The Volair Mach 2 Forza comes in 14mm and 16mm, both soft, thermoformed widebodies on a honeycomb core. Get the 16mm. Same $119.99 price, clearly more control and far more power than the 14mm. The code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, which brings both to $107.99.
Every version, side by side
| Out of 100 | Mach 2 Forza 14mm$107.99 with code · widebody | Mach 2 Forza 16mm$107.99 with code · widebody |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 8F | 34FLeads by 26 |
| Pop | 68B | 64C |
| Spin | 64C | 63C |
| Sweet spot | 83A | 91SLeads by 8 |
| Control | 81A | 100SLeads by 19 |
| Swing weightlower is quicker | 106.6 | 110.1 |
| Twist weighthigher is steadier | 6.83 | 7.24 |
Mach 2 Forza 14mm
$107.99with code STSPICKLEBALL
list price $119.99Code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, and my link applies it for you.
Mach 2 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 100 out of 100 for control, the top score of any paddle I've tested.
- The 16mm's sweet spot is huge, and only 11 paddles I've tested score higher.
- The 14mm is really quick in your hands, which makes it great for counters at the kitchen.
- The handle is 5.5 inches, which is long for a widebody, so there's room for a two-handed backhand.
Cons
- Neither thickness hits hard, and the 14mm has almost no power at all.
- It doesn't spin any more than the typical widebody.
- Put-aways take real work.
Quick answers
Should I get the 14mm or the 16mm Mach 2 Forza?
Get the 16mm. The 14mm only makes sense if hand speed at the kitchen matters more to you than power and control, and you're okay adding lead tape for drives.
Is the Volair Mach 2 Forza good?
Yes, as a control paddle. If you win most of your points with drives and put-aways, though, it's the wrong paddle in either thickness.
A soft widebody that takes pace off the ball
The 16mm is plush, one of the softest thermoformed paddles you can buy. Blocks and dinks come off slow instead of firing back at you.
The 14mm is firmer than the 16mm, but it's still soft for its thickness, and it isn't a hot paddle for a 14mm either. On my numbers, the two thicknesses have about the same pop. So if you want a stiff paddle, this isn't it in either thickness.
Both are light and quick in your hands, the 14mm more so. The 16mm is also really stable and consistent from shot to shot.
Resets and drops are the strength, and drives are the trade-off
How its spin stacks up against other widebodies you can buy
Less spin than most widebodies, 26 RPM below the average
The top three for spin
- 1Honolulu J3CR Crystal Blue2,436
- 211SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean 22,37561 RPM behind
- 3RPM Q2 Widebody2,36967 RPM behind
- 32Volair Mach 2 Forza2,247189 RPM behind
Drives, serves and put-aways
Okay, so the trade-off with this paddle is power, and it's a big one. The 14mm scored 8 out of 100 for power, and only six paddles I've tested hit softer. The 16mm has far more power than that, but it's still far below the typical widebody, and both thicknesses are F tier for power. So on drives and serves you get modest pace on a full swing, and this isn't a paddle that hits through people. Volair talks about commanding power, but my numbers don't back that up in either thickness.
The 14mm is the extreme case because it's so light. A higher swing weight gives you more power on full swings, and the 14mm just doesn't have much mass to carry through the ball. Volair even encourages adding lead tape.
Spin on serves and drives is fine, just nothing extra, with both thicknesses in C tier for spin.
Resets, drops and dinks
This is where the Mach 2 Forza earns its money. Resets are strong in both thicknesses, but the 16mm is the steadier one. A hard ball dies on the face and drops short. Only seven paddles I've tested score 90 or better on both control and sweet spot. This is one of them, and the only other two you can still buy are the Pickleball Apes Harmony V and the older 11SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean. Dinks stay consistent too.
The 14mm scored 81 for control. That's A tier and a small step behind. Its drops come off on a lower line, and one that's a little short finds the net.
Hands battles
Play fast at the kitchen? That's the 14mm's job, and the counter is its best shot. Volair lists its swing weight at 108. My swing weight read 106.6, and only about one in ten paddles I've tested swings lighter. The speed comes from that, not from pop.
Mishits
Only 14 paddles I've tested beat the 16mm's twist weight of 7.24. Volair lists a twist weight of 7.37, so mine came in a touch under spec. Put that together with its huge sweet spot, and a mishit doesn't twist the face much or cost you much pace. It does all that and still swings lighter than the typical paddle in my database.
The 14mm is stable and forgiving for a 14mm, with a twist weight and sweet spot right around the typical widebody. If you miss the center a lot, get the 16mm.
One thing no spec sheet shows is reach. The sweet spot sits low on a short face, so it plays shorter than its 15.88 inch length, and balls you stretch for tend to come off the edge at first.
How it feels in your hand next to other widebodies 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. A lower number swings quicker.
About average swing weight for a widebody.
How much the paddle fights twisting when you miss the middle. A higher number is steadier.
Only seven widebodies you can buy are steadier.
How its sweet spot stacks up against other widebodies you can buy
Only seven widebodies you can buy have a bigger sweet spot
Both rings are sized to their score.
