Our guest contributor Rush Walters is here with a pickleball paddle review – the Engage Encore MX 6.0.
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. I’ve played it a few times and it’s fun! Since padel and pickleball are growing fast and many players actively play both sports, I will have some guest contributors reviewing padels/bats/racquets from other racquet sports from time to time. We start with the Engage Encore MX 6.0 Review.
You can check out the Engage Encore MX 6.0 at Tennis Warehouse or Total Pickleball
Buy the Engage Encore MX 6.0 here
 Specifications
- Head Dimensions: 5″ long x 7.5″ wide
- Standard Weight: 8.0 – 8.4 ounces
- Paddle Material: ‘ControlPro’ Polymer
Performance
Time Tested:__8hrs_
Date(s) Tested:___5/2/22-5/4/22___
| Category | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Spin | Produces superior slice for both short and long shots with little effort | Produces effective slice for short and long shots minimal effort needed to produce spin | Produces decent slice with substantial effort | Produces decent spin with much required effort | Produces little to no spin at all |
| Power | Produces much power with little effort | Produces much power with minimal effort | Produces decent power with substantial effort | Produces decent power with much effort | Produces little to no power with maximum effort required |
| Soft Touch | Produces ultimate soft touch when dinking with little to no effort | Produces effective soft touch when dinking with minimal effort | Produces decent amount of soft touch when dinking with substantial effort | Produces decent amount of soft touch when dinking with great effort | Produces little to no amount of soft touch when dinking with maximum effort |
| Control | Produces consistent and direct shot placement with little effort | Produces consistent and direct shot placement with minimal effort | Produces decent amount of consistent and direct shots with substantial effort | Produces standard/ default control with much effort | Produces little to no control with maximum effort required |
| Maneuverability | Quick to move with little to no effort | Quick to move with minimal effort | Semi-quick to move with decent amount of effort | Slow to move with much effort | Very slow to move with maximum effort |
| Deep Shots | Requires little to no effort to produce deep shots from baseline | Requires minimal effort to produce deep shots from baseline | Requires substantial effort to produce consistent deep shots from baseline | Requires much effort to produce consistent deep shots from baseline | Requires maximum effort to produce consistent deep shots from baseline |
| Dinks | Requires little to no effort to produce dinks from kitchen | Requires minimal effort to produce dinks from kitchen | Requires substantial effort to produce consistent dinks from kitchen | Requires much effort to produce consistent dinks from kitchen | Requires maximum effort to produce consistent dinks from kitchen |
Final Grade: 22/35 77% C
Grading Scale:
- A 100-90%
- B 89-80%
- C 79-70%
- D 69-50%
- F 49-0%
Summary
After playing multiple doubles round-robin matches for 8 hours over the course of 3 days, I have concluded that the Engage Encore MX 6.0 strength is its flexibility in controlling the ball accompanied by its consistent soft touch. The paddle’s weaknesses are its maneuverability and power.
I am more of an aggressive player at the kitchen, therefore being able to quickly move the paddle to and fro is of utmost importance for my playing style. In addition to weak maneuverability, I really had to put a decent amount of effort into producing power. From the baseline I could produce some great top spin, but I had to really smack the ball in order to get it across the net from the baseline. In addition to the paddle having a great amount of control, the paddle also produced some great top spin on my baseline shots and back spin on my dinks too.
Spin was not 10/10, but was very effective and got the job done when it came to my baseline top spin. Overall if you are looking for a heavier paddle with high control, ample amount of soft touch and spin ability, this is your paddle. Although it struggled in maneuverability and power, the paddle does also come in a LITE weight ranging from 7.5-7.9 ounces. I’d like to assume that the LITE Engage Encore MX 6.0 would have a higher grading on maneuverability due to its lighter weight.
Check out the Engage Encore MX 6.0 on Amazon
