The Selkirk Boomstick was just released, so I knew right away that I had to get my hands on one and compare it to the Joola Pro IV pickleball paddle.
You can call it the battle of the $300 paddles.
If you’ve been following the blog, you would know that I just competed the Joola Prov IV against a $50 budget and $5 cheap pickleball paddle. The results were surprising, so I was excited to compete that Selkirk Boomstick vs the Joola Pro IV.
Just for your context, Joola and Selkirk are both the top echelon of paddle brands, and the Selkirk Boomstick and Joola Perseus 4 represent their most premium paddles.
The difference between the two paddle methodology started at the first impressions.
First Impressions
The Selkirk Boomstick destroyed the Joola Perseus 4 in first impressions.
Selkirk Boomstick Unboxing Experience
Firstly, the first thing I noticed was the black paper on top that felt like this paddle was gift wrapped.
When you lift up the black paper, you see the the Boomstick’s paddle cover.
Immediately, the paddle cover stood out. In addition, a close family member was at my house for the Selkirk unboxing experience, and they kept commenting how well the paddle cover looked. My close family member knows nice things, so it was fun to see them provide so many kudos.
Finally, you see the paddle. I like how the Joola Perseus 4 looks, but I would argue that the Selkirk Boomstick looks nicer overall from the design perspective. The paddle has an elongated handle and is 16mm in paddle thickness.
Next, you turn the paddle to the side, and you see “inertia tuned” feature.
The Selkirk unboxing experience was incredible, but let’s see how Perseus 4 has done.
Joola Perseus 4 Unboxing Experience
The Joola Perseus Pro 4 unboxing experience has definitely improved since my experience getting the Joola Ben Johns CFS16mm, but I still have a grip that a $300 paddle doesn’t come with a paddle cover.
Hopefully Selkirk’s raising the bar will mean that you get a paddle cover in future versions. That said, the Joola unboxing experience has improved. The paddle comes in a nicer, custom box as you can see with a window to the paddle.
When you open the box, you’ll see a beautiful paddle.
The paddle also comes with a couple of accessories, which tend to be standard now with most quality paddles. You get stickers which is a nice touch.
The paddle itself feels great in your hands, and feels like the perfect measurments. I am planning to add some weight to sides and head of paddle, but it still feels solid out of the box.
Okay, let’s talk about playability of both the Selkirk Boomstick and Joola Perseus 4 as that’s what most important.
Playability
Given both of these are $300+ after tax, I have high standards in terms of how well a paddle plays. I am a bit more skeptical and give less forgiveness than my favorite $50 budget paddle.
Control
When I first tried the Selkirk Boomstick, I expected it to be a pure power paddle, but I was surprised by how much control it actually offered. The paddle has a crisp, solid feel that gives me instant feedback on every shot. I can tell right away whether I’ve hit the sweet spot, which helps me adjust during play. What stood out most to me was how stable it felt on blocks and counters, and the ball doesn’t twist off the face as much as I expected, even when I catch it slightly off-center.
That said, this paddle definitely rewards good technique. If I get lazy with my hands or push too hard on a drop, the ball can fly deeper than I want. It’s not as forgiving in the soft game as a true control paddle, but it’s much more predictable than most power-focused paddles I’ve used. Once I found the right touch, I could hit consistent dinks and drops without feeling like the paddle was fighting me.
Overall, I’d say the Boomstick offers a great mix of pop and precision. It gives me the confidence to attack hard but still lets me play controlled when I need to reset or slow things down. It’s not ideal for beginners, but for experienced players who want more control from a power paddle, I think it delivers that balance really well.
I would argue that the Joola Perseus offers solid control for those with the softest hands, but I have had trouble reeling in the wild stallion. Obviousl, some of the the best in the world use this paddle with solid control, so it’s possible.
Between the Selkirk Boomstick and the Joola Perseus IV, I lean toward the Boomstick having the edge in control for most players. The Boomstick’s stability and more dampened feel make it a bit more forgiving when dialing back pace, whereas the Perseus IV is a bit more aggressive, which great when you want to attack, but a little more demanding when you want to slow things down.
Winner: I would argue Selkirk Boomstick wins for control.
Power
When I step up with the Selkirk Boomstik, I instantly feel its puckerpunch with the full-foam core and side weighting combine to deliver a powerful response that lets me drive hard without feeling like I have to muscle every shot. I received a bunch of compliments for my strong serve and volley speed, giving some explosiveness on my drips.
With the Joola Perseus Pro IV, I feel potent energy especially in its 16mm version it has that “pop” character on contact that makes attacking comfortable. I would argue that this paddle has so much power and force that it can make it difficult to control. In my opinion, I have had some of my hardest serves and returns with the Joola Pro IV.
Winner: I’d say Joola Pro IV has the slight edge over the Boomstick.
Spin
Both the Boomstick and Perseus 4 have incredible spin. How incredible? Matt’s pickleball measured the Boomstick at an impressive 2294 revolutions per minute (RPM) (source) while Pickleball studio measured the Joola Perseus Pro 4 at 2048 RPM (source).
Personally, I got incredible spin with my knuckle serve with both the Boomstick and Perseus 4, and I was able to get really solid top spin and slice on both paddles.
Winner: Selkirk Boomstick
Context: If I had to pick between them, I believe the Selkirk Boomstik has a slight edge in raw spin capability, especially on aggressive drives and slices. Its face texture combined with its measured RPM data give it an advantage, though in actual match play the difference may feel subtle depending on how clean your contact is.
Which Would I Choose?
Personally, I would choose the Selkirk Boomstick over the Joola Perseus 4. The Selkrik Boomstick paddle had the best first impression of any paddles I’ve ever owned with a certificate of authenticy, and the nicest paddle cover on the market.
The Joola Perseus 4 has upped its game recently from some of the older models by putting the paddle in a box and adding extra grip tape, but the paddle still does not come with a complimentary paddle cover, and the experience still doesn’t feel like $300 even after the improvements.
I would argue that both of these paddles are for advanced players for 4.0 and greater.
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