Welcome to the Pickle Madness Weekly!

A pickleball paddle fanatic’s first impression of the brand new Diadem Edge 18K, a pickleball newbie’s first six months, and more!

I started playing pickleball on a regular basis this past February. I’m not here to tell you how to serve, when to lob, or how to properly socially snub players you’ve surpassed in skill as you’ve improved (I’m very much kidding about that last point!). Instead, dear reader, I humbly submit a few of the takeaways from my experience that you as a fellow newbie may appreciate, or that you may pass along to a newbie you know. Here we go!

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First Impressions: The Diadem Edge 18k Paddle

As a paddle fanatic, I want to try every paddle I can get my hands on, especially when a paddle has just made its debut on the pickleball scene. And like all pickleball paddle addicts, I know when a new one is coming out. This past week Diadem released its new Edge 18k, the company’s updated Warrior Edge. I got my hands on this paddle on the day it was released and rushed out to play with it. It is similar to its predecessor, the Warrior Edge, in its shape and handle length. What you notice right away is how the face of the paddle of the Edge 18K is different -- it has a unique weave pattern in the carbon fiber of the facing material. In other words, it looks really cool!

What you need to know:

The Edge 18K boasts a 3D 18K carbon fiber face also known as a Triaxial Carbon Fiber Surface, which refers to the three yarns interwoven into a 60 degree angle, resulting in an incredibly strong and what should be durable paddle face. Aside from impressive functionality, the 3D carbon face provides a sharp aesthetic, a pattern that distinguishes the Diadem Edge 18K from anything else on the market. A cool little detail to note: Carbon is often referred to as the building block of life, and the pattern on the Edge 18K’s carbon face certainly brings that phrase to life.

The Edge 18k also has a polypropylene honeycomb core, which offers a large sweet spot, a huge amount of control, and just the right amount of umph for when you need to drive the ball. The Edge 18K is 8 ounces, a fairly common weight for pickleball paddles. If you’re someone who prefers a heavier paddle or more power, you can always add some lead tape to get a desired weight. I didn’t do this as 8 ounces is the weight I prefer.

First impressions:

Like its predecessor, the Edge 18K leans towards control more than power. I found I could really place my shots where I wanted them, even when I'm hitting the ball quite hard. The Edge 18k does have more “pop” than the Warrior Edge but I was able to adjust quite quickly and it still has a soft muted feel when blocking or hitting resets.

I was impressed with the spin factor of the Edge 18K. That really cool Minecraft-esque carbon pattern generates a lot of spin without a lot of effort. That extra spin makes the 18k a fun paddle to play with. The paddle also has a large sweet spot, so I can hit winners even when I don't make perfect contact with the ball.

The Edge 18K also has a number of other features that I really like, including a textured grip that helps keep my hand from slipping. The new Edge Shield Pro edge guard not only protects the paddle from scrapes, it also makes a good surface to apply lead tape for those that need that extra weight. This paddle also feels like it is able to reduce a lot of the shock that comes with making contact with a hard drive, which will help prevent injuries.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the Diadem Edge 18K pickleball paddle. I will definitely keep this one in my bag. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cool looking paddle that offers a good amount of control and spin without sacrificing too much power.

You can purchase the brand new Diadem Edge 18k HERE!

Rule Review of the Week

Need one of pickleball’s confusing rules cleared up? Let us know and we’ll include it in next week’s issue.

Understanding a “let” on a serve.

With so many tennis players trying pickleball, there becomes some confusion about pickleball rules. One of these gray areas is when the served ball clips, skims or bounces off the net but still lands in the service box. In tennis, this is called a “let” and the serve is re-served. This differs in pickleball, as a 2021 USA Pickleball rule change officially eliminated the “let” in pickleball.

4.A.2. Placement. The server must serve to the correct service court (the court diagonally opposite the server). The serve may clear or touch the net and must clear the NVZ lines. The serve may land on any other service court line.

In other words, if the pickleball clips, skims or bounces off the net after being served and still lands in the correct side of the opponent’s service court, the ball is in play.

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