JamesWhen it come to pickleball paddles, OM has created something different with its high-end Aero1 paddle. Check out this review to find out its performance highs and lows.
Are you tired of playing with pickleball paddles that feel like copies of a copy?
I am—so I tried the new OM AERO1 Performance Pickleball Racquet.
What is a pickleball racquet? Its a new USAP-approved paddle composed of a carbon-fiber ‘racquet frame,’ 14mm honeycomb polypropylene (PP) core that is double thermoformed with a full 3K T700 carbon fiber wrap on the face.
What does all that jargon mean? Dirty, nasty, sexy performance is what it means.
We all know that every pickleball paddle is 99% the same and made in Chinese factories. From previous pickleball paddle reviews, I’ve talked extensively about how paddle companies sell the same hamburger in a different wrapper. Now, finally, OM has created something different.
The big question is: “But is it BETTER?”
Thankfully, OM sent me its flagship paddle to test and review because the AERO needs to be felt to be appreciated.
Is the Aero1 a Gen3?
After playing with it several times, I’d say the AERO1 has a similar feel to Gen3 paddles that are accelerating the game to insane speeds.
Just to give a quick overview of Gen1 vs Gen2 vs Gen3 speeds, here’s results from a ball exit velocity speed test:
- Gen1 paddles (PP core, no foam): 40 ft per second
- Gen2 paddles (thermoformed PP core with slight foam edge): 50 ft per second
- Joola Gen3 paddles (thermoformed PP core, extended foam edge): 60 ft per second
- Gearbox Pro Power (Carbon Fiber Core): 73 ft per second
Now imagine you are playing a tournament and the other team shows up with the Gearbox and you have a name-brand, top-of-the-line Gen2 style from a few months ago. With the same amount of force, the other team’s ball velocity is 50% faster than yours. That’s like using a wooden baseball bat while the other team uses titanium.
At some point, you either need to spend the money and upgrade or play at a massive disadvantage.
While OM doesn’t claim the AERO1 is a Gen3 paddle, it does have similar technology.
How Does It Play?
The style and design of the paddle gains immediate attention on the courts and everyone wanted to know, “What is that thing?” The AERO is the Bugatti of paddles.
But attention doesn’t win matches. Upon first playing, I considered the AERO1 accurate and punchy. My first few games were against solid, experienced players whose playing style could be described as “slow” when compared to advanced tournament play. I felt fresh and relaxed. Most of my shots were on-target and few were forced. Then the real test began.
Once the big hitters and high-level tournament players jumped in, things started to go wrong. When a competitor’s shot has pace, your reaction time diminishes. That means motor control takes over and in any given rally, you have several hits that must be placed within a fraction of a second. In high-speed games, you can’t always move to optimal shot position. High-level players aim most shots either below the waist, at your feet, or at a tough angle. That creates awkward body posture and weird paddle orientations.
With the AERO1, this caused challenges. My forced reactions to fast shots caused pop-ups, and not being in position to get a full swing meant lots of wrist flicking that either went too far and out of bounds or too short and in the net. Of course, softer shots from my opponents gave me time to move around, set up and embarrass them. But anything with pace or aimed at my feet gave me headaches. Once I switched to my generic Gen2 16mm paddle, I immediately responded better to pressure shots.
“Perhaps it’s because you didn’t give it enough time,” you might say. But a few days later, I tried again with the same result. In fact, I committed to playing nonstop with the AERO1 and never adapted.
But here’s the catch. Higher-level players than myself, who just happened to be ex-tennis players, also tried the AERO1 and LOVED it. They adapted quite well to the firmness, trampoline effect and power. That implies a certain style of player would benefit from the AERO1. They are also players who will soon switch to the latest Gen3 power paddles in order to compete in regional and national tournaments.
Pickleball’s Changing Future
Pickleball as a sport is progressing at lightning speed. In a couple years, we’ll see rally scoring in rec play and many tournaments won’t force switching, allowing players to be either right-side or left-side dominate with the better player taking the forehand. Also, drives are accelerating and drops are getting harder to place as the average height and wingspan of players increases. I play against tall guys 6’2”-6’5,” and standing behind the kitchen line with their Albatross wingspans, they can almost touch the net with their paddle. That means drop shots are simply rolled back to your feet continuously.
But there is one way to beat the taller, faster players: hit harder, hit down, hit angles. Because of this need for pace, everyone is switching to faster paddles. However, increased ball velocity comes at a cost, namely control. Players who commit to hours of practice each week develop the soft touch needed for blocking pressure shots. The rest of us who aren’t dialing in microscopic motor movements through hours of repetitions need a softer core, even if that means our drives are a few MPH slower.
Future Improvements
The OM AERO1 does one thing extremely well: its hits are hard and powerful. For expert-level or pro players, this racquet may be one of the best ever made. For high-level rec players and local tournament competitors, we need a softer 19mm version with a bit more control.
And lastly, I prefer the elongated style paddles with a longer handle, as do most advanced players (especially those of us over 6 feet tall with massive hands). OM, give us a 19mm elongated “racquet” with a Gen2 feel, and take my money!
OM AERO1’s Score
10/10 design aesthetic
9/10 power and speed
6/10 control and forgiveness
8/10 spin