Selkirk AMPED Pro Air Epic Review

The numbers don't care what I thought of it, though. Power and pop are ball speeds off my Stalker Pro 3S radar, and spin is the RPM that same radar picks up on my serve test. My Briffidi SW1 gives me swing weight, which tells you how heavy it'll feel in motion, and twist weight, which tells you how much the face turns on a hit off center. Sweet spot and control I rate on the ball machine, hitting dinks, drops and resets. Every score is out of 100, and every rank here is against the paddles I've tested that you can still buy.

Pop is a bit under the average widebody, and on a paddle built for control, that's what you want. Counters still have some pace on them, and a dink you meant to keep soft stays soft. On those quick exchanges, it swings about like the average widebody, so it's not slow, just not especially quick either.

Spin on my serve test is about the same as the average widebody's. It's fine when it's new, but the best widebodies spin a lot more. The face is plain fiberglass with a painted grit on top, and it isn't a grit I've put through my wear test, so I can't tell you how long the spin will last.

The feel is the part you'll either like or won't. I've said before that I'm not the biggest fan of edgeless paddles, because I think an edge guard adds stability on slices and two-handed shots. The plain fiberglass also feels stiff and a bit hollow, a lot like a board, without the dense feel of most newer carbon paddles. The Invikta is the only other paddle in my rankings with a plain fiberglass face, so if you're used to carbon, this will feel different from almost anything else you try. It plays a lot like Selkirk's older Power Air, so if you liked that paddle, this one will feel familiar.

The handle is 5.25 inches, which is shorter than on most widebodies. That's fine if you don't really use a two-handed backhand, but it's a tight fit if you do.

The warranty is the other big reason to buy it. Once you register it, Selkirk covers the Epic for life against workmanship and manufacturing defects, as long as you're the original owner. Of the paddles I've tested, the only other one under $110 with a lifetime warranty is the Invikta. Since the Epic has no edge guard, chips on the top or sides aren't covered, and neither is a face that wears smooth.

The happy owners mostly talk about control. One Epic owner said they get a much more controlled shot with it, and a lot of the newest reviews like its mix of power and control and how light it feels. Many of those are from beginners, though, and my radar puts its power near the bottom of the widebodies.

The complaint I saw most was about touch. Four of the low Epic reviews say the ball popped up on them or the paddle lacked touch and control, and about eight Invikta owners said the same kind of thing. That's the opposite of what my control drills show, but it does tell you this paddle's touch doesn't click for everyone. Two more Epic owners went back to older Selkirks, and one said it felt like a cheaper Power Air. Two owners said the weight bothered their tennis elbow, and one of them, who bought it from Pickleball Warehouse, sent it back.

Nobody in the reviews I read reported a crack, a dead core, delamination or a warranty claim. Store reviews aren't a durability test, but that's still a clean record for a paddle that's been out since 2024.

When I reviewed that Power series in early 2025, I never found myself wanting more power, and drops, resets and midcourt play on the Pegasus felt better than on just about any other power paddle. Its power is only about average for a widebody today, but next to the Epic that's a real step up.

What you give up is the lifetime warranty, since 11SIX24 only covers it for six months. It also swings a bit heavier, so it won't feel quite as quick in your hand. It's $90 with code STSPICKLEBALL, so you're only paying $10 more than the Epic. It's USA Pickleball approved, and the teal one is in stock.