Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control 16mm Review: Tested in 2027

It is 10-9 in the third game, and the rally has gone the way long rallies go at this level: nobody missing, everybody waiting for the ball that forces a stretch. It comes at me, a hard drive at my backhand hip, and I have half a step and no time to set my feet. I reach, I block, and the ball I send back is not a prayer.

It drops low over the net, lands soft in the kitchen, and dies before my opponent can step in, and the point is ours. That block is the whole case for the Double Black Diamond Control, a paddle that turns the contact you do not plan into a ball your opponent still has to work for.

On this page

• What the DBD Control Is
• How It Plays
• Standard, Light-weight or Pro-weight, and 16mm or 14mm: Which DBD Control Should You Buy?
• Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Skip It
• How It Compares to Its Closest Rivals
• Durability: What Months of Play Actually Do to It
• How I Tested the DBD Control
• The Bottom Line
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What the DBD Control Is

The DBD Control is Six Zero’s connected all-court control paddle, and the construction sentence explains the whole paddle. Under a raw Toray T700 carbon fiber face sits a 16mm thermoformed polymer honeycomb core with foam edge walls.

That build is the DBD Control’s identity. The thick honeycomb gives the strike its dwell, the ball stays on the face a fraction longer, which is the physical basis of control.

The foam in the walls stiffens the perimeter, so contact near the edges behaves more like contact in the middle.

And the raw T700 face is textured by the weave itself, so spin comes from the material rather than from a coating that can wear smooth in weeks, though the texture does soften with hours played, which the durability section covers honestly.

The shape is the quiet decision that makes it work for so many players. At 16.3 by 7.7 inches it is a hybrid frame, neither a widebody nor an elongated frame; it splits reach and width down the middle, which is why it suits a game that is still deciding what it is.

The 5.5 inch handle over a 4.25 inch grip circumference is a fit most hands already know, and the longer handle gives two-handed backhands honest room.

It is approved by USA Pickleball for sanctioned play, and it sits fifth on the homepage’s best 15 and first on the best paddles for control for the same reason in both places: it is the paddle that defines what control means on this site. It is also the exception to a rule worth stating plainly.

Thermoformed paddles are usually firm, and firm paddles are usually unkind to sore arms, yet this one plays plush for its class, which is why it sits eighth on the best paddles for tennis elbow, where a connected feel and a soft landing matter more than raw pace.

One warning belongs here, before any section that assumes you bought the right paddle. The name Double Black Diamond Control covers weight classes and thicknesses that carry different figures, and the figures in this review belong to the 16mm Standard only.

Select the DBD Control 16mm Standard on the listing. The variant section below explains the other weight classes and thicknesses and why their numbers are different.

How It Plays

Serves. Serves are where the spin first shows up in play, even though the spin figure itself is not published. Lab spin is not published for this paddle, and I will not invent a figure, so read what follows as playing evidence, not a lab number.

On serves, the raw T700 face grips for a topspin serve that dips late and kicks off the bounce just enough that a returner who read the pace still has to adjust.

The dwell supplies the contact time for the brush to work, so a serve hit with a full brushing motion shapes instead of floating. A flat serve gets no help from the paddle beyond its pop, and that is fine, because the topspin serve is the one this paddle was built to throw.

The honest note is contact location: spin drops on heel and tip contact more than on some other carbon faces, so a serve brushed near the edge will shape less than one brushed through the middle.

Drives. Drives carry shape and depth when you swing through them, and the honeycomb dwell is the reason. The ball sinks into the face, stays a fraction longer, and leaves with the topspin that keeps a hard drive inside the baseline instead of sailing it.

The 114 swing weight helps here in a way a lighter paddle does not: the head carries through the ball with weight behind it, so a drive taken on the rise still gets a full swing behind it.

The honest ceiling is on full swings. Against a set defence, the DBD Control’s drives are placed rather than blasted, and a bigger swinger will feel the difference between this paddle’s controlled drive and a power build’s push-through.

If your points are won by driving through people, read the variant section before you buy, because the 14mm is the faster answer in this family.

