As some of you may have noticed, I've been sporting the Diadem Warrior paddle for a few months now. I've added weight and really found it to be quite a performer.
But there is always greener grass somewhere and paddle technology marches on, or has it?
I bought a Diadem Vice paddle and took delivery on Saturday, a week ago.
The Vice is a paddle that is very quiet. It has lots of small holes in it (26). It's made from extruded EVA foam. It's not going to be submitted for approval for tournament play - at least, that's the rumor on the paddle street.
Why might it not be approved even if submitted? EVA foam is a material that has been used in the past for paddles, but is now on the "forbidden materials list." Rumor is that the material is a bit springy and the game wardens are not approving a paddle that would provide some spring.
By the way, you can no longer make your own paddles and play with them in a tournament. I'm inferring that that was a thing back in the day. Too bad, really, it would be fun to buy a "kit" and make one up. Also plywood is not very expensive... I have some plans actually.
So the paddle is not a tournament paddle. That is fine with me. I'm not going to play in any. The paddle has some interesting features. The one I like, is that it's very quiet. There is a subdued thonk at impact. It's pleasing to the ear, or at least less damaging.
It's also supposed to be very poppy in that the coefficient of restitution is good. So, more bang for the swing.
It's quiet as the vibrations are dampened due to construction and materials, and thus claimed to be gentle on elbow joints. I've had some tennis elbow and I'm willing to do something to avoid a flare up.
Finally it's supposed to be pretty spinny. Though, there are other, approved paddles that are spinnier. (Dictionary time out... Spinney is a small wood with undergrowth, dates from the 16th century. Common roots with spine, from Latin. There is no dictionary entry to describe something that spins a lot, e.g., spinny. So, new word here, but an interesting sidebar for those who care about this kind of thing.)
In my game, I love me some spin. It's due to a sordid background in table tennis and I like to bend the ball a bit.
I've had the paddle for a week of play. It's quiet, that's good. But as to being faster or spinnier, I'm not sure. It feels differently than the Warrior. And I've not adjusted to it quite yet. There are errors occurring that are unusual, I've hit a few service returns long, for example. I've not had the opportunity to hit my backhand roller yet.
On the plus side, I've managed to whack a few dead into a back corner. I think maybe there is a bit more power there, but it's not world changing.
The Vice is also about an ounce lighter than the Warrior, but it seems to handle about the same. I don't have a feeling about whether it needs some weighting or not.
In conclusion, I think there is a lot of promise there. But it is not wildly different than the Warrior. I like the Warrior a lot and if you liked the Vice, and play tournaments, try the Warrior. I'm carrying mine as a spare, if you'd like to try it, just ask.
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