PaddleTek designed the Bantam TKO-C with pro Christian Alshon, and the first thing you notice on this elongated paddle is the pop. On the thinner 12.7mm version, the ball jumps off the face when you punch a volley or counter at the kitchen, and only eight elongateds pop more. It's built for an aggressive player who wins points with quick hands at the net and hits the center, because the sweet spot is small and the ball dies when you catch it high on the face. If that's you, and you like an older, simple build with a lifetime warranty, I'd buy it. If those don't matter to you, I'd get the newer MARK unMARKed 2026.
The TKO-C came out in May 2024, in 12.7mm and 14.3mm, and newer foam paddles have passed it since then. The unMARKed 2026 is one of them. MARK put it out in August 2026, and it's full foam, meaning foam fills the whole core instead of a plastic honeycomb. It pops and spins about the same as the TKO-C, but it hits a lot harder, forgives a lot more off center, and costs $9 less. The TKO-C is a Gen 1 paddle, the older honeycomb build with no foam inside, and PaddleTek backs it for life.
Pros and cons
The scores behind these are for the 12.7mm.
Pros
- A good bit more pop than the average elongated, so punches and counters at the kitchen jump off the face
- It swings a bit lighter than most elongateds, which keeps your hands quick
- A bit more stable than average for an elongated, so the face doesn't twist much when you're off center
- No foam to break down and no break-in, backed by a limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- The sweet spot is a good bit smaller than the average elongated's, and it has less control than most. That's a big con if you often miss the center or you're newer to the soft game, because balls you catch high on the face die and soft shots are harder to keep low.
- Its power on drives is below average for an elongated. That's a real con if you're a baseline banger, and a small one if you do your damage at the kitchen.
- $180 with code STSPICKLEBALL is a lot for a Gen 1 paddle. Unless the lifetime warranty matters to you, the unMARKed 2026 does more for less.
Quick answers
Is the Bantam TKO-C still worth it in 2026?
Yes, if you hit the center, attack at the net and value a lifetime warranty on a simple Gen 1 build. The 12.7mm still pops more than most elongateds. If the warranty isn't a big deal to you, the unMARKed 2026 hits harder and forgives more for a little less, and if you need a forgiving face most of all, look at Honolulu's J6CR Crystal Blue elongated.
Should I get the 12.7mm or the 14.3mm?
Get the 12.7mm if you're an attacker, because it's the poppier one. Get the 14.3mm if you play more of a soft game, because it's more forgiving and resets come easier.
TKO-C or TKO-CX?
Get the TKO-C unless you hit a two-handed backhand. The CX keeps the shape and face but has a longer handle, and in the 12.7mm it trades a lot of power for extra pop.
Can I use it in tournaments?
Yes. Both thicknesses are on USA Pickleball's approved list for sanctioned events. Only the 14.3mm is on the list for UPA-A, the approval PPA and MLP pro events use, so if you play those, get the 14.3mm.
How I tested
I scored the 12.7mm TKO-C, so every TKO-C score here is for that thickness. Power and pop come from ball speeds on my Stalker Pro 3S, the same radar that reads spin on my serve test. My Briffidi SW1 reads swing weight, how heavy it feels through a swing, and twist weight, how steady the face stays off center. Sweet spot and control are my own ratings, from dinking, dropping and resetting off a ball machine. I haven't put the 14.3mm through those tests, so it doesn't get scores here. When I say how it ranks, I'm comparing it with paddles you can still buy.
I first played these when PaddleTek launched six TKO paddles in May 2024, and I reviewed the whole lineup in Changing The Game: Paddletek's 6 New TKO Paddles Reviewed. In that video I called them "insanely hot off the face," and my numbers on the 12.7mm back that up today.
Pop is the whole point
In a fast exchange at the kitchen, the light swing gets you to the ball early, and a short punch is enough to finish it, with no wind-up. On my radar, the TKO-C scores 89 out of 100 for pop, against 74 for the average elongated, and that's the best thing about this paddle. When someone speeds one up at you, your counter comes back with real pace without a big swing.
How it feels in your hand next to other elongateds you can buy
Quick in your hands, and steadier than most when you miss the middle
How heavy the paddle feels when you swing it. Lower means faster hands.
