Free standard shipping Australia-wide for orders over $250 (Heavy & Medium items excluded)

Free click and collect available from our shop Located at 4/59 Willandra Drive Epping Victoria 3076 (48 hour turn around).

Cart
ProKennex Black Ace: The Kinetic System, Explained

ProKennex Black Ace: The Kinetic System, Explained

Most paddle marketing in 2026 is about the core, honeycomb versus foam. ProKennex have spent years solving a different problem: what the paddle does to your arm.

The Black Ace is where that work ended up. Four paddles, one frame, one price, and a damping system that has nothing to do with what the core is made of. Here is what it actually does, and which of the four to put in your hand.

4 paddles in stock, all $389
Every one is on the demo wall at the Pickleball Parlour in Epping, so you can hit before you buy.

The range at a glance

Every Black Ace is $389, so price is not the thing to choose on. Thickness, handle length and face shape are.

ProKennex Black Ace range, market position Beginner Intermediate Advanced $0 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace $389 Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace … $389 Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace … $389
ProKennex Black Ace range at a glance Which thicknesses each model is stocked in. 14mm16mm Black Ace Standard Black Ace LG Standard Black Ace XF Standard

The other thing all four share is the Kinetic System, and that is the real reason to look at this range.

What the Kinetic System does that a standard frame does not Illustrative cross section. Both paddles use a honeycomb core; only the damping differs. Standard frame honeycomb core Impact energy travels through the frame and into your hand. Kinetic frame sealed chamber sealed chamber Micro-tungsten beads move out of phase with the impact and absorb it first. ProKennex quote a 43% reduction in vibration.

ProKennex's patented Kinetic System does not change the core material. It adds sealed chambers of micro-tungsten beads into the frame and handle. On contact those beads move fractionally out of phase with the impact, absorbing frame oscillation before it reaches your hand, an approach they call non-obstructive particle damping.

The number that matters
ProKennex quote a 43% reduction in vibration against an equivalent undamped frame. The face is Toray carbon fibre, moulded as a one-piece unibody.

Worth being precise, because it is easy to get wrong: the Black Ace is still a honeycomb paddle. It is not a Gen 4 full-foam build. What separates it from a standard thermoformed honeycomb paddle is not the core, it is the damping layered on top of it.

Every ProKennex paddle, side by side

Every figure below is taken from ProKennex's own published specifications for that paddle. All four run the same core, the same face and the same weight, so the differences are thickness and handle length.

Model Thickness Core Face Weight Handle Price
Black Ace 14 14mm Polypropylene honeycomb Carbon Fire 7.9 oz 5.3" $389 View ›
Black Ace 16 16mm Polypropylene honeycomb Carbon Fire 7.9 oz 5.3" $389 View ›
Black Ace 14 LG 14mm Polypropylene honeycomb Carbon Fire 7.9 oz 5.9" $389 View ›
Black Ace 14 XF 14mm Polypropylene honeycomb Carbon Fire 7.9 oz 5.1" $389 View ›

Black Ace 14 and 16

The standard shape, 16 inches long and 8 inches wide, in two core thicknesses. The 14mm is firmer and quicker off the face. The 16mm holds the ball fractionally longer, which is what you want if your game is built on resets and dinks. Same money either way.

Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace 14
Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace
$389
Comes in both thicknesses. The thinner core is firmer and quicker; the thicker one holds the ball longer for control.

Black Ace LG and XF

Two variations on the same 14mm build, both 16.4 inches long and 7.5 inches wide. Total paddle length is capped by the rules, so a longer handle or a longer face has to come out of the other end.

Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace 14 LG
Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace LG
$389
14mm
Long-handle build, shaped with Daniel De La Rosa. A 5.9 inch handle for two-handed backhands and extra leverage.
Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace 14 XF
Pro Kennex Kinetic Black Ace XF
$389
14mm
Extended face for reach, on the shortest handle of the four at 5.1 inches.

Is the Kinetic System worth it: the short answer

If your arm has never given you trouble and you want the most raw power you can buy, no. A full-foam Gen 4 paddle will out-hit a Black Ace, and we cover that trade-off in our Gen 3 vs Gen 4 guide.

If you have had tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, or any wrist or shoulder niggle, then yes, and it is not a close call. A conventional thermoformed paddle is stiff and sends a lot of that impact straight up your arm. The Kinetic build is the one we reach for when a customer tells us their elbow is the reason they are shopping.

It is also the pick if you play high volume week to week, or if you have tried a thermoformed Gen 3 paddle and found it harsh. Every Black Ace is $389, so after that the decision is only about shape: the standard 14 or 16, the long-handle LG, or the extended-face XF.

If you genuinely cannot pick, take three off the demo wall for three days and you will know inside a session.

Which ProKennex should you buy

All four run the same Kinetic frame and the same Carbon Fire face. Here is what ProKennex build into them, and what separates the four shapes.

What the Kinetic System does
Kinetic Technology: Capsules of Kinetic Mass microspheres sit inside the frame and charge with energy as you swing, so impact is absorbed before it reaches you.
Kinetic Comfort Cap: Inelastic microspheres in the handle soak up residual vibration through non-obstructive particle damping, a technique ProKennex borrowed from aerospace and heavy machinery.
Dynamic Twist System: Stabilises the paddle face through the strike, which holds your control together and takes wear off your arm across long matches.
Racquet Sense: ProKennex map the whole paddle profile to tune dwell time, energy transfer, face stability and resistance to torque.
What the face and core are
Carbon Fire face: A heat-treated carbon plate with grit pushed to the legal limit for spin, bonded to the core with ProKennex's patented epoxy resin so there are no dead spots.
Polypropylene honeycomb core: A honeycomb paddle, not a full-foam one. The damping is layered on top of the core rather than replacing it.
Spiral Tech Carbon: ProKennex's own blend of graphite layers, worked through the frame rather than sitting only on the face.
7.9 oz across all four: Every Black Ace weighs the same, so choosing between them is about shape, not swing weight.
Which of the four
Black Ace 14: The firmer, quicker core. The power option, on a 16 inch by 8 inch standard face.
Black Ace 16: More dwell on the face, so resets, dinks and third-shot drops are easier to place.
Black Ace 14 LG: A 5.9 inch handle for two-handed backhands, shaped with Daniel De La Rosa.
Black Ace 14 XF: An extended face for reach and leverage, on the shortest handle of the four.

Try Before You Buy: Our Paddle Demo Program

You do not have to guess. Melbourne players can take paddles away and hit them on their own courts before committing.

The demo program
Cost $50 per paddle
How many Up to 3 paddles at a time
How long 3 days
Pick up & return In person at Racquet World, Pickleball Parlour, Shop 4/59 Willandra Drive, Epping VIC 3076
What you can try Control, power and hybrid all-court paddles from the demo wall
Where you can play Anywhere at your club, league night, or local courts across Melbourne

Return them on time to avoid late fees. Find one you love and the team will order a brand new one in for you.

Read more about the demo program →

More reading

August 02, 2026 — Racquet World
Left Older Post Back to News Newer Post Right