What pickleball paddles are the pros using right now? Breaking down the numbers

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Jul 03 2025

Category

Gear

Pro pickleball player Erik Lange sparked an interesting discussion this week on X when he shared some data on which paddles are currently the most popular among the pros.

Lange credited Kale Klein for his numbers, so we're going to do the same (thanks, Kale) and also note that our own research validates the numbers Lange shared.

Of the 64 players who start for a Premier Level team in Major League Pickleball, here's the breakdown of which paddle brands they are using:

JOOLA: 21 players
Proton: 8
Paddletek: 6
ProXR: 6
Franklin: 6
Selkirk: 4

There are 11 companies with 2 players or less.

The two most popular models: JOOLA Perseus Pro IV (10 players) and Proton Series Three - Project Flamingo (8 players).

There also are several players in MLP and on the PPA Tour without a paddle sponsorship who are using these models, which is how you know they're legitimately the best out there right now. I have the Perseus Pro IV at No. 1 and the Proton Series Three - Project Flamingo at No. 3 on my list of the top 10 paddles on the market right now.

Review: In-depth look at the JOOLA Perseus Pro IV
Review: Breaking down the entire JOOLA Pro IV line of paddles
Review: In-depth look at the Proton Series Three - Project Flamingo

Additionally, Klein found that 70% of men's players are currently using a 16mm paddle, while 90% of women use a paddle that is less than 16mm thick.

What does this tell us? Well, it's a little complicated. For starters, 16mm paddles generally have slightly higher swingweights than 14mm or thinner paddles.

But I think the reasoning goes beyond just the swingweight differences.

I have tried more than 50 paddles this year from all of the top brands, and here's what I've learned about how different thicknesses are impacting modern paddle characteristics:

Traditional wisdom says that thicker = softer, while thinner = more power.

That's not necessarily true anymore, however -- modern Gen 3 paddles have flipped that to a certain extent. For example, the 16mm JOOLA Pro IV paddles still have a pretty plush feel, but they offer more "plow through" power than the 14mm versions on full shots, like drives or overheads.

BUT the 14mm JOOLA Pro IV paddles have more "pop" on short strokes in hands battles at the kitchen line.

I refer to this phenomenon with the 16mm Gen 3 paddles as "progressive power" -- meaning that the more you amp up the power on your shots, the more power you can unlock in the paddle. They have a higher top-end gear.

This is true for most Gen 3 paddles that incorporate layers of foam in the core or around the perimeter, which allows the ball to sink into the core more on the 16mm versions and get shot back out faster.

But the opposite is true for Gen 1 or Gen 2 paddles -- the thinner paddles in those models still offer more power than the thicker versions. This would apply to the Paddletek and ProXR paddles, along with some other brands.

So, what should we make of the fact that pro men's players are using thicker paddles and pro women's players are using thinner paddles?

I think it makes sense given the different game styles at the pro level. In men's pro doubles, there is still a lot of dinking when all 4 players make it to the kitchen line, so they want something that feels plush and is easy to control for that purpose. But we're also seeing a lot more third-shot drives than we used to, and I think there's a premium on putaway power right now because the players are so athletic and able to track down a lot of aggressive shots.

A 16mm Gen 3 paddle serves all of these purposes well.

The women's game, however, still sees a lot of hands battles when all 4 players are at the kitchen line, meaning that they would benefit from more "pop" rather than raw power from the baseline. This is where 14mm Gen 3 paddles are strong.

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