If you win your points by attacking and want a hybrid that hits like a power paddle without giving up spin, the 11SIX24 Ultré Power 2 is the one I'd buy right now. It's No. 1 on my Best of 2026 list. Only one hybrid you can buy hits harder, the spin is elite, and its HexGrit face barely loses any of that spin as it wears. The flat top also makes it really stable for a hybrid. Just know it has plenty of pop, so your drops and resets take soft hands or they'll float. This is the Power 2 version, not the softer Ultré Jelly Bean 2, which I cover below. It's UPA-A approved but not USA Pickleball approved, so check with an organizer before a USA Pickleball tournament.
Pros and cons
Pros
- It hits as hard as almost any hybrid, on drives, serves and put-aways.
- It's one of the top five hybrids for spin, and HexGrit kept nearly all of it in my wear test.
- Blocks you catch off center hold their line, thanks to the flat top.
- The 5.5 inch handle has room for a two-handed backhand.
Cons
- All that pop makes drops and resets float if you rush them. If you're still working on your touch, the Ultré Jelly Bean 2 below keeps the flat top with a lot more control.
Quick answers
Is the Ultré Power 2 worth $200?
If you're an attacker, yes. Only four paddles I've tested score 90 or more out of 100 for both power and spin, and this is one of them. If you win with dinks and resets instead, you'll be fighting the pop, and the Ultré Jelly Bean 2 is the better buy.
Ultré or J6CR Crystal Blue?
The J6CR Crystal Blue is Honolulu's elongated with their Crystal Blue grit, and it's my main paddle. I'd take the Ultré if pace and a stable face matter most, and the J6CR if you want an elongated with more control that still hits hard. I made a whole video on this one, and the full breakdown is below.
Ultré or Vapor Power 2?
They're in the same line with the same face, so it really comes down to shape. The Ultré's flat top makes it more stable on off center hits, and it hits a hair harder. The Vapor has a curved top and swings a bit lighter, so it's quicker in hands battles. Soft shots are a bit easier to keep low with it, too. Spin is about the same.
Is the Ultré USA Pickleball approved?
Not as of October 2026. It's UPA-A approved, which is what PPA and MLP pro events use, and most clubs and leagues accept it. USA Pickleball started a new spin test on October 1, 2026, and it has since approved some durable grit paddles, like Bread & Butter's Loco 2. 11SIX24 hasn't announced a USA Pickleball version of the Ultré, though.
How I tested the Ultré
The Ultré went through everything I run on every paddle. My Stalker Pro 3S radar measures the ball speed behind power and pop, and it reads spin in RPM on my serve test. My Briffidi SW1 measures swing weight and twist weight, and I measure balance on every paddle too. Sweet spot and control come from my ball machine, with the same dink, drop and reset drills every paddle gets. HexGrit has been through my wear test too, where my Starrett SR160 surface roughness tester tracks how the grit wears. In July 2026 I put the Ultré head to head with the J6CR Crystal Blue in J6CR vs Ultre Power 2: The Paddle I'd Actually Buy in 2026.
Power is the reason to buy it
This is a power paddle in a hybrid body. Drives come off deep, serves have real pace, and put-aways finish without a big wind-up. It scores 94 out of 100 for power, against 77 for the average hybrid.
The pop is right there with it, at 89 out of 100, a good bit more than the average hybrid's 74. Pop is your pace on short swings, so when you speed up a ball at the kitchen, it comes off fast and puts the other side on defense. That's a lot of fun when you're the one attacking. It's also why the soft game takes some work.
Spin that holds up over time
How its spin stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
Only four hybrids you can buy spin more, 115 RPM above the average
The top three for spin
- 1Honolulu J2CR Long Handle Crystal Blue2,467
- 211SIX24 Vapor Jelly Bean 22,40364 RPM behind
- 311SIX24 Ultré Jelly Bean 22,39770 RPM behind
- 511SIX24 Ultré Power 22,38780 RPM behind
The face grabs the ball whether you're ripping a drive or barely brushing a roll volley. Your topspin drives kick down into the court, and your serves get real shape. It measured 2,387 RPM, a spin score of 95 out of 100, which puts it in the top handful of hybrids I've tested.
