Apex Carbon Ping Pong Paddles | Professional Table Tennis Paddles with Carbon Fiber, Premium Rubber & Protective Carry Case to Elevate Your Play

Got two of these. Great spin, great construction; a heavy paddle, though. It's a thick chungus. For $30, it's a steal. I'd rate it 5 stars for the buy.The first one came in a wrapped box, looking like a presentation well above the price mark. Above expectations. The paddle was perfectly wrapped in protective covering. I was impressed. It plays nicely if you can get past the weight.Then the second paddle came. It was like night and day. Box was smashed and ripped, not wrapped. Paddle was dirty, not wrapped in any protective plastic (came as pictured). Right when I open it, I see some rubber dimple or baked-in plastic on the paddle face (pictured).Perhaps it's just a defective model. I've left seller feedback, along with this review. If it can be replaced, I'll update with the rating the first paddle deserves. The second was clearly a model that had been sold, returned, and now resold.[EDIT]A few days after writing this review and leaving seller feedback, alerting the manufacturers to the defect, they reached out to me. Their email was simple and to the point: Please let us send you a new paddle for your re-consideration of our quality.Clearly, the second paddle I received was an anomaly as the next was perfect--wrapped, new, not a speck of dust or imperfections. I do wish there was a better way to contact the manufacturer other than leaving a negative review (manufacturing mistakes happen), but other than that, I am --extremely-- satisfied with this paddle at this price point. As the top portion of my original review states, it's an absolute steal to get a paddle of this caliber at this price point.Also, as to my "heavy" comment in the first portion of the review, I ordered a different paddle from another vendor who claimed it was "light" and it's just about as heavy as this one, so maybe it's not as heavy as I originally thought.Excellent buy. If you're on the fence about spending too much money on a quality paddle, get this one--it's better than my "early 2010's" $100 paddle I bought at a sporting goods store.

Nice paddle, great spin, heavier then most other carbon paddles, just now starting to nick corners from hitting edge on table, fair price, fast shipping, well packaged

I needed to replace my 50 year old Butterfly and I decided this might be a good choice. It claims to have 99 Spin, 97 Speed and 93 Control. I don't have any way to measure that, but I was not able to get enough spin with my Butterfly (again, it's old) so the high spin number sold me.As soon as I tried it, I was able to get a lot more spin with this paddle than my old one. I'd say 50% more. I know there's no way to quantify it, but I feel more confident with the extra spin I get.I like the tapered handle, but it isn't finished very well. One of the handle sides was a bit larger than the blade, so it bothered me when I played. I was able to trim it down with a rasp and now I don't feel anything protruding from the handle.The 2mm sponge makes the paddle quite thick -- about 15mm. The thicker sponge is what makes the paddle fast, but it's also what makes it heavy. It weighs 196 grams. A heavier paddle is harder to bring around, but once you get there, the extra weight helps propel the ball with a little more speed -- it's a trade-off.The reason I deducted one star is because the description is mis-leading. It states that the blade is 5-ply with 3 carbon layers. This is not true. The blade is 3-ply wood. There are 2 carbon layers ONLY under the handle half-pieces, and they are micro-thin. I wouldn't expect to get a full ply carbon paddle for under $40, but it shouldn't say that it is.Overall, I'm pleased with the paddle. If you are a decent player (better than most, but not tournament level) this is a very nice, inexpensive paddle with effective spin and speed.

The spin is good, as well as the control. It had less speed than my previous paddle, but still a good choice.

6/15/2021 (3 Stars): It's been 3 weeks since my review (below) and request to rectify the problem, and been 2 weeks since "Joe (Collas)" said he would refund my purchase, but hasn't happened. I've reduced this review from 4 to 3 Stars. I would up-rate once this issue is resolved satisfactorily!5/24/2021 (4 Stars): Rubber workmanship quality consistency could be better for >95% satisfaction. There's a "pimple" on the rubber - not sure if it's impurity in the rubber or a "debris" got under the rubber during manufacturing process (gluing rubber to the wood paddle), caused the pimple. I've message the seller of this pimple problem and have yet to hear back.Not sure ratings are as good as specified: Speed: 97, Spin: 99, Control: 93; maybe 75/75/85.No evidence that this is a 5-ply carbon layered blade. I still own a ~30 years old made in Japan 5-ply Butterfly blade that has 2 carbon layers, so I know how it looks, feels, and plays.The wood look and feel great, the handle design is nice, but could be a little wider at the middle for better grip tightness - perhaps less tapered.Spec says 2.0mm rubber, 2.0mm sponge; but the sponge might be 2.1 - not a negative, but it makes the paddle a bit thick and heavy for players that like to "quick-slap" (snap) the ball.It specified Skill Level: Advanced/Professional, but it came with same rubber grade/sponge size on both sides - so it's more like for intermediate players and non-professional. The paddle should be JTTAA or ITTA certified if it's for Professional.For reference and basis of my review: I bought 3 paddles for my wife and kids (Butterfly 401, SCHILDKROT Donic Waldner 800, and this Spindragon Apex Carbon); and in my humble opinion, I can probably beat 95% of the general public in the height of my playing days 35-40 years ago.

Great paddle and rubber feels really sticky. I like it.