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Paddles on paddles on paddles on paddle…Six Zero just released a new paddle called the Ruby which I will be covering a bit in this video but that is not the main purpose of this video. We are going to go over the Six Zero lineup so you can decide which of these paddles might be right for you, if you are looking to purchase one for yourself.
I’m first going to be explaining the naming scheme a bit then go into how I would rank them in terms of performance. Stick around to the end to see which one I prefer out of the lineup.
Six Zero has 4 paddles right now that come in some differing variations. We got the Black Diamond, Double Black Diamond, Sapphire, and the Ruby. Aside from the Sapphire all these paddles come in a hybrid shape, that is 16.3 inches in length and 7.7 inches in width at its widest point.
This shape is not fully elongated which I typically categorize at a 16.5in length or greater nor is it standard which for me means it’s less than 16 inches in length. The hybrid shape strikes the best balance of reach, speed, and maneuverability.
BLACK DIAMOND
Let’s go over the Black Diamond first. I initially reviewed the Black Diamond awhile ago and I would categorize it as their power paddle. From what I understand it uses some fiberglass in its composite to give it that extra pop and power. I have noticed that the more recent Black Diamond batches I’ve played with are still plenty powerful, but don’t have the same pop as the ones I played with when they first released.
The Black Diamond only comes in a 16mm thickness but does have one more variation which is the Amethyst Purple Pro edition that is used by pro player Jaumie Martinez Vich. The only difference in this version is that it has a purple edge guard and comes in at an average static weight of 8.4 with a +/- 0.2 variance while the original comes in at an average static weight of 8.2 with the same 0.2 variance. The pro edition also comes in at $20 more at the time of recording this video.
So if any of you guys out there really want that purple edge guard with just a tad bit more weight you will have to go with the Pro option.
One last thing I want to mention is that the peel ply and grit on the current Black Diamonds are a little different than the Double Black Diamond series. The Black Diamond models use a far more rough texture and I think it’s a better performer overall when compared to the Double Black Diamond, which still uses the super fine peel ply texture. The fine texture gets better spin when you are allowed full swings from the baseline because I believe since the ball compresses more on impact due to the speed of the swing, the finer texture provides more surface area to be able to grab onto the ball and help generate more spin. However, when you are at the kitchen line and you are trying to flick and roll the ball over without the luxury of speed from a full groundstroke, I think the rougher texture gives you that extra bite you need on the ball to generate some of that spin. That’s just my theory and personal observation from playing with hundreds of paddles though.
With that being said I’m sure there is an optimal amount of roughness on these paddle faces that gives you the best performance from the back of the court to the no volley zone. I was also told by the team at Six Zero that they will be moving all their paddles to the rougher texture in the future. If you are worried it’s honestly not that big of a difference all these paddles get phenomenal spin.
DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND
Next up we got the Double Black Diamond, which is Six Zero’s most popular offering and for good reason. It is probably their best all court performer. Fast, stable, controllable, with adequate pop/power. If you are looking at Six Zero paddles and are unsure which one to get, this is a good place to start. It’s a paddle that can cater to the needs of many different players and play styles.
The Double Black Diamond comes in a few different flavors, a thinner 14mm version, and edgeless 16mm version called the Double Black Diamond Infinity. With the original 16mm and 14mm versions you can get them in all black or some blossom pink variations in the edge guard or paddle face, which look sweet by the way.
The Double Black Diamond 14mm is a more poppy and powerful version and is my personal preference when comparing all the Double Black Diamonds. The ball just comes off the paddle face very quickly, it’s very maneuverable and fast for hand battles, but lacks some of the stability you find in the 16mm version. I would personally add a bit of weight, maybe 0.2-0.25 oz at the 4 and 8 o’clock positions to gain back some of that stability. With that setup the DBD 14 probably becomes about just as powerful as the Black Diamond.
You might be wondering how the Double Black Diamond 14 compares to the Black Diamond and I would say the power levels are similar but the 14mm DBD just has a more crisp feedback and the ball comes off the paddle face just a bit faster. Whereas the Black Diamond feels just slightly more plush and a bit more versatile if you tend to like to reset and do drop volleys more.
Last but not least in the Double Black Diamond family we have the Infinity. It’s essentially the Double Black Diamond 16mm that is edgeless. It is a clean and very good looking paddle. However, the edge may not look as clean if you ever drop or scrape your paddle on the ground. Definitely recommend you get some protective tape on this paddle to keep from chips and scratches. I have some links down in the description for some of the tape I use from Pickleball Effect and some of the colored gaffers tape that aren’t as protective but gets you some more fun colors.
