Honolulu Pickleball Company Sword & Shield J2K Review

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Preview
00:25 Intro
00:53 Paddle construction
01:38 The numbers
03:18 The price & looks
03:50 Playtest
06:11 My tungsten tape set up
06:46 Paddle comparisons
07:12 J2K vs J2K Pro
08:01 My recommendation

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[tbrophwg]

@pickleballeffect I'm a little late on this but since you recently discussed the Slyce SpeedCap I thought I would contribute to this review. I have a Blue J2K with a 28g Slyce SpeedCap installed. After experimenting with lead tape, I settled on 1.5 grams on the 4 O'Clock and 8 O'Clock corners(3 grams total) which added a little more twist weight stability without sacrificing the increased hand speed that the SpeedCap creates. I'm really liking this setup but you do need to adjust your swing if you like to hit a topspin drive. The SpeedCap is like adding weight to the heel of your driver in Golf. You will naturally close the toe much easier. Translated to Pickleball, I found myself hitting my topspin drives in the net because I was over-manufacturing topspin and getting too aggressive with the balance point lowered. The SpeedCap allows you to hit more of a natural topspin if you focus your swing path and ball contact at the lower right quandrant(I'm righthanded) of your drives. It creates more of a right to left looping topspin effect that can be challenging to return, especially at lower speeds. The flickability at the Kitchen is fantastic with the SpeedCap J2K combo. I would highly recommend taking the money you save with Braydon's promo code and investing in a SpeedCap for your J2K.

[miatafunrun]

What I find amazing with these "smaller" channels is the video quality is stellar, good HD resolution. In contrast, the PPA Tour videos are horrible. Maybe we should get these "smaller" channels to cover Pro Pickleball events.

[tomski]

I like the branding the sides of the paddle. The fact that it’s symmetrical, makes it a good marker for your lead tape.

[Mojeda]

Been waiting for this review! Bought one a couple of weeks back and have been loving it. Switched from a control paddle to the J2K and didn’t miss a beat. Didn’t lose any control but also didn’t feel too powerful

[paulyu]

Been using this paddle since early April when the smaller paddle reviewers raved about it. Been my #1 go to paddle since!

[mr.mr.]

What I have not been able to find is a top 5 all court paddle video. I find a lot of videos on power and control

[tomski]

I can definitely confirm that it’s more stiff than the Ruby, which was a little annoying at first. However, I’ve learned to appreciate it when playing with Franklin balls (especially on hot days).

[antoniosyrakis]

Noticed on drives it was staying a decent amount lower cus I hit the top of the net a lot more… idk if it’s because the Kevlar is grabbing the ball more or what…and even though the swing weights low it does for some reason still feel a little heavy to me as well. Maybe I’ll try to move my lead tape lower like you did. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who recognized both of those things. 🤙🏽

[TheRealPapaBearChris]

I've been playing with this paddle now for a week, and I love it! it is exactly what I want in a paddle. I was using the Legacy Pro, but on off days had trouble controlling the soft game. I then transitioned to the Ronbus 3.16, but lacking that pop made putting away points in more competitive matches a little harder, not to mention hand battles were harder. I find this a perfect paddle in between these. It has more pop, I find myself quicker in hand battles, and over all feel that this is the most complete paddle I have ever used. Also, the price point (especially with discount codes) is perfect for a premium paddle.

[HowieB-isMe]

I just got my J2K on the 10th . Asked them to select a low swing weight for me and got 112.37 SW and overall weight of 8.17 oz. Very happy. Plays very good. Powerful flicks and good serves.
I added 2 oz on each side just above the handle to lower the balance point. Now it feels very very easy to flick. Thanks Branden and JK for the idea. Haven’t played with it yet.

[MatthewKPickleball]

This is my favorite paddle of the year so far! But the J7K is really good option for folks that want elongated IMO. Great review!

[FPennings]

Great video!! I agree with the red/gray and branding comment but the J2K is also available in dark blue/gray which is way more appealing. They were also very responsive when I sent an email after my order requesting the lightest weight in their inventory.

[wafarris]

Just got mine and used it for the first time today. I´ve been using the Vatic Pro Prism Flash 16mm for the past ten months. The Vatic has been a great paddle but I wanted something with just a touch more pop and power. It seemed to do that and at the same time it seemed very familiar and I don´t think it will take much of a transition period. I would prefer less graphics and could do without the religious references on the paddle but I think I am going to really like this one. Great review and from my limited experience, I think you are spot on in your evaluation of it. I did not request a weight but mine came in at 8.1 oz.

[logical]

Been using J2K for 2 months and love it. Bought a red and a dark blue. The red version is about .2 oz heavier and for some reason is noticeably more plush! I'll buy a red 8.1 - 8.2 oz version next time

[terraXR]

My J2K was delivered a few weeks ago as part of the end-of-May batch. It was marked as 8.4 oz and I confirmed on my scale. I'm recovering from an injury so can't play now, but it feels head-heavy in my hand. Wish I knew I could have requested a weight since 8.4 oz doesn't give me any room for customization. Hopefully it will turn out OK.

[danmartin]

Forgiving is a term used in golf and it makes sense that people would start talking about paddles as being "forgiving". I think the Selkirk Luxx is forgiving but I haven't tried the Sword & Shield yet. Thanks for the info!

[loso_snrs]

can you please do a review on the spartus apollo. the swing weight 108 which is lower than the j2k and the twist weight comes in the mid 7s stock.

[michaelwiedder]

Thanks for the informative....Is it possible to let HPC know you want a lighter J2K sice the latest batch seems heavier and I have a bit of a tennis elbow how would you compare the j2K to the Rombus R1 for the great reviews

[jss]

@pickleballeffect, I have had mine since end of April. I love the paddle but feel the spin has really decreased and the surface has smoothed out. What has your experience been regarding this?

[JoseSantiago-llck]

Thinking of going from six zero black diamond to the j2k. Which of the two has more power and pop ?