The Volleyer T700 Pickleball Paddle

Considered Design. Honest Materials. Made for How You Actually Play.

Every decision behind the Volleyer T700 began with a straightforward question: what would we want from a paddle if marketing didn’t exist and only the object in your hand mattered?

The answer starts with the surface. We use authentic Japanese Toray T700 carbon fibre, not a generic carbon composite, but the specific high-tensile grade developed by Toray Industries for aerospace and performance engineering. The raw, uncoated texture creates natural friction with the ball, producing consistent spin without relying on aftermarket coatings that wear down within weeks. It is, quite simply, a superior material, and you’ll feel the difference from your first rally.

Beneath the surface sits a polypropylene honeycomb core at 16mm thickness – the sweet spot between control and forgiveness. The deeper core profile creates a larger sweet spot and a softer touch, rewarding controlled dinking, patient point construction, and precise placement. Whether you’re a complete beginner finding your feet or an improving player tightening up your game, the 16mm core gives you consistency you can feel from the first rally.

The paddle is cold-pressed rather than thermoformed – a deliberate manufacturing choice. Cold-pressing preserves a more uniform cell structure within the honeycomb core, which translates to more predictable energy transfer and a paddle that feels the same whether you strike the centre or catch the edge. The difference is subtle, but it’s the kind of subtlety that matters over a long session.

The Details That Tend to Be Overlooked

The grip is perforated and cushioned, designed to wick moisture effectively, a genuine consideration for anyone playing in British conditions, whether that’s a warm sports hall in July or an outdoor court after light rain. The circumference suits most adult hands without requiring an additional overgrip, which is more than can be said for many paddles at this price point.

The weight distribution is deliberately even. We’ve avoided the head-heavy balance common in many carbon paddles because, whilst it can add power on groundstrokes, it creates sluggishness during fast exchanges at the kitchen line, precisely where most recreational points are won and lost.

Who Is This Paddle For?

We designed the Volleyer T700 for the player who does a bit of research before buying, someone who reads beyond the headline, compares specifications, and wants to understand what they’re actually paying for.

That might be a complete beginner choosing their first proper paddle after borrowing one at a club session. It might be an improving player upgrading from a £20 starter set and looking for something that will grow with their game. Or it might be a tennis or badminton player making the switch and wanting equipment that reflects the standard they’re accustomed to.

What unites our customers is a preference for substance over noise. If you want a paddle covered in exclamation marks and unverifiable claims, there are plenty of options. If you want one built with genuine materials, thoughtful engineering, and an honest description of what it does, this is it.

A Note on Who We Are

Volleyer was founded in Bristol after a trip to Trinidad, where we encountered pickleball for the first time and became, somewhat unexpectedly, completely absorbed by it. Back in the UK, we found a market full of paddles that were either inexpensive and disposable or premium-priced with branding that far exceeded the underlying product quality.

We wanted to build something in between: a paddle made with materials we could be genuinely proud of, at a price that didn’t require justification through inflated marketing. We’re a small, UK-based operation. We answer our own emails. We play with our own paddles. And we’d rather under-promise and over-deliver than the reverse.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between T700 and T300 carbon fibre? Both are carbon fibre grades developed by Toray Industries in Japan. The key difference is tensile strength; T700 is rated at approximately 4,900 MPa compared to T300’s 3,530 MPa, making it around 39% stronger. In practical terms, a T700 face holds its texture and playing characteristics longer, resists surface wear better over months of regular use, and delivers a crisper, more responsive feel at contact. T300 is the industry standard in budget paddles. We use T700 because we think you can feel the difference, and it lasts.

What does “cold-pressed” mean, and how is it different from thermoformed? These are two different ways of bonding a paddle together. Cold-pressing joins the carbon fibre face sheets to the honeycomb core using adhesive under controlled pressure at room temperature. Thermoforming uses heat and pressure to fuse everything into a single moulded shell. Thermoformed paddles tend to feel stiffer with more pop, suited to power players. Cold-pressed paddles preserve better damping and a softer, more forgiving feel, which translates to superior touch and ball control, particularly during dinking and net play. We chose cold-pressing because it produces a more uniform cell structure in the honeycomb core, giving you predictable energy transfer whether you strike the centre or catch the edge.

Can I return it if I don’t like it? Yes. If you’re not happy with the paddle, you can return it within 30 days. We’d rather you played with something that genuinely suits your game than kept a paddle that doesn’t. Contact us, and we’ll sort it.

Do you ship outside the UK? We currently offer free shipping within the UK. If you’re based outside the UK and interested in ordering, drop us an email, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

What core thickness should I choose? We offer a 16mm polypropylene honeycomb core, which provides a larger sweet spot, a softer touch, and excellent control. It’s the most versatile option, forgiving enough for beginners and precise enough for improving players who value placement over raw power.

Is the raw carbon surface better than a coated one? We think so, and here’s why. The raw, uncoated T700 weave creates natural friction with the ball, generating consistent spin without relying on a spray-on or painted texture that degrades within weeks of regular play. What you feel on day one is what you’ll feel on day sixty.

How heavy is the paddle? The Volleyer T700 weighs approximately 230g (8.11 oz). The weight distribution is deliberately even. We’ve avoided a head-heavy balance because, while it can add power on groundstrokes, it creates sluggishness during fast exchanges at the kitchen line, which is where most recreational points are decided.

Who is Volleyer? We’re a small, Bristol-based operation. Volleyer started after a trip to Trinidad, where we discovered pickleball and couldn’t put it down. Back in the UK, we found a gap between disposable budget paddles and overpriced premium ones wrapped in more marketing than material quality. We built the T700 to sit in that gap, genuine materials, honest engineering, fair price. We answer our own emails, and we play with our own paddles.

Paddles

Volleyer T700 — Japanese Toray® Raw Carbon Pickleball Paddle