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Quick Specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Core | X5 16mm polymer honeycomb |
| Face | FiberFlex fiberglass |
| Thickness | 16mm |
| Shape | Widebody only |
| Price | $60 |
| Warranty | Selkirk standard warranty |
| Where to Buy | Selkirk.com — enter code ADV-NSMYTH as a discount code at checkout |
The Short Version
The Valkyrie is Selkirk’s entry-level paddle — $60, fiberglass face, widebody shape, designed to be forgiving and easy to use for complete beginners. It does that job well. If you’ve never played pickleball before or you’re picking up the sport purely for social recreation, the Valkyrie removes barriers to entry without asking you to spend on equipment you don’t need yet. If you have any racquet sport background or you’re already thinking about improving competitively, start with the Geo instead.
Feel & Control
The FiberFlex fiberglass face is soft and muted compared to carbon. Impact vibration is low, the feel is comfortable even on mishits, and the paddle responds gently to gentle swings. For new players whose ball contact isn’t consistent yet, that softness makes the game more approachable — off-center hits don’t feel harsh or produce jarring feedback.
Dwell time is longer than a carbon face, which helps on soft shots. Dinks are beginner-friendly: the paddle doesn’t pop back hard, which means you have more margin to keep exchanges going while developing touch. Drops from the baseline land in the kitchen with reasonable consistency once you develop basic deceleration technique.
The widebody shape provides a large sweet spot. For a player who’s still developing reliable ball contact, that size matters — you keep more balls in play, which keeps the game fun and accelerates learning through repetition.
Power & Pop
The Valkyrie is not a power paddle and isn’t trying to be. Drives have moderate pace — enough for recreational play, not enough to overpower anyone. The X5 polymer core and fiberglass face combination prioritizes control and forgiveness over pop, which is exactly right for a beginner paddle. New players who can’t reliably control drives don’t need more power; they need the paddle to not work against them when they swing.
As players improve and develop faster swings, the Valkyrie’s power ceiling will start to feel limiting. That’s a sign it’s time to upgrade, not a defect in the paddle. A $60 entry-level paddle is not designed to scale with your game for years — it’s designed to get you started.
Spin
Spin generation is limited with a fiberglass face. You can add some topspin to drives and shape serves slightly, but the surface doesn’t grip the ball the way raw carbon does. For a complete beginner who’s learning basic shot mechanics, that’s not a problem — you’re not ready to be working on heavy spin serves or roll volleys. By the time spin becomes part of your game, you’ll have outgrown the Valkyrie anyway.
If you already know you want to develop a spin-based game from the start, the Geo’s T700 carbon face is the better starting point — it costs more, but gives you the tool to actually build that skill.
Who It’s For
Complete beginners with no racquet sport background who are picking up pickleball for the first time, and social players whose primary goal is to have fun in casual games rather than compete. If you’re trying the sport before committing to it, $60 is the right spend — you’re not overinvesting in equipment before knowing you’ll stick with it.
Who should skip the Valkyrie: anyone with tennis, squash, or racquetball experience (you already have the hand-eye coordination to handle a more capable paddle), anyone under 3.0 DUPR who’s already playing and wants to improve, and anyone who’s planning to take lessons or work on their game deliberately. The Geo gives you better tools for improvement at a still-reasonable price.
Verdict
The Valkyrie is a good beginner paddle. It’s forgiving, comfortable, well-constructed for the price, and backed by Selkirk’s standard warranty. For social players who want a reliable first paddle from a reputable brand without spending $100+, it delivers exactly what it needs to.
Don’t overthink this category. If you’re a beginner looking for a first paddle, the Valkyrie is fine. If you have any reason to think you’ll get serious about pickleball, spend a bit more and start with the Geo or Dauntless so the paddle doesn’t become a limitation before you’re ready to upgrade.
Enter code ADV-NSMYTH as a discount code at checkout at Selkirk.com.