I Was Sent a Fake Paddle to Review... Here's the Truth

Premium pickleball paddles have gotten expensive. The Boomstik, one of the most popular paddles right now, retails for $333. A factory in China sent me a fake Boomstik that costs around $45. Are these Alibaba paddles worth buying? Let's find out.

Fake Boomstik paddle from Alibaba

I'm Pickle Li, a 5.0 player who has reviewed over 30 paddles on my channel. I also built MyPickleList, a community-driven paddle rating system with over 600+ ratings from 100+ real players.

I've previously reviewed the Boomstik elongated and played with the widebody, so I have a solid understanding of how the real Boomstik performs.

First Impressions: Not an Exact Replica

Right away, it's clear this Alibaba paddle isn't an exact replica. Several differences stand out immediately when examining it up close.

Real Boomstik paddle for comparison

The MOI Tuning Weights

The most obvious difference is the MOI tuning weights on the side. When comparing them side-by-side, the real Boomstik looks significantly higher quality. The weights on the fake actually fell off after just 2 games. They weren't heavy at all, so they probably had minimal effect and were mostly cosmetic. The construction quality difference is immediately apparent.

The Logo Quality

Another noticeable difference is the logo. When you examine the fake paddle, the logo feels like it's painted over, while the real Boomstik has the logo integrated into the face with the same grit texture. The authentic version has the logo seamlessly part of the paddle surface, creating a uniform texture. This is a clear quality indicator that becomes obvious upon inspection.

The Handle Shape

The handle is also different. Real Selkirk paddles (Boomstik's parent company) feature an octagonal handle, while this fake has a more rectangular shape. The difference in grip geometry is noticeable when holding both paddles.

Overall, I wasn't impressed with the quality of the fake. When examining it closely, I was expecting a very close duplicate, but this is pretty different. For context, I've had friends buy fake Joola paddles before, and those looked much closer—just some blank branding. This fake Boomstik is noticeably different in multiple ways.

How Does It Play?

I didn't play any high-level games to know for sure, but the paddle played decently. However, it did not perform like a Boomstik.

Performance Differences

• Pop: Less pop than the real Boomstik
• Dwell Time: More dwell time than the authentic version
• Power: Still pretty powerful, but not as much as the Boomstik
• Overall Feel: Different feel and paddle in my opinion

Surprising Positives

The sweet spot was actually pretty good, and I could probably play well with it without much practice—unlike the Boomstik elongated, which was too poppy for me.

The most surprising part was that the grit wasn't bad. My drives dipped a lot, but I didn't play enough to tell how consistent the grit was. I would imagine when the ball hits the painted logo area, it would spin differently (probably worse), but it happened to spin pretty well to my surprise. The surface texture performed better than expected given the logo quality issues.

I gave the paddle to my brother to play with, and he's been using it. He had the same general sentiment: it's a solid paddle, but just not very similar to the Boomstik.

The Verdict: Is It Worth It?

Quality Assessment

All in all, I do think the quality is significantly worse. The weights on the side lasted less than 2 games, and overall, when you examine it closely, the differences become obvious. The quality gap is apparent upon closer inspection.

That being said, you can buy 7 of these compared to 1 Boomstik.

You're getting a solid paddle, just not a Boomstik clone—which I assume is what someone would want if they're buying a fake of it.

If you're looking for a Boomstik clone, this is not for you.

The Budget Player Dilemma

However, if you're a budget player who really cares about the price of a paddle (like I was when I first started), then there's more of a discussion.

The majority of the hardest-hitting paddles out there do cost over $200. Assuming someone wants a power paddle, that's pretty steep for a beginner looking for their first paddle.

That being said, Vatic and Ronbus both make power paddles you can get for a little more than $100, and to my knowledge, that's currently some of the best prices for a power paddle.

The $45 vs. $100 Question

So now the question is: Would you rather spend $45 on a fake paddle, or $100 on a power paddle?

If you care about price a lot, the performance of the fake is probably better than other paddles at that general price point. They're usually more beginner paddles, etc.

Important Considerations

If you plan on playing a serious-ish tournament, I would say it's probably not worth risking it. They may not even tell, but probably not worth it—especially since that would imply you had to have money to join a tournament.

Also, you would probably lack customer support and any warranty on the paddle.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I think it's a risky move, but if you want a cheap paddle that may play well, this is probably one of the cheapest options you can get. My friend did enjoy his fake Pro IV.

There isn't really a way to guarantee the performance you're going to get, so if you're more serious, I would say just spend the extra $50 or so on a cheaper power paddle.

Hopefully this review helped you if you were in the market for some fake paddles.

Where to Find Real Paddle Reviews

Want to see what real players think about paddles? Check out MyPickleList to see the top-rated paddles driven by community ratings from 100+ real players.

Source: Alibaba Factory Link

Have you tried a fake paddle? Share your experience in the comments below!