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I have around 70 pickleball paddles now and have wanted to get my hands on Engage Pursuit pickleball paddles given that the brand produces premium paddles.
The paddle did not dissapoint.
When I first started playing with this Engage Pursuit V2.0, I had just come back from a vacation, and my opponent noticed how well I was playing with this paddle and stated, “have you been playing in pickleball tournaments every day or something?” noting just how well I was playing with this paddle
I’m going to seriously compete this Engage paddle against the other paddles in the best paddles under $100 list, but let’s chat first impressions, playability and cost considerations.
Also, great news, I requested the Engage pickleball team for a discount code for my readers, and they provided a code: bepickleballer10 that you can get 10% off.
First Impressions
Firstly, the paddle’s look is really impressive. The paddle has a bulls eye on one side, and you can get this paddle in 4 different colors: Sky Blue, Crimson Red, Lime Flash, Pink Blaze
What I really like about my first impressions of this paddle is the paddle’s feel across the paddle, meaning that the grit is evenly disbursed. Sometimes brands can paint over the grit, making the paddle have less grit. Engage did not appear to do it, making an overall nicer finish that helps with spins.
The paddle has a thin edge guard the matches the color of the paddle.
As you can see above, the paddle has a 15.2 mm core that allows for maximum control and feel.
Let’s talk about playability as this is where the paddle really shines.
Playability
As I stated before, my friend noticed just how insane I was playing with this paddle, so I knew that this paddle was something special, considering I often play with my Joola Perseus Ben Johns Pro IV.
Firstly, let’s talk control as I believe that’s most important.
Control
The paddle had amazing control across the board. For example, I felt that I could control either hitting to the backhand or forehand on my serves, which is not usual for me.
In addition, I had solid drives, and I felt that my dinking accuracy was much higher. When my friend and I played the 7-11 drill, I also felt that I had the ability to effectively drop the ball.
In addition, check out this grip that allows you to grip the ball and place the ball more precisely, also allowing for spin which I’ll chat about later.
Spin
The Engage’s Amplified Carbon Surface has a soft carbon skill that I believe helped me control the ball, providing an overall soft feel for the ball. One of the spin serves in my artillary has massive spin, and I felt that the Pursuit V2.0 handle it nicely.
In addition, the paddles shape provides a great sweet spot to be able to have enough width to provide that spin.
Power
The paddle may be more of a control and spin paddle, but I found that it was still powerful. My main serve is a power serve, and I was able to maintain similar power to the top pickleball paddles for power.
In addition, I noted that my forehands drives had both power and control, which was a fantastic touch.
Let’s talk about cost.
Cost Considerations
The paddle is currently under $100, which is insane given just how well I played with this paddle. I would argue that this paddle could compete with my $200+ paddles in terms of playability.
If you’re interested, check out the price on Engage’s website.
Unfortunately, I could not find this paddle on Amazon.
Paddle Specifications
According to Engage’s website, here are the impressive specifications:
- Shape: 16 1/4″ x 7 3/4″
- Core Thickness: 15.2 mm core for maximum control and feel
- Weight: 7.8 – 8.2 oz
- Skin: Amplified Carbon Surface
- Colors: Sky Blue, Crimson Red, Lime Flash, Pink Blaze
- Core: Response+ Polymer Core
- Grip Circumference: 4 1/4”
- Optimized: To pass the most stringent community noise requirements
- USAPA: Approved for tournament play
The paddle’s weight is between 7.8 – 8.2 oz, and mine came in at exactly 8.0 ounces.
Should You Purchase the Engage Pursuit V2.0?
Honestly, I loved the Engage Pursuit V2.0 pickleball paddle. I felt that I had both ample control and power for my dinks and also my drives. I was able to put massive power on my serves, and the grit finish and carbon fiber face allowed me to spin the ball effectively.
And for under $100, I believe that the paddle is an absolutely steal, and I will continue to see whether this paddle can beat out the Agassi Edge and Vatic Pro Prism Flash.
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