It all comes down to the design and manufacture. Pickleball paddles - the design traditionally used for Pickleball - are manufactured by cutting out the paddle shape from the core and top sheets and either gluing or thermoforming everything together, usually with wood inserts, to create a handle 'shape'. Pickleball Racquets on the other hand are crafted from a single unibody carbon frame into which the core and top sheets are then thermoformed around to create a completely unique construction and play style, not achievable from a paddle design and manufacture.

A racquet design allows a lot more functionality - increased swing speed, superior material manufacture, more refined 'feel', faster hands and the ability to create greater topspin and angled shots. All requirements for the new, faster integration of the sport. 

Directly inspired by the Super Sports car chassis including Bugatti, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, the OM AERO¹ Pickleball Racquet is built around a FluidCarbon™ Monocoque frame with a striking face optimised for proper deformation. Monocoque frames  are an advancement of the unibody design where the internal frame and skin act in unison to create unrivalled structural integrity and performance. The frame, which extends into the handle, allows the hand to be in direct contact with the chassis. This ensures perfect control of the racket in absolute comfort while delivering exceptional power and ball speed. 

The OM AERO¹s are more suited to a faster, tennis style play of snapping the wrist and swing to produce aggressive topspin. Combined with incredibly fast hand speed and more agile movement for creating tennis angles and ball shaping. Paddles in contrast are typically played more with a pushing motion and tend to produce a slower style of play.

Pickleball Rackets function a little differently to paddles in generating spin. 80%+ of the spin generated from the OM AERO¹ comes from the racquet monocoque frame design. So even as natural wear takes place on the racquet, spin degradation is kept to a minimum. The frame and skin work together to create a high ball dwell time on the surface of the racquet combined with the legal deflection from the frame created aggressive top spin generation. NanoTec™ texture increases spin further with a high coefficient of friction for added 'grab and bite'.

Vibrations are the are root of pickleball elbow and common mishits. The vibrations are cause by the impact of the ball with the racket. Depending on the point of impact a shockwave is generated that propagates through the racket frame. In paddle construction, these vibrations are usually transmitted to the players arm causing discomfort and pain. The OM AERO¹ has near zero vibration. Its monocoque frame transmits the vibration around the frame and not down the arm of the player. Therefore, it's a great asset for reducing pickleball elbow.

No. Edge foam is used in paddle design to add perimeter weight and replicate a frame design. This increases the size of the sweet spot, adds twist stability and increases playability - to a degree. The Aero¹ doesn't need edge foam as it has a 5mm frame already adding superior weight distribution and stability for a much larger sweet spot, better control and far higher durability.

All OM Pickleball Rackets carry our LLW. The Limited Lifetime Warranty covers most things apart from cosmetic damage and natural wear and tear including the surface face. Unfortunately, like car tyres there’s no way to present against that type of wear and tear from normal use. If you have a problem with your OM AERO¹ just reach out to our team at Team@OMPickleball.com.

Currently, we do not. It is in the works and as our REP network grows you will find more places and people to show you the racquet. An online demo program is coming soon.