The Mach 1 Forza isn't the Volair I'd buy, because for the same $119.99 the 16mm Mach 2 Forza, the widebody version, has far more control and a far bigger sweet spot, and it hits about the same as the Mach 1 Forza 16mm. The Mach 1 Forza comes in 14mm and 16mm, and both are thermoformed hybrids built on the same honeycomb core and raw carbon face as the Mach 2 Forza. Thermoformed means the paddle is heat-molded into one piece. The shape is the whole difference. The Mach 1 Forza is about half an inch longer and more than half an inch narrower, so you get more reach and a smaller, less forgiving face. If reach is what you're after, get the 16mm. It scored 69 out of 100 for control, about the same as the average hybrid, while the 14mm scored 56. Neither thickness hits hard, with a power score of 36 out of 100 on the 16mm and 30 on the 14mm. Both thicknesses are $119.99. The code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, which brings both to $107.99. I earn a commission when you use my codes.
Every version, side by side
| Out of 100 | Mach 1 Forza 14mm$107.99 with code · hybrid | Mach 1 Forza 16mm$107.99 with code · hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 30F | 36DLeads by 6 |
| Pop | 67B | 67B |
| Spin | 64CLeads by 5 | 59C |
| Sweet spot | 59C | 65BLeads by 6 |
| Control | 56C | 69BLeads by 13 |
| Swing weightlower is quicker | 107.1 | 113.0 |
| Twist weighthigher is steadier | 5.91 | 6.50 |
Mach 1 Forza 14mm
$107.99with code STSPICKLEBALL
list price $119.99Code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, and my link applies it for you.
Mach 1 Forza 16mm
$107.99with code STSPICKLEBALL
list price $119.99Code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, and my link applies it for you.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The 16mm scored 69 out of 100 for control, about the same as the average hybrid's 71, so your resets and drops hold up.
- Both thicknesses are 16.35 inches long, which reaches farther than the Mach 2 Forza, and the 5.5 inch handle has room for a two-handed backhand.
- The 14mm has far more power than the Mach 2 Forza 14mm, with a power score of 30 out of 100 against 8.
Cons
- Neither thickness hits hard. The 16mm scored 36 out of 100 for power, and only eight hybrids I've tested score lower.
- For the same price, the Mach 2 Forza 16mm has a far bigger sweet spot, 91 out of 100 against 65, and far more control, 100 against 69.
- The 14mm scored 56 out of 100 for control and 59 for sweet spot, both clearly less than the average hybrid.
- It spins only about as much as the average hybrid.
Quick answers
Mach 1 Forza or Mach 2 Forza?
The Mach 2 Forza, unless you need the reach. Same price, same build and about the same power, but the Mach 2 Forza 16mm has far more control and a far bigger sweet spot. The full breakdown is in the head-to-head below.
Mach 1 Forza 14mm or 16mm?
The 16mm. It has clearly more control and a little bigger sweet spot, with about the same pop and spin. Swing weight is how heavy the paddle feels when you swing it, lower means faster hands. The 14mm swings clearly lighter, so it only makes sense if hand speed matters more to you than control and forgiveness.
Is the Volair Mach 1 Forza an elongated paddle?
No, it's a hybrid. Some stores list it at 16.5 inches, but Volair lists it at 16.35 inches long and 7.5 inches wide, and that's hybrid territory. It's only 0.1 inch longer than the average hybrid, which is 16.25 inches. The 5.5 inch handle gives you room for two hands.
Is the Mach 1 Forza USA Pickleball approved?
Yes. Both thicknesses went on USA Pickleball's approved paddle list on May 17, 2023, and both were still on it when I checked on October 22, 2026.
A firm hybrid on the Mach 2 Forza's build
So, the Mach 1 Forza plays firm, and it feels firmer than the Mach 2 Forza. The build is the same, so the shape is what changes the feel.
Between the two thicknesses, Volair says the 16mm gives you a bit more softness.
