RPM Jade pre-order: which of the four builds to buy

The RPM Jade comes in four builds at one price, so the real question before you pre-order is which build is yours. There are only two decisions: elongated or widebody, and 14mm or 16mm. This guide walks through both, explains what the SICmatrix silicon carbide face does, and covers how the pre-order works. If you want the full paddle review first, it is here.

The four builds at a glance

All four weigh between 7.7 and 7.8 oz (218 to 221 g) and share the same face, the same MPP floating core with an EVA foam perimeter, and the same 5.5 inch grip. The numbers above are the ones that separate them.

Elongated or widebody?

This is the bigger of the two choices, because shape changes how the paddle feels in your hand on every shot.

Pick the elongated if you serve and drive hard, you like reach on the stretch volley, and you strike the ball cleanly. At 16.5 inches long it gives you a longer lever and more face to brush up the back of the ball. The cost is a narrower sweet spot, and a twist weight of 6.0 to 6.2 means an off-centre hit twists a little more in the hand.

Pick the widebody if you want the forgiving option. A twist weight of 6.8 to 6.9 is the spec that decides whether a mishit still lands in. It also swings lighter (104 to 107 against 112), so it gets there sooner when the exchange speeds up at the kitchen line. You give up a little reach. If you are weighing the shapes more broadly, our guide to elongated, widebody and hybrid goes through them in detail.

14mm or 16mm?

The 16mm holds the ball on the face a fraction longer. That is what lets you drop a third shot short instead of floating it long, and it is the more playable choice for most people. The 14mm sends the ball off quicker and harder, with less margin when your timing is off.

If you are not sure, take the 16mm. Choose the 14mm when you already know you like a fast, crisp response and your contact is consistent. Our 14mm vs 16mm guide has the longer version of this trade.

Our pick by player

• Aggressive baseliner who drives and serves hard: elongated 16mm.
• Power player who wants a bigger safety margin: widebody 16mm.
• Fast hands and a clean, consistent strike: either shape in 14mm.
• Not sure yet: widebody 16mm. It forgives the most and plays the most predictably while you learn what you like.

What the SICmatrix silicon carbide face does

Silicon carbide is a hard, coarse grit, the same family of material used in sandpaper and abrasives. On the Jade, RPM built it into a surface tuned for Tier 1 durable roughness. The practical result is a face that grips the ball for spin and keeps doing it after other faces have smoothed out. We cover how the grits compare in our durable grit guide.

The face is identical across all four builds, so you do not give up any spin by choosing the widebody or the 14mm. Under it sits RPM's MPP floating core, a full-foam build that is designed to resist the dead spots that wear down other paddles over time.

Who it suits: intermediate and advanced players who play a power-and-spin game. Who should skip it: if your game is mostly soft dinks and resets, RPM has more control-leaning paddles in the full RPM range, and the paddle finder will narrow it down in a few questions.

How the pre-order works

The RPM Jade is $374 in every build. A $100 deposit holds your paddle, and the balance is charged when it ships. Stock is due to ship from Sydney in the third week of October, and pre-orders go out first, so a deposit now puts you at the front of the line rather than behind whoever walks in when it lands.

Pickld is an authorised RPM reseller in Australia, so your paddle is factory-fresh and covered by RPM's warranty, assessed through us rather than an overseas portal. Shipping is free over $150, and returns are 30 days on factory-fresh paddles.

Pick your shape and thickness on the RPM Jade page, or read the full RPM Jade review if you want the on-court detail before you decide.