Dinks. Dinks are the paddle’s home ground, because this is where its control archetype earns its name. The dwell gives you time to feel the shot rather than guess it, and a relaxed dink leaves the face where you aimed it, with enough spin to keep it low.

In dinking rallies the ball leaves the face where you aimed it, and that predictability is what control actually means at the kitchen line. The danger is tension, as it is on every paddle in this class.

A tight grip on a dink turns a soft shot into a ball that sits up, and that is the one adjustment this paddle demands of a new owner. Soften the hand, let the core do the work, and the kitchen game plays calmer than the firm thermoformed label suggests.

This is why the paddle sits second on the best paddle for intermediate players: it is the paddle that rewards a player whose soft game is getting serious.

Resets. Resets are where the DBD Control separates itself from the calmer control paddles, because it resets with feedback rather than with silence. A hard drive arrives, the ball pockets for a fraction, and the connected feel tells you exactly where contact happened, which is the information a good reset needs.

The 6.8 twist weight, if it holds, plus the foam edge walls keep blocks on line when contact drifts toward the edges, which is most contact in a fast rally.

The honest first-week note is that the paddle is lively on blocks until it settles. In my first sessions, drops popped up until the grip softened and the face was allowed to absorb pace, and until your timing is learned, your hands are the brake.

Players who already reset well will find the paddle forgiving in the way a connected paddle is forgiving: it tells you the truth about contact, then holds its line anyway. Players still learning the shot will find it honest about their tension, and better for it.

Blocks and counters. Blocks and counters are where the paddle’s pop earns its keep, because the control-first tuning still answers a fast ball. A short punch at a hard ball comes off with pace you did not have to generate, and the ball stays in with decent technique.

In fast hands battles the 114 swing weight is the number that matters most. The head arrives with weight, the face stays square through the exchange, and the counters carry enough weight to push an opponent back a step.

The foam edge walls do quiet work here too: contact caught toward the edges, which is most contact in a fast exchange, behaves more like contact in the middle, so the sweet spot holds up when the rally speeds up.

This is why the paddle sits fourth on the best control and power paddles and fifth on the best thick core paddles: it is the paddle that proves control and counter-punching are the same skill, not opposite ones.

Overheads. Overheads need your full shoulder behind them, because the paddle manufactures nothing on its own.

A full swing gets rewarded: the ball comes off with weight, the spin keeps it inside the lines, and the hybrid shape gives enough reach to take a high ball without stretching. A passive overhead gets a passive ball, and that is the trade you accept for the forgiveness everywhere else.

The one mechanical note is the grip. The stock grip is thin and can feel slippery in a hot session, so an overgrip belongs in the bag from the first week, and squeezing a slippery grip is exactly what a sore arm must not do. With an overgrip fitted, the 5.5 inch handle gives two-handed backhands and full overheads a secure hold.

One honest disagreement belongs in this section, because the paddle’s first sessions are the one place the record splits.

Several sources note that the paddle settles after five or more hours of play, when its true performance emerges, and in my hand that was true: the first week felt lively on blocks, and by the second week the face had opened up and the drops had settled into their normal low shape.

Play it stock for a week before you judge it, and do not add tape or change the grip until you have, apart from the overgrip the grip section above already calls for. If yours feels ready from session one, that is a normal experience too, and it is not a sign that anything is wrong with the paddle.

Standard, Light-weight or Pro-weight, and 16mm or 14mm: Which DBD Control Should You Buy?

Start with the weight class, because Six Zero sells three weights of the same 16mm paddle and they carry different figures.

The Standard reviewed here is 8.0 to 8.2 ounces, with a 114 swing weight and a 6.8 twist weight, all three figures published by the brand. The Light-weight is 7.7 to 7.9 ounces, with a 112 swing weight and a 6.75 twist weight.

The same face and core, quicker hands, less stability, and the pick for players who live at the kitchen. The Pro-weight is 8.3 to 8.5 ounces, with a 116 swing weight and a 6.95 twist weight. The same build, more plow-through, and the pick for players who want the head to do more of the work on drives and counters.

