Our TEMPO paddle has several unique qualities that were inspired by someone who wasn't even a pickleball player, and that was Roger Federer. Roger used a small racket when he played tennis which gave him more control on his shots. Our TEMPO paddle has a smaller surface area, but gives the player more control on their shots when the make contact.
TEMPO also has a 6 inch handle which is longer then most in the industry. We came to this conclusion because we wanted to give players who were coming from tennis, more room on their two handed backhands. Another key advantage the longer handle offers is play at the kitchen. Since the kitchen is mainly comprised of dinks, the longer reach enables the player to be able to perform more roll overs at the kitchen in dinking battles because of the longer reach.
T700 carbon fiber is the face material for TEMPO. We wanted to make sure that our first paddle would be a premium one, therefore we chose a high quality carbon fiber. We are aware that a majority of the paddles in the industry don't last that long. Whether they crack or even lose the pop in the core, a lot of these paddles aren't built to last. At Pickleball Panther, we emphasized during the production period that our products will be built to last for our customers.
As far as texture is concerned, we decided to use a granular finish. The choice was between Peel-Ply Method and Granular. Peel-ply tends to be a bit rougher (which helps for spin on your shots), but is more prone to deteriorating quicker then granular. Since one of the main focuses for TEMPO was to be a premium paddle that lasts, we decided to go with granular. Granular finish still adds spin to shots, just not as much as peel-ply.
The name TEMPO ties into our brand and what we are trying to really accomplish here at Pickleball Panther. We want people to be more aware of their health, fitness, and attitude towards longevity. If we can educate and encourage more people to try and get better in those categories on a daily or semi daily basis, then we become one step closer to our goal. When someone is constantly trying to instill new habits into their daily routines, they are controlling the tempo of their days. On the other hand, we encourage people to be panther like on the court. Fast, strategic, dynamic. When playing like this in pickleball, you can be in control of the point and set the tempo of it.