Updated September 27, 2026
The Onix Z5 is still one of the most recognisable paddles in the sport and Onix still sells it, at $89.99, in three versions. What it no longer sells is a composite Z5. If you came here to choose between the graphite and the composite, that choice has quietly stopped existing, and this page has been rewritten to say what the actual decision is now.
How we sourced this: we have not played the current Z5 versions. What follows synthesizes Onix’s own product and collection pages, read on 9 September 2026, plus published material on paddle face construction. Every figure is attributed. Our methodology page explains how we handle gear we have not held.
Onix sells three Z5 versions and all three are graphite, all at $89.99 — the Z5 Graphite, the Z5 Mod Series Graphite and the Z5 Mod V2 Graphite, as listed on Onix’s own collection page on 9 September 2026. There is no composite Z5 any more, so the graphite-versus-composite decision this page was built around has stopped existing. All three are 7.5–8.2 oz with a 12mm Nomex core and a 15.5 x 8.125 inch widebody face.
What Onix actually sells today
Onix’s Z5 collection lists three paddles, all graphite, all $89.99:
- Z5 Graphite — the original
- Z5 Mod Series Graphite — Onix describes this as the most popular of the three
- Z5 Mod V2 Graphite — the newest design
Onix describes them as three distinct design versions of one paddle rather than three different paddles. No composite Z5 appears in the collection. The composite widebody role in the current catalogue is filled by the Z3 Composite instead.
The specifications, and what they tell you
| Spec | Z5 Graphite |
|---|---|
| Price | $89.99 |
| Weight | 7.5–8.2 oz |
| Core | Nomex honeycomb |
| Core thickness | 12 mm |
| Face | Graphite |
| Length | 15.5 in |
| Face width | 8.125 in |
| Handle length | 5 in |
| Grip circumference | 4 in |
| Certification | Approved by USA Pickleball for tournament play |
Specifications from Onix’s own product pages. The Mod Series and Mod V2 carry the same core, face, dimensions and price.
Two numbers there are doing most of the work. A 12mm Nomex core is thin and firm by 2026 standards, where 16mm polypropylene is the default and foam-perimeter builds sit above that. Nomex is an aramid honeycomb, and it is loud, fast and unforgiving compared with polypropylene. That is not a fault; it is what the paddle was designed to be, and it is why the Z5 has always felt more like a racquetball paddle than a modern control paddle.
The 8.125-inch face on a 15.5-inch body is the widebody shape, and it is the reason the paddle is still worth talking about. A wide face puts more of the paddle where a developing player actually makes contact. It is a genuinely forgiving geometry, and it is exactly what the elongated shapes that replaced it gave away in exchange for reach.
Why the composite version disappeared
The graphite-versus-composite question was a real one in 2018. A graphite face was thin, light and crisp; a composite face was fiberglass, a bit heavier, softer, and it popped more. Players picked a side and the difference was noticeable.
That framing has aged badly, and not because one side won. The industry’s own reference material now puts it plainly: surface texture and grit level have a more direct effect on spin than the base material, and paddle feel depends on the whole construction — core, texture and shape — rather than the face material on its own. Meanwhile the whole market moved to raw carbon faces over thicker polypropylene cores, which is a different axis entirely.
So Onix consolidating the Z5 to graphite is not a verdict on composite. It is a legacy paddle being simplified while the company’s development goes into its raw carbon lines. We wrote about what the material names actually mean now in our guide to graphite paddles in 2026.
Should you buy a Z5 in 2026?
At $89.99 the honest answer is: it depends on what you are replacing and what you expect.
Buy it if you are coming from racquetball or tennis and you want a firm, fast, wide paddle that tells you exactly what happened at contact; if you already play a Z5 and you want the same thing again; or if you want a durable, certified paddle for a club rack or a guest set at a price that will not hurt when one goes missing.
Don’t buy it if you are chasing spin, if you play in a noise-restricted community, or if you are a soft-game player trying to improve your resets. A 12mm Nomex core is about the least helpful construction there is for taking pace off the ball, and at 4.7 that is the single thing I would not give up: a thicker polypropylene or foam-perimeter core makes a reset off a hard drive a repeatable shot rather than a coin flip. Nomex is also among the louder cores, which matters if your courts have a decibel rule — our quiet paddle guide covers what actually meets those rules.
