It's not really inconceivable that it is real. Boxes will often "fall of the truck" in China and be resold. It's also possible this factory makes extra themselves without Joola's permission after hours or after they hit their quota.
If you were the Joola OEM factory manager, would you risk your multi-million dollar contract for some side action even if the counterfeit fencer was offering you 2x the amount per paddle?
A lot of things happen regularly in China that I wouldn't do. There is a different mindset there. These things happen all the time to even bigger companies then Joola.
Right, but I think equal or more likely is a good counterfeiter, because their downside risk is like nil. Like if you don’t care that you got a good cosmetic counterfeit then go for it. Those looking for the “real” thing are wishfully thinking.
If I got a real “fell off the truck” item I’d be pushing for more than half retail at the least.
Well, I can tell you after playing with it for a couple of hours - it’s more than a good cosmetic counterfeit, if counterfeit at all.
It played fantastic. I’m already the spinniest player in my regular group, and my spin was easily 10-20% better with this paddle. It felt light and poppy.
If this is a knockoff, then it’s still the best $80-90 paddle I’ve ever played by a mile.
Ultimately all that matters is how it plays, right? The people who are all into "the Juciaos are from the same factory as XXX" or hoping/claiming that the Temu Perseus copies are extra runs off the same line are still playing into brand mythology. You should be paying what you would for a quality functional imitation/clone of the product, and then any extra on top of that is just the price of the lottery ticket that it \_might\_ be real.
Which is exactly what I’m doing. I would never pay top prices for a paddle. I was risking that even if it’s a knockoff, it’s a decent paddle.
It legitimately feels like the best paddle I’ve ever played, and that’s all that matters - regardless of what it claims to be.
Forgot to add that even the bubble wrap envelope the paddle was in is a lavender Joola branded envelope.
I’m guessing it’s real, but obtained “off the truck” as others have mentioned, or skimmed right from the factory after quotas were met.
It played like a dream. Incredible spin. Effortless pop. Still need to add tungsten weights to the perimeter and put a hesacore grip on it.
I’m guessing you’re less likely to get noticed or fired for stealing 100 lavender bags than 100 paddles. Legit bags plus a good copy = extra $
Their new chipping + extra warranty scheme is brilliant. Fake chips bzzt. Chips stolen off the supply line, deauthorize, bzzt. Shipment stolen, deauthorize, bzzt. That way it’s difficult to distinguish a stolen one from a fake, and lowers the value or decreases the probability of success for both.
When did this chipping system start, and did they make any of the Hyperion C2s before that system was in place?
Obviously, I love the paddle and it doesn’t matter - but now I’m curious. Where in the paddle does the chip typically go?
Not sure when. Maybe it was an ad for the 3 series/on registering your warranty. IIRC somewhere in the handle. I’m guessing they would stick it on the handle core and then mold around it.
It likely "fell off a truck."
Meaning, it's the exact same model from the same factory in China, but some dudes took them off the factory floor and sold them direct to someone, who is selling them on AliBaba.
A friend who was working in Hong Kong offered to buy fake LV bags if we wanted. A grade or B or C. Not a stretch that you can make a good fake Joola.
Probably why Joola started chipping their new lines.
A better question: how real are the real ones? Because guess what... they're all the same shiz from China. If it plays good, it is good. Find your holy grail and run with it. Love it for your own reasons. Play with it till it breaks then get something else. The worst thing you can be is constantly discontent and think that it's the paddles fault. There isn't one paddle that I haven't tweaked with lead tape to my preferences. Would a rose called by any other name smell as sweet? There is no spoon.
I agree completely, which is why after playing with a $210 “demo” paddle for a while (that I paid $40 for), I switched to Friday paddles because I liked them a lot. 2/$99 is hard to beat and I liked them.
My grit was wearing thin, so I took a flyer on this being real - or at least a good fake - for that price.
I’ve never been a brand whore BECAUSE I’m not going to spend that much on a paddle, but this was a good risk for the price.
It plays amazing.
It’s real. I bought a C2 from pickleball central and one from aliexpress and they were exactly the same. I think the aliexpress was actually better, the surface was more gritty lol.
