Who each gift suits, in gifter language
- Their arm gets sore, and they want to keep some punch. The ProKennex Pro Flight. Same Toray carbon face and cushioned Comfort Pro grip as the Ovation, with a touch more reach and drive. It is the pick for a player who wants the brand’s arm-friendly feel without giving up the ability to put a ball away. Our full Pro Flight review covers the trade-offs.
- They have actual tennis elbow, or a wrist that flares up. The ProKennex Ovation Speed II. This is the clearest expression of what the brand is for: a paddle designed around vibration control, paired with an extra-cushioned grip, aimed squarely at players whose elbow or wrist complains. It is our top pick on the paddles for tennis elbow page, and the one to give if the word “elbow” has ever come up.
- Their elbow has been a problem for months, not weeks. The Bauerfeind EpiTrain. A medical-grade knitted sleeve with silicone inserts that massage the forearm as they move — the elbow version of the knee brace we rate most highly. It is far more than a strap and costs like it, which is why it belongs on this page rather than the cheap one. Sized by measurement, so buy with a gift receipt. See our elbow brace comparison for the strap-and- sleeve alternatives.
- She has heel pain that has outlasted a couple of pairs of shoes. The ASICS Gel-Resolution X, women’s. The most structured court shoe we could verify for plantar fasciitis: a frame wrapping the heel, a softer heel foam than the forefoot, and a higher collar on the inside of the ankle. It is a serious shoe for a specific problem, and the right splurge for that person. Our plantar fasciitis shoes page explains why structure, not softness, is the answer.
- He wants the softest, springiest cushioning. The New Balance FuelCell 996 V6. A tennis shoe that crosses over to pickleball well, built on springy FuelCell foam with tennis-grade lateral stability. Soft landings on a platform that doesn’t roll is the combination that protects sore knees and weak ankles at once. One caveat: the standard width runs narrow, so if he has a broad foot, order a wide or choose the New Balance 1007 in 4E on our gifts for him page instead. New Balance has also released the roomier 996v7; the V6 is the outgoing generation, which is often when a shoe is cheapest. The women’s version, in a true W width, is on our gifts for her page.
- They are getting good, and talking about spin. The JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CAS 16. The performance benchmark on our paddle lists: carbon surface, thick 16 mm core, elongated handle for reach and a two-handed backhand. It is more paddle than a beginner needs, which is the point of a splurge for an improving player — but the elongated head suits elbows better than weak wrists, so it is not the pick for a wrist complaint. Read our Hyperion review first.
Where more money stops buying more comfort
This is the honest section, and it is the reason the page exists. In paddles, the features that protect an older arm are a softer, thicker core, a cushioned or molded handle, and a light overall weight. All three are available well under this tier — the Gamma Obsidian’s foam handle and the Selkirk Atlas Max’s 16 mm carbon build both sit on our under-$150 page. What the top of the market adds is mostly spin texture, power and pro-player names. For someone who plays for fun three mornings a week, that is not comfort, and our are expensive paddles worth it guide goes through the numbers.
The two places the extra money is genuinely well spent are the ProKennex line, because vibration control is the whole design brief rather than a feature, and medical-grade supports like the Bauerfeind sleeves, which are built and sized like medical devices because they are. In shoes, structure costs money and structure is what a sore heel or an unstable ankle needs; a premium shoe bought for its cushioning alone is a nice shoe, not a safer one.
One more thing worth knowing before you spend at this level: paddle makers do run real end-of-year sales, and some clear prior-generation models on their own sites outside the holidays entirely. Our Black Friday & Cyber Monday hub lays out what last November actually looked like, class by class, with sources, so you can decide whether the premium paddle is a buy-now or a wait-for-November.
What to check before you buy
- Paddles: whether they already own a ProKennex. Players who love the brand tend to own one already. If they do, the Hyperion is the more interesting splurge, or go to the supports.
- The EpiTrain: measured sizing. Like the GenuTrain, it is sized from the limb against Bauerfeind’s chart. Gift receipt, always.
- Shoes: size and width. Both shoes here use normal athletic sizing. Neither is a wide shoe in its standard width — the New Balance drew consistent owner complaints for running narrow, and the ASICS is a structured, close-fitting shoe. If they wear an orthotic, check our plantar fasciitis page for which insoles come out.
If the paddle is the whole present
Both ProKennex paddles above sit in the same price band, and if a paddle is the only thing you are buying it is worth seeing the band laid out properly. Our best pickleball paddles under $200 page ranks everything in our registry under that ceiling for a player over 55, names the budget pick that costs a third as much, and says plainly where the extra money stops buying comfort.
