I played with the Apex Hybrid last night for the first time\. My current paddles are a square Boomstik and a J6CR\. I use them pretty interchangeably, although I almost always use the elongated J6 for singles\.
My first impression of the Apex Hybrid is very positive\.
It definitely doesn’t have the pop of my other two paddles, but I actually like that\. The Apex feels solid, dense, and softer at impact, with noticeably more dwell time\. On a few shots, my partner even commented that she couldn’t really hear how hard I had hit the ball\.
That softer, denser feel gave me a lot of control\. I was able to place shots into corners, hit drops and lobs, and move the ball around the court very accurately\.
The biggest surprise was my backspin\. My cut shots were noticeably better with the Apex\. On some one\-handed backhands, the ball stayed incredibly low and barely came back up after the bounce\. That could be really useful in singles\.
Net play was also very good\. I didn’t have any unexpected pop\-ups\. I did notice that you have to be a little more deliberate on touch dinks\. The Boomstik’s natural pop does some of the work for you\. With the Apex, you have to pay more attention to your touch and acceleration, but I actually prefer that\. It almost feels like you can carry the ball over the net rather than having it jump off the face\.
The other big factor is price\.
I got mine for 20% off at G\.O\.A\.T\. Pickleball in Las Vegas, so I paid right around $100\. At that price, it feels like a steal\.
If I can substitute a $100 Apex for a $333 Boomstik without any meaningful drop\-off in my play or performance, that’s a huge win\. I can literally buy three Apex paddles for about the price of one Boomstik\.
So even if the face eventually proves less durable, I’m not sure I care at this price point\.
My only concern is actually how rough the face is\. It feels almost like sandpaper, and the spin is excellent\. I’m curious whether that surface will ultimately meet USA Pickleball approval standards\.
After one night, though, I’m impressed\. For roughly $100, the Apex Hybrid punches way above its price.
