Selkirk Vangaurd Air Power Invikta Review

The Selkirk SLK Vangaurd Air Power Invikta is the paddle of choice for Pickleball pro Tyson McGuffin, and for good reason. It is the top of the line power paddle from Selkirk and sports a unique design and incredible performance. It features many of the innovations that have made their debut in the Selkirk Labs Project 002 paddle. The Vanguard Air Power Invikta is a surprisingly stable yet powerful, spin happy and controllable paddle. We’ll go over how the paddle played and who we’d recommend it to.

Selkirk Vangaurd Air Power Invikta Pros and Cons

PROS

• Maximum spin for controlled drives
• Large sweet spot and Polymer Honeycomb Core
• Effortless power and consistent stability
• Lightweight and well balanced

CONS

• Air Dynamic Throat can get in the way of two-handed backhands
• Grip length could be longer
• Can be too much power for beginners and intermediate players
• Durability of textured surface may wear quickly depending upon usage

Specs

Features

Air Dynamic Throat with ThroatFlex

The Vanguard Power Air Invikta features the unique design of the Air Dynamic Throat for increased swing speed and better aerodynamics. The design made its debut with the launch of the Project 002 Selkirk Labs paddle and has made its way into the top of the line Selkirk Paddles. Combining ThroatFlex with the Air Dynamic Throat provides maximum flex on contact to increase dwell time and provide additional power.

ProSpin+ NextGen Texture

ProSpin+ NextGen Micro Texture technology was created to generate maximum spin. The surface has a sandpaper like feel and is marketed as long-lasting and provides consistent shots.

Aero-DuraEdge Edgeless Technology

Edgeless technology is making its way into pickleball paddles and the Aero-DuraEdge design is featured on the latest high end paddles from Selkirk. The Aero-DuraEdge is made up of specialty composites and polymer that increases durability and is very aerodynamic.

QuadFlex 4 Layer Hybrid Face

QuadFlex 4 is another feature that was introduced with Project 002. The face of the paddle features a proprietary blend of two layers of Fiberflex fiberglass and two layers of Quantum+ carbon fiber.

FlexFoam Perimeter

Specialty foam is injected around the perimeter of the paddle and goes alongside the Aero-DuraEdge design. FlexFoam technology is utilized to increase durability and increase the size of the sweet spot. It also helps to absorb impact for stability on contact and adds strategic weight around the outside of the paddle for a more consistent feel.

SuperCore Polymer Honeycomb Core

The SuperCore Polymer Honeybomb Core was developed for use along with the QuadFlex 4 Layer Hybrid Face to provide excellent power while maintaining control of the ball. The polypropylene core enhances feel for the ball while balancing power and control.

Dinks and Volleys

Dinks and Volleys felt very strong and controllable for a power paddle. Typical power paddles that are also on the thinner side can sometimes feel flimsy and less stable, especially on dinks and volleys. This isn’t the case for the Air Power Invikta. The paddle responds well to soft hands for dinking and volleys that are off center are handled without an issue. It typically takes a few days to get used to a power paddle when it comes to dinks and resets, but this paddle didn’t take more than a few games. It felt intuitive and comfortable.

Reaction volleys and net battles were a ton of fun. The paddle is lightweight, agile, and long enough to be a strong competitor at the net. Volleys reminded us of a tennis racquet, with the ability to point and shoot as well as add additional spin or finesse as necessary. Overheads were handled just the same and didn’t feel overly powerful. Another shot that felt surprisingly good were half volleys and short hops when aggressively coming to the net. The paddle felt very stable and the extra power made it easy to get these over the net and in the court.

Groundstrokes and Drives

Drives were an absolute blast to hit with the Air Power Invikta. This is where the paddle felt most similar to a tennis racquet. You could confidently approach the ball and hit an aggressive forehand or backhand with plenty of topspin and not worry about hitting it long. The ProSpin+ NextGen Micro Texture helped to create maximum spin while hitting drives. The stability and consistency of the paddle made this shot feel easy.

Groundstrokes were no different than drives and approach shots. Great power, incredible spin, and all around good feel. The combination of the SuperCore Polymer Honeycomb Core with the QuadFlex 4 Layer Hybrid Face and FlexFoam Perimeter make for great feeling paddle. Hitting resets and passing shots was also a breeze with the Air Power Invikta. It wasn’t difficult to take power off of the shot while maintaining fast paddle head speed to hit with topspin.

There were a few quirks that made groundstrokes and drives a bit awkward for us and it has to do with the unique design of the paddle and the grip length. While the unique design of the paddle is certainly awesome for an aesthetic standpoint, the Air Dynamic Throat did get in the way of a two-handed backhand. The hole in the paddle made the hand placement a little uncomfortable whereas a flat paddle surface wouldn’t change the placement of the top hand. This is just a personal preference and unlikely to impact someone without a two-handed backhand, but it is something to keep in mind. An extra half inch on the grip length may improve this scenario and would definitely be appreciated.

Serve and Return

Serving with the Air Power Invikta was some of the most fun we’ve had testing out a paddle so far! The clean power it provides made for hard hitting serves that you were confident would stay in the court. The Polymer Honeycomb Core is absolutely doing its job to provide effortless power with a sense of control and consistency. Spin was also not an issue on the serve thanks to the ProSpin+ NextGen Micro Texture.

As we mentioned above, thinner, power paddles have a tendency to feel flimsy and less dense than a control type paddle. This can lead to a lack of confidence when you hit the ball because there isn’t enough feedback from the paddle. The Invikta doesn’t have this issue. The paddle doesn’t have the dense feeling of a Halo Control XL or a Hyperion, but it still has a surprising amount of feel and feedback.

Returns were also fantastic and did take a few to get used to the dwelling effect of the ThroatFlex. After a few games there were no issues chipping and charging or hitting a deep topspin ball off of the return. Similar to the drives and serves, returns were extremely stable and very consistent. The sweet spot felt large and only one or two shots felt off center, but that was player error and not the paddle!

Conclusion

The Selkirk Vanguard Air Power Invikta is a fantastic power paddle filled with the latest and greatest technology. It has a unique design that catches plenty of attention and backs it up with incredible performance. Spin, power, and enhanced control provide players with a lot of confidence on all of their shots. We’d say this paddle is still in the ball park of an all-court type of paddle that favors additional power when you need it. Every shot doesn’t fly off of the paddle. It is controllable, comfortable and confident.

Overall, we’d recommend this paddle to intermediate and advanced players as it is tailored to them. Better players would benefit from the ability to generate a lot of spin and utilize the power when necessary. It typically takes some time to get comfortable with a power paddle but the learning curve isn’t as steep with the Invikta. Dinks and resets weren’t a challenge to hit and the feel and stability of the paddle made it easy to tone down the power and soften up the shot.

We’d recommend trying out the Joola Hyperion and Joola Solaire if you’re testing paddles and see how it compares in terms of power, spin, and feel. The spin will feel familiar but it will definitely have more power than the Hyperion. The Solaire has a ton of power, similar to the Invikta but has a much more dense feel. It would be worth comparing all three to see the similarities and differences for yourself. You can read our fullJoola Hyperion CFS 16 Swift review and Joola Solaire CFS 14 review to learn more.