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Pickle Madness meets a tennis legend, Ronbus R1.16 paddle review, and more!

Tennis Legend Ivan Lendl Buys A Paddle From Pickle Madness

While at the Florida-Georgia Pickleball Classic last weekend in St. Augustine, a special player approached the Pickle Madness tent with some names of paddles on his phone.

“I’m looking for the Ronbus T3 Pulsar”, he said.

I looked up and standing in front of me was former #1 in the world tennis legend Ivan Lendl. He had been playing in the tournament and stopped by the Pickle Madness tent after completing his matches.

I made a motion toward the Ronbus R3 Pulsar demo in front of me and replied, “Oh you mean the R3 Pulsar?”

He laughed and corrected himself. Paddle names can be quite confusing after all.

“I want that one”, Lendl continued, “I played with it recently and it felt way better than anything I have used before”.

I went to the back of my tent and picked out a brand new R3 Pulsar for him. A crowd had begun to form during the transaction and after Lendl left those who were still lingering came to look at the demo of the paddle he just bought.

So there you have it, one of the greatest tennis players of all time now uses the Ronbus R3 Pulsar. If you want to follow Lendl’s lead and get an R3 Pulsar for yourself, you can do so here:

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Ronbus R1.16 Paddle Review

By Elizabeth Hagy

As a paddle fanatic I love to get my hands on all the new paddles and a lot are being released right now.  But it’s impossible to know how a new paddle is going to hold up over time. There are paddles that have been around for a while and stay popular even after a company has put out new paddles. One of these paddles is the Ronbus R1.16. This is a solid hybrid-shaped paddle that is a good all-court paddle that leans towards control.

Specifications:

•  Paddle length 16.5” Elongated

• Face Width 7.5”

• Grip Length 5.5”

• Grip Circumference 4.25” Octagon shape

• Weight: 8.2 oz

• Surface: Raw Toray T700 Carbon Fiber

• Paddle core: Polypropylene Honeycomb

• Core Thickness: 16 mm

• Price: $120 

The Ronbus R1.16 plays like what you would expect from a good quality 16mm paddle, with a plush, soft feel for resets, dinks, and drops. Control is easy with this paddle. The R1.16 has a lower swing weight so it is quick at the net. The elongated handle helps with the two-handed backhand.  The raw toray T700 carbon fiber helps give this paddle great spin. In fact, Chris Olsen at Pickleball Studio found the spin on the R1.16 to be 2120 RPMs. That rate puts this paddle in the top range of spin.

 This is definitely not a power paddle, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have power, it does. You will still be able to smash an overhead if you need to.

The R1.16 is a great all-court paddle that helps with control and sits at the top of the charts for spin. You will have to put a little more effort into your power shots, but if you like the extra control and spin. it’s a good trade-off. Overall, it’s a good quality paddle with a simple clean look that is a tremendous value for the price compared to its competitors.

You can purchase the Ronbus R1.16 here:

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