ここ1〜2年、海外のパドルメーカーが新製品でそろって同じ方向を向いている。パドルの中身、つまりコア素材がハニカム（蜂の巣構造）から全面フォームへと置き換わる動きだ。米メディアThe Dinkは夏の新製品ラッシュを「フォームの夏」と呼び、CRBNのTruFoamをはじめとする100%フォームコア機が次々と競技承認を取っている。用具の買い替えサイクルが海外より遅れて回る日本のプレーヤーにとって、この流れは「次の一本」を選ぶ物差しが変わることを意味する。何が変わり、どう選べばいいのかを整理する。
Foam-core paddles keep arriving
The new-product list The Dink put together includes CRBN'sTruFoam Genesis, Honolulu'sJ2NF, Enhance'sGen 4.5, and Vatic Pro's full-foam models, paddles whose cores are made entirely of foam. Alongside them sit Gearbox'sGX2 Power, which refines the thermoformed path; SLK'sERA Power, a hybrid combining polypropylene and foam; and traditional honeycomb paddles such as Paddletek'sBantam GTO-C, all launching at the same time. To put it precisely, then, the whole market did not flip overnight. Full foam is moving to take the top of the range, and the reality is closer to a stage where it sits on the shelf alongside honeycomb and hybrids.
複数ブランドがフォームという同じ選択に踏み切ったことが重要だ。素材の潮目が変わるとき、メーカーは足並みをそろえて動く。フルフォーム機が実験段階を抜け、競技で使える選択肢として厚みを増してきたことは、この数の多さから読み取れる。
From honeycomb to foam core: what is inside
The inside of a paddle is usually described in four generations. Through the first three, materials improved but the base of the core was still a resin honeycomb. It was light and lively, yet repeated hitting crushed the cells, a problem known as core crush, leaving dead spots across the face and degrading performance.
The fourth generation (Gen4) drops the honeycomb and replaces the entire core with a purpose-built high-density foam. CRBN says it took 18 months and more than 200 prototypes to arrive at a structure that mills cavities out of a foam block. Foam absorbs impact while extending the time the ball stays on the face (dwell), which makes spin and control easier to produce. With no structure that collapses over time, performance also lasts. Foam keeps a paddle manageable even as thickness increases, making it easier to get power and control in one paddle, another reason brands are moving that way.
| Generation | What the core is made of | Strengths and weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Generations 1-2 | Resin honeycomb with cold pressing / early thermoforming | Light and inexpensive. Modest pop |
| Generation 3 | Thermoformed honeycomb with foam edge walls and unibody carbon | Better power and spin, but core crush remains |
| Generation 4 (Gen4) | 100% foam core (some designs vary density by zone) | Strong on dwell time, spin and stability over time. Higher price |
Note that thermoforming is separate from core material: it refers to the molding process. There are thermoformed honeycombs, and there are foams that are not thermoformed. As a rough guide you can identify Gen4 by whether the core is foam, but in practice there are paddles labeled Gen 4.5 and designs sitting between polypropylene and foam, and the industry has no strictly agreed definition. When buying, checking the core material itself is more reliable than the generation label.
Foam pays off after you have put in the hours
An easily missed advantage of a foam core is that performance stays steady across long use, whether a single match or a whole season. Honeycomb is at its best when new and falls off the more you play. Foam, by contrast, varies less during break-in and softens more slowly. That resistance to wear suits the way weekend players in Japan tend to use one paddle for a long time.
The engineering is also getting more deliberate. Paddles have appeared that vary density by zone, softer around the sweet spot and firmer at the tip, to deliver control and power within a single face. This technology also grew out of the need to keep face rebound within permitted limits, so it cannot be separated from the approval framework. What a paddle's approved label actually guarantees was covered earlier inWhat paddle approval actually guarantees behind the spin rules, and that perspective does not change in the foam generation. Foam paddles in particular have been pulled from competition use after the fact when their rebound values (PBCoR) exceeded the limit, so checking approval status before buying is essential.
How players in Japan should choose their next paddle
The choice splits on whether you want power, or control and durability. If you hit aggressively, go for a thicker foam paddle (around 16mm) built for power; if your game is fine touch at the net, pick a shape built for control. The less often you replace a paddle, the more a foam core's resistance to wear pays off. Conversely, for beginners just starting out or anyone keeping a lid on spend, a mature third-generation model at a lower price is a realistic option. Prices rise as you move up the full-foam range, and import margins push Japanese retail prices higher still.
What happens to the equipment market
The move to foam will work its way through the equipment business in Japan too. Importers and pro shops are entering a phase where they stock foam-core demo paddles and sell resistance to wear as something customers can feel. Capital is flowing into pickleball across the sport (Amway bought the MLP title, so why put its name on the sport's home stage), and in Japan, where the market has matured to the point of having its own awards (One company now hands out industry awards, so has Japanese pickleball matured), overseas releases reach the shop floor six months to a year later.
The practical question for retailers is what to do with old-generation honeycomb stock. If foam takes the top of the range, the great third-generation paddles move onto the shelf serving beginners as well-priced performers. Shops that build that two-tier structure first, foam at the top and honeycomb at entry level, will not miss the replacement wave.
Practical notes for trying the new material
| How to tell them apart | Check whether the core is foam rather than reading the generation label. A thermoform label alone does not settle it |
|---|---|
| What to choose on | Power first: thicker foam. Touch first: a control shape |
| How often you replace | The less often you replace, the more foam's stability over time pays off |
| Budget first | A mature third-generation model at a lower price is a strong option |
| What to verify | Approval from USAP and others, and the rebound value (PBCoR). Watch for paddles barred from competition after the fact |
| Buying notes | Overseas price plus import margin. Japanese retail prices tend to run higher |
Summary
The main character inside a paddle is starting to change from honeycomb to foam. It is not a wholesale swap: full foam is taking the top of the range while honeycomb and hybrids remain alongside it. If you are buying your next paddle, first decide whether your game is power or control. If you replace paddles rarely, build around a foam core; if you are watching your budget, put a mature third-generation model on the shortlist. Check the core material and approval status instead of relying on generation labels and you can judge for yourself whether price and performance line up. A change in materials is a chance to sharpen how you read equipment.
Source:The Dink Pickleball / The Dink Pickleball (CRBN TruFoam / Gen4 explainer)
