Palio is a Chinese brand that produces high-quality pre-made bats at competitive prices. The brand has produced 3 different models of paddles, and upgraded each one from 2.0, to 3.0. For this article, we’ll provide the complete Palio Master 3 review.
The Palio Master 3.0 is the next generation of its predecessor, the Master 2.0. This paddle is ideal for intermediate players who have mastered the basic strokes and are looking to add some more advanced strokeplay to their skill tree. This paddle uses a high-quality rubber as well as a durable blade, making it a great upgrade option – while coming at a reasonable price.
| Performance | Speed: 80, Spin: 90, Control: 85 |
| Blade | All real wood (not sure on plies) |
| Rubber | Palio CJ8000 |
| Sponge | 2mm |
| Playstyle | All-round |
| ITTF Approved? | Yes |
| Our rating | 8.7/10 |
Who is it for? | Who is it not for? |
The perfect paddle for intermediate players that have mastered the basic strokes and are looking to advance their technique and reach a new level of skill. | We don't recommend the Master 3.0 to beginners who haven't quite mastered the ability to control paddles with high speed and spin. This paddle will require decent technique otherwise there may be frustration. |
Once again, for this review, we’ll focus on the key components of any ping pong paddle, namely: the blade, the rubber, the handle as well as what the paddle specializes in.
If interested, we’ve written a complete ping pong paddle buying guide here – which may help you in determining which paddle suits you best.
The Blade
The Palio Master 3.0 is constructed with a real wood blade, with no carbon layers. We aren’t sure on the exact number of layers, however, there are at least 5 layers for this blade, as this is a more advanced recreational paddle.
The Master 3.0’s blade has been upgraded slightly since its predecessor, with a focus on greater durability and more consistent power. This blade is built for a balance of decent speed and good control, making it a good choice for intermediate players.
The outside of the blade also has a thicker and more protective edge tape – this protects the exposed part of the blade from anything which may wear it down. Another positive is that the whole paddle has a new-look cover, which gives the paddle protection from dust and other elements when not in use.
Overall, this is a high-quality, durable blade that is built for a balance in all the attributes in ping pong play. The Palio Master has a great reputation for its long-lasting blades, and the third generation continues to prolong its legacy.
The Rubber
The rubber used for the Palio Master 3.0 is the ITTF approved Palio CJ8000 rubber. This is a premium rubber that can even be bought by itself. This rubber a highly rated for being an all-round rubber, as well as being great when it comes to durability.
The CJ8000 has a very tacky top sheet, giving players a great ability to grip and spin the ball – this is a large reason for its high spin rating. The sponge is also relatively soft, which also benefits control and placement. Another benefit of the CJ8000 rubber is that it can easily be maintained, or even replaced if need be.
The rubber also has impressive elasticity, giving shots good speed, making it a good all-round rubber. The sponge softness takes away a bit of speed, in order to benefit the control of the paddle.
The Master 3.0 has a sponge thickness of 2mm, which is ideal for more offensive strokes. This is another reason why players should have mastered the basic strokes before looking to invest in a paddle such as the Master 3.0. Having a slightly thicker sponge of 2mm also benefits spin play.
Overall, this is a premium rubber and is one of the more impressive rubbers we’ve seen used in a pre-made paddle. It is an all-round rubber which can be easily maintained and replaced if need be. Palio has always focused on providing a suitable, quality rubber to fit the desired attributes in their paddles.
The Handle
The handle used for the Palio Master 3.0 is a flared handle. This is the ideal handle for a Shakehand grip user.
Palio has used a flared handle in all of their pre-made paddle builds, as it provides great comfort to players. A flared handle suits Shakehand grip users who often look to forehand play. This grip is ergonomic, making comfort and performance the main goal.
Overall, this is a commonly used handle to modern ping pong paddles, as it provides the most comfort to players using the most commonly used grip – Shakehand.
General Overview
We’ve put together a table highlighting both the pros and the cons of the Palio Master 3.0:
We’ve also put together some ratings out of 100, for the 3 key characteristics – speed, spin, and control.
| Speed | Spin | Control |
| 80 | 90 | 80 |
Conclusion
The Palio Master 3.0 has been a solid upgrade to its predecessor and has become one of the most popular all-round recreational paddles on the market. This is a paddle that is perfectly suited for intermediate players looking to advance their skills and build on the fundamentals in which they’ve learned.
Looking for a paddle that has a bit more speed? Have you seen JOOLA’s latest series? We’ve reviewed some pretty cool other paddle options here – have a look, you may find something which perfectly fits your game.
I want to double check “The Palio Master 3.0 is constructed with a real wood blade, with no carbon layers.”. I have seen somewhere else stating that it has carbon layers, and I have seen the black lines on the side of the photo of the blade. Would you please see if you could confirm it? Thanks
I also want to rely on your intelligence for the difference of different Palio pre-made bats. Some of them are classified by Expert/Master/Legend, some of them are classified by 1/2/3/6 stars. Are them same products with different name or they are really different quality products? Thanks
Hey Justin!
The Palio Master 3.0 is indeed an all wood blade.
When it comes to Palio pre-made bats, the Master series is not quite as fast as the Legend, so it has a bit more control. The Expert is more control focused, and has comfortably less speed than the Master.
So if you’re looking for a good balance of speed and control, the Master 3.0 is your best bet when it comes to Palio paddles.
Could you tell me what the overall weight is please