Banned Pickleball Paddles: Current Removed, Delisted, and Restricted Models
“Banned pickleball paddle” is useful search language, but it is not one official status. A paddle may be removed, decertified, de-listed, under investigation, past a sunset date, restored after retesting, restricted by manufacturer status, or simply never approved. The practical question is: can you use this exact paddle at this exact event today?
Last fully verified: · PickleTip compared the USA Pickleball approved database, Paddle Compliance Report, Non-Compliant Manufacturer List, model-specific notices, UPA-A approved and de-listed records, and published sunset, removal, and restoration statements.
Coach Sid’s Short Answer
A removed, decertified, de-listed, or expired paddle is ineligible for events using that approval system unless it is officially restored. “Under investigation” is not the same as removed, but a separate manufacturer restriction or event notice may still control. Do not rely on a logo, retailer page, old screenshot, or social post when the live official record says something different.
PickleTip’s Four-Part Paddle Status Check
- Exact paddle: Match the complete model name, model number, thickness, shape, generation, and version.
- Exact approval system: Confirm whether the event uses USA Pickleball, UPA-A, or another published equipment policy.
- Exact date: Approval, investigation, removal, sunset, and restoration decisions can change.
- Exact event: The organizer’s written rules determine which list, restriction, and enforcement procedure apply.
Miss any one of those four, and an “approved” or “banned” answer can still be wrong.
The one-model rule: One removed model does not ban a brand. One restored version does not restore an entire line. A removal, investigation, sunset, or restoration applies only as broadly as the official notice says it does.
| Status | What It Means | What the Player Should Do |
|---|---|---|
| Pass / Approved / Certified | The exact listed model currently appears as eligible in that organization’s database. | Match the model details and confirm that the event uses that list. |
| Under Investigation | A review is open, but the model has not necessarily been removed. | Check the active list, compliance report, manufacturer restrictions, and event notice. |
| Removed / Decertified / De-listed | The model no longer has active approval under that organization. | Do not use it in events governed by that system unless it is officially restored. |
| Sunset | A previously approved paddle remains eligible only until a published enforcement date. | Confirm the date; after it passes, treat that version as ineligible. |
| Restored / Relisted | A prior removal or planned delisting was reversed after further review or testing. | Verify the exact restored version; related models may still remain out. |
| Never Approved / Withdrawn | The model never completed active certification under that system. | Call it unapproved, not decertified after approval. |
| Unauthorized Logo or Stamp | The printed approval claim is not supported by the official record. | The live database and event policy override the paddle face, packaging, and retailer copy. |
Checking a paddle that is still supposed to be eligible? Use PickleTip’s USA Pickleball approved paddle list or UPA-A certified paddle list. Use this guide when the paddle was removed, questioned, sunset, restored, or caught between conflicting records.
USA Pickleball Paddles Currently Removed, Restricted, or Under Review
Status snapshot: The table below reflects the USA Pickleball live paddle list, Paddle Compliance Report, and Non-Compliant Manufacturer List reviewed on . Recheck the live records before competition.
USA Pickleball publishes paddle-status information across several separate resources: the active approved database, Paddle Compliance Report, Non-Compliant Manufacturer List, model-specific statements, and sunset or restoration notices. One page may discuss a model while another applies a broader manufacturer restriction.
| Manufacturer | Model-Level Record | Separate Manufacturer Record | Practical Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton Sports Inc. | Series Three Project Peacock – S3PE15: Under Investigation | Proton appears on the Non-Compliant Manufacturer List. | Do not assume another Proton model is eligible merely because it appears in a separate approved entry. Check current written guidance. |
| Speedup | Tide 14S: Under Investigation | Speedup appears on the Non-Compliant Manufacturer List. | Coach Sid’s conservative reading: Until USA Pickleball publishes a resolution, I would not rely on a Speedup paddle as my only option at a sanctioned event. |
| Facolos | Pro Series – Elite X: Removed from the approved list | Facolos appears on the Non-Compliant Manufacturer List. | The Elite X is removed. Verify every other Facolos model separately rather than carrying the decision across the brand. |
| R.A.W. Reign and Win | Multiple models: Compliance Issue Resolved | R.A.W. also appears on the Non-Compliant Manufacturer List. | The public records appear inconsistent. Seek current written clarification before sanctioned play. |
| Six Zero | Ruby Pro 14MM: Under Investigation | Six Zero appears on the Non-Compliant Manufacturer List. | The Ruby Pro entry does not necessarily settle the issue while Six Zero remains on a separate manufacturer-restriction list. |
When official pages conflict: Public databases and notices do not always update in a neat sequence. PickleTip marks the conflict instead of pretending the answer is cleaner than the source record. The event organizer and governing body still make the final eligibility decision.
