nico the lefty.Honest Pickleball Reviews

Aireo Cyclone vs Bread & Butter Loco 2

Comparisons cover the paddles I've reviewed, so every score is mine. Pick any other paddle to request its review.

Aireo Cyclone

Aireo Cyclone NanoGraph →

  • Tougher Grit
  • Costs Less
Power paddle

Cyclone

$179.10 w/ code · Elongated · 16mm

$179.10 at Aireo ↗Read the review
Bread & Butter Loco 2

Bread & Butter Loco 2 →

  • Quicker Hands
  • More Forgiving
  • More Control
Power paddleGood control

Loco 2

$198 w/ code · Hybrid · 16mm

$198 at Bread & Butter ↗Read the review

No winner on this page on purpose. The numbers are below and the call is yours. Buying through my links or with code supports the testing at no extra cost to you. How this site makes money

Cyclone

  • Grit tested more durable: +7.6
  • Costs $19 less with code
  • Longer handle: +1.45 in

Loco 2

  • Quicker in hand: 2.5 lower swing weight
  • More forgiving: +0.4 twist weight
  • More control: +2.2

By the numbers.

Scores run 0 to 10. Measurement bars are relative to each other.

Cyclone

Loco 2

Spin

RPM, lab average

2,280RPM

lab avg · 4 sources

–

one lab only · not shown

Power

drives and serves

8.8/10

8.8/10

Pop

speed off the face on short swings

9.2/10

8.8/10

Control

stability and a calm face

6.3/10

8.5/10

Spin score

how well it shapes the ball

8.5/10

9.5/10

Grit durability

how long the bite lasts

7.6/10

0.0/10

Swing weight

lower swings quicker

113.5

brand claims

111.0

brand claims

Twist weight

higher forgives mishits

6.30

brand claims

6.70

brand claims

Static weight

ounces on the scale

3.9oz

brand claims

8.1oz

brand claims

Power, Pop, Control, Spin score and Grit durability are my scores on my 10-point scale. Every paddle starts from a default I compute from where its measurements land against the whole database, and I set the number myself once I've played the paddle. Power is drives and serves, Pop is speed off the face on short swings, Control is stability with a calm face, Spin score is how well it shapes the ball, Grit durability is how long the bite lasts. Spin, swing weight, twist weight and static weight are raw measurements: “lab avg” averages the independent reviewer labs in my database (John Kew, Pickleball Studio, Matt's Pickleball, The Pickleball Blast), and “brand claims” is the manufacturer's published number. I don't own a bench rig, and I say so.

The build

CycloneLoco 2
ShapeElongatedHybrid
Core16mm, PulseFoam MPPE foam (microcellular polypropylene) with floating foam suspension16mm
FaceT700 raw carbon fiber with NanoGraph surface texture–
Length × width16.46 × 7.51 in16.2 × 7.6 in
Handle5.7 in4.25 in
MSRP$199$220
With code NICOTHELEFTY$179.10$198
Nico's score8.2 / 108.9 / 10

Still deciding?

I'll email you when either paddle's price moves. One email, then nothing.