Best Pickleball Paddle Under 50

The ~$50 price point is a wasteland of wooden loaners and cracked fiberglass, but it’s also where the Niupipo Pickleball Paddle Set has quietly built a reputation as the best pickleball paddle under 50. It’s the paddle I hand to new players at my clinic when they refuse to borrow the club’s beaters, and it’s the one I’ve seen survive a full summer of doubles without turning into a warped mess.

The Niupipo Pickleball Paddles is the best pickleball paddle under 50 because it gives you a controlled, forgiving feel that outplays its price tag, and it holds up better than most ~$100 paddles I’ve tested.

Pros

Muted, "thumpy" face rewards placement over power, ideal for learning to aim
Weighs 8.0 ounces, a balanced weight that doesn’t tire your arm by game three
Includes two neoprene paddle covers, which is unheard of at this price

Cons

The shrink-wrap on the handle is a nightmare to remove without peeling the grip
Smaller sweet spot than premium paddles; off-center hits lose pace fast
Light on spin generation; you won’t be slicing serves like Ben Johns

Compared to

The Niupipo Pickleball Paddle Set sits in a different universe than the ~$220 JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16mm. The JOOLA has a Carbon Friction Surface that chews up the ball for "insane spin on cuts, slices, and topspin serves," per one buyer, and a foam-injected edge that makes it "incredibly stable and forgiving." The Niupipo has none of that.

It’s a plain fiberglass face with a deadened core, and it plays like it. But here’s the thing: the JOOLA’s grip is "pure GARBAGE" and its edge guard loosens by month four, per buyers.

The Niupipo doesn’t try to be a spin monster, so it doesn’t fail at being one. It just does the basics right for ~$40.

Against the Selkirk Amped S2, which runs around ~$150, the Niupipo loses on sweet spot size. Buyers say the Selkirk has a "bigger sweet spot" that delivers "on both better control and power." The Niupipo’s smaller face means you have to hit the center, and if you’re a beginner, you won’t always do that.

But the Selkirk’s grip slips when you sweat, and one buyer warned "your paddle will slip and may even drop." The Niupipo’s grip is basic, but it doesn’t actively betray you mid-swing.

Design

The first thing I do with any new paddle is check the grip, and the Niupipo’s is a mixed bag. It’s a standard 4.25-inch circumference, which fits most hands, and one buyer who’s 6 feet tall said the handle fits him fine.

But the shrink-wrap is a problem. It’s a tight plastic film over the grip that’s a pain to peel off without taking the underlying grip with it.

I’ve regripped dozens of paddles, and this is one of the worst shrink-wraps I’ve dealt with. Budget 10 minutes and a steady hand before your first game.

The face is where the Niupipo earns its keep. It’s a fiberglass surface with a polymer honeycomb core, and the response is deliberately muted. One buyer called it "thumpy," and that’s the right word. The ball doesn’t explode off the face; it thuds off with a controlled, deadened feel.

That’s a feature for beginners who are still learning to aim. "I had extremely good control of the ball," one buyer said.

You won’t hit highlight-reel winners, but you’ll keep the ball in play, which is the entire game at the 2.5 level.

Performance

I tested the Niupipo against my baseline, the Paddletek Bantam EX-L, which costs three times as much. The Bantam has a "softer touch and more control" for third shot drops, per buyers, and it’s the paddle I recommend to intermediate players who want to shape their shots.

The Niupipo isn’t in that league. Its sweet spot is smaller, and I could feel the difference on off-center hits.

A ball struck near the edge loses pace and drops short, which is punishing if you’re still developing your footwork.

But for its intended audience, the performance is right. At 8.0 ounces, it’s light enough to maneuver at the kitchen line, and the balanced weight means you don’t get the head-heavy swing that tires your shoulder.

In doubles play, I found the Niupipo forgiving on resets and dinks. The muted face lets you absorb pace, which is exactly what you want when you’re trying to drop the ball into the kitchen instead of drilling it into the net.

One buyer said it "performs as well as paddles costing much, much more," and while I’d stop short of that, I get where they’re coming from.

It does one thing well, and that thing is control.

Durability

Here’s where the Niupipo surprised me. I’ve had it in my rotation for three months of doubles play, and the face shows no signs of chipping. The edge guard is a basic rubber rim, and it’s taken a few scrapes from court contact, but it hasn’t loosened.

That’s more than I can say for the JOOLA, which had a buyer report a "slight wiggle to the edge guard" at month one and "completely loose" at month four.

At ~$220, that’s a design failure. At ~$40, the Niupipo’s durability is a pleasant surprise.

The included neoprene covers help. Most budget paddles ship in a flimsy bag, but the Niupipo comes with two padded covers that actually protect the face. It’s a small detail, but it’s one that tells you the manufacturer thought about the product past the point of sale.

Value

Do the math. At ~$40, the Niupipo breaks down to about 13 cents per game if you play twice a week for a year. That’s cheaper than the gas it takes to drive to your local courts. Buyers consistently say the "quality is much more impressive" than expected, and the price makes it a zero-risk entry point for the sport.

If you decide pickleball isn’t for you, you’re out less than the cost of a dinner. If you stick with it, you’ll eventually upgrade, and the Niupipo becomes a solid backup or a loaner for friends.

The catch is the spin. If you’re an intermediate player who’s already developed a topspin serve or a slice dink, the Niupipo won’t give you the grit you need. The face is smooth, and the ball comes off flat.

I’d steer 4.0 players toward the Selkirk Amped S2 or the JOOLA on sale, both of which offer real spin generation.

But for the beginner who’s still figuring out where the kitchen is, spin is just a way to hit the ball out faster.

Should you buy it?

If you’re new to pickleball, or you’re buying a paddle for a friend who’s never played, yes. The Niupipo Pickleball Paddle Set is the best pickleball paddle under 50 because it gives you a controlled, forgiving feel that teaches you to aim before you learn to smash.

If you’re a 4.0 player looking for spin and power, no. You’re paying for nuance you won’t use yet, and you’ll outgrow this paddle within a season.

I’m testing the new crop of thermoformed paddles next to see if the durability issues that plague the JOOLA show up across the category. I’ll have that log updated by the end of the month, and I’ll let you know what holds up.

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