Throughout the majority of 2023, I’ve been playing with the Six Zero Double Black Diamond 16mm paddle, and as the 2024 year draws to a start, I thought it would be interesting to compare it with the three other 16mm paddles within the Six Zero lineup. Over the past month, I’ve had the chance to evaluate the Black Diamond, Infinity, and Ruby paddles, comparing them to my Double Black Diamond acquired back in June.
Firstly, why Six Zero? It’s important to note that I have no affiliation with the company, but there might be a slight bias as they are the only brand that promised their paddle would make me look 20% more dashing on the court—though, results may vary depending on your opponents’ sense of humor! Additionally, I was drawn to their early adoption of a thermoformed Gen 2 paddle and appreciated the unique hybrid shape.
Coming from the Joola Hyperion CFS, characterized as a Gen 1 raw carbon elongated paddle, I had also used a more traditional square-shaped paddle previously. The hybrid shape of the DBD, with a length of 16.3” and a width tapering from 7.5” to 7.7”, provided a middle ground between the two. Unsure of whether a square or elongated shape better suited my game, the hybrid shape proved to be a satisfying compromise, offering a nearly identical reach to an elongated paddle while maintaining a larger sweet spot closer to that of a square paddle. Its solidity, resisting twisting when blocking hard drives, was another favorable attribute. keep reading below I’ve posted a detailed review of this.
All current Six Zero range paddles, except the cheaper Sapphire, feature the hybrid shape, which has since been emulated by some other manufacturers — indeed, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
Now, let’s delve into the paddle rankings:
4. Six Zero Black Diamond
In 4th place, my least favorite, but still a great paddle, is the Black Diamond (BD), marketed as a power paddle. It undeniably lives up to this label, providing a harsher feel and propelling the ball like a rocket! While it is considered one of the most powerful paddles currently available, its power comes at the expense of control, affecting my softer game. However, if aggressive play and smashing balls for winners are your style, the DB might be your ideal choice, especially for singles play.
3. Six Zero Infinity Double Black Diamond
In 3rd place is the Infinity, the complete opposite of the Black Diamond. As Six Zero’s first edgeless paddle, it boasts a sleek appearance and a slightly larger face due to the lack of an edge guard.
The main advantage of an edgeless paddle is it allows the manufacturer to create a paddle with a very low swing weight. An edge guard adds quite a bit to the head heaviness of a paddle making it slower to manoeuvre.
In play, the low swing weight enhanced maneuverability, particularly during kitchen confrontations. Yet, the Infinity lacked the power and pop of the DBD, feeling softer and exhibiting a smaller sweet spot.
One of the DBD’s best features is the high twist weight and large sweet spot and it was noticeably smaller on the Infinity. This can be remedied to some extent by applying lead weight to the sides and I tried this with strips of 3 grams at 3 and 9-o-clock. But then I found that, with the extra weight in the head, my hand speed dropped as of course the paddle was a little heavier to swing. I wouldn’t say it felt exactly like a DBD with the added lead tape, it still felt softer and still a bit faster – no doubt due to the better aerodynamics of being edgeless – but also the power and pop were still lower. I suppose I could have experimented further by adding even more lead but then I would be turning it into a DBD which really begs the question, why? Especially as the Infinity is more expensive.
If hand speed, a softer touch, and maneuverability are your priorities, the Infinity could be the right fit.
Otherwise, keep reading…
2. Six Zero Ruby
Taking 2nd place is the Ruby, the talk of the town since its recent release. With a Kevlar face in place of the more usual T700K carbon fiber, the Ruby boasts a distinctive dark red color, making it stand out from the sea of black carbon paddles. During play, it resembles the DBD but with a more subdued feel. Reviews vary on whether it has more power and less pop or vice versa, and my experience is that it has less power and less pop!
Now I have to say here that I didn’t play with Ruby for long and over time I may well have started to appreciate some of the advantages it has over the DBD. For instance, I probably didn’t spend enough time dialing in my soft game – I was dumping some resets into the net and was quick to blame the paddle. The Ruby has a more textured surface than the other paddles in the range and does produce more spin than the DBD but to me, it wasn’t earth-shatteringly more. Then again, it was also probably down to me not demoing it for long enough.
While Ruby adds some features, in my opinion, it also loses a bit compared to the DBD. Certainly, if you already have a DBD and love it, there is no compelling reason to switch to Ruby but if you do have the opportunity to compare them both I encourage you to do so as only you can decide which one suits your game better.
1. Six Zero Double Black Diamond
In 1st place, unsurprisingly, is the DBD. It is an all-court paddle with the perfect balance of power and control. While it may have less power than the BD, be a bit slower in hand battles than the Infinity, and provide a little less spin than the Ruby, the DBD is the Goldilocks paddle in the range and remains my number 1.
Six Zero Double Black Diamond Review
When I was relatively new to the game but after learning the basics on my cheap Onix Z5 I moved to the Hudef future which is a great step up but it’s not tournament legal and relatively new tech (my gf loves his Newera and is currently waiting on the new viva pro 2 to come in, just saying Hudef is a solid company) so this spring I decided to bite the bullet and order an overpriced Hyperion… and boy was it awesome. Took my game up a few notches and enabled me to start making the real fun shots. With thermoformed paddles hitting the market I wanted to try one. Everyone I talked to said they loved either the 6.0 DBD or the Ronbus Pulsar R1. So I did the logical thing and ordered both(both exactly 170 and arrived one day apart) I’ve had them a short time but wow is there a difference? I haven’t modified it with any lead tape, only put an overgrip on the 6.0 DBD. I’ll start by saying the 6.0 DBD is just all-around better for me.
The R1 has just as much spin and pop as the Hyperion where I was expecting a thermoformed paddle to have more pop but sadly not the case. The big difference is that the Hyperion has a much better sweet spot, the R1 is going to take a lot of getting used to hitting consistently, also the R1 is a bit more top-heavy compared to both the Hyperion and the DBD which feel very balanced. Overall the R1 is a great paddle similar to the Hyperion (not having played long with the R1 I’d say I prefer the Hyperion but over time that may change). I have to say though the 6.0 DBD is in a league of its own, I have yet to find a dead spot anywhere, it moves very quickly through the air during battles and the spin is endless. Absolutely mind-boggling paddle. I would recommend all three of these paddles to someone who wants to learn the finer skills of the game but there is definitely one above the rest. 6.0 Double Black Diamond for the win! (Both paddles come with a smooth and slick handle, but an overgrip)
Also read, Vatic Pro Prism Flash and V7 Paddle Review