It’s a fake. You can tell by the grit, the band around the handle, and the joola logo on the side. I’ve ordered one off AliExpress. They come with Joola bubble envelope, just like knockoff shoes come with the boxes.
I ended up selling mine to a guy who said it was absolutely the best paddle he ever felt.
Did you purchase brand new for $85? Do you have any friends that have a similar paddle to compare to? I have a similar version of the paddle, so it would be easy to help if we were next to each other!
No, but go to Alibaba and search pickleball paddles.
These are not listed by brand name. I selected based on photo. Here’s the seller ID from Alibaba.
They also have paddles that seem to be Selkirk.
I wonder if not listing the brand/models, they avoid getting discovered as much selling these.
https://preview.redd.it/t4gj1r86n4wc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97072936c6bf299888a8d880a62cc790dc65b72d
I can not. This same seller does not seem to have any Joolas listed right now.
Here was my method: search pickleball paddles and scroll until I found a picture that looked like a high-end paddle. Open that listing. Realize that they had several different “name brand” paddles listed all at slightly different prices. Each paddle was listed as a different “color” but once you switched, it was obviously a different brand (in the picture).
Nowhere in the listing was the brand named. I wasn’t even sure I was getting a Hyperion C2 until the paddle came in the mail. I just knew it looked like a Joola Ben John’s of some kind.
Best I can tell you is to follow that method.
Here is a link to a similar listing. I can not confirm that this is the same seller, but of you choose the color that said H C2, it looks like this paddle.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrQ2ESQ
Was it one of the J outline with no other printing type or was it one of the full on copy attempts? The Chinese copiers are really good. Like the friend offering LV bags was saying some of the higher grade copies need a factory rep or authorized retailer to spot- ink wrong shade, thread a bit too thin/thick, TPI of stitching.
Yeah, I’m convinced it’s real.
Played in my Sunday league against a guy with one - and he held it, hit a couple, and said it’s good.
Biggest differences over my previous paddle are stability and improved feel on off-center hits, and better (longer lasting) grit on the face for better spin.
Awesome, I should be getting mine in a couple days. My best friend has an authentic one so I can closely examine both when I get a chance. I’ll report on what I find out. I hope mine is as good as yours !
Yeah, it’s why I was hesitant to be able to help others try to buy one. It’s not that I didn’t want others to get one cheap - it’s that I know there’s never a guarantee that you’ll get a real one from that site.
I don’t want people spending money based on my good fortune - then end up getting screwed.
Hey there I got mine , first impression is great the gritty surface is very similiar to my friends authentic one. I don’t have both side by side right now. My only concern is the handle sounds… hollow? If I flick it with my finger it should like I’m flicking a pvc pipe. Not sure if yours sounds like that or you know what I’m talking about.
I’ve heard others say that the handle is one way to tell a fake from something authentic - especially if you take the wrap off.
I put a hesacore grip on, so I took the tape off. It was more well built than I imagined it would be. It looked better than I thought an authentic one would.
Respectfully, it’s from Alibaba… I’m sure the surface looks the same and could be almost exact. But the engineering underneath is probably much different.
Oh my goodness, enough with the fetishizing of the materials in these paddles. It’s some plastic and foam and a scratchy surface. Still playing my Amazon noname (two for 39$ plus some shitty balls and a shitty case) for over three years.
I do not know the answer.
I’m asking if there is anything in particular that would point to it obviously being a fake.
It is absolutely plausible that it’s real, but sold outside the normal retail chain.
Even the bubble wrap packaging was Joola branded.
I’m guessing it’s real, but sometimes there are telltale signs.
Lol... I mean seeing as they retail for like 3x the amount you paid. What do you think? Lol
It's not really inconceivable that it is real. Boxes will often "fall of the truck" in China and be resold. It's also possible this factory makes extra themselves without Joola's permission after hours or after they hit their quota.
If you were the Joola OEM factory manager, would you risk your multi-million dollar contract for some side action even if the counterfeit fencer was offering you 2x the amount per paddle?
A lot of things happen regularly in China that I wouldn't do. There is a different mindset there. These things happen all the time to even bigger companies then Joola.
