Srikel Flash Court Pickleball Net Review
Let's be real. Everybody loves playing pickleball, but nobody wants to set up the net.
It can be a logistical nightmare. You may not know the instructions. If you do it wrong, it might fall apart. Or the net might be the wrong height. You're there to dink, drive, maybe talk some trash, not to figure out some complex engineering nightmare.
On top of that, many nets get tangled, things get bent, the instructions are long gone, and you forget how to build it. It's the biggest reason why so many people don't have a pickleball net.
That’s where the Srikel Flash Court Pickleball Net promises to be a game-changer. It’s been making the rounds on "best of" lists lately, claiming setup times that are faster than it takes me to find my water bottle.
If you decide to get the Srikel Flash Court Net (or any Srikel merch for that matter), you can get $20 off your purchase over $60 with the code “11pickles” at checkout. We were not compensated for this review, but Srikel did send over a trial net to give an honest and detailed breakdown.
I've been testing this net out extensively for the last few weeks, covering all aspects from setup to teardown, and even leaving it outdoors. We've certainly missed a lot of drives into this net. I'm excited to dive into it here!
Understanding the Portable Net Landscape: Cheap vs. Premium
Before we dive into the specifics of this net, let's talk about the portable net spectrum. When you go on Amazon, you're going to find a bunch of $50 to $100 Amazon nets. They tend to work, but oftentimes sag a little bit in the middle. The metal feels a little bit weak, and a little breeze might send them falling because they're relatively light. They do work great for a little bit of light play or fun with the grandkids. If you take really good care of them, they also can work generally pretty well, but they don't end up being super durable and the net isn't perfect for real serious play. Might be good for some drills every now and then. There are also drill-specific pickleball nets, which are shorter and extra portable and usually cheaper. Those are designed specifically for drilling.
Then on the opposite end, you have the gold standard of portable pickleball nets, which is SwiftNet. They're carbon fiber. They have tension at the top with tape. They're very lightweight, but they're also extremely expensive, retailing between $300 and $400. This is a tournament-level net that most local clubs here in California consider the status quo, but it also costs quite a premium.
This is where the Srikel Flash Court net attempts to thread the needle. The goal is a net that has tournament level performance and stability, is really easy to set up, doesn't need instruction manuals, and is at a price point that's cheaper than the top end. Something that average people can get and afford, but at a quality level that you can actually use as a serious pickleball player.
Durable Yet Portable
When the box first arrived, the first thing I noticed was the weight. This thing's pretty heavy. It weighs about 26 pounds, and it's not some flimsy toy. There's also a polyester carrying bag that comes with it, and it feels really good to the touch. This isn't one of those cheap bags. In some of the cheaper Amazon nets that we've tried, the zipper kind of bursts or the strap falls off. But this bag really feels like you can throw it around a bunch and it will still hold together. That said, we've only used this for a few weeks, so no promises long term, but it does feel pretty good.
The weight tells us a couple of things. First, this isn't one of those super flimsy nets where the wind's just going to knock it over or it's not going to hold its shape very well. This is a sturdy powder-coated steel frame-type material, so it's pretty solid and isn't something that's going to fall apart very easily. According to the website, this is an 18-ply UV-treated polyethylene mesh, which means that these shouldn't snap because of the summer sun. This should take on the sun quite well and as a result play pretty well even when you're playing on a hot summer day.
The bag also comes with compartments and straps that keep things pretty organized. Overall, it is relatively easy to carry around despite its weight. Being sturdy and strong, you'll find it easy to manage, though you're probably not going to be flying with this thing. To set the expectation, there are no tournament nets that are going to fit in pickleball backpacks, no matter what the size. So the carrier is absolutely very useful and is the default way you’ll be carrying around your net.
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The Setup Is Fast And Simple! But Bring A Friend!
Srikel claims you can set this bad boy up in under 2 minutes. And off the bat, out of the box, there are not that many parts and the instructions are literally just once page and super simple. Honestly easy to figure out even without reading the instructions.
They're not that far off. I think once you get used to it, it actually is super fast though the first time I tried it did take a bit longer. After several tries, I was definitely under the 2 minute mark and probably could do it under 1!
You can think of the setup a bit like a tent. You have these click-to-lock buttons, and then you're snapping things out into place. You don't need tools, you don't need anything. It's pretty straightforward.
The net slides onto the poles and then there are straps to help keep net tension properly. Then you just add the middle piece and you’re done! If you’ve assembled any other nets before, this is really easy.
That said, setting up by yourself is not as easy, opening up the accordion is definitely possible, but I found it significantly easier doing so with a friend. We’ve always had multiple people, but I do think it’d be difficult if you are by yourself.
Teardown is slightly more a chore
I will start with a caveat: I am more used to a Swiftnet and I've been using it for a couple of years, so I'm more familiar with how they work. It is definitely possible that after a few more weeks of using this I would feel more comfortable with them too.
There were a number of pieces to take apart that I had to remember. It was still quite quick, but I am able to take apart a Swiftnet very quickly as well so keep in mind I’m comparing it to the best in class.
Overall Quality Is High And Sturdy
The Frame
The steel frame is very solid and both the frame and net can definitely take a beating, even if you have a friend that drives the ball a million miles an hour.
The Net, old gen might have sagged, but not this one!
If you haven't played with cheap nets, this is something to emphasize. Cheap nets tend to sag. They don't have the correct tension, which means balls that clip the top of the tape oftentimes will roll over even though they should have bounced back. No temporary net is quite as good as a great permanent net, but compared to all the other great temporary nets I've played on, this is quite close in quality and definitely near the higher end.
Of course, it meets the USAPA regulations (22' wide, 36" at the posts, 34" at the center) so you’re definitely playing on the real thing.
If you dig around the internet, you might actually find old reviews for a previous generation of this net mentioning that it sags. Well, they definitely fixed it! With an added middle piece and the ability to tighten the straps around it, the net tension is great and no sag noticed at all!
Conclusion: Best Net In Its Price Range
This net blows all of the $100 nets I've tried out of the water, and it's definitely competitive to the higher end of nets while still being under $200. If I were to purely pick myself and money wasn’t an object, I'd still probably pick the SwiftNet, but at $100-$150 less, I’d easily buy the Srikel Flash Court Net instead and get myself another new paddle or some gear instead (there are plenty of great paddles under $100 these days).
It plays very well and as the game got going I honestly didn't think about it at all, which is exactly what you want from a net. The net just blends into the gam, where you don’t blame the net for your issues (and believe me, we use any excuse we can get!).
Set up and take down are genuinely fast and easy which lets you get into the game quickly!
The durability seems quite good though we played with it only for a few weeks. That said, there were no noticeable issues, and it didn't break down or even begin to show issues like some of the cheaper nets we’ve tried.
Again, if you decide to get the Srikel Flash Court Net (or any Srikel merch, paddles, nets, etc. for that matter), you can get $20 off your purchase over $60 with the code “11pickles” at checkout. We were not compensated for this review, but Srikel did send over a trial net to give an honest and detailed breakdown.
