Engage Pickleball Paddles: Jessie Irvine Signature Edition Review

Engage’s Pursuit Jessie Irvine pickleball paddle offering includes the MX, MX 6.0, EX, and EX 6.0. All the paddles use the same core, face, and technology, but have different shapes and thicknesses. Options are great, but too many can be confusing. Here is a simple table with additional pickleball paddle specifications to help show the differences.  More details are listed below.

OVERALL PICKLEBALL PADDLE RECOMMENDATION

These paddles are very popular and come in the MX (elongated shape) or EX (wider more traditional shape).  Below are more details and insights, however we believe these are great paddles for those who are at the 3.5 skill level or higher.  These graphite faced pickleball paddles have a bit more "pop" to them, so pickleball players with more refined skills are a better fit, in our opinion.

The 13mm paddle versions have even more "pop" than the 16mm paddles (6.0 versions).

PICKLEBALL PADDLE PERFORMANCE

The Engage Pursuit Pickleball Paddles have a graphite surface and polymer core. This combination of materials usually means more control than power. However, surprisingly, these pickleball paddles have lots of power, more than any other graphite or carbon fiber surfaced paddle we’ve played. This extra pop does make them harder to control.

FEEL / SOFT GAME: They didn’t have a soft feel to them that is usually associated with a graphite or carbon fiber paddle, but they played consistently and predictably like one. This enabled me to adjust and develop a good feel with them over time. The feel for dinks and blocks came quickly, but it took some time to make the adjustments to consistently hit good soft shots from the transition zone and baseline. 

SPIN: typical to Engage pickleball paddles, their heavily textured face really grabs the ball and makes it easy to add spin and place shots. A deadly combo with the power the paddles had - a nice plus but again reinforcing the need to have higher skills to benefit from the paddles features.

POWER: The unforeseen extra power, consistent face, and heavily textured surface enable you to mix up your shot selection and really go for it when you’re playing. Additionally, the easy access to power and spin allow you to focus more on placement which helps you find that allusive sweet spot of precision and power.

THE BOTTOM LINE:  The features in these pickleball paddles that help offensive shot making outweighed the adjustments needed for the soft game.  The paddles deliver consistent power from the baseline and net. Have easy access to spin. But are harder to control with the bouncy face. 

PICKLEBALL PADDLE SPECIFICATIONS

The Pursuit MX and MX 6.0 Pickleball Paddles

The MX and MX 6.0 share the same elongated shape and longer handle that is very popular right now, especially at the top level of the game. This shape gives you more reach, whip, and power at the sacrifice of a smaller sweet spot.

The MX has a thinner core of 1/2″ or 13mm. This thickness offers you more power and pop. During our play test, the thinner core of the MX had noticeable increase in pop. The thinner core gave us more feedback and we felt more connected to it than the thicker core. 

The MX 6.0 has the thicker core of 5/8″ or 16mm. This thickness is very common. More players prefer the thicker core because of the added shock absorption it gives you. During our play, the MX 6.0 did have a noticeably softer feel to it and allowed you to control the pace of the ball better than the thinner core, though it still offered plenty of power. 

The Pursuit EX and EX 6.0 Pickleball Paddles

The EX and EX 6.0 share a more traditional paddle shape and a shorter handle. This shape and handle length gives you a larger paddle head and a larger sweet spot. This enables you to be more consistent with off center hits and enjoy a stronger soft game.

The EX has a thinner core of 1/2″ or 13mm. This thickness offers you more power and pop. During our play, the thinner had a noticeable increase in pop. The thinner core gave us more feedback and we felt more connected to it than the thicker core, which made soft shots easier to control.

The EX 6.0 has the thicker core of 5/8″ or 16mm. This thickness is very common. More players prefer the thicker core because of the added shock absorption it gives you. During our play, the EX 6.0 did have a noticeably softer feel to it and allowed you to control the pace of the ball better than the thinner core, though it still offered plenty of power. 

Pickleball Paddle Weight Options

Typical to many Engage Pickleball Paddles, there are 3 weight options for each paddle variation - Standard, Lite and Feather. The lighter weight the paddle the quicker it will be in your hands but you’ll lose some power and stability. Then the heavier you go the more power and stability you get but you have to wield a heavier paddle which can slow you down in hand battles.  Pickleball paddle weight is a personal preference for sure.

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