Take advantage of programs like Amazon Prime where you can try out pickleball paddles and return them if they don't work for you.  

Avoid buying "all on one" pickleball paddle sets.  

Know your own physical abilities.  I am a female with less strenghth in my forearms.  I choose to play with a lightweight pickleball paddle that I can easily control.  I use the lead tape to add more weight to my pickleball paddle if necessary.

Pickleball is about having control of the your pickleball paddle in order to block hard shots quickly and also turn an incoming fast ball into an outgoing soft shot. 

When you purchase a lightweight pickleball paddle, you can always add weight by adding lead tape to it.  If your paddle is too heavy to begin with, you may find it challenging to play your best and might even injure yourself.  Someone gave me a heavier pickleball paddle as a gift and after playing with it three times, I started to develop elbow pain.   I am sticking with a lightweight pickleball paddle (8 oz or less).