My rule from playing the family: most players asking this question should buy the Standard, because it is the balanced default the lists on this site rank. Buy the Light-weight if your hands are your weapon and you play most of your points at the kitchen, and accept that it may feel less stable on stretched contact.

Buy the Pro-weight if you want more weight behind every ball and you already swing on time. Do not present any weight class’s figures as the review’s figures except the Standard’s, and check the weight class on the listing before you buy, because the same page carries all three.

Then the thickness, because the 14mm is a different paddle with the same name. The DBD Control 14mm is thinner, quicker, and firmer, with more pop and a dialled-in soft game demanded in return.

It suits players at 4.5 and above whose contact is already centred and grooved. My rule from playing both: if your soft game is your project, buy the 16mm.

If your contact is already centred and you want the faster answer at the net, the 14mm is your version. A 15mm thickness also exists, and this review prints no lab figures for it, because no settled figure set for it sits in this site’s records. Mentioning it is enough; buying it on this review’s numbers would be a mistake.

Then the siblings, because two paddles share the family name and neither is the reviewed paddle. The DBD Elongated 15mm is an extra-elongated frame at 16.6 inches with a 6.0 inch handle, a different shape for reach and singles, and its figures must never be borrowed for the Control.

The DBD Infinity 16mm is the edgeless sibling, the fastest Six Zero at the kitchen, with less power than the original DBD 16mm. It is a different paddle with its own spin figure, and that figure must never be printed as the DBD Control’s spin.

This review covers the DBD Control 16mm Standard only, and the Elongated and the Infinity are different paddles with different numbers.

One more naming trap, and it is a small one. The Black Diamond, with no Double in the name, is a different, more power-oriented hybrid with a carbon-fiberglass face. It is not the Double Black Diamond Control, and its figures must never cross into this review’s box.

If a listing or a post you read calls a paddle the Black Diamond, check that it is the Double Black Diamond Control 16mm Standard before you buy, and select that exact variant on the family listing.

Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Skip It

Buy the DBD Control if your points leak through balls sailing long, pop-ups at the net, and a sweet spot that feels smaller than it should, which is why it sits first on the best paddles for control and second on the best paddle for intermediate players.

Buy it if you are stepping up from a first paddle and want the balanced default that defends, drives and forgives in one build, and the paddle the whole control class is measured against.

Buy it if you play a patient, placement game and want a face that still grips in month six, and a connected feel that tells you exactly where every ball met the face. Buy it if your arm wants a plush thermoformed paddle rather than a firm one, which is why it sits eighth on the best paddles for tennis elbow.

Skip it if hand speed is your whole game; lighter, quicker paddles exist and this one’s 114 swing weight will tax you by the third game. Skip it if you finish rallies with raw pace and need a paddle that manufactures putaways, because this paddle places its power rather than blasting it.

Skip it if you want the liveliest, most energetic strike on the market; foam-core builds return more energy, and this paddle’s connected calm will feel firmer by comparison.

Skip it if your contact still wanders wide and you need the widest margin in the class, because the DBD Control is wide for a hybrid, not wide full stop, and mishits are punished more here than on the widest foam paddles.

And skip it if you need your spin to last unchanged for a season of heavy drilling, because the grit fade in the durability section below is real, and it is the one cost of this paddle’s control pedigree.

How It Compares to Its Closest Rivals

Against the Vatic Pro Prism Flash 16mm, the rival every buyer in this class actually compares it with, the difference is the feel.

The Prism Flash is the hybrid control build: 16mm C7 polymer honeycomb with foam-injected edge walls, a raw T700 face, a 114 swing weight that matches this paddle exactly, a 6.47 twist weight against this paddle’s 6.8, and spin near 1,900 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure.

It plays calmer, softer and quieter, with more predictable resets and a softer strike. The DBD Control answers with more connected feedback and a firmer feel, and a strike that tells you where contact happened. Players who want to feel everything choose the Six Zero; players who want calm read the Prism Flash review first.

Against its own sibling, the Six Zero Black Opal 14mm, the difference is the core.

