Diadem Edge Blucore Review: Best Gen 4 Paddle?

Diadem just dropped their latest paddle—the Diadem Edge Blucore.

Their original blue core model never really caught on, at least where I'm at. I tried their thinnest version and honestly thought it was one of the better control paddles I've used. Can't even imagine what a 20mm version would feel like.

The problem was it just didn't have enough power for today's game, which I think explains why it never got much attention.

Now they're saying the new Diadem Edge Blucore brings the power, and it's been selling like crazy. Time to find out if this is actually a real upgrade or just more of the same.

Image via Diadem

Caveats & Disclosures

Quick reminder: this is a first impressions review, not a full deep dive.

I've only had a few days with it, so I can't comment on how it holds up long-term.

I'll be dropping my rating on MyPickleList at the end, so stick around for that!

Big thanks to Premier Racquet Sports for hooking me up with this demo! If you're in the Atlanta area, definitely check them out.

Quick Specs Overview

Blucore uses gen 4 tech, meaning it's a full foam core construction.

The biggest advantage of full foam cores is durability—theoretically, you eliminate the risk of core crushing entirely.

That said, there's still a lot of variation between different gen 4 paddles, so I'm not convinced there's a consistent performance advantage across the board.

The new Blucore comes in 2 shapes and 2 thicknesses

I went with the hybrid 16mm version, which seems to be the crowd favorite.

My paddle weighed in at 8.38 oz.

Here's the thing—I weigh paddles right before I film the review video, and I was starting to think I was getting better at playing stock since I haven't needed to add weight lately. But honestly, I think paddles are just coming heavier these days, so it's not my skills improving.

Thought that was worth mentioning since 8.38 oz is basically a modded paddle weight for most players.

On-Court First Impressions

Pop

The pop is solid—above average for sure. It's in that sweet spot where shots aren't flying up unexpectedly, but you still have enough pop to counter and finish points.

Control & Feel

This thing has a firm, thick feel to it. I've been hitting a lot of 14mm paddles lately, so maybe that's why, but it felt like I was swinging a thick board out there. The face feels stiff—the ball doesn't really dwell or get absorbed. It just pops right off.

Despite that, control and resets were solid. The sweet spot is generous, and I found it consistent on resets. For the most part, nothing was popping up on me unexpectedly.

Spin was decent—average to slightly above average for my game. I didn't feel like I was missing spin, but I also wasn't getting anything crazy. Fair warning: this paddle had been used before I got it, so the spin comparison might not be totally fair.

I clicked with this paddle right away in stock form. No modifications needed.

For a power paddle, the control is really good. At my current skill level, this feels like one of those controllable power paddles that gives you both.

Power

When it comes to power, I'd put this in the lower-mid tier range. It's definitely a step up from the Trufoam, has a bit more juice than the Jolt, but falls noticeably short of the RPM, Joola, and Boomstiks.

Serves and returns were solid, though you still need to put some effort in to get depth.

Putaways were effective—nothing flashy, but it gets the job done.

The power level is good. You can swing through shots, just keep it on the lower side.

I only spent about a day with the J2NF, but these two paddles feel very similar to me. Would need to hit them back-to-back to be sure, but that's the closest comparison I can think of.

Early Verdict

Time to drop my rating on MyPickleList.

MyPickleList is a community-driven paddle rating site where you can quickly see if a paddle is worth it without sitting through a bunch of YouTube reviews.

The engagement has been amazing so far—seriously, thank you all and keep those ratings coming!

Overall, the Diadem Edge Blucore is a solid paddle. Similar to what I said about the Jolt—there's nothing that makes it stand out as super unique, but it's good at everything.

Just like the Jolt last week, this is one of those paddles that performs well and lets you play your game. That said, I did enjoy this one more than the Jolt.

Could be the shape difference—the Jolt was elongated, while this one felt like it had better control and a more forgiving sweet spot.

I'm torn between a 7 and 8.

I gave the Jolt a 7, and as I predicted, here's a paddle that's a step above it.

If I could do half ratings, this would be a high 7, but since we're working with whole numbers, I'm going with an 8.

Bottom line: solid paddle across the board. Less power than the top-tier power paddles, but it's controllable and consistent.

View the Diadem Edge Blucore on MyPickleList →

This is a first impressions review based on a few days of play testing. Long-term durability and performance may vary. Shout out to Premier Racquet Sports for providing the demo paddle.