Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control 16mm vs Six Zero Infinity Edgeless DBD Control 16mm

Both paddles share the Double Black Diamond control formula: a 16mm core and a Japanese Toray carbon face, tuned for a soft game rather than raw power. The classic DBD Control 16mm is a widebody, listed at 15.875 inches long by 8.125 inches wide, 7.9 to 8.1 ounces, with a polypropylene honeycomb core and a Toray T700 raw carbon face. The Infinity Edgeless DBD Control keeps the 16mm core and a Japanese Toray 700K carbon face but changes the frame: Six Zero's notes put it at roughly 16.3 inches long and 7.5 to 7.7 inches wide, a longer and narrower head, at a fixed 8.2 ounces, and wraps it in patent-pending edgeless edge technology with foam-injected walls instead of a conventional edge guard. Same lineage, two different chassis, and at $219.99 against $220 they cost effectively the same.

On court the difference is forgiveness against speed. Reviewers at Pickleball Studio describe the classic DBD Control as sitting on the plush end of thermoformed paddles with a great, lively sweet spot, above-average spin around 2018 RPM, and enough pop that it hits harder than its control label suggests; Dash Pickleball calls it one of the best soft-game paddles among new-generation unibody builds and notes it does not need lead tape. The Infinity goes the other direction. Reviewers at Pickleball Effect and Pickleheads praise its very low swingweight and call it the fastest hybrid 16mm they had tried, with high spin near 2080 RPM and confident control, but both flag a smaller sweet spot than the original: Pickleball Effect measured a twistweight of 5.9 versus the original's 6.6, meaning more mishits toward the edges. Reviewers also caution that the edgeless perimeter scratches easily without protective tape, a durability trade the edge-guarded classic does not ask for.

So the honest choice is not classic versus upgrade, it is forgiveness versus maneuverability at the same price. If you want the bigger margin for error, the stable widebody feel, and the protection of an edge guard, the standard DBD Control 16mm is the safer, more forgiving pick and remains one of Six Zero's most respected control paddles. If you want quicker hands in fast exchanges, more reach on drives, and the newest edgeless construction, and you will accept a tighter sweet spot and a little more care for the exposed edge, the Infinity earns its place. Both are advanced-leaning control paddles from the same family, so the winner is whichever trade-off fits your game.