I bought one of these paddles from someone who had one but had never used it. I was skeptical about it at first, but thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try. I started to get comfortable with it after a couple games, and then - boy, was I surprised! It's making me faster at the net, and I can still get the spin and power I was used to with my regular paddles. The power was especially (and pleasantly) surprising (full disclosure - I did add 3g of weight on each side and the top, as I saw recommended in a video). I can't speak to how well it alleviates wrist/elbow/shoulder pain, because I didn't have any of those to begin with. I'm just happy that it's helping make me a more confident and competent player. And oh yes, I did get the usual first reactions (what the heck is that, is it legal); but then I started getting questions like is it easy to learn, how much does it cost, where can I get one. So - when will the Gen 4 foam version with some kind of extra-durable grit be coming? Even if that never happens, I'll still want to buy another one of these when this one wears out - so please don't go out of business! :) Hmm, maybe I should buy another one right now just in case...