I would say that the Infinity plays rather soft and feels even more plush than the original Double Black Diamond 16mm. It’s quite stable for an edgeless paddle since most edgeless paddles have poor stability and tend to twist in the hand. The way I would describe the Infinity is that it is a more control centric version of the DBD 16mm with less power but maneuvers fast in the hand like a 14mm paddle.
So if you like to drop, reset, and value the touch game but still want to be able to keep up with the fast hand battles this might be the best option of the 3. To recap that, The DBD 14mm is fast and powerful. Ideal for the more aggressive player who likes to attack and speed up. The Infinity is just as fast, might even be a little faster but soft and plush. The DBD 16mm is a bit slower to maneuver and sort of right in the middle for more of an all court kind of style that is a good option for just about anyone.
SAPPHIRE
Speaking of anyone, next up is the Sapphire paddle, which is Six Zero’s entry level paddle coming in at about $100 USD. Don’t let the price and entry level label fool you though, the Sapphire was build with high end materials and still uses a hot mold, thermoform, process found in many other high end paddles including the Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond.
At the time of recording this video this is Six Zero’s only fully elongated offering, which should be changing soon as I know they are working on a new shape.
The Sapphire also utilizes a 13mm core which is the thinnest core out of the entire Six Zero lineup. It’s fairly fast in the hand because of that thin core but it also gives very strong feedback when striking the ball. It plays even more crisp than the DBD 14mm but a little less powerful and less stable in my opinion. The balls coming off the face are pretty poppy and quick but because the Sapphire is lighter on average when compared to the DBD it doesn’t have quite the plow through and power of the DBD 16.
The Sapphire comes in 2 options. One with a more traditional raw carbon fiber face surface and the other is a more fun and colorful edition that has a spray on grit coating. I would probably opt for the raw carbon fiber face texture just because spray on grit just usually doesn’t last nearly as long as the raw carbon textured surface. However the Parti color looks really fun and would definitely stand out on the court or in a paddle stack with a bunch of other paddles when you are playing at your local court.
RUBY
Finally we have the new Ruby. A full kevlar face that Six Zero has been developing for the past several months and is sourced from DuPont. It’s very similar in looks to the face found on the Pickleball Apes Energy paddles but the Apes paddles utilizes a Kevlar and carbon fiber hybrid face while the Ruby utilizes only Kevlar. The Ruby is a first of its kind and I for one think the Ruby looks fantastic with this all maroon, red, paddle face. The combination of the red weave pattern and white edge guard and handle looks so clean. You’ll also be happy to know that it plays as good as it looks. The kevlar material found in the face is very strong and impact resistant which gives the Ruby a very plush and soft feel. This helps the Ruby grab and shape the ball better giving you access to more spin.
It’s definitely the most spin friendly in the Six Zero lineup as well as the most control oriented. Don’t let that fool you though because this paddle still packs a punch when needed. The pop is a bit less than the DBD 16mm in my opinion but you don’t feel like you are lacking power. It honestly performs very similarly to the DBD 16mm with just a tad less pop, similar power, more spin though, and the feedback and touch you get when striking the ball with the Ruby is superior to the rest of the lineup in my opinion. I just feel really connected with the ball and my shots do what I want them to.
The exceptional feel, stability, and spin makes the Ruby a strong contender for one of the best control and even all court paddles out right now. The Ruby is definitely a DOPE paddle in pretty much all categories. Six Zero really knocked it out of the park with this one in terms of performance and looks.
SUMMARY
Here is how I would kind of rank all of the Six Zero paddles in the following categories.
Control
- Ruby
- DBD Infinity
- DBD 16mm
- Sapphire
- DBD 14mm
- Black Diamond
Power
- Black Diamond
- DBD 14mm
- Ruby / DBD 16mm
- Sapphire
- DBD Infinity
Pop
- DBD 14mm / Black Diamond
- Sapphire
- DBD 16mm
- Ruby
- DBD Infinity
Spin
- Ruby / Black Diamond
- DBD 14mm
- DBD 16mm / DBD Infinity
- Sapphire
When it comes to my personal preferences among the Six Zero lineup it’s currently a tossup between the Ruby and Black Diamond Pro. I tend to gravitate more towards power paddles but the looks on the Ruby I think take the cake for me and I would probably choose the Ruby over the Black Diamond and then followed very closely by the DBD 14mm.
Hope you guys found this useful!