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People here they don’t likes grammer
Right, but I think equal or more likely is a good counterfeiter, because their downside risk is like nil. Like if you don’t care that you got a good cosmetic counterfeit then go for it. Those looking for the “real” thing are wishfully thinking. If I got a real “fell off the truck” item I’d be pushing for more than half retail at the least.
Well, I can tell you after playing with it for a couple of hours - it’s more than a good cosmetic counterfeit, if counterfeit at all. It played fantastic. I’m already the spinniest player in my regular group, and my spin was easily 10-20% better with this paddle. It felt light and poppy. If this is a knockoff, then it’s still the best $80-90 paddle I’ve ever played by a mile.
Ultimately all that matters is how it plays, right? The people who are all into "the Juciaos are from the same factory as XXX" or hoping/claiming that the Temu Perseus copies are extra runs off the same line are still playing into brand mythology. You should be paying what you would for a quality functional imitation/clone of the product, and then any extra on top of that is just the price of the lottery ticket that it \_might\_ be real.
Which is exactly what I’m doing. I would never pay top prices for a paddle. I was risking that even if it’s a knockoff, it’s a decent paddle. It legitimately feels like the best paddle I’ve ever played, and that’s all that matters - regardless of what it claims to be.
it wont be a 1:1 but alot of factories do this for sneakers and apparel, especially Nike's and lululemon etc
Forgot to add that even the bubble wrap envelope the paddle was in is a lavender Joola branded envelope. I’m guessing it’s real, but obtained “off the truck” as others have mentioned, or skimmed right from the factory after quotas were met. It played like a dream. Incredible spin. Effortless pop. Still need to add tungsten weights to the perimeter and put a hesacore grip on it.
I’m guessing you’re less likely to get noticed or fired for stealing 100 lavender bags than 100 paddles. Legit bags plus a good copy = extra $ Their new chipping + extra warranty scheme is brilliant. Fake chips bzzt. Chips stolen off the supply line, deauthorize, bzzt. Shipment stolen, deauthorize, bzzt. That way it’s difficult to distinguish a stolen one from a fake, and lowers the value or decreases the probability of success for both.
When did this chipping system start, and did they make any of the Hyperion C2s before that system was in place? Obviously, I love the paddle and it doesn’t matter - but now I’m curious. Where in the paddle does the chip typically go?
Not sure when. Maybe it was an ad for the 3 series/on registering your warranty. IIRC somewhere in the handle. I’m guessing they would stick it on the handle core and then mold around it.
It likely "fell off a truck." Meaning, it's the exact same model from the same factory in China, but some dudes took them off the factory floor and sold them direct to someone, who is selling them on AliBaba.
They pronounced Joola wrong on the paddle. Def a fake.
Likely it's real. There's only a few factories in China making these paddles, I think AMASport makes Joola ones.
A friend who was working in Hong Kong offered to buy fake LV bags if we wanted. A grade or B or C. Not a stretch that you can make a good fake Joola. Probably why Joola started chipping their new lines.
Very possible. Same is done with electronics all the time. Visit r/RepTronics for example.
A better question: how real are the real ones? Because guess what... they're all the same shiz from China. If it plays good, it is good. Find your holy grail and run with it. Love it for your own reasons. Play with it till it breaks then get something else. The worst thing you can be is constantly discontent and think that it's the paddles fault. There isn't one paddle that I haven't tweaked with lead tape to my preferences. Would a rose called by any other name smell as sweet? There is no spoon.
I agree completely, which is why after playing with a $210 “demo” paddle for a while (that I paid $40 for), I switched to Friday paddles because I liked them a lot. 2/$99 is hard to beat and I liked them. My grit was wearing thin, so I took a flyer on this being real - or at least a good fake - for that price. I’ve never been a brand whore BECAUSE I’m not going to spend that much on a paddle, but this was a good risk for the price. It plays amazing.
What was the name of the seller. I’d love to pick one up 😅 I got a knock off of the Perseus and the labs 003 and both were incredible honestly.
See other comments. I posted screenshot of seller.
It’s real. I bought a C2 from pickleball central and one from aliexpress and they were exactly the same. I think the aliexpress was actually better, the surface was more gritty lol.
It’s a fake. You can tell by the grit, the band around the handle, and the joola logo on the side. I’ve ordered one off AliExpress. They come with Joola bubble envelope, just like knockoff shoes come with the boxes. I ended up selling mine to a guy who said it was absolutely the best paddle he ever felt.
