The Thrive Fury is a Gen 3 power paddle, the generation before makers filled the whole core with foam, and no Gen 3 paddle you can buy hits harder. It comes in an elongated and a hybrid, and both scored 85 out of 100 for power, the same as JOOLA's Perseus Pro IV 16mm. The elongated also spins a lot more than the Pro IV 16mm and has a lot more pop, which is how fast the ball comes off the paddle on short swings like punch volleys. So if you love how the Pro IV plays and want more spin, the elongated is the Fury I'd start with. The hybrid is the easier one to play at the kitchen, and in my final ranking video of 2025, I called it a great pick if you love the Pro IV but want a hybrid.
The catch is that full foam paddles, the generation after Gen 3, have moved past it this year. MARK's unMARKed 2026 is one of them, and it beats the Fury Elongated almost everywhere but spin for about the same money. The Fury also takes soft hands on drops and resets. All that pop makes a reset easy to leave high, and in both shapes, the control is below average.
Every version, side by side
| Out of 100 | Fury Hybrid$179.99 with code · hybrid | Fury Elongated$161.99 with code · elongated |
|---|---|---|
| 85A | 85A | |
| 87A | 84A | |
| 63C | 84ALeads by 21 | |
| 71BLeads by 13 | 58C | |
| 61CLeads by 26 | 35D | |
| lower is quicker | 110.2 | 112.7 |
| higher is steadier | 6.46 | 6.15 |
Hybrid
$179.99with code STSPICKLEBALL
list price $199.99Code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, and my link applies it for you.
Elongated
$161.99with code STSPICKLEBALL
list price $179.99Code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, and my link applies it for you.
Pros and cons
Pros
- It hits as hard as any Gen 3 paddle, and the power keeps building the harder you swing.
- The elongated spins more than almost any other Gen 3 paddle, about as much as the full foam power paddles.
- Both shapes have more pop than average, which helps when you speed the ball up at the kitchen.
- You pick your swing weight, which is how heavy it feels on the swing rather than on a scale, so you can go light if you want it quick in your hands.
Cons
- Drops and resets take soft hands in both shapes, which matters most if you win your points at the kitchen.
- The warranty is six months, and every alternative I give below covers you for a year or more, which is a real gap if you're hard on paddles.
- If you're not set on a Gen 3 feel, full foam paddles like the unMARKed 2026 and the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit give you more for about the same money or less.
Quick answers
Is the Thrive Fury just a JOOLA Pro IV clone?
The Pro IV is JOOLA's Gen 3 power paddle from March 2025, and the build is close, though the Fury adds a layer of fiberglass between the carbon on its face. Against the Pro IV 16mm, the Fury Elongated spins and pops a lot more and forgives a bit more, with the same power and control. The Pro IV was $150 at JOOLA on November 7, 2026, about $12 less than the cheapest Fury, and for that small a gap, I'd take the Fury's spin.
Should I get the elongated or the hybrid?
Get the elongated if you play from the baseline and want the most spin and reach, and the hybrid if you'd rather have the more forgiving of the two at the kitchen. With the hybrid, you get a lot more control and a bigger sweet spot, so your dinks and resets are easier to keep low, while the elongated spins a lot more.
Can I play the Thrive Fury in tournaments?
Yes. Thrive lists both shapes as USA Pickleball approved, so you can use it in USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments. It isn't approved by UPA-A, the approval PPA and MLP pro events use, so it's out for those, but most local leagues and clubs accept either approval.
Is Project Fury the same paddle?
Yes. Project Fury is what the hybrid was called around its launch in the summer of 2025, and Thrive's store sells it as the Fury, under what it calls its Gen 3.5 Power Series. The elongated followed that October.
How I tested
How its spin stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
Less spin than most hybrids, 24 RPM below 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
- 42Thrive Fury Hybrid2,248219 RPM behind
The Thrive Fury got an honorable mention in that 2025 video. I said this one really surprised me, and I called it the best paddle Thrive had released as a company up to then.
Both shapes went through my full set of tests. Power and pop are scored from the ball speed my Stalker Pro 3S radar picks up, and spin is the RPM it reads on my serve. My Briffidi SW1 gives me swing weight and twist weight, which is how well a paddle holds steady on an off-center hit, and the sweet spot and control scores come from my ball machine drills. What I can't tell you yet is how long the spin lasts. The Fury isn't in my wear test, where a Starrett SR160 roughness tester tracks how a face wears over time.
Power that ramps up with your swing
The hybrid hits a bit harder than the average hybrid, and the elongated hits about as hard as the average elongated. What makes it fun is how that power comes on. It builds as your swing speeds up, so when you really swing out on a drive from the baseline, you feel all of it. That said, it isn't the hardest hitter overall. Twenty elongateds hit harder than the Thrive Fury Elongated, and every one of them is full foam.
Both shapes pop about the same, and all that pop has a cost on resets, which I'll get to. The Fury is also a bit louder than the Pro IV, and it's stiff enough that you feel every hit, which is great if you like that.
How it feels in your hand next to other hybrids you can buy
About average in your hands, about average 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.
About average twist weight for a hybrid.
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 elongated is the one for spin
The two shapes share the same raw peel-ply face, which is a rough carbon texture rather than a grit coating, and it really grabs the ball. Even so, the elongated spun a lot more on my serve test. It came in at 2,327 RPM, and only two Gen 3 paddles spin more, Engage's Axiom Elongated and 11SIX24's original Vapor Power hybrid. As for the hybrid, it spins about like the average hybrid, which is fine, just not a reason to buy it.
The soft game takes work, more so on the elongated
Drops and resets are where the Thrive Fury asks more of you. The elongated's control rated 35 out of 100, a good bit under the elongated average, and with all that pop, if you don't take the pace off a reset, it'll float on you. Its sweet spot is a bit bigger than average, though, so a drive you catch off center still goes somewhere useful.
