The Selkirk Omni went on sale in June 2026 as the all-court sibling to the Boomstik: the same foam-core family, a little less firepower, and weights you can actually move. We haven’t lab-tested it ourselves. Below is what four independent testers measured and concluded, where they line up, and the one thing they genuinely disagree about.
The verdict
Buy it if you want a paddle that still attacks (testers consistently put it above a typical all-court paddle for pop) but is easier to keep in check on drops and resets than a pure power paddle, and you like the idea of tuning the balance yourself.
Skip it if you want the fastest hands at the net, a dense and quiet feel, or the most value per dollar. Price was the most common complaint across the reviews we read.
Omni or Boomstik? If the Boomstik’s power is more than your soft game can manage, the Omni is the step down every tester describes. If you want maximum offense, stay with the Boomstik. The full comparison is below.
Specs
Source: Selkirk spec sheet, selkirk.com
Selkirk calls the core ReactCore: a PureFoam floating center, a second PureFoam ring, and an EVA “power ring” around the outside. The face is a multi-layer T700 carbon system with Selkirk’s InfiniGrit texture, and handles are 5.6 inches (widebody) and 5.8 inches (elongated). Selkirk publishes as-sold swingweight of 112 ± 2 (widebody) and 118 ± 2 (elongated), and twistweight of 7.9 and 6.9 (Selkirk).
Lab numbers
These come from Pickleball Effect, which tests every paddle on the same rig (a Briffidi SW1 for swing and twist weight, a radar gun for serve speed, punch-volley speed and spin) and ranks results against roughly 300 scored paddles (method). We use the same scales in our Boomstik review so you can compare them directly.
The dark tick on each bar is the average for that paddle shape in Pickleball Effect's database. Higher swingweight adds plow-through and power but slows your hands at the kitchen; higher twistweight means more stability on off-center hits.
Source: Pickleball Effect paddle database (widebody and elongated pages), 2026; averages from the same database, checked October 2026
Percentiles rank the paddle against the roughly 300 paddles Pickleball Effect has scored, so the tick at 50 is the median paddle.
Source: Pickleball Effect paddle database; percentiles vs. about 300 scored paddles; averages from the same database, checked October 2026
Two things stand out. First, as shipped, the Omni is heavy for its shape: Pickleball Effect’s database averages are 109.2 swingweight for widebodies and 117.6 for elongateds, and the Omni sits above both (widebody, elongated). Second, that weight is optional. With the clips removed, Pickleball Effect measured the widebody at 107 swingweight and the elongated at 112 (Pickleball Effect).
The movable weights
This is the Omni’s reason to exist. Two clips sit on the edge guard, and you can slide them to a new spot, take them off, or replace them with your own tape. Pickleball Central and Pickleheads both put each clip at 7.5 grams.
- What moving them does. Pickleball Effect found that shifting a clip by its own length changes swingweight by about 3 points while leaving twistweight roughly the same, for an adjustable range of about 112 to 118 on the widebody and 118 to 124 on the elongated.
- How to move them. Pickleball Central says to lift each clip off and reseat it rather than sliding it, because the rubberised grip resists sliding and careless removal can loosen the edge guard. Its reviewer wrote that the weights are not subtle: “Moving them changes the paddle in a meaningful way” (Pickleball Central).
- Do testers keep them? Mostly not in the factory spot. The Dink’s reviewer removed them because 7.5 grams per side felt like too much (The Dink). Pickleheads found no factory setup it liked and switched to 12 grams of lead tape (Pickleheads). Pickleball Effect published its own lighter setups for each shape and advised keeping weight in the sweet-spot zone rather than low on the sides.
The weights come in fixed 7.5-gram chunks, so Pickleball Central wished for smaller increments and Pickleheads called the system limited. If you’ve never tuned a paddle, our paddle weight guide explains what swingweight and twistweight change on court.