Which of the three versions should you buy?
This is the question the collection page invites and does not answer. Onix publishes the same weight range, the same 12mm Nomex core, the same graphite face, the same 15.5 by 8.125 inch dimensions and the same $89.99 price for all three. The differences it names are design differences.
No independent test bench has published measurements separating the Z5, the Mod Series and the Mod V2, which means anyone telling you one plays meaningfully better than another is telling you how it looks. Buy on the graphic you prefer and the one your retailer actually has, and put the energy you would have spent deciding into grip size instead, which changes far more.
If you already own a Z5 and want the same feel again, the plain Z5 Graphite is the safe repeat. The Mod versions are the ones Onix is actively promoting, so they are likelier to still be stocked in two years.
How long it lasts
The wear point on this paddle is the face, not the core. A graphite surface is good on durability but more prone to surface wear than raw carbon, and on a paddle this old in design terms the texture is doing the spin work with no grit layer to fall back on. A Z5 that has lost its face texture still plays, it just stops biting the ball, and the change is gradual enough that most players do not notice until they pick up a new one.
That is an argument for the Z5 as a second paddle or a club paddle rather than a competition paddle you will lean on for two seasons. It is also why the resale value on used Z5s is low relative to how many are out there.
Two alternatives at the same money
Onix Evoke Premier Raw Carbon, $99.99. Ten dollars more, inside the same brand, with a raw carbon face instead of graphite. If what you like about Onix is Onix, this is the modern version of the decision rather than a rerun of the 2018 one.
Onix Hype X Pro Raw Carbon, $119.99. If you can stretch, this is the raw carbon build at a real price. Onix also currently lists the Malice DB Open Throat at $124.99, marked down from $249.99, which is the most paddle-per-dollar in the catalogue if the open-throat shape suits you.
Outside Onix, our under-$100 guide is the broader field at this money, and our Onix range guide covers where the Z5 sits in the current lineup. If terms like swing weight are new, our explainer is the shortest route to understanding why two 8 oz paddles can feel nothing alike.
Where to buy
Onix sells all three Z5 versions direct at onixpickleball.com. They are also widely stocked at general retail, where the model names get muddled — “Z5”, “Graphite Z5”, “Mod Z5” and “Z5 Mod V2” are used loosely and sometimes interchangeably in listings.
Check the listed core thickness and face material against the table above before ordering. If a listing says composite Z5, it is old stock or a mislabelled listing.
The short version
The Z5 is alive, it is $89.99, and it comes in three graphite versions with identical published specifications. There is no composite Z5 any more. It remains a firm, loud, forgiving widebody with a 12mm Nomex core, approved for tournament play, and it is a good buy for a racquetball convert, a spare, or a club rack. It is the wrong paddle if you want spin, quiet, or a soft touch game, and for $10 to $30 more Onix will sell you a raw carbon paddle that is better at all three.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Onix Z5 still being made?
Yes. Onix’s Z5 collection listed three variants on 9 September 2026, all at $89.99: the Z5 Graphite, the Z5 Mod Series Graphite and the Z5 Mod V2 Graphite. Onix describes them as three distinct design versions.
What is the difference between the Onix Z5 graphite and composite?
There is no longer a composite Z5 to compare against. Every Z5 variant Onix currently lists is graphite-faced. If you are choosing today the real decision is between the three graphite design versions, not between two face materials.
What are the Onix Z5 specifications?
$89.99, 7.5–8.2 oz, a 12mm Nomex core, a graphite face, 15.5 inches long with an 8.125 inch face width, a 5 inch handle and a 4 inch grip circumference, in a widebody shape. It is approved by USA Pickleball for official tournament play.
Does the paddle face material decide how much spin you get?
Not on its own. Pickleball.com states that surface texture and grit level often have a more direct impact on spin generation than the base material alone, and that carbon fiber is generally more durable than graphite.
What should I buy instead of an Onix Z5?
Staying with Onix, the Evoke Premier Raw Carbon is $99.99 and the Hype X Pro Raw Carbon $119.99 on Onix’s own pricing as of 9 September 2026, with the Malice DB Open Throat at $124.99 reduced from $249.99. The Z5’s widebody Nomex build is the older design; those are the current-generation faces at close to the same money.
How we review gear — including how we get the paddles we test and what the money never touches — is documented in our review methodology.