Engage’s Pursuit paddles stand at the pinnacle of elite composite pickleball gear. With space-age materials and precision craftsmanship, they deliver surgical shot placement and effortless touch. But with two flagship models to choose from, should you go for the Pursuit EX or MX?
This in-depth guide compares the Pursuit EX and MX across all specifications from weight and balance to construction quality. We’ll also overview key technologies so you know precisely what you’re getting with each paddle. Time to find out if the Pursuit EX or MX reigns supreme on the court!
Key Differences At-A-Glance
| Metric | Pursuit EX | Pursuit MX |
| Skill Level | Advanced/Pro | Advanced/Pro |
| Paddle Weight | 7.8 oz | 7.4 to 7.9 oz |
| Balance | Slightly head heavy | Balanced even head/handle |
| Core | Polymer honeycomb | Polypropylene copolymer |
| Face & Edge | Fiberglass | Carbon fiber |
| Sweet Spot Size | Large | Controlled medium |
| Touch & Control | Excellent | Unparalleled surgical precision |
| Power | Great spin and drive power | Moderate but very controlled |
| Price | $$$ | $$$$ |
Engage Pursuit EX Overview
Released in 2021, the Pursuit EX stands as Engage’s flagship control paddle built for slicing drives and easing off graceful touch shots around the net. It starts with a 8” wider “Classic Elite” shaped polymer honeycomb core delivering a large sweet spot and great punch on power shots with some head-heavy leverage.
The core gets wrapped in a fiberglass and carbon fiber skin for excellent touch and balance through the ball while keeping weight manageable. At 7.8 ounces, you wield significant heft without wearing down the elbow or shoulder during extended matches. An edge guard and padded Comfort Pro grip round out this precision player’s dream paddle approved for USAPA tournament play.
With the Pursuit EX, Engage blended a beginner-friendly lightweight feel with surgically-precise ball control typically found in much heavier paddles. Let’s see how it stacks up to the MX.
Engage Pursuit MX Overview
If the Pursuit EX showcases Engage’s approachable control paddle ethos, then the Pursuit MX embodies no-compromise surgical precision above all else. Released in 2022, Jason Tep Supco and Engage set out to build the pinnacle performer.
At the core lies an ultra-rigid “Control Pro” polypropylene copolymer honeycomb that maximizes ball feedback and feel. This lets you easily gauge spin direction and intensity to radically enhance control and placement. It pairs to a 100% carbon fiber face that cuts through even extreme spin serves with Zen-like calm one minute then blasts laser drives the next.
The MX shapes come in wider “Elite” and smaller “Classic Elite” profiles with weight ranging from 7.4 to 7.9 ounces. So you get a wieldier feel between shots compared to old-school carbon fiber bricks while retaining pinpoint precision. An edge guard and grip round out this surgeon’s scalpel that slices, dices, and unleashes wicked backhand zingers.
Construction Quality
Both the Pursuit EX and MX represent the pinnacle of premium pickleball paddle construction quality and tolerances. They get molded, machined, tested, tuned, and hand assembled fully in Engage’s Utah factory by dedicated craftspeople passionate about their work.
In terms of specific materials, the Pursuit MX sports 100% composite carbon fiber skins mated to Copolymer Polypropylene honeycomb cores. You benefit from the the highest strength-to-weight ratio modern engineering can deliver. An edge guard protects the rim while the Comfort Pro grip cushions hard hits.
The Pursuit EX also features quality construction but with slightly more fiberglass reinforcement in the skin surrounding its polymer honeycomb core. This adds durability while keeping weight manageable for younger players and those with injuries or joint issues. But materially, the MX looks and feels more refined.
No matter which you choose, Engage’s strict quality control and limited distribution ensure only pristine gear gets plopped in premium custom packaging then onto your porch.
Balance & Weight
Balance and swing weight make a huge playability difference, especially for intermediate up to professional caliber players looking to add more power or finesse on command.
The Pursuit EX tips ever so slightly head-heavy thanks to carbon and fiberglass reinforcement around the polymer core hitting that 7.8 oz threshold. This extra mass up top provides a hint more power on drives and spin on dumps while keeping overall heft easy on the joints. It suits aggressive all-court play quite nicely.
In contrast, the Pursuit MX gets obsessively engineered for ultra-precise balance and featherlight quickness. By trimming unneeded mass all the way down into the high 7 oz range, you wield significantly quicker acceleration ideal for rapid blocking exchanges near the net. And the balanced feel between handle and head further heightens precision ball placement for threading lines or catching corners.
Human intent on making every ounce of mass translate into perfectly placed killshots will delight over the Pursuit MX’s surgical heft and balance overtures. But more mortal enthusiasts gain plenty benefit from the EX’s lighter yet powerful feel with some added finesse perks.
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Power
With pro pickleball players smashing higher velocity serves and drives than ever thanks to techniques and tech borrowed from tennis and table tennis, even control paddles need some pop. Engage gives the Pursuit EX great drive power from its polymer honeycomb core and carbon/fiberglass skins without making things unwieldy.