Neither thickness is slow in your hands. The 16mm's swing weight of 113.0 is about the same as the average hybrid's 111.9, and the 14mm's 107.1 is a little lighter than that, so the 14mm is the quicker of the two.
Twist weight is how much the face resists twisting when you miss the center. The 16mm's twist weight of 6.5 is about the same as the average hybrid's 6.57. The 14mm's is 5.91, and only five hybrids I've tested have a lower twist weight, so the 14mm twists in your hand more on off-center blocks.
Fine at the kitchen in 16mm, with little pace in either thickness
How its spin stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
About average spin for a hybrid, 27 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
- 41Volair Mach 1 Forza2,251216 RPM behind
Drives, serves and put-aways
This is the weak side of the Mach 1 Forza. The 16mm scored 36 out of 100 for power, far less than the average hybrid's 77, and only eight hybrids I've tested score lower. The 14mm scored 30 for power. Volair's page says that when you punch it you'll "watch it crush," but my numbers don't back that up in either thickness. Drives and serves need a full swing to get deep, and put-aways take real work.
Spin is average, not extra. The 16mm spun 2,236 RPM in my spin test and the 14mm spun 2,251 RPM, both about the same as the average hybrid's 2,272 RPM. The face is raw carbon fiber with no grit coating, so topspin drives and serves dip the way they do off most hybrids, and no more.
Speed-ups and counters
Pop is the pace you get off short swings at the net. Both thicknesses scored 67 out of 100 for pop, a little less than the average hybrid's 74. Counters and speed-ups don't jump off the face, so you win hands battles with placement, not pace. The 14mm's lighter swing gets it into position faster in a quick exchange, but it doesn't add pace.
Dinks, resets and third-shot drops
Control is my score from the same ball-machine dink, drop and reset drills every paddle gets. The 16mm scored 69 for control, about the same as the average hybrid, so resets and drops come about as easy as they do on most hybrids. That's still far less control than the Mach 2 Forza 16mm, which scored 100. The 14mm scored 56 for control, clearly less than the average hybrid, so a reset you push off the 14mm pops up more easily.
Mishits
The 16mm's sweet spot scored 65 out of 100, a little smaller than the average hybrid's 72. The 14mm's scored 59, clearly smaller, and only 11 hybrids I've tested have a smaller one. Put that together with its low twist weight, and the 14mm costs you more on every miss.
If you go 14mm, lead tape helps. A few grams of lead tape at the sides raises the 14mm's twist weight of 5.91, so off-center blocks twist less. The 14mm has room for the added weight, since it swings a little lighter than the average hybrid.
How it feels in your hand next to other hybrids you can buy
Quick in your hands, a little less steady when you miss the middle
How heavy the paddle feels when you swing it. A lower number swings quicker.
Only seven hybrids you can buy swing lighter.
How much the paddle fights twisting when you miss the middle. A higher number is steadier.
Less steady than most hybrids.
How its sweet spot stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
A smaller sweet spot than most hybrids
Both rings are sized to their score.
The 16mm beats the 14mm everywhere except hand speed
The two thicknesses pop and spin about the same, so the choice comes down to control, forgiveness and swing. The 16mm has clearly more control, 69 out of 100 against 56, a little bigger sweet spot, 65 against 59, and a little more power, 36 against 30. Its twist weight is higher too, 6.5 against 5.91.
Get the 16mm if you play the soft game and want the reach of a hybrid. The 16mm holds up on resets, and Volair marks it as the most popular thickness.
Get the 14mm only if hand speed comes first for you and you're fine adding lead tape. Its swing weight of 107.1 is clearly lighter than the 16mm's 113.0, but you give up control and forgiveness to get it.
Price, core, face, shape and warranty are the same on both. Can't decide? Get the 16mm.
