Luzz Pro 4 Inferno Pickleball Paddle Review
If you've played a lot of pickleball, you've probably noticed all types of paddles on your local courts. You tend to be able to tell beginners because they're using Amazon or Target brand paddles, and you can see more advanced players sporting well-known brands, some of the most famous ones being Selkirk and Joola.
Today, we're going to talk about a lesser known paddle from a lesser known paddle company that has a new generation of paddles that are honestly quite impressive. We are talking about Luzz. Luzz has a set of paddles that some people might know from the Luzz Cannon. It's not a super popular paddle, but for the price, it is great economic value. Priced under $100, it's a great deal, and the paddle is both USAP and UPA approved. But this article isn't going to be going in-depth on the Cannon.
We're actually going to talk about the new Gen 4 paddles with a foam core that Luzz has released. This one is known as the Luzz Pro 4 Inferno. It is one of two of their new generation of paddles, the Inferno, and the other one is the Tornado, which hasn't been released in the USA yet. While Luzz is not a famous paddle company most will recognize, the paddles are quite popular in Asia and also hit quite well. Let’s dive into the paddle review!
If you decide to get the Cannon or the Inferno or Tornazo, you can get 15% off your purchase with the code “11pickles” at checkout. We were not compensated for this review, but Luzz did send over a trial paddle to give an honest and detailed breakdown.
This review was written with 30 hours of play time with it. I basically used it as my main for 3 weeks to try and make this as accurate for you all as possible.
Loud, Poppy, Powerful, and Spinny
The moment I started playing with this paddle, a few people asked me what paddle it was. This is for a few reasons. First off, it’s extremely brightly colored. It's got this nice gradient, and if you like gradients, this really does stand out, so people do notice it.
The other reason is because it's quite loud. It has this hollow sound, and it's especially loud when you hit hard. It feels a lot like a Gen 3 paddle and sounds loud when you hit on it.
As a power player, that was very satisfying. Hitting a powerful overhead or drive with that sound feels great. You feel powerful when hitting with it. It just feels like an explosive paddle.
It doesn't play quite like most foam paddles. If you've played with any of the new foam paddles, many of them feel a little softer, a little more cushioned. This one is very poppy. It feels a lot like a Gen 3 paddle, even though it is foam.
It doesn't play quite like most foam paddles. If you've played with any of the new foam paddles, many of them feel a little softer, a little more cushioned. You can sometimes feel the foam. This one doesn't quite have that same feeling. It feels a lot like a Gen 3 paddle, even though it is foam. The sweet spot is quite good and quite forgiving compared to other paddles I've tried. It's definitely stiffer than most other foam paddles, but it's also not too crazy stiff.
When it comes to power, it's definitely not the top-of-the-line power, but it does hit pretty hard. This paddle is definitely a power paddle, even though it does have some elements of a control paddle.It is pretty easy to get strong spin and hit good resets and drops with this. It has both a lot of pop and a lot of power. If you are looking for a pure, pure power paddle, there are others out there. In fact, the Cannon is actually a really great comparable, which hits maybe slightly slightly harder but with much less spin.
It play similarly to the Joola Pro IV Perseus (but much cheaper) but with a foam core. If you're a power player, you're going to like this paddle. There certainly are more powerful paddles out there, like the Selkirk Boomstick, Gearbox, Flick F1, and other top-of-the-line power paddles. But the Luzz Inferno is up there and is a very strong option. When it comes to pure power evaluation, I would put it in the middle of power paddles. Definitely a power paddle, but not the strongest one, and it is a good margin cheaper than many of the top-tier foam paddles you can find.
The stock paddle honestly is quite good and has a really big sweet spot for what it is. Without any weights, it hit quite well.
This paddle is pretty easy to get used to. It really didn't take long to get a feel for it. It makes it easy to shape the ball and to access its power.
I did notice that the beautiful colors do scratch off pretty easily. I don't do many crazy things with my paddle, and of course I put a cover on it whenever I'm not using it. But even so, you can see these big noticeable scratches. Scratches are never unavoidable, but given how colorful this paddle is, they're especially noticeable. You can see the scratch here:
This Paddle Is For Power Players Who Also Want Touch
I'm a firm believer that you should use a paddle that fits your playing style.
A great paddle for one person may not be the best paddle for another.
If you've made the decision that you want to get a higher-end paddle, and you are a power player, but you don't want to spend $300 on a Selkirk Boomstick, I think this paddle is for you.
Tennis players making the transition to pickleball will really like this paddle.
It's very satisfying to hit for a power player, but you still get touch and good spin. If you're not really looking for power and spin, you may not need a power paddle and there are some really great pure control paddles with foam on the market.
