Bread & Butter Loco Review: What the Testers Found, Plus Where the Loco 2 Stands

Bread & Butter is a small, family-run paddle brand founded in 2022, and its all-foam Loco is the paddle that put it on the map. Selkirk’s announcement of its May 2026 acquisition of the brand describes the Loco as a 2025 “Paddle of the Year” pick (Selkirk). We haven’t lab-tested it ourselves; this is a roundup of what independent testers measured and concluded, focused on the elongated shape we carry.

The verdict

Buy it if you want foam-core power that is easier to live with than the most explosive paddles: big enough to finish points, with more margin on dinks and resets. Both testers who measured it describe it as a more manageable take on Boomstik-style offense.

Skip it if you want a light, whippy elongated paddle (the elongated is the heaviest-swinging Loco), a soft, plush feel, or the longest-lasting face texture. Beginners will likely find it hard to control.

Loco or Loco 2? The original Loco is still on sale, and the Loco 2 is a pre-order. Details below.

Specs

Bread & Butter describes the core as dual-density foam (EPP and EVA) and the face as T700 raw carbon fibre with a fiberglass layer for extra pop. The handle is octagonal with a vibration-dampening wrap, and the paddle is USA Pickleball approved. The brand publishes a swingweight of 118 to 120 and a twistweight of 6.28 for the elongated (Bread & Butter). It also comes in Standard and Hybrid shapes, which we don’t stock.

Lab numbers

Pickleball Studio’s Chris Olson measured all three shapes with his own instruments. These are his elongated readings, shown on the same scales we use in our Boomstik, Omni and Perseus Pro V reviews:

Pickleball Effect’s Braydon Unsicker also measured the elongated at a 120 swingweight, and put the series’ power in the low 90s percentile of his database (Pickleball Effect). Pickleball Studio weighed its elongated at 8.11 oz with a 243 mm balance point, the most head-heavy of the three shapes it tested (Pickleball Studio). Translation: this is an elongated paddle with real plow-through, not a light one. Our weight guide explains what that means at the net.

What the testers found

Power

Both testers agree the Loco is powerful, but not the most powerful foam paddle out there. Pickleball Effect said it keeps strong offense and pop while trimming just enough off the Boomstik formula to make it playable for more people, and summarised it as “strong offensive power and pop without being unplayable.” Pickleball Studio put its pop in the middle tier: enough to finish points, below the Boomstik and the Luzz Inferno, but better balanced.

Control and touch

Here the two testers lean different ways. Pickleball Studio made control the Loco’s standout. Olson rated his soft-game confidence at 8 to 9 out of 10, against 7 for the Boomstik, and credited a slightly slower rebound for easier dinks and resets. Pickleball Effect was more reserved and rated control fair to modest. Our read: Pickleball Effect was grading it against power paddles generally, while Pickleball Studio’s 8-to-9 was set directly against the Boomstik.

Spin

Pickleball Studio measured 2,112 rpm on the elongated, the highest of the three shapes it tested and higher than its Boomstik readings. Its one texture complaint was durability rather than bite: it listed a lack of long-lasting texture compared with newer paddles as a con. The Loco uses a raw carbon face; the new Loco 2 is where Bread & Butter adds a durable grit (see below). Our spin explainer covers how much grit and rpm actually matter.

Forgiveness and the elongated shape

This is where the elongated gets the most criticism. Pickleball Effect listed it as a con that the elongated feels heavy without being any more forgiving, while praising the Standard and Hybrid shapes for solid forgiveness. Pickleball Studio called the Loco’s sweet spot above average for a foam paddle, though smaller than the Boomstik’s, and noted the elongated needed no added weight while the widebody benefited from 10 grams of tape.

In short: if you want the biggest, most forgiving Loco, testers point to the other shapes. Pick the elongated for reach, singles, a longer handle, and a paddle that already has weight behind it.

Feel

Another split. Pickleball Effect described a stiff, hollow feel, similar to a JOOLA Pro IV Perseus 14mm, and warned the louder hit won’t suit everyone. Pickleball Studio described it as firm, solid and connected, with a thuddier contact that feels less hollow than many foam paddles: “It’s not mushy like older foam builds.” Both agree it is firm, not plush. They disagree on how hollow it sounds.

