They Might Have Made a Better Joola Pro V… | Warping Point Phoenix Review

Warping Point gained popularity recently by signing a bunch of pros — most notably Tina Pisnik (this is her paddle) and Matt Wright, plus a lot of local pros in my area and across the US.

I have their Phoenix right here. People around me who tried it seemed to really like it.

Let's see how it stacks 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 a little under 1,000 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.

Shout out to Warping Point for sending these over.

Use code PICKLELI for 10% off at warpingpoint.com.

Injury note: I'm recovering from a bicep injury (aggravated it at PPA mixed/men's). The week I reviewed this I eased off two-hand backhands — not my normal shot mix. I don't think it changes the review much, but wanted to mention it.

Quick Specs Overview

The Warping Point Phoenix is a gen 3 paddle — honeycomb core with foam around the edges for more dwell time and power. Similar construction to Joola Pro IVs and Pro Vs.

A lot of players (especially pros) lean gen 3; more casual players have been looking at gen 4 for durability. I'm not sure how durable the Phoenix is — gen 3 will core crush eventually. Check their warranty program and see if it works for you.

• Shape: Elongated only
• Thickness options: 13.3mm and 16mm
• 13.3mm weight: 8.2 oz
• 16mm weight: 8.1 oz

On-Court First Impressions

Pop

Definitely very poppy. I found myself popping stuff up a bit more than normal, but counters are really good like you'd expect.

The 13.3mm is more poppy off the face; on counters they're pretty similar.

Control & Feel

I'd describe this as a juiced-up Joola — gen 3 feel, but poppier and more powerful than Pro IVs/Pro Vs. Like more aggressive Joolas with more spin.

13.3mm: Spin is really good with nice dip on drives and drops. Pretty poppy — you have to use a lot less force on drops and dinks. Sweet spot felt a little small at first coming off a weighted CRBN Trufoam Waves setup; some edge hits when switching over. Serves hit hard — I'd call it mid-to-high tier power on those shots, with great counter pop up close.

16mm: Slightly less aggressive pop off the face. Better control and sweet spot overall — both are good, but the 16 is closer to that "top tier where you rarely mishit" feel. Easier to keep balls down in general.

Spin: Upgrade over Joola. Out-of-the-box grit is above average, but I don't think it's long-lasting — it gets smoother over time. Joolas come smooth from the start with less spin. Drops and drives were very spinny day one, especially on the 13.3.

Overall pretty intuitive. Main struggle: out-of-the-air shots popping more than I'm used to. Played well with both in stock form — 16mm was probably easier day to day.

Power

High-tier power paddle overall — not the absolute most powerful out there, but not many paddles hit harder.

Lots of power OOB — people were even calling it core crushed fresh out of the box. When it actually breaks in more, it'll probably get even hotter.

Power level where you need to be careful on serves, returns, and drives or they'll sail.

• 16mm: Hits harder on typical power shots (serves, returns, drives)
• 13.3mm: Hits harder on closer-range counters

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 250+ members and 900+ 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.

Sticking with juiced-up Joola. Objectively more spin — not sure how long the grit lasts. More pop and power too — personal preference whether that's a plus.

Expect an adjustment period — I popped up shots I normally make.

13.3mm: 8/10

16mm: 8/10 (better pick overall)

The 16 has better control and sweet spot, which matters most. The 13.3 gave me more aggressive shots up close.

I'd want a bit more sweet spot on both, and I popped stuff up more than usual — why neither got a 9. A few paddles with similar firepower let me read the ball a bit easier. Wish they made hybrid or widebody — I'd probably like that more.

Good fit if you already like Joolas but want something more aggressive.

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 Warping Point → (code PICKLELI, 10% off)