Pickleball Paddle, Pioneer Neo 14 Raw T700 Carbon Fiber Pickleball Racket USAPA Approved for Tournament Play with Paddle Cover

I just received my Pioneer Neo 14 paddle and when I opened the box, my first thought was "if the manufacturer places as much thought into the paddle as they do the packaging, I am going to be very happy". They did not disappoint with this paddle. I am between a 3.0 and a 3.5 74-year-old player and I am always buying paddles to test them out in hopes of getting just a little bit more of an edge to make up for my lesser agility. I have to say this paddle did just that. Now, I have only played a few games so I can't speak to the longevity of the paddle, but I can speak to the performance. I was making shots that I was not making with any of my previous paddles. I felt the paddle gave me more control and when I had that occasional mishit, the ball still responded well.

Since we got all the necessaries for a driveway pickleball court, I've made an effort to accumulate enough paddles for everyone and guests to play with. However, I've tried to get ones that aren't so cheap as to be flimsy or beneath a more experienced player's level. I'm not sure how this brand measures in the world of pickleball, but I don't think it's a direct knock-off like some seem to be. You go to the website and they seem focused on artistic design, which is kind of cool. Of the rackets I've gotten, though, this also tends toward the higher end, performance-wise.My son is a pretty good rackets player for his age and I use him as a sounding board. He doesn't love this one, preferring one with more touch, but I was able to appreciate it. This racket hits the ball hard. At 14mm, I believe that's what it's designed for and it follows through on that front. At the same time it's light enough for a smaller person. It might give something back in weight by having a slightly narrower face. It also has a relatively slim grip.The carbon fiber face leans toward the less gritty end of things but, like a lot of the carbon fiber rackets, you can still put spin on the ball. Even if this one doesn't appear built for touch, the ball comes off the racket crisply. It's able to perform in the more delicate aspects of the game.Performance aside, I kind of like the oblique smile design on the face. It's subtle enough to not distract or come off as cheesy. But it's recognizable after looking for a second. I guess that more up-market design conforms to the Bond brand's marketing. Otherwise, the construction seems more than reliable.(And if, for comparison sake, you want to see how I/we reviewed other paddles, they're elsewhere in my profile.)

Currently there are an overwhelming amount of pickleball paddle companies trying to make a name for themselves. Some have gimmicky technology marketing, some make claims of tremendous power or spin, while others try to market themselves as a great price:performance contender. The Bond Pioneer Neo 14 fits that last demographic and presents itself as a pretty decent paddle at a killer price.This is a thermoformed, elongated-shape paddle with a Raw Carbon Fiber face and a 14mm thick core. The last bit intrigued me as the vast majority of budget paddles are either cheap feeling fiberglass/graphite paddles with an thin 11mm core and no grit or they are similar raw carbon fiber paddles that have 16mm cores. Typically 14mm cores have more pop than 16mm cores. Also, note that thermoformed paddles all use edge foam (which has been around for well over a year) and not full foam or foam injected cores. The construction is what I'd expect for a gen 2 paddle which is how I believe the Bond is marketed.The paddle comes in an attractive box with cover and an elastic and hook and loop carrying strap. The strap has a carabiner and attaches to the handle so you can hang the paddle when not using it. I can't knock Bond for including the strap as a free extra, but I don't think I'll ever use it.Fit and finish is one area where cheaper paddles typically show their lack of polish and the Bond is a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus-side, the construction itself feels good. The handle feels solid and has no gaps and the edge guard is solidly attached. My paddle has no rattling inside or uneven grit. On the negative-side, some of the cosmetics are a bit off. Lettering printed on the face is off in some places and the Bond logo on the butt is every so slightly rotated and off center. Both of these are exceedingly minor gripes and won't affect function at all, but I figured it was worth mentioning.Elongated paddles have narrower sweet spots than hybrid or standard shape paddles and thinner cores are typically a little less controllable but the Bond was not bad. If you miss the sweet spot, it does feels like you're hitting with a wood plank, but when you make good contact with the ball it has plenty of pop and power while not being uncontrollable. The grit on the face is good, not as gritty as other paddles I have but I was able to generate decent spin on the ball.For how the paddle plays, it plays perfectly fine, there was no unexpected surprises. The sweet spot is narrower than I would want, if you hit off center it feels like you're hitting the ball with a wooden plank but when connecting solidly, it offers good pop. The swing weight feels a bit on the high side but the thinner core makes it fine. Both the thinner sweet spot and higher swing weight are expected in an elongated 14mm paddle. If you're someone who suffers from tennis elbow or a new player, I'd not recommend this paddle.Overall, the paddle is decent but isn't something that blew me away. That said, value is what makes this paddle such an attractive buy. At the time of purchase, this was the cheapest thermoformed, Raw Carbon Fiber paddle I've seen, coming in at a lower price point than many paddles of vastly inferior quality. I would not recommend this for a beginner, but if you have some pickleball experience or a tennis background, this is an excellent buy and an easy recommendation for an upgrade.Edit: After getting more play time with this paddle, I felt that I needed to bump the rating from 4 to 5 stars. I still wouldn't say this paddle is incredible, but it plays so far above the price it was originally offered at that I have to give them credit.

My first thought was that I've never seen a paddle packaged this nicely! It came in a really thick, foam-lined box with a nice little lanyard for your bag. The paddle itself is very nicely crafted. It has great balance and a good grip. It is comfortable to hold. I tried it out for 3 games and then let friends put it through the rounds as well. Everyone thought it had a nice grip and a good face for imparting spin and was just overall comfortable to play with. I'm a solid, intermediate player and have tried a lot of paddles over the years. This one is really nice at the $60 price point. The value is a solid 10 out of 10. It is USA Pickleball approved. I would highly recommend this paddle.

Now that I have several weeks of Pickleball under my belt, I've moved up from much cheaper family paddle kits, mostly fiberglass paddles to this Carbon Fiber. A rather cool design on the paddle face, aesthetic only and unrelated to performance. But if you like it, maybe you'll think your playing better lol. The grip is nice, firm. And again that's a preferential thing, others may differ. This paddle feels like it hits with more authority. Hits harder imo. The face of the paddle feels grittier compared to all of our beginner paddles and imparts more spin. In my case that spin is not always imparted with precision. But its there and I just need more control. All in all its a good upgrade as my skill improves. Not sure if the manufactures hype is worth the price tag though, so 4 stars.