CRBN X-Series: 14mm vs 16mm
One elongated platform, one T700 face, one foam-reinforced perimeter — and two millimetres of core separating a drive paddle from an all-court paddle.
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The verdict first: buy the 16mm CRBN 3X unless you can honestly say your contact is clean and your problem is pace. It is the only CRBN in our catalog that scores a straight 8 across spin, power, control and forgiveness, which is what a thick-core version of a power platform is supposed to deliver — you keep the elongated reach and the T700 face, and you stop being punished for contact that drifts. The 14mm X-Series Power is a point of power ahead and a point of control behind; take it if you drive for a living and already hit the middle.
Units we claim to have tested: 0.Specs are CRBN's own published figures; the scores are our editorial read of them. Prices come from our live layer and move daily.
| # | Paddle | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  CRBN 3X X-Series Power 16mm The 16mm X-Series, for control the 14mm gives up | Wins for most players | 8.0 | $149.99 · View on Amazon #adPrice as of October 24, 2026 |
| 2 |  CRBN X-Series Power Clean, refined power feel | Wins if you drive and already hit clean | 8.0 | $149.99 · View on Amazon #adPrice as of October 24, 2026 |
| 3 |  CRBN1 TruFoam Waves (Elongated) The heaviest-swinging CRBN we cover | The third elongated CRBN, if you want the new core | 8.0 | $199.99 · View on Amazon #adPrice as of October 24, 2026 |
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Prices are pulled live from Amazon.
CRBN 3X X-Series Power 16mm
The X-Series elongated frame in its thick-core version — the CRBN to buy if you wanted the X-Series feel without the 14mm's small margin for error.
CRBN publishes a 16.5 x 7.5in elongated outline with a 5.25in handle, a 4.125in grip, a 7.8-8.1 oz range, a T700 Toray carbon surface, a foam-reinforced perimeter and a reinforced unibody with carbon running from face into handle. The core is offered at 14mm or 16mm and this is the 16: two extra millimetres that buy dwell and off-center margin and take a little pop away. CRBN names the core only as an "Upgraded Durable Core" and does not state the material, so neither do we.
For the upgrading player who wants CRBN's elongated platform and does not want to be punished for an average day. CRBN publishes the 3X at 16.5 x 7.5in with a 5.25in handle, a 4.125in grip and a 7.8-8.1 oz range, over a T700 Toray carbon surface, a foam-reinforced perimeter and a reinforced unibody with carbon running from the face down into the handle. The core is offered at 14mm or 16mm; this is the 16. It is the only CRBN we cover scoring a straight 8 on all four axes - spin, power, control and forgiveness - and a flat card is exactly what a thick-core version of a power platform should produce. Two extra millimetres buy dwell on resets and margin on off-center contact. The cons: it gives up a point of power to the 14mm, the 5.25in handle is half an inch shorter than the TruFoam Waves' and is tight for a two-hander, and CRBN names the core only as an 'Upgraded Durable Core' without stating the material, so neither do we.
- Core
- 16 mm
- Shape
- Elongated
- Face
- T700 Toray carbon-fiber surface, foam-reinforced perimeter
- Weight
- 7.8-8.1 oz
- Build
- Thermoformed
- Gen
- X-Series
Manufacturer-listed as USA Pickleball approved. Approvals and delistings change — verify against the current USAP equipment list before tournament play (checked 2026-07).
CRBN X-Series Power
CRBN's power line has a following for a reason: thermoformed pace with a cleaner, less hollow feel than some rivals.
The X-Series Power gives you the thermoformed power everyone wants but with a feel a lot of players describe as more solid and less 'tinny' than the cheaper thermoformed crowd. A dependable elongated power paddle from a respected brand.
For the player whose contact is reliable and whose complaint is that the ball does not leave fast enough. The standalone X-Series Power is the 14mm build of the same elongated platform: thermoformed, raw carbon face, about 8.0 oz. It scores a 9 on power against the 3X's 8, with a 7 on control - and that one-point swing in each direction is what two millimetres costs and buys. CRBN's power line has a following because the feel is more solid and less hollow than much of the cheap thermoformed field, and the thinner core sharpens that. Buy it if you drive from the baseline and win points with pace. The cons are the usual thin-core ones and they are not small: less dwell makes the third-shot drop and the reset measurably harder, the smaller effective target punishes a tired arm late in a session, and thermoformed construction is the build with the documented delamination history.