The 14mm is quicker, and the 16mm has more control and power
So which thickness should you get? Volair's store page marks the 16mm "Most Popular" and says it's a bit softer than the 14mm.
The 16mm scored 34 for power and the 14mm scored 8. The 16mm also has clearly more control and a little bigger sweet spot. It swings a bit heavier, with a swing weight of 110.1 against 106.6, so you give up a little hand speed. Pop and spin came out about even.
Going with the 14mm gets you the lighter, quicker swing of the two. Just know you're giving up nearly all the power to get it, with clearly less control and a little smaller sweet spot.
A thermoformed honeycomb build with a raw carbon face
The Mach 2 Forza first shipped in December 2023, and I measured both thicknesses on July 30, 2026. The face is raw T700 carbon fiber with a peel-ply texture, with no grit coating on top. Volair also holds a design patent on the widebody shape.
Both are USA Pickleball approved. The warranty is one year.
Owners say their drops and resets got better
Owners back up the control side. Eight 16mm owners, from 2024 to August 2026, said their control, drops and resets got better, and some made it their main paddle. Three more brought up the big sweet spot. Four 14mm owners talked about touch: better placement, easier resets and drops. I didn't find any owner complaints for either thickness.
As of October 2026, about three years after it first shipped, I haven't found a defect that three or more owners report.
The 16mm has no cheaper match, but the 14mm does
Two paddles you might pick instead
How it stacks up against the Harmony V and the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Widebody
A paddle only wins a score when it leads by 5 points or more.
Mach 2 ForzaWidebody · $107.99
Harmony VWidebody · $71.99The Mach 2 Forza has more pop and is more controllable. The Harmony V hits harder and spins more. Sweet spot is about the same. The Harmony V costs about $36 less.
Mach 2 ForzaWidebody · $107.99
MPP Turbo ArmorGrit WidebodyWidebody · $99.99The Mach 2 Forza is more controllable. The MPP Turbo ArmorGrit hits harder, has more pop and spins more. Sweet spot is about the same. The MPP Turbo ArmorGrit costs about $8 less.
Options for either thickness
Pickleball Apes Harmony V, $79.99, or $71.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. This is the one for control players on a budget, at $40 less. It's a 16.5mm paddle with clearly more power than the 16mm Forza and a lighter swing, and the sweet spot and spin are about the same. You do get a little less control and far less pop. Next to the 14mm it's an even better deal, with far more power and clearly more control, though its pop is still far lower.
Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Widebody, $119.99, or $99.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. The code takes $20 off this one, so it ends up $8 less. Far more power and pop than either thickness. Against the 16mm, though, it's far less controllable, while against the 14mm it only gives up a little control and has a clearly bigger sweet spot. The warranty is one year on the core.
Selkirk AMPED Pro Air Epic, $100, or $100 with code INF-STSPICKLEBALL. The code adds a $20 Selkirk gift card instead of lowering the price, so it's $19.99 less than the Forza at list, or $7.99 less once you use my code on the Forza. It also comes with a lifetime warranty. It hits far harder than the 14mm with a little more control, though it swings heavier. Against the 16mm, it only has a little more power and pop, with a clearly smaller sweet spot and clearly less control. Keep in mind the 5.25 inch handle is tight for a two-handed backhand.
Options for the 14mm
Volair Mach 2 14mm, $69.99, or $62.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. This is Volair's cold-pressed paddle, with a honeycomb core and no perimeter foam, and it's $50 less. It has the same control as the 14mm Forza and about the same sweet spot, power and spin, with a little less pop and a lighter swing. So it doesn't beat the Forza on any of my scores, but it gets you the same control and nearly the same sweet spot for a lot less money.
Ronbus Quanta Pro R2.16, $119.99, or $107.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. Same price both ways. Far more power and pop than the 14mm Forza, more spin, a little bigger sweet spot, and the same swing weight. Control is a little lower, and the warranty is only six months.
If you'll spend more
11SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean 2, $169.99, or $159.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. It costs $50 more, and it's for control players who want spin and some pace. Next to the 16mm, it has far more power and far more spin with the same sweet spot, but it's clearly less controllable and swings heavier. It beats the 14mm on every score except pop, where they're about the same. Just know it's only on the UPA-A list, so it isn't USA Pickleball approved.
Friday Aura Pro Widebody, $169.00, or $152.10 with code STSPICKLEBALL. It's $49.01 more, for players who are ready to trade control for power. It has far more power and pop than the 16mm, more spin and a lighter swing, but it's far less controllable, with a little smaller sweet spot and a six-month warranty.
My pick
Buy the 16mm if your resets keep floating up. If you'd rather end points with drives, spend the $99.99 on the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Widebody instead.
Testing details
- Tested, Mach 2 Forza 14mm
- July 30, 2026
- Tested, Mach 2 Forza 16mm
- July 30, 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 15, 2026. How I test
Watch the review
6:21#1 HIGHEST SPINNING Paddle in 2024: Volair Mach 2 Forza Review
No. 2
No. 4
