Holbrook has been really doing a lot of promotions for their pickleball products. But it’s no surprise.
Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in America (4.8 million players nationwide), growing nearly 40% between 2019 and 2021 and it’s also quickly growing worldwide.
As there were a few Pickleball companies in the beginning, with a few dozen to now over a thousand.
Once company that has been building a social media presence for pickleball is Holbrook. Showcasing minimalistic style to showcasing their Pro Series and their Performance Series Pickleball paddles.
The Holbrook Soho Paddle, according to Holbrook, “The SoHo style was inspired by the upscale urban design. A fun style that defines cutting edge”.
The paddle features line art, almost retro in some aspects, but overall presence looks cool with the beige border and brown grip.
The paddle features a responsive polypropylene honeycomb core, a FlexTech carbon fiber graphite blend.
Specs are 15.75″ H x 7.8″ W. The weight is about 7.8 oz and features a grip length of 5 inches, with a thickness of 14mm.
For the most part, I do feel this is a good paddle, especially those who are wanting to get into pickleball and their budget is under $90.
I have played with this paddle quite a bit and like the sweet spot, grip is also very good (I like that brown and beige contrast with the Holbrook logo in black over white).
It’s important to note that aside from aesthetics, there is no difference with the other “Performance” Holbrook paddles. The difference between the “Performance” and “Pro” series is that the Pro Series features a Dual Reactive Polypropylene Honeycomb core and a Force Field 3K Carbon Fiber. Also, bigger height at 16.5 inches vs. 15.75. The grip length is a half inch more at 5.5 inches and has a thickness of 16mm. And of course, the Pro Series is around $180 versus the $90 Performance Series. So, there are differences.
But I do recommend for newbies to start with a more inexpensive paddle such as the Holbrook “Performance” paddles before jumping into a pricier paddle and that you feel that you will be playing more Pickleball, even considering competitive Pickleball playing in the future. Personally, I find the fact that the “Performance” paddles utilizing carbon fiber and graphite blend to be a plus as it offers a balance between hardness, lightness, and resistance. Stay away from fiberglass and wooden paddles.
But overall, the Holbrook Soho Paddle features a retro line-art look, inexpensive and well-balanced paddle that works great for those who are beginner or intermediate pickleball players. I really like the minimalistic look and definitely look forward to checking out more Holbrook paddles in the future.