Coach Sid’s tournament rule: “Under investigation” is not the same as removed. But when a model entry and a manufacturer notice point in different directions, do not build your day around winning the argument. Get written clarification or bring another paddle. A tournament is a bad place to test the friendliest interpretation of conflicting official pages.
AJ and I once drove all the way to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, only to learn that the paddle he had been playing with was not allowed in the tournament he entered. Luckily, he had another paddle in his bag. That trip permanently changed how I think about backups: the argument over whether a paddle should be allowed matters a lot less when your first match is about to start.
Current UPA-A De-Listings and Unauthorized Certification Claims
Status snapshot: The UPA-A approved paddle list and UPA-A de-listed paddle records were reviewed on .
UPA-A maintains separate approved and de-listed paddle records. Its public de-listed page identifies Soxter and states that no Soxter paddles held UPA-A certification at the time of review.
UPA-A’s published statement says Soxter submitted paddles that did not receive certification, yet paddles were sold bearing or implying UPA-A status. That is not a normal decertification after approval; it is an unauthorized certification claim.
UPA-A also announced in 2025 that it removed all Luzz paddles from approved and provisional status. Luzz does not currently appear on the public de-listed page, so treat that as a 2025 decision rather than proof that Luzz is the only brand affected by UPA-A action today.
One organization’s decision does not automatically control another organization’s event. Check which paddle rules govern your competition.
The Three Levels of Paddle Compliance
A paddle-status dispute can involve three different things: the model submitted for certification, the production paddles sold to players, and the individual used paddle presented at an event.
| Level | The Question | How It Can Fail |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Certified model | Did the submitted model pass the organization’s certification process? | The sample can fail testing, be withdrawn, use incomplete disclosures, or never complete certification. |
| 2. Production paddles | Do retail units continue matching the certified sample and specifications? | Materials, construction, surface, core behavior, thickness, or performance can vary from the approved submission. |
| 3. Individual paddle | Does the paddle in the player’s hand remain compliant after use? | Wear, damage, modification, added texture, delamination, or abnormal deflection can make one paddle ineligible even while the model remains listed. |
The easiest way to remember it: the submitted model has to pass, the paddles sold to players have to keep matching it, and the paddle in your bag still has to remain unaltered and compliant.
In hundreds of local tournaments around New Orleans, I have rarely seen organizers inspect every paddle. That loose enforcement is exactly why players become casual about status—until they enter an event where a paddle is checked, challenged, or rejected.
I coach and play in local tournaments around New Orleans, but I am not a paddle-certification official. My job here is to compare the published records and translate them into the question players actually need answered: can I bring this exact paddle to this exact event?
To see how certification samples, production paddles, and used paddles are tested differently, read PickleTip’s guide to how USAP and UPA-A test paddle compliance.
How an Approved Paddle Can Fail Production Review: Facolos Elite X
USA Pickleball’s Elite X decision shows why approval is not the end of compliance. The submitted model had reached the approved list, but later review reportedly found excessive surface roughness and differences between retail paddles and the certified sample. The Elite X was removed. That ruling stops with the named model; every other Facolos paddle still needs its own current status check.
PBCoR Paddle Removals, Sunset Dates, and One Restoration
PBCoR is USA Pickleball’s paddle-ball coefficient of restitution test. A sunset allows a previously approved paddle to remain eligible until a published enforcement date. A restoration or relisting reverses a prior decision for the exact version named.
| Manufacturer | Exact Model | Published USA Pickleball Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Chorus | Fire EX and Fire SX | Removed after PBCoR testing; ineligible for USA Pickleball-sanctioned play. |
| Chorus | Fire HX | Sunset July 1, 2025; ineligible after that date. |
| JOOLA | Perseus Mod TA-15, 14mm and 16mm | Sunset July 1, 2025; ineligible after that date. |
| Gearbox | Pro Power Elongated | Sunset July 1, 2025; ineligible after that date. |
| ProKennex | Black Ace Ovation, Pro, and XF | Sunset July 1, 2025; ineligible after that date. |
| ProKennex | 11mm Black Ace LG | Relisted after new testing; the exact LG version returned to the approved list. |
The Black Ace example shows why brand-wide shorthand fails. The Ovation, Pro, and XF lost eligibility after the sunset, while the 11mm Black Ace LG was retested and relisted.
