Most pickleball companies manage their production from thousands of miles away—emails, video calls, and hoping for the best. We decided to do something different. Something most people thought was crazy.
We moved to China.
The Decision That Changed Everything
When Gladys and I started KOBO Pickleball, we knew that creating truly innovative paddles—like our Thunder AXE Infinity with its aerospace-inspired design and unibody thermoformed construction—required more than just placing orders. It required being there. In the factories. With the engineers. Every single day.
So we packed our lives and moved to Shenzhen, one of the world's most advanced manufacturing hubs. And honestly? It's been one of the best decisions we've ever made.
Life in Shenzhen: Not What You'd Expect
Before we moved, people had a lot of assumptions about what life in China would be like. The reality? Shenzhen is incredibly livable.
Our apartment overlooks a massive greenbelt with 12 golf courses. The air is clean, there's green space everywhere, and the city is astonishingly high-tech. Food delivery arrives in minutes—whether by guys in yellow jackets on scooters or, increasingly, by drones. Seventy percent of the cars are electric, and driverless taxis are just part of daily life.
It's a city built for innovation, which is exactly why we're here.
Why Being Here Matters
Here's what most people don't understand about paddle development: it's not just about designing something that looks good on paper. It's about materials, construction methods, prototyping, testing, modifying, and testing again. And again. And again.
When you're managing this process from the U.S., every iteration takes weeks. A question about core construction? Wait for the time zone difference. A modification to the surface material? Send an email and hope it's understood correctly. Quality control issues? You find out after 500 units have already shipped.
Being here changes everything.
Real-Time Collaboration
Gladys is our secret weapon. As our liaison between the Chinese-speaking factory engineers and our pickleball development team, she bridges not just language but culture, technical understanding, and vision. When we're discussing a new inner core construction or testing a prototype that needs to meet USAP approval requirements, there's no room for miscommunication.
We can walk into the factory, see the materials firsthand, test prototypes on the spot, and make decisions in real time. What used to take weeks now takes hours.
The Factory Reality: Choosing the Right Partners
Not all factories are created equal. We've visited dozens.
Some are incredibly organized—clean, modern, with cutting-edge technology and best practices that rival anything in the world. Others are... let's just say they're a bit behind the times.
Our job is to find the partners who meet the highest standards of quality and, just as importantly, who can take our ideas—sometimes unconventional ones like triple air-channel cores or semi-transparent SoftPlex coatings—and turn them into reality.
It's hard, laborious work. Lots of back-and-forth. Lots of factory visits. But it's the only way to ensure that when you receive a KOBO paddle, it's exactly what we envisioned.
High-Speed Trains and Electronic Components
Shenzhen isn't just about paddle manufacturing. It's the global hub for electronic components and advanced materials. We're currently working on new projects with electronic component manufacturers here—innovations we can't talk about yet, but that we're incredibly excited about.
Sometimes our work takes us to factories three hours away. We hop on high-speed trains traveling at 350 km/h, and suddenly we're in another city, meeting with material scientists or touring a facility that's pioneering new construction methods.
This access—this proximity to innovation—simply doesn't exist anywhere else.
Quality Control: Before, During, and After
Here's the KOBO difference in action:
Before production: We check the materials, approve the specifications, and ensure everything is ready.
During production: We're in the factory, watching the process, catching issues before they become problems.
After production: Final quality control. Every paddle. Every time.
This hands-on approach means that when a KOBO paddle ships to you, we've personally ensured it meets our standards. No defects. No compromises. Just the performance you expect.
Why This Matters to You
You might be wondering: "Why should I care where the founders live?"
Here's why: because when you buy a KOBO paddle, you're not getting a product designed in a boardroom and mass-produced by a factory that's never met the brand owner.
You're getting a paddle that Gladys and I have held in our hands. That we've tested. That we've watched being made. That we've refined through countless iterations until the play and performance are just right.
You're getting the result of our decision to do things differently—to be present, to be involved, to refuse to compromise.
The Journey Continues
Living in Shenzhen and working directly with factories isn't glamorous. It's challenging, sometimes frustrating, and always demanding.
But when we see a player pick up a Thunder AXE Infinity for the first time and feel the difference—the stability, the spin, the effortless swing speed—we know it's worth it.
This is the KOBO way. This is why we're here.
And this is just the beginning.
Want to know more about our journey or have questions about how we develop our paddles? Drop us a comment below or reach out—we'd love to hear from you.