Reviewer consensus

Pickleball Effect's review covers the Loco series alongside two other brands and notes Bread & Butter sent the paddles; both reviews were published in late 2025.

Two instrumented reviews isn’t a big sample, and we’d rather tell you that than pad the table. Where they agree, on power level, firmness, and the elongated being the heavy option, the signal is strong.

Loco vs. Boomstik

Both testers benchmark the Loco against the Selkirk Boomstik, and since Selkirk now owns Bread & Butter, the two are corporate cousins. Pickleball Studio measured both on the same rig, so these figures compare like for like:

Sources: Pickleball Studio Loco review and Boomstik review.

The pattern: the Boomstik elongated resists twisting better and has more pop and a bigger sweet spot, according to Pickleball Studio. The Loco spins a touch more, carries its weight further toward the tip, and gives you more margin on soft shots. If the Boomstik feels like too much paddle, the Loco is the tester-approved step down in power without dropping to an all-court paddle.

The Loco 2, and is the original discontinued?

As of October 9, 2026, Bread & Butter’s own store lists the Loco 2 Elongated as a pre-order expected to begin shipping November 4, with a Loco 2 Hybrid marked “coming soon” (Bread & Butter). According to that product page, the Loco 2 keeps the same foam core platform and adds an upgraded face with a durable “Space Dust Grit.” It lists the elongated at 7.9 to 8.2 oz, a 118 swingweight and a 6.3 twistweight, with USA Pickleball and UPA approval. The Dink covered the brand’s design vote for the new face graphic in September (The Dink).

The original Loco is not marked discontinued: Bread & Butter still sells it in all three shapes. We haven’t seen independent lab tests of the Loco 2 yet, so we can’t tell you how much the new face changes play. The spec sheet suggests the change is mainly the surface, which addresses the texture-durability con Pickleball Studio raised about the original.

Try it before you buy

All sales at Pickleland are final, and we want to be straight with you: the Loco isn’t in our demo rack at the moment. What you can do is demo a comparable paddle for $8 at the front desk. Both testers measure the Loco against the Boomstik, and the Boomstik elongated is in the rack, so hitting with it gives you a useful reference for weight and pop. If the Loco is in stock, you’re also welcome to come by and pick it up to check the handle and heft before you decide.

Our Paddle Demo Day is a coached session where you rotate through demo paddles, and the demo fee is credited if you buy a paddle that day. More on how demos work is on the paddle demo page, and everything we stock is in the paddle shop. Pickup in Pflugerville is free, and we deliver locally within 10 miles; we don’t ship beyond that.

For more context on foam and fiberglass layers, see carbon fiber vs. fiberglass paddles and our core materials guide.

FAQ

Is the Bread & Butter Loco a good pickleball paddle?

The two independent testers who measured it think so. Pickleball Studio scored it 9 out of 10 and called it one of the most balanced full-foam paddles it had tested. Pickleball Effect described it as accessible big power, a good fit for 4.5 to 5.5 players who want explosive offense without needing pro-level hands, and for aggressive lower-level players. Both flagged the elongated as heavier than the other shapes, and neither recommended it for beginners.

Is the Bread & Butter Loco discontinued?

No. As of October 9, 2026, Bread & Butter still sells the original Loco in Standard, Hybrid and Elongated shapes. The Loco 2 is a separate model: the elongated is on pre-order with shipping expected to start November 4, and the hybrid is listed as coming soon.

Do any pros use Bread & Butter paddles?

We couldn’t find a top touring pro publicly playing a Bread & Butter paddle. Pickleball.com’s September 2026 rundown of the paddles used by the top 20 pros lists none from the brand (Pickleball.com), and Selkirk’s acquisition announcement doesn’t name any. The brand’s reputation so far has come from reviewers and recreational players; its site promotes an ambassador program.

Is the Loco better than the Selkirk Boomstik?

Not better, different. In Pickleball Studio’s testing the Boomstik has more pop, a bigger sweet spot and more twist stability, while the Loco gave the reviewer more confidence on dinks and resets. If you want the most power, the Boomstik. If you want strong power with more soft-game margin, the Loco.

Who owns Bread & Butter now?

Selkirk Sport announced it had acquired Bread & Butter on May 12, 2026. According to Selkirk, the founding family stays in place and the brand keeps its own website, marketing and product strategy.