Someone asked on my YouTube channel recently whether I would prefer the Vatic Pro Prism Flash or the Agassi Edge pickleball, and to be honest, I didn’t know the answer, so I played with both paddles side by side to give you the best comparison.
Firstly, if you don’t know me, I am a huge fan of the Vatic Pro Prism Flash. I own multiple of these padddles, and wrote a review comparing the Vatic Pro Prism Flash 14mm vs 16mm.
That said, I am always open to challenge my assumptions about paddles, so I was excited to see the comment asking my review. It was another excuse for me to purchase a new paddle to my 60+ paddle collection.
First, I am going to cover the side by side comparison, then playability, cost considerations and which I would choose. I was surprised by my answer.
Side By Side Comparison
Before I go into the most important aspect (playability), let me show some pictures that I shot comparing the two paddles.
As you can see, the picture above shows that the shapes are somewhat similar. You can see that the Agassi edget has a longer handle a slightly different shape. Here’s the side by side shot that doesn’t show much.
I had another image showing the paddles basically on top of each other, and the paddle’s shape’s are slightly different, but it wasn’t enough that I thought it was worth showing.
That said, let’s talk about the playability.
Playability
Firstly, I have both the Joola Pro IV Ben Johns and the Agassi Edge, and to be honest, I didn’t necessarily feel that there was that much of a different that justified the 3x cost. That said, I 100% prefer the Joola Pro IV as I felt that it provides a better control and power aspect, and a really nice pop-up. That said, the Agassi edge still has an amazing feel, and I strongly believe that it’s a better feel than the Vatic Pro Prism Flash.
I highly prefer the Carbon Fiber option vs the Fiberglass option as it has a nice partial print that maintains textured grip as you can see below.
The Vatic Pro Prism Flash is an amazing paddle and one of the best intermediate budget paddles.
Both are great paddles, but let’s chat about who wins in game play.
Dinking
Firstly, I dinked with both paddles and felt that the Agassi Edge had an overall more consistent pop. The sweet spot is fantastic on the Agassi Edge, and I felt that I had really nice control of my dinks.
The Vatic Pro Prism Flash is a great all around paddle, but I felt that I was less consistent with my dinks. The pop is nice, but it doesn’t have the same controlled feel as the Agassi Edge.
Serving
I use both power and spin on my serves. For both the Vatic Pro Prism Flash and the Agassi pickleball paddle, I felt that both were consistent and I couldn’t find a clear winner.
Game Play
I played a match switching off between paddles to try to glean as much as I could from the game play. Here’s what happened.
- I started with the JoolaAgassi Edge and started the game up 6-1
- When I switched to the Vatic Pro Prism Flash, my opponent came back and then I was only up 7-6
- I switched back to the Joola Agassi Edge, and barely won the game 11-9.
After that I switched to the Vatic Pro Prism Flash, and the game was a battle, but I ended up winning the game 11-7.
Let’s talk about cost considerations before I mention my favorite of the two paddles.
Cost Considerations
The cost is where the Vatic Pro Prism Flash wins. Vatic Pro provides a $10 discount under the cost bepickleballer and comes with a nice case, which puts this paddle under $90.
The Agassi Edge is a brand new paddle, and I could not find any discount, so your stuck with the Amazon price. It seems like it’s often just below $100, but check the link below for the most up to date price.
Which Would I Choose?
Both the Vatic Pro Prism Flash and the Agassi Edge are definitely clear winners. The Vatic Pro Prism Flash is a great all around paddle for under $100, and the Agassi Edge is a newcomer to the list as Andre Agassi apparently just started playing pickleball.
Honestly, I am surprised by my answer, but I would choose the Agassi Edge over the Vatic Pro Prism Flash. I clearly played better with this paddle, and it’s fantastic paddle option under $100.
If you have a paddle I should test, please email be at ben@bepickleballer.com
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