The Mach 2 Forza's build in a longer, narrower shape
Inside is a polypropylene honeycomb core with foam injected into the walls around the edge. The face is raw carbon fiber with a rough peel-ply texture, the grain left behind when a cloth layer is peeled off the face at the factory, and there's no grit coating. The whole paddle is heat-molded as one piece and sealed along the edges. Volair adds a soft plastic edge guard and foam inside the grip to cut vibration. That's the same build as the Mach 2 Forza. The difference is the outline, 16.35 inches long and 7.5 inches wide on the Mach 1 Forza against 15.88 by 8.12 inches on the Mach 2 Forza. Both have a 5.5 inch handle and a 4.15 inch grip.
The Mach 1 Forza came out in July 2023, and it trails other honeycomb hybrids. Next to the average 16mm honeycomb hybrid, the 16mm has far less power, 36 out of 100 against 63, clearly less control, 69 against 80, and a little smaller sweet spot, 65 against 74. Pop is about the same, 67 against 69.
Volair lists the 16mm at an average of 8.2 oz, with a swing weight of 117 and a twist weight of 6.41. It lists the 14mm at 7.9 oz, with a swing weight of 110 and a twist weight of 5.92. I measured a swing weight of 113.0 on the 16mm and 107.1 on the 14mm, and twist weights of 6.5 and 5.91. So both thicknesses swing lighter than Volair lists, and the twist weights came in right at spec.
The warranty is one year against manufacturer defects for the original buyer on volair.com. It doesn't cover normal wear or a paddle you've modified.
Owners rate it highly, and I found no defect pattern
The Mach 1 Forza has been out over three years, so there's a lot from owners. On October 22, 2026, Volair's store showed 316 reviews, 281 of them five stars. Tennis Warehouse's 16mm page showed 12 reviews averaging 4.8 out of 5.
What owners praise most is the soft game. Four 16mm owners on Tennis Warehouse, from September 2024 to August 2026, called out its control, dinks or resets. One owner who played the Mach 1 Forza for over four months in 2024 moved to the Mach 2 Forza and called the Mach 2 Forza a sleeper.
The complaints are one-offs. One review on Volair's store said the edges are a little unforgiving on off-center hits, which fits my sweet spot scores. Another said a hole developed in the face and Volair replaced the paddle. As of October 22, 2026, I haven't found a defect that three or more owners report on either thickness.
$119.99 at Volair, and approved by USA Pickleball
As of October 22, 2026, Volair lists both thicknesses at $119.99. The 16mm is in stock in Pink and Original Blue, with Stealth Black sold out. The 14mm is in stock only in Original Blue. Volair listed the Mach 1 Forza at $179.99 when it launched in July 2023, so it costs $60 less now than it did at release.
Both thicknesses have been on USA Pickleball's approved paddle list since May 17, 2023, so either one is legal in USA Pickleball sanctioned events.
Mach 1 Forza or Mach 2 Forza?
The Mach 2 Forza is the paddle I'd weigh the Mach 1 Forza against first. Both come in 14mm and 16mm, both are $119.99, or $107.99 with the code STSPICKLEBALL, and both use the same core, face, handle and grip. The only real difference is shape, a hybrid against a widebody.
In 16mm, they hit about the same. The Mach 1 Forza scored 36 out of 100 for power and the Mach 2 Forza scored 34. Pop comes out about the same, 67 against 64, and so does spin, 2,236 RPM against 2,247. Everything else goes to the Mach 2 Forza 16mm. It has a far bigger sweet spot, 91 out of 100 against 65, and far more control, 100 against 69. It also swings a little lighter, with a swing weight of 110.1 against 113.0, and its twist weight is higher, 7.24 against 6.5.
In 14mm, the Mach 1 Forza has one real win. It has far more power, 30 out of 100 against 8 on the Mach 2 Forza 14mm, with about the same pop, spin and swing weight. But the Mach 2 Forza 14mm has a far bigger sweet spot, 83 against 59, and far more control, 81 against 56.
What the Mach 1 Forza gives you is reach, since it's 0.47 inch longer. If you stretch for a lot of balls at the kitchen, you'll feel that.