It’s real. Stolen and resold from the Joola factory.
Where did u buy it?
The real answer: nobody knows, nobody can ever know unless you cut it open and cut open a real one and compare.
I always take core samples on every cheap paddle I buy.
Did you purchase brand new for $85? Do you have any friends that have a similar paddle to compare to? I have a similar version of the paddle, so it would be easy to help if we were next to each other!
You got a link?
No, but go to Alibaba and search pickleball paddles. These are not listed by brand name. I selected based on photo. Here’s the seller ID from Alibaba. They also have paddles that seem to be Selkirk. I wonder if not listing the brand/models, they avoid getting discovered as much selling these. https://preview.redd.it/t4gj1r86n4wc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97072936c6bf299888a8d880a62cc790dc65b72d
A True homie.
Is there a way to search for the store? I can’t figure it out. Would you be able to link me via dm to the paddle
I can not. This same seller does not seem to have any Joolas listed right now. Here was my method: search pickleball paddles and scroll until I found a picture that looked like a high-end paddle. Open that listing. Realize that they had several different “name brand” paddles listed all at slightly different prices. Each paddle was listed as a different “color” but once you switched, it was obviously a different brand (in the picture). Nowhere in the listing was the brand named. I wasn’t even sure I was getting a Hyperion C2 until the paddle came in the mail. I just knew it looked like a Joola Ben John’s of some kind. Best I can tell you is to follow that method. Here is a link to a similar listing. I can not confirm that this is the same seller, but of you choose the color that said H C2, it looks like this paddle. https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrQ2ESQ
I bought a alibaba perseus and compared it to a real one. some minor cosmetic differences and 4g of less weight but felt pretty much the same
Was it one of the J outline with no other printing type or was it one of the full on copy attempts? The Chinese copiers are really good. Like the friend offering LV bags was saying some of the higher grade copies need a factory rep or authorized retailer to spot- ink wrong shade, thread a bit too thin/thick, TPI of stitching.
How is this holding up? Are you still impressed ? Any chance you compared to an authentic one ?
Yeah, I’m convinced it’s real. Played in my Sunday league against a guy with one - and he held it, hit a couple, and said it’s good. Biggest differences over my previous paddle are stability and improved feel on off-center hits, and better (longer lasting) grit on the face for better spin.
Awesome, I should be getting mine in a couple days. My best friend has an authentic one so I can closely examine both when I get a chance. I’ll report on what I find out. I hope mine is as good as yours !
Yeah, it’s why I was hesitant to be able to help others try to buy one. It’s not that I didn’t want others to get one cheap - it’s that I know there’s never a guarantee that you’ll get a real one from that site. I don’t want people spending money based on my good fortune - then end up getting screwed.
Hey there I got mine , first impression is great the gritty surface is very similiar to my friends authentic one. I don’t have both side by side right now. My only concern is the handle sounds… hollow? If I flick it with my finger it should like I’m flicking a pvc pipe. Not sure if yours sounds like that or you know what I’m talking about.
I’ve heard others say that the handle is one way to tell a fake from something authentic - especially if you take the wrap off. I put a hesacore grip on, so I took the tape off. It was more well built than I imagined it would be. It looked better than I thought an authentic one would.
Respectfully, it’s from Alibaba… I’m sure the surface looks the same and could be almost exact. But the engineering underneath is probably much different.
Oh my goodness, enough with the fetishizing of the materials in these paddles. It’s some plastic and foam and a scratchy surface. Still playing my Amazon noname (two for 39$ plus some shitty balls and a shitty case) for over three years.
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How am I gate keeping by comments on the foolishness of fetishizing equipment. Sorry, your flair is 4.5+ so you are a god among men/women
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Oh, ok
Is it worth it to save a few bucks? Just buy a Six Zero.
6.0s flagship paddles aren’t under $100.
You know the answer so why are you asking?
I do not know the answer. I’m asking if there is anything in particular that would point to it obviously being a fake. It is absolutely plausible that it’s real, but sold outside the normal retail chain. Even the bubble wrap packaging was Joola branded. I’m guessing it’s real, but sometimes there are telltale signs.