You just unboxed a GhostX or Fast Flow Pro. It hits harder, spins more, and feels better in your hand than anything you've played with before — and it's built differently than the honeycomb paddles you're used to. That means it's cared for a little differently too.
Gen 4 foam-core construction and thermoformed shells solve a lot of the durability problems that plague older paddles, but foam cores and unibody faces have their own failure points if you ignore them. Here's what actually matters.
Wipe the face down after every session
Dirt, court dust, and sunscreen residue build up in the texture of the carbon face and quietly sand down your grit over time — which is the thing generating your spin in the first place. After you play, wipe the face with a slightly damp microfiber cloth. No soap, no household cleaners, no alcohol wipes. Let it air dry before it goes back in your bag.
If you're playing outdoors on dusty or sandy courts, do this every single time. Grit buildup is one of the fastest ways to lose texture on a raw carbon face — see our breakdown of what raw carbon actually is for why that surface finish matters so much to begin with.
Watch your storage temperature, not just your storage spot
This is the one that trips people up coming from older paddles. Polypropylene honeycomb cores are fairly forgiving of heat. Foam cores are not. Extreme heat — a car trunk in August, a garage in direct sun — can soften or degrade the foam and the resin holding the thermoformed shell together, even if the paddle looks fine from the outside.
The fix is simple: don't leave your paddle in a hot car, and don't store it somewhere that swings between temperature extremes. A paddle bag in the house or a climate-controlled space is fine. If you're at a tournament and it's baking outside, keep your bag in the shade, not the trunk.
Protect the edge, not just the face
Edge foam is doing real work inside these paddles — it's a structural buffer, not just a bumper (we go deeper on that in what edge foam actually does). Repeated edge-first drops, tapping the paddle on the ground between points, or tossing it into a bag loose with other gear all stress that buffer zone over time.
An edge guard or a padded paddle sleeve is cheap insurance. If you already use a paddle bag with a dedicated slot, that's usually enough — just don't let paddles rattle around loose with balls and water bottles.
Don't ignore the grip
The grip is the first thing to wear out on any paddle, foam-core or not, and a worn grip changes how the whole paddle plays — it changes swing weight, feel, and how much you're fighting the handle instead of controlling the ball. Sweat and oils break down grip tape faster than most players expect, especially if you play multiple times a week.
Rule of thumb: if the grip feels slick, hard, or compressed compared to when it was new, replace it. Don't wait until it's visibly falling apart.
Know the difference between "worn" and "damaged"
A little surface fading or minor texture smoothing from normal play is expected — that's cosmetic, not structural. What you're actually watching for:
- A dead or hollow sound in one spot on the face that wasn't there before (possible delamination)
- Visible cracking, chipping, or separation at the edge
- A soft or spongy feel where the paddle used to feel solid
- Noticeable loss of pop or power that isn't explained by a new grip or your own game
Any of those means it's time to actually inspect the paddle closely — not just keep playing through it. If you're not sure whether what you're seeing is cosmetic or structural, that's exactly what your warranty exists for.
Use the warranty — that's what it's for
Every Unleash Series paddle ships with a 1-year limited warranty covering manufacturing defects. If you're seeing delamination, structural cracking, or a defect that isn't explained by normal wear, don't just retire the paddle and buy a new one — contact us first. Keep your order confirmation or receipt on hand, since that's what we'll need to verify coverage.
Normal wear and tear, accidental damage, and cosmetic fading aren't covered — but genuine manufacturing defects are exactly what the warranty is there to catch.
The short version
Wipe it down after play, keep it out of the heat, protect the edge, replace the grip before it's trashed, and know when "worn" crosses into "damaged." Do that and there's no reason your Unleash Series paddle shouldn't perform at its best for a long time — foam core and all.
0 comments