What the testers found
Power
All four agree the Omni is a step down from the Boomstik and a step up from a typical all-court paddle. Pickleball Effect called it aggressive for its category, with noticeably more put-away ability on counters and speed-ups than most all-court paddles. Pickleball Central scored power 9 out of 10. The Dink called it “still a very lively paddle.” Pickleheads was the least impressed, scoring power 7.5 and describing a paddle that absorbs pace more than it launches it.
Control and touch
Testers rate control well. Pickleheads scored it 8 and said drops and resets were very reliable thanks to a consistent sweet spot. Pickleball Central said it was less likely than the Boomstik to overcook dinks and drops. Pickleball Effect called control very good for an aggressive all-court paddle but not the best in its category, because the lively response still demands precision on resets.
Spin
Pickleball Effect measured about 2,060 rpm on both shapes and rated spin highly. Pickleball Central scored spin 9. Pickleheads, at 7.5, said it was decent but expected more from the InfiniGrit face. The Dink noted Selkirk’s own comment that its stricter texture standards may produce lower spin readings than the most heavily textured paddles. Our spin explainer covers why texture rules cap these numbers.
Forgiveness
Pickleball Effect rated the sweet spot highly and found the paddle stable through the strike zone, but noted it loses some life in the top corners and near the throat, and that moving weights down the sides weakens the corners further. Pickleheads scored forgiveness 8.5 but only after tuning the weight.
Feel: the real disagreement
Here the reviews contradict each other. Pickleball Effect describes a crisp, stiff, hollow feel that is rare among all-court foam paddles. The Dink heard a deep, loud thud even on soft dinks. Pickleheads went the other way, calling it softer, springier and more dwell-heavy than the Boomstik. Pickleball Central said it plays denser than the Boomstik, with less wrist-flick pop.
The common thread: it feels less explosive than the Boomstik. Whether that reads as “soft” or “still stiff” depends on what you’re coming from. Feel is the one thing a review can’t settle for you, which is a good argument for demoing it.
Durability
Pickleball Effect measured InfiniGrit holding about 90% of its surface roughness in wear testing: better than raw carbon, short of the best durable textures it has tested. Pickleheads saw minor face wear and scored durability 8. Selkirk covers the Omni with a limited lifetime warranty for US buyers, and The Dink relays Selkirk’s claim that the foam core showed no core crush in its own lab testing. That is a manufacturer claim, not an independent test.
Reviewer consensus
| Reviewer | Verdict | Standout | Knock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickleball Effect | 4.8 widebody, 4.7 elongated | Pop well above typical all-court paddles; tunable | Heavy as shipped; not the best value |
| Pickleball Central | Power 9, spin 9, control 8 | Customisation scored 10 | Value scored 7.5; weights only in 7.5 g steps |
| Pickleheads | 4.0/5 | Reliable drops and resets; fully removable weights | Factory weighting didn't work for the reviewer; price |
| The Dink | Recommended for players who find the Boomstik too much | Lively, with the Boomstik's big sweet spot | Loud feel even on dinks; clips felt heavy |
Pickleball Effect disclosed that its test paddle was sent by Selkirk. Scores are each outlet's own scale.
Pickleball Effect’s one-line summary is the cleanest: “The Omni is an aggressive all-court paddle.” That is the job it does.
Omni vs. Boomstik
Same family, different jobs. Pickleball Effect describes the Omni as the Boomstik’s foam core and EVA perimeter with one change: an extra cut in the foam that creates a second inner ring. That takes some offense out and softens the response while keeping it crisper than most all-court paddles. In Selkirk’s own line-up, Pickleball Effect places the Omni’s firepower between the ERA and the Boomstik.