And it keeps that spin. In my wear test, HexGrit lost only about 1% of its spin over 75 games, and only Honolulu's Crystal Blue grit matched it. Raw carbon faces lost 14 to 20%. So the spin you get on day one is pretty much what you'll have months from now. The other Power 2 shapes all spin right around the same, so spin shouldn't decide which one you buy.
Really stable for a hybrid
The flat top with no taper keeps the face wide all the way up, and that's where the stability comes from. Its twist weight is in the top quarter of hybrids. You feel it when you block a big hitter's drive and catch it a little off center. The face doesn't get pushed around, and the block still lands where you meant it. If you want it even steadier, I'd start with about 3 grams per side at 3 and 9 o'clock.
On soft shots it's more middle of the pack. My sweet spot score comes from dinks, drops and resets, and the Ultré scores 76 out of 100, right around the average hybrid's 72. So it's stable, but it isn't one of the most forgiving paddles out there. If forgiveness is what you're after, the line's widebody, the Pegasus Power 2, has the biggest sweet spot of all 254 paddles I've tested.
How it feels in your hand next to other hybrids you can buy
About average in your hands, steadier than most when you miss the middle
How heavy the paddle feels when you swing it. Lower means faster hands.
About average swing weight for a hybrid.
How well the paddle resists turning in your hand when you hit off center. Higher means steadier.
Only nine hybrids you can buy are steadier.
How its sweet spot stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
An average-size sweet spot for a hybrid
Both rings are sized to their score.
The soft game takes some work
This is where all that pop costs you. Even a gentle touch sends the ball off with pace, so a drop or reset you push sits up instead of dying in the kitchen. Its control scores 58 out of 100, against 71 for the average hybrid. If you already have good touch, you'll make it work. It just won't bail you out of a rushed reset.
How it feels
It's crisp and firm, and the ball comes off the face fast. If you like to feel exactly where you hit the ball, you'll like that. The sound runs a little deep. It's not as stiff or as hollow as Selkirk's Boomstik power paddle, but it isn't plush either. It swings about like the average hybrid and the balance sits in the middle, so it's not whippy, but it doesn't feel slow.
Which Power 2 shape is right for you
All four Power 2 shapes have the same HexGrit face, the same core and the same $200 price with code STSPICKLEBALL, so you're really just picking a shape. If you want to stay in a hybrid and you live in hands battles, I'd go with the Vapor Power 2. If you miss the center a lot, go with the Pegasus Power 2, the widebody. You give up a little reach for the biggest sweet spot I've tested. The Hurache-X Power 2 is the elongated, with the most reach and the longest handle, but a lot less control. For most players who want one Power 2 paddle, the Ultré is where I'd start.
Ultré Power 2 or J6CR Crystal Blue
These two are No. 1 and No. 2 on my Best of 2026 list, and they came out just weeks apart, the J6CR Crystal Blue in late May 2026 and the Ultré in June. It's a close call, and it mostly comes down to power and control.
The Ultré hits a bit harder, 94 out of 100 against 87, and it's the more stable of the two. The J6CR has more control, 69 against 58. Spin is about the same, though the J6CR does have the top spin score of any elongated I've tested. It's also a bit lighter in the hands and about $24 cheaper with code STS10. It has a little of that Honolulu softness at contact, too, so it won't feel quite as crisp. Both grits held up the same in my wear test. If you win with pace, go Ultré. If you want more control without giving up much power, go J6CR.
What owners are saying
When I went through 11SIX24's site in late September 2026, the Ultré had about 450 reviews, and I read every one under five stars plus the newest five-star batch. What owners love most is power that still feels under control, and nine of them said so. Five said they like it better than the Vapor, and one put it as a Vapor with a bit more pop.
The complaints are small. Over the summer of 2026, four owners said their paddle came in heavier or lighter than they expected. Three thought the grit looked thin or uneven, and three wanted more power. Not one Ultré owner I read reported a dead or delaminating core. The other three Power 2 shapes had reports of it in the spring of 2026, most of them before the Ultré came out, and 11SIX24 says it has found the cause. The warranty is one year if you register within 30 days.
Other paddles worth a look
Two paddles you might pick instead
How it stacks up against the Ultré Jelly Bean 2 and the J2CR Crystal Blue
A paddle only wins a score when it leads by 5 points or more.
