![]() ![]() ![]() They offered a little less power and spin. The SLK Halo XL paddles play very similar to other raw carbon paddles from their competitors like CRBN, Joola, Electrum, and others, except for a couple of things. ![]() If you put two hands on there then you can feel the plastic of the edge guard more than you should with your second hand, so that’s annoying.Īs I mentioned in the introduction, the big question I had about the Halos was how they compared to other raw carbon paddles that cost $30+ more. This is a picture of the one I had and you can see the tape comes up short. I also noticed smaller things like the grip tape not going all the way to the top of the handle. Some people will like the extra long handle of the XL but it’s a bit extreme for me and makes the head feel smaller. Since they aren’t giving us handle length options like they do with their premium paddles you’d think they would use a length like 5.25″ that would appeal to more people. It’s strange to me that they went with such a long handle. I wish they kept the typical 4.25″ they do on their premium line of paddles. The thicker Control paddle has a thicker handle and the thinner Power paddle has a thin handle. Then the grip sizes are not Selkirk’s usual 4.25″ which is the standard size. The handle is very long, a little too long for most people. If you’re okay with that, then save yourself $30+ and pick this one up instead of other raw carbon paddles.Īll the specs on these are pretty standard other than the handle length and circumference. That’s not a bad number, but it’s not as high as other raw carbon fiber paddles.īottom line: The Halo XL paddles play similar to other raw carbon paddles but with a little less power and spin. When it came to spin, my spin test clocked in between 1400-1450 RPMs. However, you don’t see as many long handled paddles in this price range for some reason so I’m sure there will be some people happy about it. Once you go above 5.5” the paddle head feels a lot smaller. Their 5.75” handle lengths were a bit excessive, I wish they were somewhere between 5.25-5.5”. The 13mm offered more when it came to attacking, particularly with counters and hand battles though it felt a little more head heavy to me while the 16mm seemed better balanced though they were nearly the exact same weight. When it came to attacking, the 16mm didn’t offer much power for counters and put-aways but its longer handle and good spin allowed you to be precise with rolls & flicks at the net and drives would stay lower. I thought it was easier to control compared to other thinner core paddles I’ve played with. The 13mm wasn’t bad on the control side either, though it was a little poppier and took more time to adjust. When compared to other 16mm raw carbon paddles it’s one of the softer ones. Drops, resets, and dinks all came naturally with it. The 16mm performed well whenever you needed to control the ball and be precise with your targets. It had more pop than the 16mm but it wasn’t enough to put it in the power category. The 13mm had a stiffer feel in comparison to the 16mm though it felt more plush compared to 13mm paddles I’ve played with from many other brands. The 16mm absorbs pace well and has a plush, mute feel to it similar to an Electrum Model E. The SLK Halo XL 16mm falls into the control category while the 13 mm falls into the all-court category. After playing and drilling with the paddles for over two weeks, here’s my review of their performance. That’s the question I’ll be exploring and answering.įor this review, I played with the Halo XL 16mm Control and 13mm Power. The big question I have about the Halo series is whether or not they perform as well as their competitors’ raw carbon paddles, but for a cheaper price. Except, they are retailing the paddles for $140 which is $30-$80 less than what their main competitors are selling their raw carbon paddles for. Despite it being their budget friendly brand, there’s lots of interest in the Halo series because their newly signed top female pro, Parris Todd, plays with the Halo XL Control.Īs far as specs go, the Halo paddles don’t look much different than other raw carbon paddles out there. SLK is Selkirk’s budget friendly or mid-market brand. They are offering the paddles in an elongated (XL) and standard (Max) shape with two thicknesses which I talk more about below. Their SLK Halo series are their versions of raw carbon fiber paddles. As raw carbon paddles flooded the market in 2022, Selkirk was one of the few brands that didn’t release one. ![]()
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