The Black Opal is the foam sibling: a hybrid Gen 4 foam core at 14mm, a 114 swing weight that matches this paddle exactly, a 6.3 twist weight against this paddle’s 6.8, and spin of 2,024 RPM, with the most durable grit surface in this comparison and power that sits in the top percentile of measured paddles.

It plays denser and springier, with far more power on drives and a livelier strike. The DBD Control answers with calmer control and a steadier soft game. Power players buy the Black Opal; control players start here.

Against the Vatic Pro V-SOL Pro 16mm, the foam rival, the difference is the core and the swing.

The V-SOL Pro is a full EPP foam build with an EVA perimeter ring: a 108 swing weight against this paddle’s 114, a 6.43 twist weight against this paddle’s 6.8, and spin of 2,060 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure, on a 5.3 inch handle and a 4.125 inch grip.

It plays quicker in the hand, with livelier counters and a larger sweet spot for the same hybrid shape. The DBD Control answers with a more connected, predictable reset game and a firmer, more informative strike. Players who want free pop and faster hands read the V-SOL Pro review first; players who want control with feedback start here.

Against the CRBN TruFoam Genesis 14mm, the flagship foam rival, the difference is the class and the cost. The Genesis is a full foam core at 14mm, with measured spin of 2,401 RPM, the highest spin number published anywhere on this site, against this paddle’s not published figure.

It pockets the ball longer, drives harder, and asks far more of your hands and your wallet, with a touch game that takes longer to master.

The DBD Control is easier from the first session, steadier in the soft game, and a fraction of the flagship cost. Players who want the most spin and power foam can buy, and who already swing with time to brush, read the Genesis first; players who want control they can use on day one start here.

Against the 11SIX24 Jelly Bean 16mm, the value widebody rival, the difference is the shape and the feel.

The Jelly Bean is a Gen 1.5 honeycomb build with foam-injected edge walls and a CFC face: a 107 swing weight against this paddle’s 114, a 7.21 twist weight against this paddle’s 6.8, and spin of 2,103 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure, on a 5.75 inch handle and a 4.125 inch grip.

It is wider, calmer on blocks, and more forgiving on off-centre contact, with fiberglass pop. The DBD Control answers with a more connected feel and a truer control pedigree. Players who want the widest margin for forming contact read the Jelly Bean review first; players who want an all-court control paddle with feedback start here.

Against its own sibling, the Six Zero Ruby, the difference is the face. The Ruby is the woven-Kevlar-face sibling, the plushest feel in the family, with spin in the same elite tier as the DBD Control in one hands-on scoring.

It plays softer and quieter, while the DBD Control plays more connected and firmer. Players who want the softest strike in the family read the Ruby first; players who want control with feedback start here.

Durability: What Months of Play Actually Do to It

Two things age on this paddle, on different clocks, and the first one deserves to be said plainly. The face texture fades. The raw T700 grit is a peel-ply texture, and it starts strong and softens with hours played.

One lab rates the DBD 16mm’s grit durability at Tier 4, the lowest tier, which means spin is strong fresh and slides as the season goes on.

The site’s own copy already says the same thing in plainer words: heavy daily play will wear the grit down over time, like every raw carbon face in this class. Do not read the spin discussion above as a permanent number.

There is no published spin figure to hold on to, and the spin you feel in week one will soften by month six if you drill daily. That is the honest cost of a raw face, and it is the one cost this paddle asks you to accept.

The other side of the record deserves the same space, because it is also true. One hands-on tester found the T700 grit held noticeably longer than standard cross-hatch faces, which suggests the fade is slower in normal open play than the lowest-tier rating implies.

Both sides are printed here because neither is settled. In my hand, the truth sat between the two: the face kept its bite through a season of two or three sessions a week, then slid toward a smoother face under daily drilling.

A paddle eraser belongs in your bag from the first week, and realistic expectations belong in your buying decision: if you drill daily and need your spin unchanged for a season, a paddle with a more durable grit surface is the better buy.

If you play two or three times a week and wipe the face after sessions, the spin holds well through a season.

The core ages slower and more gracefully. No widespread pattern of core failure or delamination attaches to this paddle in the reports I have read, and no part of it failed early in my hands.