- Core
- 14 mm
- Shape
- Elongated
- Face
- Raw carbon-fiber face
- Weight
- ~8.0 oz
- Build
- Thermoformed
- Gen
- X-Series
Manufacturer-listed as USA Pickleball approved. Approvals and delistings change — verify against the current USAP equipment list before tournament play (checked 2026-07).
CRBN1 TruFoam Waves (Elongated)
The full-foam core in CRBN's longest outline, with a published swing weight of 118-120 — a genuine two-handed-backhand drive paddle, and hard work at the kitchen.
CRBN publishes a 14mm 100% foam core behind a Toray T700 carbon face in a 7.35 x 16.5in elongated outline, with a 5.75in handle, a 4.125in grip and a 7.9 oz average within 0.2 oz. Unusually for this category CRBN also publishes the measurements that matter most: a 118-120 swing weight, a 5.88 twist weight and a 246mm balance point. Read those together and the paddle describes itself - heavy through the swing, so it drives hard and reaches, with the lowest twist weight of the CRBNs we cover.
For the player choosing between X-Series cores who has not yet considered that CRBN sells a third elongated paddle on an entirely different core. The TruFoam Waves publishes a 14mm 100% foam core - the whole core, not a foam-injected honeycomb - behind a Toray T700 face at 7.35 x 16.5in, with a 5.75in handle and a 7.9 oz average. CRBN also publishes what almost nobody does for it: a 118-120 swing weight, a 5.88 twist weight and a 246mm balance point. That makes it the heaviest-swinging CRBN we cover and the most genuine drive paddle of the three, and the 5.75in handle is the half inch the X-Series does not give a two-hander. The cons are real: no full foam core has a multi-season durability record anywhere, CRBN publishes no molding method for the line, and that swing weight is hard work at the kitchen line.
- Core
- 14 mm
- Shape
- Elongated
- Face
- Toray T700 carbon over a 100% foam core
- Weight
- 7.9 oz +/- 0.2
- Build
- Not published
- Gen
- TruFoam Waves (100% foam)
Manufacturer-listed as USA Pickleball approved. Approvals and delistings change — verify against the current USAP equipment list before tournament play (checked 2026-07).
First, the naming, because it trips people up
CRBN numbers the X Series by shape, not by tier. The 2X is the square outline at 15.75 x 8in; the 3X is the elongated one at 16.5 x 7.5in. A higher number is not a better paddle, it is a longer one. On top of that, each outline is offered in two core thicknesses, which is the axis this page is about.
So "CRBN 3X 16mm" means: elongated outline, thick core. The standalone X-Series Power we carry alongside it is the same elongated platform with a 14mm core. Same face, same perimeter construction, same family — two millimetres apart. The full CRBN shelf, including the TruFoam line that runs on a completely different core, is ranked on our CRBN brand roundup.
The published specs
| Spec | CRBN 3X X-Series 16mm | CRBN X-Series Power 14mm |
|---|---|---|
| Outline | 16.5 x 7.5in (elongated) | Elongated |
| Core | 16mm (material not published) | 14mm (material not published) |
| Face | T700 Toray carbon | Raw carbon fiber |
| Perimeter | Foam-reinforced, reinforced unibody | Thermoformed |
| Handle | 5.25in | Not published |
| Grip | 4.125in | Not published |
| Listed weight | 7.8-8.1 oz | ~8.0 oz |
| Our spin / power / control / forgiveness | 8 / 8 / 8 / 8 | 8 / 9 / 7 / 8 |
CRBN publishes a fuller spec sheet for the 3X listing than for the standalone Power listing, which is why three rows above say "not published" rather than carrying a number. We are not going to copy the 3X's handle length across and present it as the other paddle's, even though they are the same platform.