The Paddle Controversies Players Still Get Wrong
Historical record: These examples explain how statuses changed. They do not replace a current database check.
| Year | Brand or Model | Issue | Correct Status Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | CRBN first-generation paddles | Surface-roughness concerns led to removal and corrective action. | Do not carry that decision across every current CRBN model. |
| 2024 | JOOLA Gen 3 and Alpha 2024 group | USA Pickleball reported that incorrect paddles had been submitted and later submissions did not meet approval standards. | The exact affected models were removed; later JOOLA generations require their own current check. |
| 2024–2025 | Ronbus Ripple beta and prior versions | Initial beta samples and later production submissions followed different testing outcomes. | Prior versions lost eligibility, while specific later models received their own approval. |
| 2024 | Vatic Pro Oni | Withdrawn or not completed before full certification. | Better described as not approved, not as an approved paddle later banned. |
| 2024–2025 | Paddletek Bantam TKO-CX | A prior warning or status concern was followed by a current Pass result. | A current Pass result is stronger evidence than an older warning that was never updated. |
| 2025 | Luzz paddles | UPA-A removed all Luzz paddles from approved and provisional status. | Historical UPA-A removal; verify later models against the current live list. |
| 2026 | Soxter | Unauthorized UPA-A certification implication or stamp use. | UPA-A said no Soxter paddle held certification at the time of review. |
Historical-list warning: one controversy does not determine every later thickness, shape, generation, serialized replacement, or new model from the same brand.
Exact JOOLA Gen 3 and Alpha 2024 Models Removed in 2024
“JOOLA Gen 3” is too broad for an exact status reference. USA Pickleball’s 2024 notice identified these 17 paddles:
View all 17 removed JOOLA Gen 3 and Alpha 2024 models
- Tyson McGuffin Magnus 3 – 14mm
- Tyson McGuffin Magnus 3 – 16mm
- Collin Johns Scorpeus 3 – 16mm
- Anna Bright Scorpeus 3 – 14mm
- Simone Jardim Hyperion 3 – 16mm
- Ben Johns Hyperion 3 – 14mm
- Ben Johns Hyperion 3 – 16mm
- Ben Johns Perseus 3 – 14mm
- Ben Johns Perseus 3 – 16mm
- Perseus Alpha 2024 – 14mm
- Perseus Alpha 2024 – 16mm
- Magnus Alpha 2024 – 14mm
- Magnus Alpha 2024 – 16mm
- Hyperion Alpha 2024 – 14mm
- Hyperion Alpha 2024 – 16mm
- Scorpeus Alpha 2024 – 14mm
- Scorpeus Alpha 2024 – 16mm
Do not merge these paddles with the Perseus Mod TA-15. The Mod TA-15 was a separate 2025 PBCoR sunset involving its 14mm and 16mm versions.
What Should Not Be Called a Banned Paddle?
- A paddle approved only by another organization: UPA-A-only does not mean universally banned; it means the paddle lacks USA Pickleball approval where that approval is required.
- A paddle never submitted: absence from a list does not prove that it failed testing.
- A withdrawn prototype: it can be unapproved without ever being decertified.
- An under-investigation model: the review remains open, although a separate manufacturer restriction may still control.
- A restored model: old removal coverage should not override a current approved entry.
- A recreational-only paddle: it may be permitted in casual play even when it is ineligible for sanctioned competition.
- An unusual approval pathway: the OWL paddle approval case concerns process and transparency, not a blanket ban.
The Diadem Vice Was Never a Tournament-Approved Paddle
The Diadem Vice is a useful example of a paddle that was not approved rather than a paddle approved and later removed. Diadem describes it as a recreational concept paddle that was not intended for USA Pickleball tournament play.