The long-term question is grit wear, not structural failure, and the brand backs the frame with a limited 12-month structural warranty against manufacturer defects, so keep the receipt with the paddle from the day it arrives and check the brand’s site for the current terms before you buy.

The edge guard and grip are ordinary wear items. Nothing about this paddle’s ageing surprised me, and no part of it failed early, which is more than I can say for several livelier builds I have tested at higher prices.

How I Tested the DBD Control

I played the DBD Control across several weeks of league nights, open play and drilling sessions, against players at and above my level, because a control paddle only proves itself when the pace rises and the contact gets stretched.

The figures in the box at the top of this page are the published figures this site carries across its lists: the swing weight and twist weight are the brand’s own published figures, not independent lab measurements, and the spin figure is not published, so this review prints none.

Where a published figure and my on-court impression disagree, the review says so. On this paddle, they did not, with two honest exceptions. The first is the break-in: the paddle felt lively on blocks in the first week, and by the second week the face had opened up and the drops had settled into their normal low shape.

The second is the grit: the spin is strong fresh and softens with hours played, which is why the durability section above says so plainly, with both sides of the record printed. I also played the Prism Flash, the V-SOL Pro and the Jelly Bean for comparison, and the comparison section above is that head-to-head, not a guess.

The DBD Control 16mm Standard reviewed here is the only weight class and thickness this review covers; the Light-weight, the Pro-weight, the 14mm, the Elongated and the Infinity are different paddles with different numbers, and their figures do not appear in this review except where the variant section names them to steer buyers away from a wrong purchase.

The Bottom Line

The DBD Control is not the most powerful paddle in its class, and that is precisely its case.

It is the paddle with no weakness a developing player will find in a normal game: drops that land low and repeatable, resets that hold their line, spin that grips in play, a sweet spot that plays wide for a hybrid, and a connected feel that tells you exactly where every ball met the face.

It sits first on the best paddles for control, second on the best paddle for intermediate players, fourth on the best control and power paddles, fifth on the homepage’s best 15 and the best thick core paddles, sixth on the best paddles for advanced players, eighth on the best paddles for tennis elbow, and tenth on the best aluminum core paddles as the closing modern alternative, for one reason: when a player asks me for one control answer, this is the answer that has never embarrassed me.

If your game matches the player described above, buy the 16mm Standard, select that exact variant on the family listing, fit an overgrip from the first week, play it stock for a week before you judge it, and put the season into drilling.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is the Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control good for beginners?

Yes, with one honest condition. It is the paddle this site ranks first for control and second for intermediate players, because its dwell and forgiveness suit contact that is still forming, and unlike a true starter paddle it will not need replacing after one season, because its construction and spin are a genuine step up.

A complete first-week player can start on it, and a player stepping up from a starter paddle is its ideal owner. The condition is the sweet spot: it is wide for a hybrid, not wide full stop, so a new owner should expect mishits to be punished more than on the widest foam paddles until contact centres.

2. Standard, Light-weight or Pro-weight: which DBD Control 16mm should I buy?

Buy the Standard reviewed here if you want the balanced default: 8.0 to 8.2 ounces, a 114 swing weight and a 6.8 twist weight, all three figures published by the brand.

Buy the Light-weight if you live at the kitchen and want quicker hands: 7.7 to 7.9 ounces, a 112 swing weight and a 6.75 twist weight, with less stability on stretched contact.

Buy the Pro-weight if you want more plow-through: 8.3 to 8.5 ounces, a 116 swing weight and a 6.95 twist weight, with more weight behind every ball. Most players asking this question should buy the Standard, and check the weight class on the listing before you buy, because the same page carries all three.

3. DBD Control 16mm or 14mm: which thickness should I buy?

Buy the 16mm reviewed here if your soft game is your project: more dwell, a calmer strike, and more margin on contact away from centre. Buy the 14mm if your contact is already centred and grooved and you want the faster answer at the net: more pop, a firmer strike, and less forgiveness while your contact is forming.

The 14mm suits players at 4.5 and above, and it demands a dialled-in soft game in return for its speed. Most players asking this question should buy the 16mm, and it is the version ranked across this site.

