Paddletek Bantam TS-5 Pro
Paddle Review
By John Loveridge for Sun City Hilton Head Pickleball Club
January 14, 2019
Pickleball Central was kind enough to ask for our club’s feedback on the new Paddletek Bantam TS-5 Pro paddle. The specific version evaluated was a Lightweight, Thin Handle model at 7.4 ounces and a 4 1/8” circumference grip. These paddles have Paddletek’s new 916 Pro Core. The face is 9/16” thick rather than the common 1/2”. The 4 3/4” grip length is shorter than what I normally play with, but the bottom profile of the paddle face is just right for players, like me, who have their index finger on the bottom face of the paddle. The blue one I tried is a good looking paddle.
I was able to play about 4 hours with the paddle with three different groups. As a 4.0, I was able to evaluate it with 3.5 to 4.5 players. That gave me a good feel for the paddle in various situations.
The power was evident right away. Despite being lighter than the paddles I normally use (8-8.3 oz) and the thinner grip, I felt that the power was excellent. I found some players experienced difficulty handling my top spin power serve occasionally. More so than my regular paddle.
The balance of the paddle is very good. It felt fast in my hand at the NVZ line. (Probably the lighter weight combined with the nice balance) I felt very comfortable blocking opponents hard shots.
At the same time, the paddle surface with the thicker core was a very nice combination when dinking. The touch of the Pro Core provides very good control in soft to hard shots. The feel of the paddle when dinking inspired confidence right away.
My previous favorite Paddletek paddle, the Tempest Wave, has been knocked from that position by this paddle. Along with the characteristics already mentioned, the best thing about this paddle is the feeling that the sweet spot is the entire face. It feels like you cannot miss the sweet spot when using the Bantam TS-5 Pro. It’s not actually 100% of the face, but it felt that way.
The configuration of the sample I tested would be perfect for anyone with smaller hands who likes a lighter paddle with a fairly conventional shaped paddle. For me personally, I would probably go with something around 7.8 ounces and the 4 3/8” circumference grip. The variety of configurations should allow almost anyone to find one that works for them.
So bottom line for me, I already warned my wife that one of these might end up in my personal paddle collection. She mentioned I have a birthday coming up. Yeah, I’m spoiled.
You can find your own here:
http://www.pickleballcentral.com/Paddletek_Paddles_s/197.htm
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