Seeing a material name such as EVA does not answer the tournament question. The finished paddle still has to complete certification and remain eligible under the rules your event uses.
Correct label: recreational concept paddle; not approved for USA Pickleball tournament play. That is different from removed, de-listed, or failed after certification.
A Paddle Can Be Legal at One Event and Rejected at Another
USA Pickleball, UPA-A, independent tournaments, clubs, leagues, and recreational groups can apply different equipment policies. A paddle removed by USA Pickleball is not automatically forbidden in every casual game. A UPA-A-certified paddle is not automatically eligible in a USA Pickleball-sanctioned event.
| Playing Environment | What to Check |
|---|---|
| USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournament | Current Pass entry, compliance notices, manufacturer restrictions, and any sunset date. |
| Professional PPA or MLP competition | UPA-A certification plus applicable onsite and challenge procedures. |
| UPA amateur competition | Current division and event guidance; do not assume the professional rule automatically applies. |
| Independent tournament, moneyball, or DUPR session | The organizer’s written rulebook, accepted list, status date, inspection process, and final authority. DUPR records ratings and results; it does not automatically set the event’s paddle-approval policy. |
| Club or recreational open play | Facility rules. A club may allow a decertified paddle or adopt stricter competition standards. |
Six Paddle-Status Mistakes Players Make
- Searching only the brand. This is how one removed model becomes a rumor that the entire brand is banned.
- Stopping at the first approved entry. A separate compliance report or manufacturer restriction may still affect the answer.
- Trusting the logo on the paddle. Printed marks can be outdated, unauthorized, or attached to a different version.
- Using an old screenshot as final proof. It records what a page said on one date, not what controls when the event begins.
- Assuming the last tournament’s rules apply. The governing list and enforcement process can change from one event to another.
- Leaving the backup at home. A correct argument does not help when the official will not allow the paddle and nothing else is in the bag.
How to Verify a Paddle Before a Tournament
Before searching a database, make sure you know which paddle you actually own. Two paddles can share the same family name while using different thicknesses, generations, shapes, or model numbers. The marketing name printed across the face may not identify the complete version.
- Identify the exact paddle. Record the brand, full model name, model number, thickness, shape, generation, and serial information. Check the throat, edge guard, handle cap, approval mark, packaging, receipt, and manufacturer product page.
- Identify the event policy. Determine whether it uses USA Pickleball, UPA-A, another federation, or a published hybrid.
- Check the complete current record. Match the paddle in the active database, then review compliance, de-listed, and manufacturer-level records.
- Confirm the effective date. Look for a removal, sunset, restoration, or later update that changes an older notice.
- Read the event instructions. Know the onsite test rules, challenge procedure, accepted evidence, and final decision-maker.
- Save the live sources. Keep the URLs and a dated screenshot, while remembering that officials may recheck the current pages.
- Bring a legal backup. Choose one close enough to your main paddle that you can compete with it immediately.
The logo on the paddle is a clue, not a verdict. The live record and the event rules win. Your backup should not feel like a stranger, either; the worst time to discover it swings nothing like your main paddle is after an official takes the first one out of play.
How an Approved Model Can Produce an Ineligible Paddle
An active model listing does not make every altered or damaged copy eligible. A player may make only the changes allowed by the applicable rulebook and equipment standards.
Added rough texture, spray-on grit, anti-skid coatings, sandpaper-like material, or other surface changes intended to increase spin can make a paddle non-compliant. Delamination, cracks, holes, abnormal deflection, severe surface damage, or other deterioration can also make one used paddle ineligible while the model remains approved.
Weighted tape does not automatically make a paddle illegal. The type, placement, and effect of the alteration matter. Do not use any alteration to change the playing surface or extend beyond the areas permitted by the governing rules. Check the current USA Pickleball rulebook and equipment standards before modifying a tournament paddle.
What to Do If Your Paddle Is Removed
- Stop using it after the effective date in events governed by the organization that removed it.
- Check whether the manufacturer offers a replacement, refresh, exchange, discount, or refund program.
- Save the receipt, serial number, paddle photos, and official removal notice.
- Check other models from the brand separately rather than carrying one decision across the line.
- Keep it for recreational use only if the facility permits it and the paddle remains safe and undamaged.
- Retire a paddle that becomes dangerously damaged, illegally modified, delaminated, or otherwise non-compliant even if the model remains listed.
