Our Transparency Promise & Affiliate Disclosure
Page updated: March 2026
At Pickle Tip, we believe in growing the game through honest advice, honest testing, and clear transparency. Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. In some cases, those links or partner codes may also help you save money.
Why We Do This (And Why You Can Trust Us)
I’m Sid Parfait, founder of PickleTip.com and a coach at The New Orleans Pickleball Club. Affiliate partnerships help support the site, our testing process, and the time it takes to create useful content for players. What they do not do is buy favorable coverage.
We do not accept payment in exchange for positive reviews. Brands do not control our conclusions, rankings, or recommendations. If something plays great, we’ll say that. If it falls short of our standards, we may choose not to publish a full review and instead share private feedback with the brand.
- Dual Perspective Testing: Our reviews are built around dual perspective testing, with feedback from both a 5.0 level coach and a 3.2 level coach. We care about how gear performs in real play, not just in ideal conditions.
- Integrity First: We only earn commissions when readers choose to buy through affiliate partners, not because brands pay for favorable coverage.
- Amazon Associates Disclosure: PickleTip is also a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, which means we may earn from qualifying purchases made through Amazon links.
Some products may be purchased directly, some may come through affiliate relationships, and some may be provided for testing. Regardless of how a product gets to us, our process stays the same.
We put gear through a rigorous testing process designed to evaluate performance under pressure, not just first impressions.
Additional Transparency Details
Yes. We sometimes receive free paddle samples from brands, and we also purchase paddles ourselves for testing. How a paddle arrives does not determine how we evaluate it.
Brands do not review or approve published reviews before they go live. If a product does not meet our expectations, we may choose not to publish a full review. In those cases, we sometimes share private feedback with the brand so they understand what fell short and where improvement may be needed. We do this to avoid cluttering the site with products we would not recommend, while still giving brands useful performance feedback when appropriate.
In most cases, we keep the products we test. Many of those paddles are then used by students and local players for hands on testing, or given away as prizes at events or through social media promotions. We also purchase some products directly as part of our testing process.
No. We do not shape our opinions around commissions. Our reviews and recommendations are based on performance, fit, playability, and who the paddle actually helps on court.
We say so. If a non affiliate product outperforms an affiliate linked option, we will reflect that honestly in our analysis. Commission opportunity does not override our review standards.
Sometimes. Discount code arrangements vary by partner. In some cases they may affect commission structure, and in other cases they may not. Either way, those arrangements do not determine our opinion of the product.
Questions about a specific paddle or our partnerships? Reach out to me directly below. I’m always happy to answer questions about our reviews, partnerships, or testing process.