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Save the £55 and bank it toward a proper carbon paddle later; the Franklin X-40 covers entry-level pickleball perfectly.
Franklin makes the X-40 ball that's used at most US PPA events, but the X-40 paddle here is a different beast: polypropylene honeycomb core, fibreglass face, and a price tag that puts it in supermarket-paddle territory at £35. The JOOLA Essentials at £90 sits in awkward middle ground, offering a slightly thicker core and a fibreglass surface that gives marginally more spin grip but nothing approaching the carbon-faced paddles you'd get from Selkirk or CRBN at this price. The face material is the headline issue: fibreglass simply doesn't grip the ball the way carbon does, and you'll feel that on your third-shot drops. For a London leisure-centre player who plays once a week at Better gyms or LTA-affiliated courts, the Franklin X-40 is genuinely enough paddle. Buy the JOOLA Essentials if you want the brand badge and a marginally larger sweet spot, otherwise go for the Franklin X-40 because spending £55 more on a fibreglass paddle is hard to justify when you'll outgrow both within a season anyway.
Hand-written editorial — not auto-generated. By Gary, RacketRise.
| Product | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Pickleball Paddles | Pickleball Paddles |
| Sport | Pickleball | Pickleball |
| Skill Level | Beginner | Beginner |
| Weight | — | — |
| Shape | Standard | Standard |
| Core | Polymer honeycomb | Polymer honeycomb |
| Surface | Fibreglass | Composite |
| Grip Size | — | — |
| Core Thickness | — | — |
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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The main differences are: Surface: Franklin X-40 has Fibreglass vs Composite. Price: £35 vs £90. Overall, the Franklin X-40 Performance Pickleball Paddle is best for beginners while the JOOLA Essentials Pickleball Paddle suits beginners.
Both the Franklin X-40 Performance Pickleball Paddle and JOOLA Essentials Pickleball Paddle are suitable for beginners. The Franklin X-40 Performance Pickleball Paddle offers the better value entry point at £35.
The JOOLA Essentials Pickleball Paddle (£90) costs more than the Franklin X-40 Performance Pickleball Paddle (£35). Whether the premium is worth it depends on your skill level — if you are beginners, the extra investment in the JOOLA Essentials Pickleball Paddle can pay off.