11SIX24 Claims HexGrit Surface Delivers Lasting Spin on Power 2 Paddles

Every pickleball player knows the feeling: a paddle that used to rip topspin now slides off the ball like a wet bar of soap. The grit is gone, and so is your game. 11Six24 founder David Groechel says his company has engineered a direct fix with the Power 2 paddle line, built around a patent-pending surface technology called HexGrit.

"We embed silicon carbide in the surface," Groechel said of the technology. That's a meaningful distinction from how most paddle manufacturers handle spin. The industry standard approach relies on spray-on grit applied to the paddle face, a coating that wears down through normal play and is, as Groechel frames it, often the reason a paddle becomes unplayable altogether: "the grit is gone."

HexGrit's claim is that embedding silicon carbide, rather than spraying it on, changes that equation permanently. According to Groechel, early testing suggests the surface shows almost no measurable spin degradation over time. The company says HexGrit is designed to maintain industry-leading spin for the entire lifespan of the paddle, not just the first few months of recreational sessions.

The most concrete external data point backing that claim comes from Chris Olson of Pickleball Studio, a well-regarded paddle reviewer in the community. Olson logged more than 100 games on the Power 2 Vapor and concluded the surface texture had effectively remained the same throughout. That's a meaningful usage threshold, though it's one qualitative review without published spin measurements or a defined testing protocol, so there's still room for independent verification.

The Power 2 line retains 11Six24's existing popular shapes while bringing upgraded materials and a new surface structure across the lineup. Beyond the Power 2 Vapor, full model specs and pricing weren't confirmed in the materials available at publication time.

The broader context here matters. The pickleball equipment market has been dominated by power metrics for years, but the conversation is evolving. Players who've cycled through multiple paddles are starting to ask a different question: not whether a paddle pops, but whether it still spins after six months of dinking, drilling, and outdoor play. HexGrit is 11Six24's answer to exactly that frustration, and the early returns, at least from Olson's court time on the Power 2 Vapor, suggest the surface holds up in real-world conditions.

Whether the technology delivers on its lifetime spin promise at scale is still an open question. The patent-pending status means 11Six24 has at least filed for IP protection, but independent lab data with quantified spin retention numbers would go a long way toward turning a compelling claim into an established benchmark.