Bamboo vs Carbon: Ben Tinkler-Davies on Kinova & the Swift Paddle

Bamboo or carbon? Chris Beaumont talks to Ben Tinkler-Davies, founder of Kinova, an engineer from London now living in Brooklyn who designed the world's first bamboo cricket bat at university and has brought natural materials into pickleball.

We get into the Swift's bamboo-face, cork-core sandwich construction; bench testing with Loughborough University; what's behind the 7% more power and 4% less variation figures (coefficient of restitution across the sweet spot, and less change across the face and over the paddle's life); the 60-70 design iterations; the Founders Series, the first 100 Swifts individually numbered 1 to 100; Kinova's Pledge 1% commitment and why the Swift is named after the endangered swift parrot; certification plans for the next paddle; and how natural-material paddles can be sent back, reworked and reused.

The non-numbered Swift is around £67 (roughly $80).

CHAPTERS

00:00 Bamboo or carbon? Welcome Ben Tinkler-Davies

01:06 From London to Brooklyn: Ben's background

02:05 The world's first bamboo cricket bat

04:36 Cricket, willow costs & laminated bats

06:58 Why Kinova entered the paddle market

09:22 The tech: bamboo face, cork core

11:06 Feel vs science & testing at Loughborough

15:33 7% more power, 4% less variation explained

18:32 60-70 iterations to the Swift & the next paddle

20:31 Who's tested it & the certification question

25:54 The Founders Series: numbered 1 to 100

27:09 Pledge 1% & the Swift Parrot

28:50 Paddle waste, recycling & trade-ins

33:49 Where to find Kinova & Swift pricing

35:08 Wrap-up

Guest: Ben Tinkler-Davies, Founder, Kinova (@kinovasports)

Host: Chris Beaumont

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