Swings lighter than most elongated paddles.
How well the paddle resists turning in your hand when you hit off center. Higher means steadier.
Steadier than most elongated paddles.
How its sweet spot stacks up against other elongateds you can buy
A smaller sweet spot than most elongated paddles
Both rings are sized to their score.
Pace at the net, not drives from the back
PaddleTek sells the TKO-C as "All-Court Power," and back in 2024 it was close to the hardest hitting paddles out there. Since then, newer paddles have passed it, and about two thirds of elongateds now hit harder on drives.
So the pace you get is on short strokes, where the pop does the work. If you like to end points with big drives from the back, this isn't your paddle.
The catch: a small sweet spot that dies up top
This is where the Gen 1 build costs you. The sweet spot is small for an elongated, and only 16 elongateds have a smaller one. In 2025 I said the whole PaddleTek series had "a bit of a tighter sweet spot given that it's a gen one paddle," with "a little bit more die off around the edges," and that still holds.
It's still stable, though. When you catch one off center, the paddle stays square in your hand, and the ball just comes off dead, because there's no foam out toward the edges to keep its pace up. It's worst up toward the top.
That hurts if you're still finding the center. You might think lead tape would help, and owners are split on it. One on PaddleTek's site added 3 grams on each side and called it "very stable and predictable," while another on Pickleball Warehouse added weight and found it too heavy.
The soft game takes touch
All that pop makes dinks and resets take some adjustment, because the ball wants to jump off the face even when you're trying to take pace off it. You can see it in my control score, 34 out of 100, where the average elongated gets 45. With a 41 sweet spot against an average of 52, there's also less room to miss on a reset than with most elongateds. If you already trust your soft game, you'll adjust to it. If you're still building one, I'd pick a paddle with more control.
Built to last, with a lifetime warranty
This is the best reason to buy a Gen 1 paddle in 2026. The simple Gen 1 build holds up well, so the core doesn't get crushed and the face stays bonded to it. It does go a little more dead over time, but there's no break-in, so it plays right from the first game.
PaddleTek covers it with a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects, as long as you register it within 14 days of buying it. Only four brands I've tested cover the whole paddle for life.
Spin is about average
How its spin stacks up against other elongateds you can buy
More spin than most elongated paddles, 37 RPM above the average
The top three for spin
- 1Honolulu J6CR Crystal Blue2,424
- 211SIX24 Hurache-X Jelly Bean 22,39529 RPM behind
- 3Engage Axiom Elongated2,39430 RPM behind
- 16PaddleTek Bantam TKO-C2,315109 RPM behind
The face is raw carbon with a peel ply finish, a rough texture left in the carbon that grips the ball. On my serve test, its spin lands right around the average elongated's. It isn't in my wear test, though, so I can't tell you how fast that spin fades.
12.7mm or 14.3mm?
Both thicknesses are the same shape, the same handle and the same $200 list price, so this comes down to how you play. The 12.7mm is the hot one, built for players who like to attack and finish at the net.
The 14.3mm gives up a little of that pop for a more forgiving face and an easier time on resets. When the line came out, I said that if I were a more control minded player who still wanted solid power for certain shots, I'd grab the 14.3mm, and that's still how I'd pick between them. It's also the only TKO-C on the UPA-A list, so it's the one for pro events.
The TKO-CX and PaddleTek's other options
The TKO-CX has the same shape and face with a handle half an inch longer, and it's more stable on off center hits. That longer handle is for players who hit a two-handed backhand, and that's the reason I'd pick it.
In the 12.7mm, the CX pops even more, with the top pop score there is, but it hits a lot softer and spins less. When I first played the lineup, I thought I liked the 14.3mm TKO-C best, and then I picked up the 12.7mm TKO-CX and it was "lights out." Today I'd take the 12.7mm TKO-C over the 12.7mm CX for most players, because it hits a lot harder and spins more for the same price. If you do go with the CX, the 14.3mm swings heavier than the 12.7mm, so it feels slower in your hands.
PaddleTek also makes the Tempest TKO-C 14.3mm. It's the control version in the same shape, and it's $135 with code STSPICKLEBALL. It has way more control than the 12.7mm TKO-C, but a lot less pop, and it swings heavier. There's also a newer Bantam Jolt Elongated on PaddleTek's site. It's a 16mm foam paddle at $225 (checked November 7, 2026). I haven't tested it yet, so I can't say how it compares.