Paddles on paddles on paddles on paddle…Six Zero just released a new paddle called the Ruby which I will be covering a bit in this video but that is not the main purpose of this video. We are going to go over the Six Zero lineup so you can decide which of these paddles might be right for you, if you are looking to purchase one for yourself.
I’m first going to be explaining the naming scheme a bit then go into how I would rank them in terms of performance. Stick around to the end to see which one I prefer out of the lineup.
Six Zero has 4 paddles right now that come in some differing variations. We got the Black Diamond, Double Black Diamond, Sapphire, and the Ruby. Aside from the Sapphire all these paddles come in a hybrid shape, that is 16.3 inches in length and 7.7 inches in width at its widest point.
This shape is not fully elongated which I typically categorize at a 16.5in length or greater nor is it standard which for me means it’s less than 16 inches in length. The hybrid shape strikes the best balance of reach, speed, and maneuverability.
BLACK DIAMOND
Let’s go over the Black Diamond first. I initially reviewed the Black Diamond awhile ago and I would categorize it as their power paddle. From what I understand it uses some fiberglass in its composite to give it that extra pop and power. I have noticed that the more recent Black Diamond batches I’ve played with are still plenty powerful, but don’t have the same pop as the ones I played with when they first released.
The Black Diamond only comes in a 16mm thickness but does have one more variation which is the Amethyst Purple Pro edition that is used by pro player Jaumie Martinez Vich. The only difference in this version is that it has a purple edge guard and comes in at an average static weight of 8.4 with a +/- 0.2 variance while the original comes in at an average static weight of 8.2 with the same 0.2 variance. The pro edition also comes in at $20 more at the time of recording this video.
So if any of you guys out there really want that purple edge guard with just a tad bit more weight you will have to go with the Pro option.
One last thing I want to mention is that the peel ply and grit on the current Black Diamonds are a little different than the Double Black Diamond series. The Black Diamond models use a far more rough texture and I think it’s a better performer overall when compared to the Double Black Diamond, which still uses the super fine peel ply texture. The fine texture gets better spin when you are allowed full swings from the baseline because I believe since the ball compresses more on impact due to the speed of the swing, the finer texture provides more surface area to be able to grab onto the ball and help generate more spin. However, when you are at the kitchen line and you are trying to flick and roll the ball over without the luxury of speed from a full groundstroke, I think the rougher texture gives you that extra bite you need on the ball to generate some of that spin. That’s just my theory and personal observation from playing with hundreds of paddles though.
With that being said I’m sure there is an optimal amount of roughness on these paddle faces that gives you the best performance from the back of the court to the no volley zone. I was also told by the team at Six Zero that they will be moving all their paddles to the rougher texture in the future. If you are worried it’s honestly not that big of a difference all these paddles get phenomenal spin.
DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND
Next up we got the Double Black Diamond, which is Six Zero’s most popular offering and for good reason. It is probably their best all court performer. Fast, stable, controllable, with adequate pop/power. If you are looking at Six Zero paddles and are unsure which one to get, this is a good place to start. It’s a paddle that can cater to the needs of many different players and play styles.
The Double Black Diamond comes in a few different flavors, a thinner 14mm version, and edgeless 16mm version called the Double Black Diamond Infinity. With the original 16mm and 14mm versions you can get them in all black or some blossom pink variations in the edge guard or paddle face, which look sweet by the way.
The Double Black Diamond 14mm is a more poppy and powerful version and is my personal preference when comparing all the Double Black Diamonds. The ball just comes off the paddle face very quickly, it’s very maneuverable and fast for hand battles, but lacks some of the stability you find in the 16mm version. I would personally add a bit of weight, maybe 0.2-0.25 oz at the 4 and 8 o’clock positions to gain back some of that stability. With that setup the DBD 14 probably becomes about just as powerful as the Black Diamond.
You might be wondering how the Double Black Diamond 14 compares to the Black Diamond and I would say the power levels are similar but the 14mm DBD just has a more crisp feedback and the ball comes off the paddle face just a bit faster. Whereas the Black Diamond feels just slightly more plush and a bit more versatile if you tend to like to reset and do drop volleys more.
Last but not least in the Double Black Diamond family we have the Infinity. It’s essentially the Double Black Diamond 16mm that is edgeless. It is a clean and very good looking paddle. However, the edge may not look as clean if you ever drop or scrape your paddle on the ground. Definitely recommend you get some protective tape on this paddle to keep from chips and scratches. I have some links down in the description for some of the tape I use from Pickleball Effect and some of the colored gaffers tape that aren’t as protective but gets you some more fun colors.
