Palio

What a fantastic paddle! I almost hesitate to share this review because I'd rather let my competition keep buying Stigas, LOL. But in the end I feel blessed to have tried this, and would like others to share in that blessing.About me: I'm an OK player, played casually for many years, who can beat maybe 60% of the players at my office. I sometimes got great shots but my consistency has always been terrible, so finally decided to step up and buy a serious bat to compete with. All the serious players at the office have their own bats.After lots of research, I bought this Palio Expert 2 as well as a custom-made setup from colestt (the "buster" combo). I also tried the Stiga Pro Carbon which most of the top players at the office have, as well as some other brands lying around. I wanted to like the colestt racket, but truly I can say this Palio Expert 2 was without question far superior to any other for me -- I actually had a radical breakthrough within 30 minutes of using it!This racket is the heaviest of the lot, which I imagine is perhaps a disadvantage at a certain skill level, but at my level the control and touch this thing offers is completely unmatched by any other racket. And feedback -- I can truly feel what I did wrong in a shot because this thing has fantastic haptic (tactile) feedback. Hence the immediate breakthrough -- within minutes it was obvious to me what I'd been doing wrong for years and years, and guided by this feedback, suddenly everything clicked. My spins worked, my forehand loop worked, everything just worked like a dream. And my opponents hits suddenly became easy to return, because this racket somehow absorbs what they give so that even if my shot form isn't perfect, it still lands beautifully. Maybe that's the advantage of its heft? Not sure why but I LOVE the results.And after this breakthrough, I now play better with other rackets too by consciously applying what I realized from this one to the others, but I still play best and most naturally with this one because of that sensory feedback and the very forgiving heft. It's truly the best I've ever used, by a large margin! I'd say my shot accuracy and consistency has gone from 50% to 90%. The fear is gone -- most shots I know now will probably land. What a feeling that is!I haven't yet played in a big office tournament with the new racket, but so far in casual games I've been getting some lopsided victories. I don't know what is meant by the term "speed" but I gather this racket is not "speedy". But I don't really know what that's about, because I can slam and the ball will go perfectly fast as with any other racket. Anyway, whatever speed is, I've heard that it is the enemy of control, and the control I get with this racket is unparalleled for me, so I'll pick control over speed any day. After all, actually hitting the table is my top goal in any shot.

I am an intermediate level player. My shot style is highly aggressive with heavy power and spin. I play with both an underhand (knife grip) and a continental tennis grip.I have played ping pong for years, but only recreational until about 6 months ago. I have used plenty of cheap colorful paddles that suited my leisurely play style up until then. I decided to get more serious and began my search for a mid-level non-custom paddle to complement my power and spin, without sacrificing precision. I looked at Killerspin JET paddles, STIGA Pro, and STIGA Evolution paddles. After trying the STIGA Pro Carbon, I knew that I wanted to have a bit more weight. That’s when I came across Palio’s paddles. It was a random find, to be honest, and the descriptions for their paddles were….non-existent? I considered both the Master 2 and Legend 2. Not having much to go on, I took a chance on the Palio Master 2 and figured it would be worth the price to see what it could do.Upon receiving the paddle, I noticed that it was considerably heavier than anything I had tested. It is a few ounces heavier than the Pro Carbon. I also realized that the rubbers were unlike anything I had played with before. They were very tacky, and the foam was thicker than any I had played with before. The change was so drastic that it was a good few days of hitting balls everywhere but on the table before I had dialed my accuracy in. The heavy weight of the paddle adds power that you have to get used to and the grip feels like it just doesn’t want to let go off the ball! However, it was only a few weeks before I was hitting shots harder and faster than any I had in the past. The rubber is high quality and needs to be kept clean (a first for me) but it is absolutely worth the TLC. The front and rear rubbers play identically, so you won’t have to worry about adapting your shot style to each side.I would absolutely recommend this paddle to anyone that enjoys hitting heavy shots, whether spin or power. The weight becomes very comfortable in the hand over time, and it now feels like an extension of my arm instead of a nimble blade in the hand. That being said, it took time and commitment to grow accustom to the weight and grip from this paddle. I give it 3/5 stars “for beginners” for that reason alone. It feels very durable and gives of a very unique/satisfying “smack” sound on perfect shots. I have used the paddle 2-3 times a week for a few months and there has been no loss of durability (you do have to clean the rubbers though). I very much enjoy playing with this paddle, and would recommend to anyone looking to/playing at the intermediate level who likes a bit of weight in their swing.