What owners are saying
In November 2026 I read through owner reviews on PaddleTek's site, Pickleball Warehouse and JustPaddles. What owners love is the pop, and the main complaint is the sweet spot, which is just what my numbers show.
Four owners praised the power and pop, and one on JustPaddles summed it up as "Power, Power and more Power!" My numbers back the pop more than the power. Three said the sweet spot is small or dead on the edges. One of them, a one star review on JustPaddles, called it "extremely small" and said it "feels dead when you make contact." Three liked it for the soft game, so in the right hands it can dink and reset just fine.
On the handle, one owner felt the weight in the neck and handle slowed them down in hands battles, and another found the grip a little small. One owner on PaddleTek's site found a couple of snags on the face after a few uses, and PaddleTek replaced the paddle. Nobody reported the core breaking down or the face coming apart, and the rattle from a loose steel weight that turned up in a few TKO-CX paddles in 2024 and 2025 hasn't been reported on a TKO-C.
How it compares with the MARK unMARKed 2026
The unMARKed has a grit coating on the face that MARK says won't fade with hard play. Besides hitting harder and forgiving more, it has more control than the TKO-C and swings a bit lighter, and it's $171 with code STSPICKLEBALL.
The warranty is the big reason to still pick the TKO-C, because the unMARKed comes with one year and the TKO-C is covered for life. The unMARKed's grit is also new, and as I said in October, "the Mark Unmarked has only been out since August 2026, so we don't know yet how well its grit holds up long-term." If you play UPA-A events, the 14.3mm TKO-C is on that list and the unMARKed isn't, though USA Pickleball approves both. The unMARKed is on pre-order right now, with the next batch shipping November 13 (checked November 7, 2026). If none of that matters to you, the unMARKed is the better paddle.
Other paddles to look at
Engage Axiom Elongated: a lifetime warranty at the same price
The Axiom Elongated is Engage's 16mm elongated, and like the TKO-C, it comes with a lifetime warranty. The price is the same too, $180 with code STSPICKLEBALL. It spins more than the TKO-C, hits harder and has a bigger sweet spot, with pop and control about the same. Where it falls short is stability. It's one of the least stable elongateds, so when you catch one well off center, the face twists more in your hand. A ball only a little off center still keeps its pace, thanks to the bigger sweet spot. It's sold out right now, but you can still order it (checked November 7, 2026).
Honolulu J6CR Crystal Blue: for players who miss the center
The J6CR Crystal Blue is Honolulu's 16mm full foam elongated. Its sweet spot and control both score a lot higher than the TKO-C's, it has the most spin of any elongated I've tested, and it hits harder, with pop about the same. It's a bit less stable than the average elongated, though, and the face twists a little more on big misses. It's UPA-A only, so you can't use it in USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments, though most local leagues and clubs accept it. Its 6 inch handle gives you room for a two-handed backhand. Honolulu sells it for $176 with code STS10. It has a one year warranty and is on pre-order, and when I checked on November 7, 2026, its next batch was due to ship November 13.
Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Elongated: more power and forgiveness under $100
This is Enhance's 16mm foam core elongated with its ArmorGrit coating. It's $99.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. That's $80 less than the TKO-C, and it still gives you a lot more power on drives, a lot more sweet spot and more control, with spin about the same and a bit less pop. It comes with a one year warranty and was in stock on November 7, 2026.
My call
The Bantam TKO-C is a pop paddle for players who already have the hands for it. If you win your points in quick exchanges at the kitchen, find the sweet spot on most shots and want a Gen 1 build that lasts with a lifetime warranty behind it, I'd buy it. Take the 12.7mm if you like to attack and the 14.3mm if you lean on your soft game or play pro events.
If you're still finding the center, or you want big drives from the back, it'll fight you. For most players, the MARK unMARKed 2026 is the better buy at $171, and if forgiveness matters most, the J6CR Crystal Blue is the elongated I'd reach for.
Testing details
- Tested
- August 25, 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 2,315 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
- Scores from
- My database, updated November 8, 2026. How I test
No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 1