I would say that the Infinity plays rather soft and feels even more plush than the original Double Black Diamond 16mm. It’s quite stable for an edgeless paddle since most edgeless paddles have poor stability and tend to twist in the hand. The way I would describe the Infinity is that it is a more control centric version of the DBD 16mm with less power but maneuvers fast in the hand like a 14mm paddle.
So if you like to drop, reset, and value the touch game but still want to be able to keep up with the fast hand battles this might be the best option of the 3. To recap that, The DBD 14mm is fast and powerful. Ideal for the more aggressive player who likes to attack and speed up. The Infinity is just as fast, might even be a little faster but soft and plush. The DBD 16mm is a bit slower to maneuver and sort of right in the middle for more of an all court kind of style that is a good option for just about anyone.
SAPPHIRE
Speaking of anyone, next up is the Sapphire paddle, which is Six Zero’s entry level paddle coming in at about $100 USD. Don’t let the price and entry level label fool you though, the Sapphire was build with high end materials and still uses a hot mold, thermoform, process found in many other high end paddles including the Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond.
At the time of recording this video this is Six Zero’s only fully elongated offering, which should be changing soon as I know they are working on a new shape.
The Sapphire also utilizes a 13mm core which is the thinnest core out of the entire Six Zero lineup. It’s fairly fast in the hand because of that thin core but it also gives very strong feedback when striking the ball. It plays even more crisp than the DBD 14mm but a little less powerful and less stable in my opinion. The balls coming off the face are pretty poppy and quick but because the Sapphire is lighter on average when compared to the DBD it doesn’t have quite the plow through and power of the DBD 16.
The Sapphire comes in 2 options. One with a more traditional raw carbon fiber face surface and the other is a more fun and colorful edition that has a spray on grit coating. I would probably opt for the raw carbon fiber face texture just because spray on grit just usually doesn’t last nearly as long as the raw carbon textured surface. However the Parti color looks really fun and would definitely stand out on the court or in a paddle stack with a bunch of other paddles when you are playing at your local court.
RUBY
Finally we have the new Ruby. A full kevlar face that Six Zero has been developing for the past several months and is sourced from DuPont. It’s very similar in looks to the face found on the Pickleball Apes Energy paddles but the Apes paddles utilizes a Kevlar and carbon fiber hybrid face while the Ruby utilizes only Kevlar. The Ruby is a first of its kind and I for one think the Ruby looks fantastic with this all maroon, red, paddle face. The combination of the red weave pattern and white edge guard and handle looks so clean. You’ll also be happy to know that it plays as good as it looks. The kevlar material found in the face is very strong and impact resistant which gives the Ruby a very plush and soft feel. This helps the Ruby grab and shape the ball better giving you access to more spin.
It’s definitely the most spin friendly in the Six Zero lineup as well as the most control oriented. Don’t let that fool you though because this paddle still packs a punch when needed. The pop is a bit less than the DBD 16mm in my opinion but you don’t feel like you are lacking power. It honestly performs very similarly to the DBD 16mm with just a tad less pop, similar power, more spin though, and the feedback and touch you get when striking the ball with the Ruby is superior to the rest of the lineup in my opinion. I just feel really connected with the ball and my shots do what I want them to.
The exceptional feel, stability, and spin makes the Ruby a strong contender for one of the best control and even all court paddles out right now. The Ruby is definitely a DOPE paddle in pretty much all categories. Six Zero really knocked it out of the park with this one in terms of performance and looks.
SUMMARY
Here is how I would kind of rank all of the Six Zero paddles in the following categories.
Control
- Ruby
- DBD Infinity
- DBD 16mm
- Sapphire
- DBD 14mm
- Black Diamond
Power
- Black Diamond
- DBD 14mm
- Ruby / DBD 16mm
- Sapphire
- DBD Infinity
Pop
- DBD 14mm / Black Diamond
- Sapphire
- DBD 16mm
- Ruby
- DBD Infinity
Spin
- Ruby / Black Diamond
- DBD 14mm
- DBD 16mm / DBD Infinity
- Sapphire
When it comes to my personal preferences among the Six Zero lineup it’s currently a tossup between the Ruby and Black Diamond Pro. I tend to gravitate more towards power paddles but the looks on the Ruby I think take the cake for me and I would probably choose the Ruby over the Black Diamond and then followed very closely by the DBD 14mm.
Hope you guys found this useful!