| Selkirk Omni | Selkirk Boomstik | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Aggressive all-court | Power |
| Firepower percentile (WB / EL) | 63rd / 66th | 92nd / 98th |
| Pop percentile (WB / EL) | 72nd / 61st | 96th / 97th |
| Swingweight (WB / EL) | 116 / 122 | 113 / 121 |
| Twistweight (WB / EL) | 7.82 / 6.87 | 7.72 / 6.92 |
| Spin (WB / EL) | 2,059 / 2,064 rpm | 1,980 / 1,989 rpm |
| Weights | Movable or removable clips | Factory-installed, semi-permanent |
| Core | Foam with EVA ring, plus a second inner foam ring | Foam with EVA ring |
| Face | T700 carbon, InfiniGrit | T700 carbon, InfiniGrit |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime (US) | Limited lifetime (US) |
Lab numbers: Pickleball Effect paddle database, factory weight setup. WB = widebody, EL = elongated. Construction and warranty: Selkirk.
Read the numbers this way: as shipped, the two paddles swing almost identically and resist twisting almost identically. The difference is in how hard the ball comes off the face, which is where the Boomstik is in a different percentile band. The Omni also spun slightly more in Pickleball Effect’s testing. And only the Omni lets you take weight out, which makes it the more maneuverable of the two once you remove or move the clips.
Every reviewer who compared them came to the same practical answer. Pickleball Central recommends the Boomstik for players who want maximum power and the Omni for competitive players who want power with more control and tuning. The Dink and Pickleheads both pitch the Omni at players who find the Boomstik too wild.
Widebody or elongated?
The shapes match the Boomstik’s dimensions. The widebody has a larger rated sweet spot (Selkirk gives it a 10 to the elongated’s 9), higher twistweight and a lighter swing. The elongated adds reach and a longer handle for two-handed backhands, at the cost of swingweight: at 122 as shipped, Pickleball Effect flags it as heavier than most elongated paddles, though removing the clips brings it down to 112. If you plan to strip the weights and tune your own, the elongated has more room to work with.
Try it before you buy
Pickleland sales are final, so try it first. Both Omni shapes are in the demo rack at the front desk for an $8 rental, and you can take the demo into open play or a court you’ve booked. Because the Omni’s feel is the thing testers argue about, it’s worth hitting it back-to-back with the Boomstik, which is also in the rack. 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.
Details are on the paddle demo page, and the full selection is in the paddle shop. Pickup at the club in Pflugerville is free, and we deliver locally within 10 miles. We don’t ship beyond that. For background on how foam cores differ from older polymer honeycomb, see our guide to paddle core materials, and for the brand’s backstory, the history of Selkirk.
FAQ
Is the Selkirk Omni better than the Boomstik?
It depends on what you need. In Pickleball Effect’s lab testing the Boomstik is far more powerful: 92nd to 98th percentile firepower against the Omni’s 63rd to 66th. Testers rate the Omni as easier to control on soft shots, and it is the only one of the two with movable weights. If you want the most offense, the Boomstik. If the Boomstik’s pop is costing you dinks and resets, the Omni.
Is the Selkirk Omni foam or honeycomb?
Foam. Selkirk calls it a foam paddle and describes its ReactCore as a PureFoam floating center, a PureFoam ring and an EVA power ring. There is no polypropylene honeycomb in it. Pickleball Effect classes it as a Gen 4 foam-core paddle.
Is the Selkirk Omni worth it?
Opinions split on value more than on performance. Pickleball Effect rated it 4.7 to 4.8 as an aggressive all-court paddle, while noting it isn’t the pick for players chasing the best value per dollar. Pickleheads gave it 4.0 out of 5 and called it too niche unless you want a paddle to customise. If you’ll actually use the movable weights and value Selkirk’s lifetime warranty, the reviewers who liked it most are describing you.
Can you remove the weights on the Selkirk Omni?
Yes. Unlike the Boomstik, the Omni’s clips are designed to be moved or taken off entirely. Pickleball Central advises lifting them off rather than sliding them so you don’t loosen the edge guard.
Is the Omni good for beginners?
Not especially. Pickleheads listed beginners among those who should pass, and The Dink said new players may find it a lot at first, though it can reward players who learn to control it. Our best pickleball paddles guide has more forgiving starting points.