We chose UPA-A certification because it's the tougher standard - and that's the point.

UPA-A tests paddles the way you actually play with them: broken in, not fresh out of the wrapper. They measure real spin output, not just surface roughness. And their power limits are tighter than USAP's across the board. In the 2025 certification cycle, roughly 40% of USAP-approved paddles that were submitted to UPA-A failed. That's not a rounding error - it's a fundamentally different bar.

Every paddle we ship meets that bar.

There's a misconception floating around that UPA-A is the more lenient standard. The data says the opposite. UPA-A's spin cap, power threshold (PEF), and deflection testing are all more restrictive than what USAP requires. When 95% of paddles failing UPA-A testing are already sitting on the USAP Approved list, the gap between the two systems becomes impossible to ignore.

We didn't pick UPA-A because it was easier. We picked it because it reflects how paddles actually perform in your hands, on your court, after your first fifty games — not just on day one out of the box. That's the kind of accountability we think this sport deserves, and it's the kind we hold ourselves to.

Built to a higher standard. Tested like it matters.