Using the Power Air Models
Epic and Invikta? With $77 to burn after submitting feedback in the Selkirk Labs R&D site for the Project 003 S2 paddle, I have been desperately trying to decide between the Selkirk Invikta or Epic paddle. The Project 003 Invikta doesn’t release until October, but the Epic is still available. It’s hard to find answers. You can go to Selkirk’s shapes page, or you can find, well, nothing. There’s nothing else.
…
Fine I’ll do it!
Surprisingly, they are almost identical. There are some small differences that can affect your play style, but for an average player, I don’t think you’ll notice a difference. Let’s take a look.
Height
Laying the Epic on top almost completely obscures the Invikta. The Invikta has the same handle, but differs in shape with being slightly thinner and slightly taller. Theoretically, according to marketing jargon, this would help you reach hard to get balls. Great for singles matches! In reality, would .25″ really help? Probably not. Considering the sweet spot, you’re looking at maybe just less than an inch being added in height on the Invikta paddle. You need to work on positioning. Or maybe, stick with me here, your opponent pulled off a really great shot.
Width
Width matters. You want the extra width for better control. Whereas weight at the top correlates to power, a more equal width and height ratio correlates to control. The last thing you want is to hit the ball slightly off center and it dies into the net as you replay that nasty dead pop sound over and over again in your head. You’ll know it when you hear it. Advanced players never hear it. They’re consistent and always hit the sweet spot. Width doesn’t matter to them because they’re already in the perfect position with the ball hitting the perfect spot. If you’re not that person, the Invikta isn’t for you. The Epic has amazing control, and I feel like I’m placing the ball exactly where I want it. I mean, it sometimes hits the net, but the ball is in the right area!
Balance and Power
Things get interesting here. The Invikta paddle is heavier at the top, which increases power. Your serves will get a noticeable speed boost. More so if you use lead tape to increase your paddle weight. My suggestion, if that little bit of power increase is important to you, just add lead tape at the top. They come in different weights, and this is what I typically purchase for my paddles. You may want to cut the tape in half lengthwise so you can better cover it with electrical tape. The Epic paddle is a more neutral balance. While holding the handle, you’ll feel that it won’t pull down at the top unlike the Invikta. Honestly, the Epic paddle is one of the best balanced paddles I’ve held. I’m not saying it can’t deliver a fast serve, but you’ll need to generate your own power using strength and arm speed. You can also add lead tape on the end and make the balance exactly like the Invikta or heavier for even more power.
So, what do you choose? I’d recommend the Epic all day every day. Invikta was a paddle I purchased last year after the S2 because I thought I needed something longer for singles. The extra reach messaging worked on me, but I only used it temporarily before making my way to Gearbox, Diadem, Electrum, and Engage. I learned it’s not that extra minuscule fraction of an inch that mattered. My reaction, ability to read my opponent, form, and placement was the key. After that, it was about finding the right paddle that helped me do exactly what I wanted. And what I wanted is spin. That’s a whole different article about paddle face types and finishes.
If you’re in the market for a paddle and wading through marketing jargon isn’t helping, I highly recommend going to a local racket shop or pickleball facility. They’ll likely have a bunch of paddles with a demo program. Here in St. Louis we have Racketman. For $5 you can demo any paddle for three days, and they’re pretty lenient on giving you an extra day or two if needed. Don’t 100% rely on Facebook, Reddit, Youtube, or the manufacturer website. Demo before you buy. This sport is expensive! For this, I used Pickleball Galaxy to demo the Power Air versions of the Invikta and Epic paddles.