Selkirk Project 003 S2, Epic, Invikta: What’s best? Does it matter? Should you spend a gazillion bucks on a paddle?
TLDR: There are noticeable differences, but you need to account for your body type and abilities. Don’t force a paddle to work for you. And no, don’t spend what you can’t afford. There are $150 paddles that give you comparable performance to 003s.
Let’s keep going. I’ve had oodles of time to use all three styles of the Selkirk Project 003 paddles. When I was trying to decide on one, I initially chose the S2 because that head style was the first with which I learned to play. Good memories! Plus, I liked the idea of a larger hitting surface at the net. With the larger hitting surface, in theory that would also increase the sweet spot of the paddle. However, in order to have this larger hitting surface, the length of the paddle severely suffers. Staying within the rules, you have the gives and takes. This one gives up length for width. I quickly found that my overhead smashes were going long, or embarrassingly enough, whiffing. Suddenly shots were passing my paddle by the smidgest of smidges! A better player would say to adjust. So I did. My overhead smashes never seemed to have the right amount of power. I missed the longer paddle…
Nothing beats the S2 for dinking though. My soft game was at its best using this paddle. It felt effortless. But I’d rather adjust my soft game with a longer paddle than have to adjust my power game with the short paddle. I’m 5’11” with a 69″ arm span. Athletic, but average 39-year-old pains. My lowest disc disappeared from the dreaded degenerative disc disease! My workout regimen is daily using the Athlean-X programs. I still have speed, but not like I was 19. All of this is important to remember when deciding on purchasing a paddle. You need to know what works for you. For me, 3/4″ or even a 1/4″ can make a big difference. I simply had to conclude the S2 length wasn’t suitable for my play style and build. If you’re tall with a longer arm span, then the S2 could be the perfect paddle.
Epic or Invikta?
I compared the Power Air models length since I could rent those easily. You can see that here. Curiosity bested me though, and I ended up purchasing the Invikta 003 along with the Epic 003. Whipping power was noticeable immediately. With the S2, the handle was so short, you’d have to have the butt of the handle in the center of your palm to get the extra whip for power. It never felt right to me. The Epic and Invikta felt nice right away. Serves were a bit more powerful with a bit more spin. I found serves with consistent top spin with the Invikta resulting in a very low bounce for my opponent. In the end, I like the shape of the Invikta elongated paddle most. Overhead smashes with the Invikta were fast, unreturnable, and on target. Passing shots were few and far between from opponents. That extra bit of length pairs well with a quick side hop too. As for the short soft game, it didn’t take long at all to adjust. These paddles have a thick 20mm core, which benefits your game at the net. So while at the net you’re going to find a more consistent soft game, back at the line you’re going to need to use more power than usual. A little more oomph for your net respect. This was the surprising bit to me. The paddle length is almost negligible. The face width again is almost negligible. But the handle length itself seems to have made the Invikta capable of more power, and for me, more spin.
Third shot drops with the Project 003s need a little more power and follow through when you’re back at the line. Not impossible, but after using any other paddle you’re going to notice the difference. Adding either lead tape or copper tape helps. Take the time to run drills with a partner or practice drop shots on the court alone with a huge basket of balls.
The Conclusion
If I reach for an 003, it’s going to be the Invikta. But would it surprise you to know that my go-to paddle is the Warrior Edge? I’ll do a more in depth impression and analysis on that paddle, but I was also surprised with this too. For months I’ve been using the 003s. Serves were consistent. Drives were consistent. Dinking was better, and yes, more consistent! But you know what? I was playing a hell of a lot. Multiple times a week, drilling, practicing, playing in tournaments. So I was just naturally becoming better from practice. On a whim, I pulled out the Warrior Edge. Different core, different thickness, different weight. None of my soft game suffered, but I found that if I was at the line I didn’t have to put that extra little power in the shot to get it over the net. And that little extra power allowed me to do my silly curve ball serves that I gave up on with the 003s. So what does this tell me? What can you learn from this? Well, I couldn’t recommend the 003s. Instead, I urge you to demo paddles. Run drills with a partner and have them try passing shots, lobs, and dinking games for a few hours. You’ll know it when you feel it.
