something like the Power 2 because it is too hot, the Jelly Bean 2 makes sense. My friend preferred the Ultré Jelly Bean 2 over the Ultré Power 2 because the Power 2 gave him more power than he wanted.

Spin & HexGrit

The HexGrit face feels substantial out of the box, but I would not call the spin outrageous. The technology's biggest selling point is intended to be longer-lasting texture, not necessarily a huge jump in peak spin.

The elongated shapes generated useful spin in stock form. The Vapor needed weight before I could shape the ball as consistently as I wanted. Because this is an early review, I cannot personally confirm long-term grit durability yet.

Final Verdict

11six24 built the Jelly Bean 2 as a Gen 4 all-court paddle with the same HexGrit concept people liked on the Power 2, and I think the result is excellent.

The Vapor was around a 7–8/10 in stock form for me. With weight at 3 and 9 o'clock, it improved to an 8–9/10, which I rounded up to a 9/10. Once weighted, it was easy to use and especially impressive in the soft game.

The Ultré and Hurache-X were already in the 8–9/10 range in stock form, so I also rounded both to a 9/10. Their sweet spots felt better than I expected from elongated paddles, and they did not require the same customization as the Vapor.

The Jelly Bean 2 may be for you if:

• You want a soft, controlled all-court paddle.
• Drops, resets, and consistency matter more to you than maximum power.
• You want a Gen 4 foam core and a face designed for better grit durability.
• You value having multiple shapes to choose from.
• You are willing to add weight if the Vapor does not feel complete in stock form.

You may want to look elsewhere if:

• You want easy depth on serves and returns.
• You rely on raw pop to win counters and finish putaways.
• You prefer a crisp, highly responsive feel.

For $159.99 with code PICKLELI, the Jelly Bean 2 sits just above true budget-paddle territory. In return, it offers Gen 4 core construction, HexGrit, four shape choices, and some of the best all-court performance I have tried in this category.

Watch the full Jelly Bean 2 video review, then visit the Vapor, Ultré, Hurache-X, or Pegasus pages above to compare community scores and add your own rating.

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