The guy behind the verdicts
I'm a lefty. I've always done things a little differently.
I'm Nico — the Lefty. I left a corporate strategy job to go all-in on pickleball, and somewhere between the podcast mics and the courts in Reno, testing gear became the job. This site is where the testing lives.
The receipts
Co-host of PicklePod
The Dink's podcast — one of the biggest shows in pickleball, and winner of Best Pickleball Podcast at the 2025 Dink Awards. I talk paddles, pros, and industry news every week with Zane Navratil.
DUPR Master Instructor
The top tier of the DUPR / RPPk coaching certification — the program that trains the coaches. It's why 'specs in plain English' is a promise I can keep.
Head Pro, 3rd Shot Pickleball
I coach real players at every level in Reno, Nevada. Every review is written for the players I teach, not for spec-sheet collectors.
Co-founder, Nomad Pickleball
Pickleball travel experiences and online training, built with my brother Gino. Speedups and offensive play are my specialty.
Verify for yourself: my DUPR profile · Instagram · TikTok
How every review works
- 01
Real hours on court
Full reviews get 10+ hours minimum — drilling, rec play, and matches at pace. First impressions are labeled as first impressions.
- 02
Claimed vs. felt
Spec-sheet numbers are labeled as the brand's, not mine — and the review tells you whether the paddle actually plays like them. Grit gets re-checked after weeks of play, because fresh grit lies.
- 03
Translated for humans
Every number comes with plain English: what a 114 swing weight feels like in a firefight, who a plush 16mm core actually helps.
- 04
Verdicts brands can't buy
Affiliate partners get the same treatment as everyone else. When a partner's paddle isn't worth your money, the review says so — and stays up.
How the money works
This site earns commissions from affiliate links and discount codes — that's the business, stated plainly. Code NICOTHELEFTY works at 30+ brands: you pay less, the brand pays me, and the testing stays funded. What the money never does is touch a score. No paid reviews, no sponsored rankings, no quiet deletions of bad verdicts.
Read the full disclosure