The certification body can tell you whether the paddle is eligible for competition. It cannot promise that the manufacturer or retailer will refund, replace, refresh, or exchange it.
Official Paddle Status Sources
- USA Pickleball live paddle list
- USA Pickleball Paddle Compliance Report
- USA Pickleball Non-Compliant Manufacturer List
- USA Pickleball rulebook and equipment standards
- USA Pickleball certification updates and sunset notices
- Chorus Fire paddle statement
- JOOLA Gen 3 and Alpha 2024 removal notice
- ProKennex Black Ace LG relisting notice
- Ronbus Ripple update
- UPA-A approved paddle list
- UPA-A de-listed paddles
- UPA-A Luzz removal notice
- UPA-A Soxter unauthorized-stamp notice
- Diadem Vice recreational concept-paddle disclosure
Source hierarchy: the current event notice and live official database control. Model-specific statements explain how the status changed. PickleTip compares and translates those records for players, but the event organizer and governing body make the final eligibility decision.
How I maintain this page: I check the USA Pickleball approved, compliance, and manufacturer-restriction records along with the UPA-A approved and de-listed pages. I update this guide when a model is removed, de-listed, investigated, restored, relisted, reaches a published sunset date, receives a new manufacturer restriction, or gets an official clarification that resolves conflicting records. The date at the top marks the last complete source review. When public records conflict, I label the conflict rather than force a cleaner answer than the sources support.
Banned and Delisted Paddle FAQ
“Banned” is an informal umbrella term. The official status may be removed, decertified, de-listed, past a sunset date, manufacturer-restricted, under investigation, restored, or simply never approved. The practical answer depends on the exact paddle, approval system, date, and event.
Do not decide from the model-level label alone. Check the live approved list, compliance report, separate manufacturer-restriction records, and the event notice. If the manufacturer is separately restricted, bring another paddle rather than gambling on the most favorable interpretation.
No. Specific JOOLA Gen 3, Alpha 2024, and Perseus Mod TA-15 models were affected by past removal or sunset actions. Other JOOLA paddles require their own current status check. Match the complete model name, thickness, generation, and model number.
Often, yes, because certification restrictions generally apply to governed competition. A club, facility, league, or organizer may still adopt the same equipment rules, and a damaged, altered, or unsafe paddle should be retired.
Yes. The model can remain approved while one paddle becomes non-compliant through added texture, an illegal alteration, delamination, cracks, abnormal deflection, damage, or wear.
Yes. A certification body may restore or relist an exact model after additional review or testing. Verify the precise model and version because related paddles from the same line may remain ineligible.
No. Refund, exchange, refresh, or replacement programs depend on the manufacturer or retailer. Keep your receipt, serial number, model photos, and the official status notice before contacting the seller.
Check the throat, edge guard, handle cap, printed approval mark, original packaging, receipt, and manufacturer product page. Match the complete model name, model number, thickness, shape, generation, and any serial or production information.
The organizer applies the event’s written equipment policy and any onsite inspection or challenge procedure. A live approved entry is important evidence, but a separate restriction, damage, alteration, failed onsite test, or event-specific rule may still affect the decision.
Related Paddle Approval Guides
- Paddle Rules & Approvals: choose the approval, certification, testing, governance, or status guide that matches your question.
- USA Pickleball Approved Paddle List: check current exact-model Pass status.
- UPA-A Certified Paddle List: check current professional-event certification.
- How Pickleball Paddles Are Tested: understand certification samples, production review, PBCoR testing, and individual-paddle compliance.
- Who Governs Pickleball?: determine which organization and event policy control eligibility.
- JOOLA Gen 3 Approval Controversy: review the full model-submission and retail-paddle dispute.
- OWL Paddle Approval Investigation: see why an unusual approval process is not the same as a ban.
The Only Paddle Question That Matters on Tournament Day
Do not try to memorize every paddle controversy. Identify the exact model, confirm the list your event uses, check the current restriction or sunset date, and bring a tested legal backup. Most paddle rumors begin when one accurate fact gets stretched too far: one model was removed, so the whole brand gets called banned; one version was restored, so players assume the entire line returned. The question is never just “Is this brand banned?” It is: can I use this exact paddle at this exact event today?
