Expert review: Franklin C45 shines at kitchen line with great pop, maneuverability

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Mar 21 2025

Category

Gear

Franklin has been a big player in the pickleball paddle industry for nearly a decade, going back to when they made the first Ben Johns signature paddle in the late 2010s.

Their latest release – the C45° – builds off of their previous models by adding a second step in the thermoforming process, incorporating strategically placed foam layers in the core and using multi-directional carbon fiber face layers to boost spin potential.

We’ll get into how this paddle performs below, but first let’s touch on what Franklin did differently with this model.

Double thermoformed: Franklin says adding a second step in the thermoforming process enhances the structural integrity of the paddle and helps reduce vibration compared to previous thermoformed paddles. It definitely succeeds on the vibration dampening front with a crisp feel on contact. And while it’s still too early to say for sure that the double thermoforming process will help with durability, this paddle does have a very solid overall feel to it and is not as bouncy as other thermoformed paddles that often have issues with core crushing.

45° carbon surface: The T700 carbon fiber is applied as a peel ply texture at a 45° angle. Franklin says laying it at a 45° angle provides a true, consistent texture throughout the entire paddle face, maximizing spin potential. I found that spin with this paddle was on par with most of the other top-performing paddles on the market right now.

Read next: The top 10 pickleball paddles on the market today

PowerFlex core: “Flex” is a hot word right now in the paddle market. Franklin has joined other companies such as JOOLA and Proton by incorporating more foam layers in the core to allow the paddle to flex more upon impact, which increases power and pop while also giving paddles a more forgiving feel. Franklin says its PowerFlex core also provides the paddle with more structural integrity.

Hybrid shape: This was the most exciting part about this paddle in my opinion. Franklin previously had two shapes – the elongated Dynasty shape and the widebody Tempo shape – so I like that they have focused on a hybrid shape for this release. The paddle feels great in the hand and is extremely maneuverable thanks to the curved top edge, thin 14mm thickness and very low swingweight (more on that later).

With the tech out of the way, let’s get into how this paddle plays on the court. My testing included several hours of drills from the baseline, in the transition zone and at the kitchen line as well as multiple play sessions against 5.0+ competition. I’ve detailed my thoughts on how the paddle performs in each of those areas below.

Let’s cook!

Franklin C45° pickleball paddle

Franklin C45

$229.99 at Pickleball Central

Best suited for players who: Want a lot of pop at the kitchen line and prefer a lighter paddle or want a lot of wiggle room in terms of how much they can customize the weight. The paddle I got came in at 7.6 ounces, which is extremely light. I added two 5-inch strips of 1-gram per inch tungsten tape to the throat/bottom corner on each side and another 10-inch strip of 1-gram per inch tungsten tape along the top edge of the paddle. That brought the paddle to 8.4 ounces, which is still slightly below what my paddles normally weigh – so I was able to add weight to specific areas to help the paddle perform better while still maintaining good hand speed.

Specs

Weight: 7.6-7.9 ounces

Swingweight: 104 (low)

Handle length: 5.7 inches

Paddle length: 16.3 inches

Paddle width: 7.6 inches

Paddle face: Toray T700 carbon fiber

Core material: Powerflex polypropylene honeycomb with dual foam perimeter

Core thickness: 14mm

At the kitchen

Quick hits

This paddle is very poppy and really excels in hands battles.
Hybrid shape, curved top edge and thin profile make it very maneuverable – even with added weighted tape.
Putaway power is good but got significantly better by adding weighted tape along the top edge.

Drilling down: I usually start these reviews with my thoughts from the baseline, then transition and then at the kitchen, but I felt like I would be burying the lead if I did it that way for this paddle because it really excels at the kitchen. The pop in hands battles is at the high end of what’s available on the market right now, and because of its super light swingweight I felt really confident that I was going to make clean contact on reflex volleys. The curved top edge and extra long handle also make it great for players who like to be aggressive with flicks out of the air. If you’re a player who values pop and hand speed at the net, I really don’t think I can make a better recommendation. Franklin knocked it out of the park in that regard.

In transition

Quick hits

Adding weight to the bottom corners/throat area of the paddle was a game changer for this paddle in the transition zone.
It took some adjustments to get used to the poppiness of the paddle in this area and get resets dialed.
If you are somebody who likes to attack from the transition zone – which is becoming a more popular play – this is a good paddle for that because it can generate good pace with a small swing.

Drilling down: Because this paddle is so light out of the box, it really needed the extra weight to be able to absorb an aggressive shot from an opponent. I think adding weight in the bottom corners/throat area went a long way in that regard and didn’t impact swingweight too drastically. The weight I added along the top edge had more of an impact on swingweight, but that was more with the intention of adding power. So if you value swingweight above power, I think you could get away with just adding weighted tape to the bottom corners/throat and you would still get the boost in stability in the transition zone.

From the baseline

Quick hits

Curved top edge combined with an extra long handle makes the paddle feel very whippy on drives, which helps generate good spin.
Lacked plow-through/power on serves and third-shot drives before adding weighted tape along top edge, but the added weight made a big difference in this area.
Somewhat of an adjustment period on drops, but was able to get them dialed in after extended play.

Drilling down: I don’t think this paddle was designed with the goal of being able to blow people off the court with big serves and third-shot drives. If you think about who Franklin has on their roster of pros right now – particularly JW Johnson, Jorja Johnson, Hayden Patriquin, Will Howells and Parris Todd – Howells is the only one in that group who plays an aggressive style from the baseline. The Johnson siblings, Patriquin and Todd tend to utilize third-shot drops to get to the kitchen line and then rely on hand speed to win points from there. So it makes sense that this paddle would be geared more toward “pop” at the kitchen than “power” at the baseline. But because it is very poppy, it does take some adjusting to become comfortable and consistent on third-shot drops. I was able to get my drops dialed in after a couple hours of play time.

Conclusion

If you think of yourself as a reset king or queen and want something that feels super plush on drops and dinks, this probably isn’t the paddle for you. But if you’re confident in your ability to get drops and resets dialed with some practice, then you can unlock the other great benefits of this paddle at the kitchen line, which is where the game is won and lost at higher levels.