Paddletek Bantam TKO-C Review: Built for First-Strike Power

Paddletek built the Bantam TKO-C with tour pro Christian Alshon around a single idea: pickleball points are won at the kitchen line by the player who strikes first. The thin 14.3mm core trades away some of the forgiveness thicker paddles offer in exchange for hand speed and pop that most 16mm builds simply cannot match on drives, speedups, and counters.

This review covers who the Bantam TKO-C actually fits, how it plays on power shots versus the soft game, what its PT-700 raw carbon face and torsional weighting do for stability, and how it stacks up against the thicker, more control-oriented paddles in our Best Pickleball Paddles rankings.

Who Should Buy the Bantam TKO-C?

This is a paddle for players who already have a plan to attack the kitchen line and want their equipment to reward that plan, not for players still building basic consistency.

• Beginners: Not the best starting point. The thin 14.3mm core is unforgiving on off-center hits, and a true widebody like the Onix Graphite Z5 will build fundamentals with far less frustration.
• Intermediate players (3.5+): This is where the TKO-C starts to make sense, once drives and speedups are a real part of your game and you want a paddle that adds pace rather than just returning what you give it.
• Advanced players (4.0+): A strong fit, especially for attackers and two-handed backhand players who value the 5.25 inch handle. Players prioritizing the soft game and resets may still prefer a thicker core like the Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control.

How the Bantam TKO-C Plays

The Bantam TKO-C is unapologetically tuned toward power. The 14.3mm core generates noticeably more pop off drives and counters than the 16mm paddles that dominate most roundups, and Paddletek's torsional weighting keeps the face from twisting on off-center contact the way most thin power paddles do. Speedups at the kitchen line come off hot and stay flat, which is the paddle's entire reason for existing. The tradeoff shows up on resets and dinks, where the thin core demands softer hands and more deliberate touch than a control-first build provides for free.

Construction: PT-700 Raw Carbon and Torsional Weighting

The PT-700 raw carbon face is unfinished rather than gel-coated, which increases spin potential and grip on contact, the same reason raw carbon has become the default face material on most tour-level paddles. What sets the TKO-C apart is Paddletek's torsional weighting inside the 14.3mm polymer core, engineered specifically to resist the twisting that thin, power-oriented cores are prone to on mishits. It is the detail that lets this paddle play as a stable power tool rather than a twitchy one.

Similar Paddles to Consider

See the full lineup in Best Pickleball Paddles of 2026, including the Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control if you want a thicker core built for the soft game, and the JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus Pro IV if you want tour-level all-court balance rather than a power specialist.