What two millimetres actually does
A paddle core is a spring. A thicker one compresses further and returns the ball a fraction later; a thinner one returns it sooner and faster. Every consequence on this page follows from that single sentence.
The 14mm gains:ball speed off the face on a drive, and a crisper, more immediate feel that some players read as "connected". The 16mm gains: dwell, which is what lets you shape a third-shot drop and absorb pace on a reset, and effective margin, because a softer, deeper compression spreads the impact across more of the face.
What neither gains is free. If you are losing points on drives that land short, go 14mm. If you are losing points on drops that pop up and resets that fly long, go 16mm. If you are losing points on both, the core is not your problem and you should read how to choose a paddle first. The physics version is in 14mm vs 16mm and dwell time explained.
You are already paying the elongated tax on both
Both of these paddles are elongated, which means both have already spent their rulebook-capped face area on length rather than width. That buys reach and leverage and costs head speed and mishit margin before the core gets a vote.
This matters when you read our scores. The 3X's 8 on forgiveness is a good number for an elongated paddle. A widebody frame like the 11Six24 Pegasus or CRBN's own square TruFoam Genesis reaches 9 on a 16mm core because the outline is doing the work the core cannot. If forgiveness is genuinely your priority, the honest advice is that core thickness is the smaller lever and you should be reading our widebody roundup or most forgiving paddles instead of this page.
A note on the handle, if you hit with two hands
CRBN publishes a 5.25in handle for the 3X. That is short for an elongated paddle — the TruFoam Waves gets 5.75in, the 11Six24 Hurache-X gets 6in — and it is the one spec on this page that can disqualify the paddle outright.
If you hit a two-handed backhand, neither X-Series core is your answer and the TruFoam Waves is the CRBN to look at. Everyone else can ignore this section; a shorter handle puts marginally more of the mass in the head, which is mildly good for pace. See handle length for the full trade.
Who should buy which
Buy the 16mm 3X if you are an upgrading player who wants one paddle for everything. The straight-8 card is not a fudge, it is the point: you keep the reach and the T700 bite and stop paying for contact that is not perfect. It is the version we would hand to most readers arriving here.
Buy the 14mm X-Series Power if you drive from the baseline, you hit the middle of the face reliably, and the thing you want from a new paddle is more pace. It is a better weapon and a less forgiving one, and the thermoformed construction carries the delamination history that comes with the process.
Buy the TruFoam Waves if you want a longer handle, the heaviest swing weight CRBN publishes, and the newest core — accepting that nobody yet knows how a 100% foam core ages. That paddle gets its own head-to-head on TruFoam Genesis vs Waves. And if you want to see how CRBN's platform stacks up against the brand it is most often cross-shopped against, that is CRBN vs Six Zero.
Should I buy the 14mm or the 16mm CRBN X-Series?
The 16mm for most players. It is the only CRBN we cover scoring a straight 8 on spin, power, control and forgiveness, which means you keep the elongated reach and the T700 face without being punished for off-center contact. Choose the 14mm if you drive from the baseline, already hit the middle of the face reliably, and want more pace.
What does the number in CRBN 2X and 3X mean?
Shape, not tier. The 2X is CRBN's square outline at 15.75 x 8in and the 3X is the elongated one at 16.5 x 7.5in. A higher number means a longer paddle, not a better one. Each outline is then offered in a 14mm or a 16mm core.
What core material does CRBN use in the X-Series?
CRBN names it only as an 'Upgraded Durable Core' and does not publish the material, so we do not state one either. What CRBN does publish is a foam-reinforced perimeter and a reinforced unibody with carbon running from the face into the handle.
Is the CRBN 3X good for a two-handed backhand?
Not especially. CRBN publishes a 5.25in handle, which is short for an elongated paddle and tight for a second hand. If you hit a two-hander, CRBN's TruFoam Waves at 5.75in is the better option in the same brand.
Does 2mm of core thickness really change how a paddle plays?
Yes, and it is the most reliable single-spec change you can make. A thicker core compresses further and holds the ball fractionally longer, which is what gives you touch on drops and resets; a thinner core returns energy sooner, which reads as pace. The trade shows up in our scores as one point of power against one point of control.