The hybrid gives you more room for error there. Its control is a lot better than the elongated's, but it's still a good bit under the average hybrid, so you'll still need soft hands on resets. The sweet spot is about what you'd expect from a hybrid.
On blocks you catch off center, the elongated holds steady about as well as the average elongated, while the hybrid is a bit less stable than average for a hybrid, even though Thrive builds over six grams of weight into its core.
Which swing weight to get, and where the hybrid fits
Thrive gives you a choice of swing weights on both shapes. On the elongated you pick from 115 to 119, and the hybrid runs lighter, from 108 to 113. If you want quick hands at the net, go with the lightest one you're comfortable with. The 119 elongated is the heaviest, but it's also the cheapest version, at $162 with code STSPICKLEBALL against $180 for the rest.
The hybrid is the shape I had in my hands in that 2025 video, and I said I love playing with it. At $180 with code STSPICKLEBALL, though, it's up against full foam hybrids that do more for less money. The best example is Enhance's MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid at $99.99. It hits about as hard as the Thrive Fury Hybrid, spins a lot more and has more control.
What owners are saying
There isn't much to go on yet. When I checked on November 7, 2026, Thrive's own store, Rackets & Runners and Pickleball Central's listing for the elongated didn't show a single owner review of the Thrive Fury, and I found nothing from owners on Reddit either. So I can't tell you yet how it holds up for owners over a season, and that's worth weighing next to Thrive's six month warranty.
Thrive Fury vs MARK unMARKed 2026
The paddle I'd look at hardest before buying a Thrive Fury Elongated is MARK's unMARKed 2026. It's a full foam elongated that came out in August 2026, with MARK's own grit on the face. In my Best Pickleball Paddles of November 2026 video, I called it one of two power elongateds I'd buy right now. Next to the Fury Elongated, it hits a good bit harder, and it has more control, which is right where the Fury is weakest. The two spin about the same.
It's $190 at MARK. With code STSPICKLEBALL, it's $171, which is $9 more than the cheapest Fury Elongated and $9 less than the rest. MARK also backs it for a year, where Thrive gives you six months.
There are still two good reasons to get the Fury. The unMARKed was on pre-order on November 7, 2026, with the next batch shipping November 13, while Thrive had the Fury Elongated in stock. And if you like a stiff Gen 3 feel, the Fury has it, and a full foam paddle won't feel the same.
Durability is a toss-up, though. Like I said in that video, MARK's grit hasn't been out long enough to know how well it holds up long term, and the Fury hasn't been through my wear test either.
Three more paddles worth a look
Two paddles you might pick instead
How it stacks up against the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Elongated and the J6CR Crystal Blue
A paddle only wins a score when it leads by 5 points or more.
Fury HybridHybrid · $179.99
MPP Turbo ArmorGrit ElongatedElongated · $99.99The Fury has more pop, a bigger sweet spot and is more controllable. The MPP Turbo ArmorGrit hits harder and spins more. The MPP Turbo ArmorGrit costs about $80 less.
Fury HybridHybrid · $179.99
J6CR Crystal BlueElongated · $175.50The J6CR spins more and is more controllable. Power, pop and sweet spot are about the same. The J6CR costs about $4 less.
I checked the prices and stock below on November 7, 2026.
Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit: more paddle for less money
Enhance's MPP Turbo ArmorGrit is a full foam power paddle with a durable grit coating. It comes in all three shapes, and if price matters to you, it's hard to beat. Against the Thrive Fury Elongated, the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Elongated gives you more control and hits a bit harder, and it spins about the same. Its MPP core gives it a softer, more plush feel than the stiff Fury, and Enhance's one year warranty even covers core crushing. With code STSPICKLEBALL, it's $99.99, so you'd save $62 over the cheapest Fury.
Honolulu J6CR Crystal Blue: if your soft game matters
The J6CR Crystal Blue is the paddle I play myself, a full foam elongated from Honolulu with a grit they call Crystal Blue. If drops and resets are where you win your points, it's the one I'd look at. It has way more control than the Thrive Fury Elongated, a bigger sweet spot and about the same power, and no elongated I've tested spins more. Like most Honolulu paddles, it feels a little softer than most power paddles, so it won't feel like the stiff Fury. With code STS10, it's $176, about $14 more than the cheapest Fury. It was on pre-order, with Honolulu's next batch due to ship November 13. Honolulu also sells a raw J6CR at the same price, and it showed as sold out. Get the raw one if you need USA Pickleball approval, and the Crystal Blue if you don't.
Engage Axiom Elongated: even more spin from the same kind of build
Engage's Axiom Elongated is Gen 3 too, and no other Gen 3 paddle spins more. Compared with the Thrive Fury Elongated, it spins more but doesn't hit quite as hard. Engage backs it with a lifetime warranty. With code STSPICKLEBALL, it's $180, the same as most Fury Elongated versions. It was sold out at Engage, but you could still order one.
My call
For most players shopping a power elongated right now, I'd get the unMARKed 2026 if you can wait for it, or the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit if you'd rather keep the money. But if you want Pro IV power in a stiff Gen 3 paddle with real spin on top, buy the Thrive Fury Elongated. Go light on the swing weight for faster hands, or take the 119 if you'd rather save a little.
The hybrid is for the Pro IV fan who wants a hybrid shape, the way I described it back in 2025. Just know that the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid gives you more spin and control for a lot less money.
Testing details
- Tested, Hybrid
- April 10, 2026
- Tested, Elongated
- April 10, 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.
- 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 November 10, 2026. How I test
No. 1
No. 2
No. 4
No. 3
