From the Edge 18K paddle series, to the launch of the Diadem Court Burst shoe, it’s been a big year for Diadem. Now, the third-generation Diadem Icon — the Diadem Icon Infinity Pro pickleball paddle — has released and I found it to be an intriguing performer on the pickleball court. I’ve been able to test it for a few weeks now and I am ready to share my experience as well as my thoughts on who the Diadem Icon Infinity Pro is best for. Let’s get to it…
Diadem Icon Infinity Pro Specifications
- Paddle Height: 16.5 in
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- Overall Thickness: 13.7 mm
- Hitting Surface: Carbon Fiber + Double Grit application
- Grip Length: 5.5 in
- Grip Circumference: 4.125 in
- Average Static Facility: 8.1 oz
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- Balance Point: 240 mm
- Retail Price: $220
Pros
Pop and Power
The Diadem Icon Infinity Pro reaches the upper echelon of hitting power in both compact strokes and big swings due to its Dual Foam Core and construction. The eTPU foam combined with the softer carbon fiber hitting surface allows the ball to rebound off the paddle at a high rate, both taking time away from and putting pressure on opponents as they attempt to reach the shallow waters of the non-volley zone.
Of all the shots, power shots seemed to be most comfortable along with overheads putting the ball away, followed by backhand punches. In fact, I noticed I had a lot more confidence in my punch shots with other paddles after successful use of the Diadem Infinity Icon Pro. I was more successful putting the ball away with the Icon Infinity Pro over other paddles I’ve been playing since my test period ended.
Sweet Spot
The biggest surprise of the Diadem Icon Infinity Pro came in the form of sweet spot performance. The replaceable edge guard is about as close to edgeless that you can get with a paddle, and edgeless paddles do not generally carry as large of a sweet spot compared to paddles with edge guards. In addition, at 7.26” inches wide (thinner than the average elongated paddle), I thought the sweet spot would potentially suffer even more. I was mistaken.
The Diadem Icon Infinity Pro feels as though it salvages more of my mishits, even more-so than hybrid shaped paddles which generally have great sweet spot performance. While all mishits could not be met with resistance, the sweet spot and perceived twist weight saved me on a few occasions.
Control
The consistency coming from the sweet spot results in a paddle that offers good control against the high amount of pop and power.
Is it a control or even an all-court paddle? I don’t think so, but I still believe the Icon Infinity Pro should be commended for its ability to help you put the ball where you want on the opponent’s side under a number of scenarios.
Cons
Grit
An area to improve upon for the Diadem Icon Infinity Pro is the hitting surface. Rather than a raw carbon fiber surface that retains enough grit for the average consumer, the carbon fiber has more of a painted grit that feels like it gets decent spin at best. It is playable spin, but I’m not expecting this to be at the top of paddle RPM lists by those that record the stat.
The more concerning part of the grit surface is its durability. I will not pretend that I can feel a noticeable difference in the wear of the hitting surface, but I do see some chipping and scuffing across the paddle face. With this type of grit application already having a reputation for wearing down faster, the visible chipping leaves little faith it will last. My best recommendation would be investing in a paddle cover and avoiding “paddle taps” (or at least flip the paddle with the handle out to avoid coming off as rude).
Additional Notes
- The replaceable edge-guard is a great feature for both aesthetic purposes as well as some functional customization. Between the notches of the edge guard is the perfect space to add weighted lead tape strips to shift the paddle weight to your liking, and the edge guard mostly covers the lead tape if you do not like the idea of leaving the lead exposed.
- The swing weight and twist weight numbers are not available at this time and I do not own the tools to measure these myself, but this feels like a lower swing weight and comfortable twist weight, especially with how well the sweet spot performed for me. I actually weighted my Infinity Icon Pro at 8.6 ounces halfway through testing (including lead tape at the throat and sides of the paddle face). This added to an already good sweet spot and power performance and the swing weight still felt very manageable.
Diadem Icon Infinity Pro Summary
The Diadem Icon Infinity Pro serves as a power oriented paddle that teeters close to lightweight options, giving more freedom to customize and configure the paddle to your liking. The amount of pop it possesses may take some adjustment for people who have never played with a paddle of this magnitude in power, but the control and sweet spot performance saves it from being impossible to dial in. I personally enjoyed testing this paddle and plan to keep it around as one of my backup options in the near future and would likely consider it for future tournaments and have already chosen it for DUPR rated games recently (the paddle was great…me, not so much).
If raw carbon fiber or other raw grit surfaces aren’t a deal breaker for you and you are looking for a powerful option that is easier to control than some of the more powerful paddles of the market today, then the Diadem Icon Infinity Pro may be worth a shot. I think anyone in the intermediate to advanced level player pool that fits this description will find it to be an enjoyable option.
Disclosure
While Diadem did send the Diadem Icon Infinity Pro to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.
