Pickleball Labs - Lead Tape Strips - 3g

Lead tape is the cheapest useful change you can make to a paddle you already like. Each strip is 3 grams on a 3M adhesive backing, so you add weight a little at a time, play a session, and decide whether you want more. It peels off again, which is the point: this is how you work out what your paddle should have weighed, without buying another one.

Where you put it is the whole thing

The same 3 grams does a completely different job depending on where it sits, so start from what you actually want to change.

• 3 and 9 o'clock, the sides of the face. More stability on off-centre hits and less twist, for the least added swing weight. This is the safe first move for most players.
• 10 and 2, up near the top. More power and more plough through the ball. It is also the quickest way to make a paddle feel heavy and slow at the kitchen line, so add less than you think you need.
• The throat, just above the handle. Counterbalance. Use it to keep a head-heavy paddle manoeuvrable, or to pull the balance point back after you have added weight up top.

Two rules worth following. Keep it symmetrical, the same weight at the same height on both sides, or the paddle will twist in your hand on contact. And change one thing at a time: add a strip, play with it, then decide. Four strips on day one tells you nothing about which one did the work.

Putting it on

• Wipe the surface down first. The adhesive will not hold on court dust or dried sweat.
• Press along the whole strip rather than just the ends, and give it a few minutes before you hit.
• On the edge guard rather than the face if you want to move it later. It comes off cleaner and you are not touching the playing surface.

Which pack

Tuning one paddle usually takes a handful of grams, not a roll. The 2-strip pack covers a single adjustment, 4 gives you room to try a position, undo it and try another, and the larger packs are for players running more than one paddle or a coach setting up a few.

Specs

What's in the box

• 2, 4, 6 or 10 x Pickleball Labs 3g lead tape strips, depending on the pack you choose

While you are at it, a paddle cover keeps the face you just tuned from getting knocked about in the bag, and there is more on weighting and grips in paddle accessories explained.

Why buy from Pickld

• Pickleball Labs is our own line, so we set the spec and we stand behind it
• Free Australian shipping over $150
• 30-day returns on unused gear in original condition
• Ships from Sydney, with pickup by arrangement from our Hornsby warehouse

Shipping. Free standard shipping Australia-wide on orders over $150. Flat $9.99 under $150 ($19.99 for bulky items like nets and ball machines). Order by 12pm Mon to Fri and it ships the same day from our Sydney warehouse. Pickup is an option at checkout.

Returns. Unplayed and still in its original packaging? You have 30 days to send it back. If you've played with it and aren't loving it, talk to us. We can't promise a return on used gear, but we'll do what we can to help you find the right fit. Anything faulty is covered separately, and we'll look after that with the maker. Full returns policy.