Premium Carbon Fiber Pickleball Paddle - Gearbox GX5 Control 7.8oz | 3-15/16in | Red | Lightweight & Durable | Perfect for Competitive Play & Recreational Games

I was hoping for a few things: a more muted sound, better sweet spot, and light weight for better net play. I was worried about the lack of an edge rim.I've played with the paddle a few weeks now and I play about three days a week for about two hours per day. I'm probably a 4.25 player, still fairly new to the game and from a tennis and table tennis "stroke background."The good news, I think the sound of the hits are more muted than prior rackets - I've used just two before this.Other items: I didn't see a better net game, but a lot of the points I play with my crowd do not get to the net much. They like to bang it and long rallies are rare. But my net play is not worse. I tend to swing a bit early at balls, that's due to my tennis timing and I don't have much of a push shot. I do have a nice backhand loop shot which is effective with this paddle. I'm happy with the net action.Sweet spot... I've played with two paddles for some time and I also have a $15 loaner paddle I bought to lend out. I don't find the sweet spots on any of them to vary much. You need to hit the ball towards the top of the paddle and centered on the grip line. And that is true of all the paddles. So if you don't want to spend a lot of money, you don't have to.Edge guard: when a ball comes off the edge of the paddle, a guard that sticks out can help bring the ball back on line. I was expecting balls to be more likely to deflect off court. Interestingly, this has not happened.Other thoughts: The grip is fine and the edge integrity seems good -- there have been some scrapes due to going for low shots and the damage is only cosmetic. I'm seeing a bit of the logo flaking. I play exclusively outdoors with hard balls and there is probably a bit of grit out there due to fires, etc., this also seems to be cosmetic only.I'm happy with the paddle and its construction. It would have been nice to jump my game by a half rating point, but sadly, you can't buy a game. It looks quite durable and I'll probably only replace it when I get bored and that might be years from now.