So if your resets float or you miss the center, get the Mach 2 Forza 16mm. Get the Mach 1 Forza 16mm only if reach matters more to you than forgiveness.
Where I'd look instead, for more pace or more control
Two paddles you might pick instead
How it stacks up against the Vapor Power and the SHIFT Hybrid
A paddle only wins a score when it leads by 5 points or more.
Mach 1 ForzaHybrid · $107.99
Vapor PowerHybrid · $89.99The Vapor Power hits harder, spins more, has a bigger sweet spot and is more controllable. Pop is about the same. The Vapor Power costs about $18 less.
Mach 1 ForzaHybrid · $107.99
SHIFT HybridHybrid · $62.99The SHIFT hits harder, spins more and has a bigger sweet spot. Pop and control are about the same. The SHIFT costs about $44 less.
11SIX24 Vapor Power, $99.99, or $89.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. This is the hybrid I'd get instead. It's $18 less with the codes, and it beats the Mach 1 Forza 16mm almost everywhere. It has far more power, 69 out of 100 against 36, far more spin, 2,348 RPM against 2,236, a clearly bigger sweet spot, 80 against 65, and clearly more control, 80 against 69. Pop is about the same. It swings a little heavier, with a swing weight of 116.4 against 113.0, and its 5.75 inch handle has room for two hands. It's a 16mm honeycomb paddle, it's USA Pickleball approved, and the warranty is six months.
Volair SHIFT Hybrid 14mm, $69.99, or $62.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. If you want a 14mm Volair hybrid, this is the one. It's $45 less with the codes, and next to the Mach 1 Forza 14mm it has far more power, 64 out of 100 against 30, a clearly bigger sweet spot, 69 against 59, and about the same control, pop and spin. It swings a little heavier, with a swing weight of 111.8 against 107.1. It's a full foam paddle, it's approved by both USA Pickleball and UPA-A, the approval PPA Tour events use, and the warranty is one year. Next to the Mach 1 Forza 16mm, it trades clearly less control for far more power.
Honolulu J2K, $155, or $135 with code STSPICKLEBALL. For a hybrid with real control, this is the pick. It's $27.01 more with the codes. It has far more control, 91 out of 100 against 69 on the Mach 1 Forza 16mm, a clearly bigger sweet spot, 80 against 65, and far more power, 64 against 36. Pop is a little lower, 60 against 67, and spin and swing weight are about the same. It's a 16mm honeycomb paddle, it's USA Pickleball approved, and the warranty is six months.
Chorus Phoenix HX, $49.99, or $44.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. On a tight budget, this one matches the Mach 1 Forza 16mm's control and adds pace. It's $63 less with the codes. It has far more power, 68 out of 100 against 36, a little bigger sweet spot, 71 against 65, and about the same control, pop and spin. It swings a little lighter, with a swing weight of 110.0 against 113.0. It's a 14mm honeycomb paddle, it's USA Pickleball approved, and Chorus covers it for only four months.
Get the 16mm only if you need the reach, and get the Mach 2 Forza 16mm if you don't
If you play the soft game, stretch for a lot of balls and want a Volair, the Mach 1 Forza 16mm does the job, with control about the same as the average hybrid and the reach of a hybrid. But for the same $107.99 with my code, the Mach 2 Forza 16mm gives you far more control and a far bigger sweet spot, and it's the one I'd buy.
Skip the Mach 1 Forza if you win with drives and put-aways, because both thicknesses scored 36 out of 100 or less for power. Skip the 14mm if you miss the center a lot, since it has clearly less control and a clearly smaller sweet spot than the average hybrid. And if you want a hybrid that does more for less, the Vapor Power is $18 less with the codes and beats the Mach 1 Forza 16mm on power, spin, sweet spot and control.
Testing details
- Tested, Mach 1 Forza 14mm
- May 20, 2026
- Tested, Mach 1 Forza 16mm
- May 20, 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
- Scores from
- My database, updated October 21, 2026. How I test
No. 1
No. 3
No. 4
No. 2