Shots explode with pace and vim off the Pursuit EX’s ample sweet spot. But you sacrifice a bit of fine touch nuance in the process with all that punch in a wider hitting zone. This makes the EX an appealing choice as an intermediate player’s first “high end” paddle where extra power builds confidence.
In contrast, the MX trades outright power for Honda S2000-like surgically precise response. The Copolymer Polypropylene core has a tuned feel offering extreme tactile feedback. So every serve, block, and drop gets precisely measured and placed. Drives won’t overwhelm opponents but perfectly placed angle shots throw even cats with wicked reflexes off their game. This gives experienced players an insane advantage.
For those lacking elite-level ball control talents, the extra power and forgiveness of the Pursuit EX makes a lot more sense over the equally expensive MX. But bagging buckets of drives matters less than surgically threading lines which is why 4.0 and up players may find the MX transformative.
Control & Sweet Spot Size
Engage designed both Pursuit paddles primarily as control players’ weapons of choice out there hacking apart hapless opponents with surgical precision. This demands maximizing feel for incoming spin and translating that data into accurately placing counter shots.
To achieve ample spin and drive control for intermediates, Engage built the EX using a UltraLite Polymer PowerCore keep overall mass manageable. This 8” core with fiberglass skin generates great feel to gauge spin/speed then counter appropriately within a wide sweet spot. Performance remains consistent moving across the face making for an extremely friendly paddle.
But the Pursuit MX takes no prisoners demanding strict technique perfection to unlock its insane precision. Here that tuned feel Copoly Polypropylene responds to micro-adjustments in angle, acceleration, and stroke following. There’s no masking sloppy form as the MX provides pinpoint feedback and expects you to comply whipping kills down the line. This makes for frustrating sessions developing muscle memory but pays off executing complex shot sequences.
For most enthusiasts, the Pursuit EX delivers an unbeatable blend of control, power, and forgiveness making it easier adapting shots on the fly. But for patient masters, the MX becomes an extension of one’s appendage placing pace and spin with clairvoyant calm.
Touch & Finesse
While both Pursuit paddles feature excellent touch and finesse, their approaches differ significantly. The EX provides a larger sweet spot you can really lean on adding shape or taking pace off shots without losing too much stability. This builds confidence trying riskier touch shots around the net knowing if you miss the center by a bit it’ll still likely land soft and true.
But the ultra-rigid MX core mated to carbon fiber skins provides an almost overtuned level of surgical responsiveness. You instantly feel the loss of leverage missing center mass making touch shots far less forgiving. However, perfectly tickled shots also gain insane spin and control for dropping served back behind duos or yanking opponents wide setting up an easy put away next shot.
Overall the EX gives solid touch shot versatility while the MX’s insane precision shines once you build proper technique. But that comes at the cost of requiring strict stroke adherence which may frustrate less dedicated enthusiasts just looking to have some casual fun with friends.
Price Comparison
With elite performance and painstaking construction, neither the Engage Pursuit EX nor MX come cheap. Expect to invest $200+ for the EX with the MX crossing over the $300+ threshold as Engage’s no-compromise flagship.
But compared to other ultra-premium paddles using similar technology, both prices seem justified. Just don’t expect to snag one discounted at the big box sports store anytime soon thanks to Engage’s strict distribution.
For the extra Benjamin, MX buyers gain access to insane precision satisfying even seasoned players with exacting tastes. But more value-focused enthusiasts find nearly all the same playability in the EX minus the last fractional performance percentage only elite tournament players may appreciate.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Pursuit EX uses a lightweight polymer core for power and fiberglass for control across a wide sweet spot suiting intermediate up to advanced players. But the MX gets built purely for precision using an ultra-rigid polypropylene core and carbon fiber skin demanding strict technique for surgical shotmaking ability from advances players.
The Pursuit measures 17mm giving a thicker yet forgiving sweet spot to lean on when driving balls hard. But it retains quick acceleration through the ball on touch shots thanks to strategic carbon/fiberglass reinforcement placing weight smartly.
For intermediate players benefiting from a wider sweet spot to build confidence while retaining great touch and power, carbon fiber certainly holds advantages. But ultra-precise all carbon paddles like the MX generally only shine improving the game of experienced 4.0+ enthusiasts willing to put in the work mastering technique.
As one of the professional pickleball’s top pros, Dekel Bar uses a personalized Engage paddle similar to the Pursuit EX with a comfortable control grip and slightly thicker core for driving power and stability.
Conclusion
Engage’s Pursuit EX and MX represent overachieving gardens of precision engineered composite technologies delivering insane pickleball performance. While the EX gives intermediates to advanced enthusiasts a supremely playable balance of power, control, and forgiveness, the MX reigns as the last paddle you’ll ever lust after.
Nothing else provides the same scalpel-like ball placement ability and tuned feedback for adapting shots on the fly. But you must put serious work into honing form before it unlocks the MX’s insane technical upside.
In the end, choosing the Engage Pursuit EX or MX comes down mostly to skill level. If you’re reading this as a newer player still developing core techniques, grab an EX and never look back. But for seasoned 4.0+ diehards chasing every fractional performance gain, the MX becomes an extension of your body placing shots near and far with clairvoyant calm shot after shot.