Arronax Paddle Review: Is Zane Ford's New Signature Any Good?

Arronax is a smaller, newer brand that just signed pro Zane Ford. They sent me their two latest paddles, and they've been getting a lot of looks on court.

Let's see how they stack up.

Intro

My name is Pickle Li. I'm a 5.0 pickleball player and I've reviewed over 50 paddles on this channel. I created MyPickleList, which does community-driven paddle ratings, and there are currently over 950 ratings.

Caveats & Disclosures

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

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

I'll be rating these paddles on MyPickleList at the end of this write-up, so stay tuned for that.

If you decide to get one, use code PICKLELI for 15% off at arronaxsport.com.

Shout out to Arronax for sending these over.

Quick Specs Overview

Both paddles are gen 4 — full foam core, so they shouldn't core crush.

Arronax Thunder10

• Face: Carbon fiber
• Core: Dual-density full foam
• Retail: ~$185 before code
• My sample weight: 7.69 oz (on the lighter side)

Arronax KVL004 (Zane Ford signature)

• Face: Kevlar
• Core: Single-density foam (per their site — don't quote me as gospel)
• Weighting: Fixed external MOI weights (Boomstik-style, not adjustable)
• Retail: ~$259 before code
• My sample weight: 8.1 oz

On-Court First Impressions

Pop

I started testing with the KVL004 since it looks cooler.

On dinks, pop felt average to slightly above average — but when you add force, it gets very poppy. On counters and firefights, it's above average and packs a punch.

The Thunder had more typical above-average pop and also hits hard on counters.

Control & Feel

Right out of the box, both are very gritty — that's what most people notice first. I do think the grit wore down a bit with use. OOB the carbon face felt grittier; the Thunder's grit reminded me of RPM Q2-style texture. I didn't see anything claiming longer-lasting grit on the Kevlar side.

Spin on both is above average and feels good.

Sweet spot: Both have really good sweet spots for elongated paddles. No complaints there on either.

KVL004 feel: Sinks in, then explodes out. Not much pop right off the face at light touch — I was missing dinks short at first because the ball wasn't going as far as I expected. Fine in actual games. More dense than Infernos, Boomstiks, RPM Q2s — relatively unique. If you like brushing up on your shots, this might be for you.

Thunder feel: More familiar — closest comparison is the Inferno. Both have slight dwell time but pop off the face pretty fast. The Thunder has better feel though; the Inferno felt more muted. With the Thunder I could easily tell where the ball was going.

Of all the gen 4 paddles that claim gen 3 feel, this might be the closest I've tried. KVL = denser with more dwell. Thunder = poppier off the face, like an Inferno with better feel.

I gave the Thunder to a bunch of people to try — everyone liked it.

Power

Both hit pretty hard. Maybe the KVL hits a bit harder, but it's heavier and has fixed weighting.

I'd call both mid-tier power paddles — not top-tier power, but power shouldn't be an issue.

Verdict & MyPickleList

MyPickleList is a site I built for community-driven paddle ratings — a quick way to see how a paddle stacks up without watching a full review. We have 200+ members and 950+ ratings; more ratings make it better, so please join if you haven't.

If you're in the Atlanta area, Premier Racquet Sports in Dunwoody is running $20 gift cards when you rate and comment on 5 paddles on the site.

Back to the review.

I was pleasantly surprised — both exceeded expectations. Great spin, great sweet spot, intuitive feels. Basically checks the boxes I care about.

I went in skeptical (another newer brand) and thought the KVL would win on looks. I was wrong.

KVL004: 8/10

More unique feel, but I played better and enjoyed the Thunder more.

Thunder10: 9/10

I already gave the Inferno a 9/10 — the Thunder is a better version in my opinion. Not quite a 10 (maybe a different shape could get there). Similar power and pop, maybe slightly less if anything. Main difference: you feel the ball more on the Thunder, which I think is more optimal.

This is probably my favorite elongated paddle as of recently — I'd pick it over an Inferno. If you're an Inferno main, definitely try this. Maybe not a huge gap, but I do think it's an upgrade.

Want something denser with more dwell time? The KVL fits. You can't go wrong with either — I just played better with the Thunder, probably because I'm more used to that feel.

Very impressed with Arronax. Wish they made different shapes, but excited to see what they drop next.

Thanks for reading. Join the MyPickleList community on site and Discord — we talk paddles, gear, and pickleball tips daily. If you caught this as a video too, like and subscribe there; it helps a lot. See you next time.

Shop Arronax paddles → (code PICKLELI, 15% off)