Ultré Power 2Hybrid · $199.99
Ultré Jelly Bean 2Hybrid · $159.99The Ultré Power 2 hits harder, has more pop and a bigger sweet spot. The Ultré Jelly Bean 2 is more controllable. Spin is about the same. The Ultré Jelly Bean 2 costs about $40 less.
Ultré Power 2Hybrid · $199.99
J2CR Crystal BlueHybrid · $175.50The Ultré Power 2 hits harder. The J2CR has a bigger sweet spot and is more controllable. Pop and spin are about the same. The J2CR costs about $24 less.
11SIX24 Ultré Jelly Bean 2: the same flat top with a softer touch
The Ultré Jelly Bean 2 keeps the flat-top head and HexGrit face but uses 11SIX24's softer foam core, and it's been out since August 2026. If the Power 2's pop is what's holding you back, this is the one to look at. Its control scores 78 out of 100 against the Power 2's 58, and it spins about the same. What you give up is a lot of pace, 68 for power against 94, plus a bit of sweet spot, and its 5.35 inch handle is tight if you hit two-handed. 11SIX24 sums it up well: the Power 2 hits and the Jelly Bean 2 plays. It's UPA-A approved too, and it's $160 with code STSPICKLEBALL.
Honolulu J2CR Crystal Blue: more forgiving on soft shots
The J2CR Crystal Blue is the J6CR's hybrid sibling, with the same grit. Next to the Ultré, the standard version is a bit more forgiving on dinks and resets, 84 for sweet spot against 76, and it has more control, while spin and pop are about even. The Ultré hits a good bit harder, though, 94 for power against 81, so your drives and put-aways won't finish the same with the J2CR. It also gives up some stability on off center blocks. Its handle is tight for two hands, but the Long Handle version gives you room, and it hits and spins a bit more than the standard one. It feels a little softer at contact, the way Honolulu paddles usually do. Both are $176 with code STS10, and like the Ultré, they're UPA-A approved.
Bread & Butter Loco 2 Hybrid: close to the Ultré, with USA Pickleball approval
The Loco 2 Hybrid is Bread & Butter's 2026 hybrid with its Space Dust Grit, and it's approved by both USA Pickleball and UPA-A. It plays a lot like the Ultré, with a little less power and a bit lighter swing, and everything else is about even. The 5.3 inch handle is short if you hit two-handed, though. It's $198 with code STSPICKLEBALL, so it costs about the same. If you play USA Pickleball tournaments, this is the one to get.
Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid: the most spin under $100
Enhance sells the MPP Turbo Hybrid with and without grit, and I'd get the ArmorGrit one for the same money. The plain one spins about the same when it's new, but it has a raw carbon face, the kind that lost 14 to 20% of its spin in my wear test. The ArmorGrit has more control than the Ultré and right around the same sweet spot, and it's USA Pickleball approved. It doesn't hit as hard, 84 for power against 94, but it keeps up on spin and costs half as much, $99.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. ArmorGrit has worn a little faster than HexGrit in my testing so far. Enhance's warranty covers the core for a year.
My call
For an attacker, the Ultré Power 2 is the hybrid I'd buy. You get the pace of a power paddle, spin that lasts, and a face that stays stable when you get caught off center. If the pop is too much for you, step over to the Ultré Jelly Bean 2, which trades pace for a lot more control. Go J6CR Crystal Blue for more control in an elongated, or J2CR Crystal Blue for more forgiveness in a hybrid. The Loco 2 Hybrid is the pick for USA Pickleball tournaments. And if $200 is more than you want to spend, the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid gets you about the same spin for $99.99.
Testing details
- Tested
- June 6, 2026
- Power and pop
- 20 full serves for power and 20 punch volleys for pop, every ball speed read on a Stalker radar gun.
- Spin
- 20 more serves on the radar. I drop the outliers and average the rest, which gave this paddle 2,387 RPM.
- Swing and twist weight
- Measured on a Briffidi SW1 swing weight machine.
- Sweet spot and control
- The same dinks, drops, resets and drives off a Titan ONE ball machine, for every paddle.
- The scores
- Out of 100, with the same tests for every paddle. The top paddles I've tested score 100.
- Published
- Updated
- Scores from
- My database, updated October 21, 2026. How I test
Watch the review
11:32J6CR vs Ultre Power 2: The Paddle I’d Actually Buy in 2026
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