Understanding the Specs
Let's start with understanding foam. I'm not going to get into the complex science and manufacturing here. There are different types of ways people use foam in these panels and how they're constructed, and they do play differently. There are other reviewers that do go over the differences, and you can find those by looking up the MPP foam core, which is what this paddle has. So if you want to look at the pros and cons of using an MPP foam, you can get into the nitty-gritty there.
In practice, the different types of foam cores just change how the paddle feels a little bit. And in this particular case, like I mentioned before, this paddle plays a lot like many Gen 3 paddles.
So as a result, I won't go into too much detail. However, what this foam does do is it absorbs some of the ball pace, which allows for more control, and in some cases, power and dwell time.
Most importantly though, the foam should increase the lifespan of the paddle.
If you aren't deep into paddle technology, I'll give you a quick summary. Non-foam paddles frequently ran into an issue known as core crushing. This basically happens when there's a structural failure and a collapse of a paddle's internal polypropylene honeycomb core. When that happens, the crushed core feels a little mushy and creates this trampoline effect that makes the paddle hit extremely hard.
Core-crushed paddles are not allowed in tournaments. Especially for hard hitters, which are the target for power paddles, the paddles could sometimes core crush pretty quickly (days or weeks even). This meant that you would have to replace your $200 to $400 paddle very frequently. Foam technology absorbs a lot of the pace and stress that comes from hard hits. Most importantly though, the foam should increase the lifespan of the paddle.I've only played with this paddle for a few weeks, so I can't speak to the true longevity that the foam makes, but across the board, there have not been many complaints of core crushing in foam paddles, and I suspect this to be true here as well. So far, the paddle is quite nice and has held up well.
This is good because if you do want to buy this paddle, which is certainly on the expensive side, it is a top-tier paddle but on the cheaper end of the high-end paddles. You want to be able to play with it for a very long time. On top of this, Luzz does also offer a strong 1-year warranty which seems to cover any issues involving the paddle performance or core crushing.
This paddle comes in at 8 ounces, which puts it in the midweight category and has a swing weight of 119.5 and a twist weight of 6.25. A heavier swing weight generally means more power. It's the weight when you're actually swinging the paddle, and this swing weight puts it on the higher end of most paddles that are available. The twist weight means the paddle is more resistant to rotating when you hit the ball off-center. Basically, it means there's a decent sweet spot.
As of this writing, this paddle is USAP approved, but currently not UPA approved. This really only matters if you're playing PPA or MLP events. Pretty much all other tournaments, including money balls, will use the USAP list. That said, the Tornazo and the Cannon are both USAP and UPA approved.
How It Compares:
I haven't hit with every foam paddle and paddle that's out there at the moment, but I have played with a number of the more popular ones. As I mentioned, it plays very similarly to the Joola Pro IV Perseus, but should have much longer longevity because it is a foam paddle and much friendlier warranty. The Honolulu J2NF is also a pretty popular choice as a power paddle. Personally, I like the feel of the Inferno better, but the J2NF is slightly more powerful and can hit with slightly more spin. It has a bit less dwell and a lot more poppy than the CRBN Trufoam line.
When it comes to power, the Gearbox GX2 Power and the Selkirk Boomstick are definitely more powerful (and also a lot more expensive). While powerful, if you want top-tier power, those will provide more.
Between all the top-tier paddles I've hit with, especially the foam ones, the Luzz Pro 4 Inferno is definitely in the same class. On par with spin, middle tier power amongst power paddles, and great touch and sweet spot.
Conclusion: Solid Paddle With Competitive Price
The JOOLA Pro IV Perseus comes with a $280 price tag and isn’t foam and this paddle with code 11pickles for 15% off comes in under $200. Most companies like Joola and Honolulu only offer 6-month warranties. The Luzz comes with a full year warranty.
With good power, decent spin, and a foam core, this paddle likely won't blow anybody away as the best paddle of the year, but this paddle is very competitive amongst a roster of a ton of top-tier paddles coming out this year. And for the price, it's not bad at all. One of the cheaper high-end paddles from a brand most people won't know, but with a paddle comparable in quality.
If you are looking for the top-of-the-line best paddle out there, this probably isn't it. You're probably looking for a Selkirk Boomstick. It's still the most powerful and best paddle in the market, especially for power players (and almost as loud). However, for most people who don't want to spend over $300 on a paddle, the Luzz Pro 4 Inferno is quite competitive and is a great choice.
Again, if you decide to get the Cannon or the Inferno or Tornazo, you can get 15% off your purchase with the code “11pickles” at checkout. We were not compensated for this review, but Luzz did send over a trial paddle to give an honest and detailed breakdown.