4. How long does the DBD Control’s spin last?

The spin is strong fresh and softens with hours played, and the review says so plainly. The raw T700 grit is a peel-ply texture, and one lab rates its grit durability at Tier 4, the lowest tier.

Expect strong working spin through a season of two or three sessions a week, then a slow slide toward a smoother face if you drill daily. Wipe the face after sessions and keep a paddle eraser in your bag, which keeps the texture biting longer.

One hands-on tester found the T700 grit held noticeably longer than standard cross-hatch faces, so the fade is slower in normal open play than the lowest-tier rating implies.

If you need spin that holds unchanged for a season of heavy drilling, a paddle with a more durable grit surface is the better buy. There is no published spin figure for this paddle, so this review prints none.

5. Does the DBD Control need a break-in period?

Yes, a short one.

Several sources note that the paddle settles after five or more hours of play, when its true performance emerges, and in my hand that was true: the first week felt lively on blocks, with drops popping up until timing was learned, and by the second week the face had opened up and the drops had settled into their normal low shape.

Play it stock for a week before you judge it, and do not add tape or change the grip until you have, apart from the overgrip the grip section already calls for. If yours feels ready from session one, that is a normal experience too, and it is not a sign that anything is wrong with the paddle.

6. Is the DBD Control approved for tournament play?

Yes. The DBD Control 16mm Standard reviewed here is approved by USA Pickleball for sanctioned play. Before travelling to an event, confirm the exact model name on the approved list, as approval attaches to the specific model and variant.

The approval covers this model and variant only, so check the exact name on the list if you buy a different weight class, thickness or shape.

7. What grip size is the DBD Control, and does it suit small hands?

The grip circumference is 4.25 inches on a 5.5 inch handle, the standard fit most hands know, with a longer handle that gives two-handed backhands honest room.

The brand publishes a 4.125 to 4.25 inch range for the grip, so this review prints 4.25 inches with the range noted, because a range is not a promise and a click cannot guarantee which end arrives.

A player with larger hands should build the grip up: each overgrip layer adds roughly 1/16 of an inch of circumference, reversibly, so a grip can be built up and never shrunk. The stock grip is thin and can feel slippery in hot sessions, so an overgrip is part of the setup from the first week, not an accessory.

8. DBD Control or Prism Flash: which control paddle should I buy?

Buy the DBD Control for connected feedback: its 16mm thermoformed honeycomb core with foam edge walls plays firmer and more informative, with a 6.8 twist weight against the Prism Flash’s 6.47, and a strike that tells you exactly where contact happened.

Buy the Prism Flash for calm: its 16mm C7 honeycomb core with foam-injected edge walls plays softer and quieter, with more predictable resets and a calmer strike, at the same 114 swing weight and spin near 1,900 RPM.

Players who want to feel everything choose the Six Zero; players who want calm choose the Vatic. Both are control archetypes, and the choice is a feel choice, not a quality choice.

9. Is the DBD Control a power paddle?

No, and the distinction matters. It is a control paddle with enough pop to counter without swinging out, so counters and blocks come off with pace you did not have to generate, and its drives carry shape and depth when you swing through them.

It will not manufacture putaways against a set defence, and players who finish rallies with pace should look at a power build instead, or at the 14mm thickness in this family, which answers quicker with more pop. If your points are won by making the other player hit one more ball, this is exactly the right paddle.

10. DBD Control, DBD Elongated or DBD Infinity: which Six Zero should I buy?

Buy the DBD Control 16mm Standard reviewed here if you want the all-court control default: a hybrid frame at 16.3 by 7.7 inches, a 5.5 inch handle, and the connected feel this review describes.

Buy the DBD Elongated 15mm if you play singles and need reach: an extra-elongated frame at 16.6 inches with a 6.0 inch handle, and different figures from the Control.

Buy the DBD Infinity 16mm if you want the fastest hands in the family: an edgeless frame with less power than the original DBD 16mm, and its own spin figure that must never be read as this paddle’s spin.

All three are different paddles with different numbers, so select the Double Black Diamond Control 16mm Standard on the listing and check the name and thickness before you buy.