While paddle brands race to develop the next great durable surface, Volair decided to do something different: Partner with a competitor that already figured it out.
The pickleball paddle grit wars are getting serious.
Every brand seems to be chasing the same holy grail: a paddle surface that generates ridiculous spin on Day 1 and still performs like a champ six months or even a year later.
New materials. New manufacturing processes. New proprietary names. And plenty of bold promises.
But while much of the industry is busy trying to invent the next big thing, Volair just made a decidedly unconventional move: It's licensing HexGrit technology from fellow paddle brand 11SIX24.
Yes, you read that correctly. One paddle company is paying another to use its technology.
And honestly? It's pretty refreshing.
Why Reinvent the Wheel (or the Grit)?
HexGrit, developed by 11SIX24 founder David Groechel and his team, has earned a reputation as one of the most durable, high-performing paddle surfaces on the market.
Rather than attempting to reverse-engineer that success, Volair founder and CEO Ryan Cohen picked up the phone.
"Our team is capable of developing and releasing our own grit technology, but we would rather work with HexGrit as it is already established in the market as the best long-lasting grit," Cohen told The Dink.
"The spin is insane," he added.
Fair enough.
In an industry where proprietary technology is a major selling point, Volair is taking an unusual approach:
Why spend time and money developing something that already exists when you can partner with the people who perfected it?
The first result of that partnership is the Volair CMD, which incorporates HexGrit technology.
And this isn't a one-paddle experiment.
Cohen confirmed that Volair plans to use HexGrit on all of its performance paddles going forward.
For 11SIX24, It's a Pretty Big Endorsement
Groechel admits he initially had to think through whether licensing his company's signature surface technology to another paddle brand made sense.
Ultimately, the upside was hard to ignore.
"I think it really validates the technology," Groechel told The Dink.
He also sees the two brands as serving somewhat different customers, making the arrangement less about competing for the same buyers and more about expanding HexGrit's reach.
Alex E. Weaver
"I think it just was a win-win for both of us," he said.
"It validates the technology. He gets something that works for his customers."
For 11SIX24, it's another milestone in establishing HexGrit as more than just a proprietary paddle feature. It's becoming a technology platform other brands want to build around.
And Groechel isn't ruling out additional partnerships, provided the circumstances make sense.
There are practical considerations, including manufacturing arrangements, legal costs and protecting the technology. 11SIX24 has also filed a patent application related to HexGrit.
In other words, don't expect every paddle company to start slapping HexGrit on its next release.
A Different Kind of Arms Race
The Volair CMD is just beginning to reach customers who preordered it, and Cohen says early feedback from his team and paddle reviewers has been encouraging.
The bigger story, though, isn't necessarily how the CMD plays.
It's what this partnership represents.
11SIX24 developed a technology compelling enough that another established paddle brand wants to license it. Volair recognized an opportunity to deliver proven performance without insisting on inventing everything itself.
Both decisions deserve some credit.
The paddle industry has no shortage of brands claiming to have developed the next revolutionary surface. And competition is a good thing; it's how better products get made.
But innovation doesn't always have to mean starting from scratch.
Sometimes it means knowing when to build something yourself. And sometimes it means knowing when somebody else already nailed it.
In the middle of pickleball's increasingly crowded grit wars, Volair and 11SIX24 just showed there's another way to win.
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