Selkirk LABS started as an idea. In 2022 (eight years after the founding of Selkirk Sport), the company’s research & development (R&D) arm took a new leap by launching Selkirk LABS, a free membership program with the goal of gaining insight from pickleball players across the world.
Who is Selkirk LABS for?
The Selkirk LABS membership program is for pickleball players who want a chance to test the latest pickleball paddle technology before it’s released to the public and the opportunity to offer feedback on next-generation pickleball innovations.
The goal of Selkirk LABS is to promote collaboration, pickleball player involvement, and beta testing of new pickleball paddles.
"As players ourselves, we are never satisfied that our products are good enough,” said Rob Barnes, co-founder of Selkirk Sport. “We want something better. We are constantly evolving and trying to find the next best thing to elevate the Selkirk brand and your playing experience."
Selkirk LABS products are limited to club members only, who will give us valuable feedback that will help Selkirk create better paddles that may eventually become part of our mainline Selkirk products.
"With the LABS community, we have a chance to create any technology we can possibly dream of,” Mike Barnes, co-founder of Selkirk, explained. “Truly the only limitation is our imagination."
The idea for Selkirk LABS started from the idea that there is no one better to test pickleball paddles than actual pickleball players. And rather than just playing with a paddle a few times, playing with a paddle long-term can give some great insight into how the paddle will play in the long run. Selkirk LABS members are able to determine which paddle technology is working — and which technology is not working — to determine the future of pickleball paddles.
“We asked ourselves what would it take to make the craziest and most innovative paddles in the pickleball world, and LABS was the answer,” said Mike Barnes.
How is a Selkirk LABS pickleball paddle different from a Selkirk paddle?
A Selkirk LABS pickleball paddle is considered a beta test, and the feedback received by players will help us determine whether the paddle will be released into the mainstream market, either as a Selkirk pickleball paddle or an SLK pickleball paddle.
Some possible paths a Selkirk LABS paddle can take after testing:
- The paddle is ready to be turned into a Selkirk Sport pickleball paddle and released at our Selkirk.com website or one of our physical stores.
- The paddle needs some changes, which will be applied and either re-released as a Selkirk LABS paddle or as a Selkirk Sport paddle.
- The paddle is not suitable for widespread release and will be shelved.
What is the goal of Selkirk LABS?
The idea of Selkirk LABS is about testing new technology, but it’s also about doing it on a small scale to see if it works before releasing it on a large scale.
“That’s where the Selkirk LABS brand came from,” said Tom Barnes, director of research and development with Selkirk. “We try it on the small scale, we see how it works, then we go from there. Right now the LABS brand is becoming the core of everything. If we're trying a new manufacturing process out there on the line, it goes to Selkirk LABS first.”
The goal of Selkirk LABS is to test new technology, create new products, and be the leader in pickleball paddle innovation.
“We've been doing a bunch of new things as far as how to build paddles, going back to that blank slate approach,” Tom Barnes added. “We're really excited to see what comes out of that and prove it as a functional product.”
Selkirk LABS vs. the Selkirk lab
Selkirk LABS is the research & development brand for Selkirk Sport, which releases brand new pickleball paddle innovation and technology for testing by real-life pickleball players.
There is a real lab on-site at Selkirk, which is used for all technology innovations across the different brands, including Selkirk Sport, SLK, and Selkirk LABS.
The R&D division of Selkirk is responsible for new paddles, product innovation, and testing of all technology before a paddle goes out the door. This is all done at the Selkirk lab.
Learn more about the Selkirk lab, what we test, and the team that makes it all possible.
