11six24 Power 2 Review: A Contender for Paddle of 2026

This paddle right here has a chance to be the paddle of 2026.

This is the 11six24 Power 2, and it's a Gen 4 paddle with some new technology.

The new technology is Hexgrit, which apparently lasts way longer than current carbon fiber faces.

2025 seemed to address core durability in paddles, and so far 2026 looks like companies are finally addressing grit.

I'm all for making paddles last longer, so let's see how this actually plays.

My name is Pickle Li. I'm a 5.0 pickleball player and have reviewed over 40 paddles on this channel. I created MyPickleList, which does community-driven paddle ratings, and there are currently over 760 ratings.

Caveats & Disclosures

Reminder: This is a first impressions review, not a full review.

I played with this for a few days, so I can't speak on long-term durability.

Shout out to my friend James for letting me borrow this paddle.

Use code PICKLELI or his code VO24 to save $10 if you do decide to buy one.

Quick Specs Overview

The only paddle released currently in the Power 2 series is the Vapor, which is their hybrid shape.

It has a 16mm Gen 4 core, which means the core is full foam for better core durability.

However, the main new thing is the Hexgrit.

PB Studio tested the grit of this and the Spartus P1, and both of these paddles barely dropped in grit over time, while other normal carbon fiber faces dropped pretty significantly.

So I do think the Hexgrit works—the question now is, does it play well and is it worth switching to over other top Gen 4 power paddles?

My paddle weighed in at 8.0 oz.

I did play around with different setups. My final one was 9.1 oz but more on that later.

On-Court First Impressions

Pop

This paddle is probably above average on the poppiness scale. I would say the pop feels similar to other more poppy Gen 4 power paddles like the Loco and the Inferno. Maybe just slightly less.

You won't have any complaints countering in my opinion.

Control & Feel

I have a very intricate analysis on this paddle so buckle up.

On softer shots like dinks and resets, it has your more poppy Gen 4 feel. It is in the realm of the Inferno but I would say the Power 2 is a bit more dense and muted. The Inferno is a bit more hollow and light feeling.

Compared to the Loco, the Loco is also more responsive.

Overall I would say it has a softer and more muted Gen 4 power paddle feel if you know what I'm saying.

Now let's go into how it plays in stock form:

I think in most aspects it's pretty good. My favorite part is probably the sweetspot and the resets.

I like when I can just stick out my paddle and the ball goes back over effortlessly. I had a very easy time resetting with this paddle, due to its large sweetspot.

But funny enough, the part I had the most trouble with was spinning, even with the new Hexgrit. All my drops were very high, which surprised me since its main thing is the grit.

On one aspect, I think maybe it's the profile of the paddle. In stock form it is more pop than power, which is not my preference usually. Similar to the APP Pegasus that I tried.

The grit itself is interesting. It definitely feels textured, but not as rough per se as a super gritty carbon fiber paddle.

But yeah my friend thought I was having an off day or something since my normal topspin drops were not that good.

Also one thing to note: I tried Helen To's Hurache Power 2 prototype for a couple hits and that paddle felt probably a bit grittier if I remember correctly, and I instantly spun the ball very aggressively. The Vapor 2 I had was not the case.

I decided to try his weighted-up one, and after some slight modifications, the spin is what I would expect. My friend was mind blown at the difference it made.

PB Studio said it plays better with weight but I thought it is a drastic difference at least in terms of my ability to spin.

Usually I don't have trouble with spin on most paddles I play with, so it was interesting how the Power 2 needed it in my opinion.

I tried less weight and just added 3g strips to 3 and 9 o'clock—didn't really reach its potential. Same with adding strips at 2, 4, 8, and 10.

It gets better the more weight I added, but still just didn't live up to what I was expecting from a paddle focused on grit.

Finally I added some weight on the top corners and it probably played the best.

I think it has good spin with the weight but nothing you've never seen before. Unlike the Hurache prototype I saw that was probably one of the higher spins. It was just a very interesting experience for me.

Perhaps I am just a bit more nitpicky since I know the grit should be good. I just never had a time where the feel and sweetspot of the paddle is good, but I added weight to try and get my spin/third shots better. Usually it's the other way around where I have to add weight to increase the sweetspot.

Power

I think this paddle falls in the mid-tier power paddle category.

Serves can hit deep, but didn't have the same velocity as other paddles.

Drives I didn't hit anything too hard. Same with putaways. Enough to get the job done but never blew me away.

That being said, I had to add weight for the spin which takes away some paddle speed on putaways.

Early Verdict

Now let me rate this on MyPickleList.

MPL is a website I built that does community-driven paddle ratings. The purpose is to be a quick and easy way to see how good a paddle is without having to watch YouTube videos like this one.

We currently have over 179 members and over 760 ratings. It's only going to get better with more ratings so please join!

If you're in the Atlanta area, you're in luck since we are currently giving $20 gift cards to Premier Racquet Sports if you rate and comment on 5 paddles.

Now back to the review.

Overall it started off pretty rough and underwhelming but towards the end, especially adding more weight on top, I think it is a very good paddle.

I know it is not marketed to have insane grit, but I still would've expected a bit more spin for something that is making a name for itself with its grit.

Overall I found the sweetspot and resets really good with this paddle, and it helped me play really well in my higher-level games.

It's not as spinny as I would have liked nor expected, but regardless, I have to admit it played really well my final session with it.

I'm going to give this paddle a 9/10.

This paddle was pretty hyped up, at least in my circles, and I think if you go in thinking it's game-changing, you may be disappointed.

I don't think the spin is anything too crazy, but to be fair the grit longevity is what they were going for, which I do appreciate.

I don't think the power nor feel will blow people away, and a lot of people who tried the paddle weren't really liking it at first.

But I will say it helped me play some good high-level pickleball, and that's where the control and big sweetspot, even in stock form, really helps.

I really needed the weight to play well—I actually did not like it much without the final setup I tried. So if you are someone who likes lighter paddles, I do think it benefits with weight.

Also it is a bit more muted and soft if you prefer something more crisp and responsive.

I do think this paddle is for you if you want a power paddle that is more consistent.

It reminds me of when I played with the Gherkin Draco. I basically was making most of my drops, resetting everything well, and just playing good pickleball. But when it was time, it had enough power for counters and putaways. And although I didn't dial in the drives as much as I would like with my limited time with it, the drops and resetability made up for it. Perhaps it is the wider hybrid shape that just makes it good for control as well.

If you are in the market for a new paddle, I do think this is a good option especially for the grit. I mean who wouldn't want longer-lasting grit if it was an option.

I don't think performance-wise it is anything way better than other top power paddles, but if you do care about durability, this is looking like a top contender for the most durable paddles out there.

Thank you guys for watching.

Make sure to join my Discord—the best pickleball Discord out there! We talk about paddles, pickleball tips, etc.

Check out MyPickleList.com to see community ratings for all your favorite paddles—link in bio!

Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video—it really helps me out.

See ya next time!