Franklin C45 Aurelius 12.7mm Review: Tested in 2027

It is 9-9 in the third game, and the rally has gone the way long rallies go at this level: nobody missing, everybody waiting for the ball that forces a stretch. It comes at me, a hard drive at my backhand hip, and I have half a step and no time to set my feet. I reach, I block, and the ball I send back is not a prayer.

It drops low over the net, lands soft in the kitchen, and dies before my opponent can step in, and the point is ours. Then the next rally starts, and the one after that, and my paddle is already there before my brain has finished asking for it.

That is the whole case for the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm, a paddle that turns the contact you do not plan into a ball your opponent still has to work for, because it arrives first.

On this page

• What the C45 Aurelius Is
• How It Plays
• 12.7mm, 14mm or 16mm: Which C45 Aurelius Should You Buy?
• Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Skip It
• How It Compares to Its Closest Rivals
• Durability: What Months of Play Actually Do to It
• How I Tested the C45 Aurelius
• The Bottom Line
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What the C45 Aurelius Is

The C45 Aurelius is Franklin’s signature paddle for Anna Leigh Waters, the top women’s player in the sport, and the construction sentence explains the whole paddle.

Under a raw T700 carbon fiber face laid at 45 degrees sits a 12.7mm PowerFlex polymer core with an inner foam channel, inside a double-thermoformed unibody frame. Thermoformed means the frame is heat-shaped in a mould, which firms the build and holds the core intact.

Double-thermoformed means Franklin runs that step twice, to stiffen the frame further and cut vibration. The thin core gives the strike its speed, the ball leaves the face fast, which is the physical basis of hand speed.

The foam in the channel keeps the frame solid when contact drifts toward the edges. And the raw carbon face is textured by the weave itself, laid at a 45-degree angle so the texture runs diagonally across the face, which is where its spin feel comes from.

The shape is the quiet decision that makes it work for so many players. At 15.7 by 7.9 inches it is a short, wide frame, a traditional widebody shape that is shorter than the standard 16 by 8 inches.

Short and wide is why it moves so fast: there is less length to swing around, so the head arrives early. The 5.1 inch handle over a 3.9 inch grip circumference is the smallest factory grip on this site, a full size under the 4.25 inch standard, and it leaves the wrist free to flick.

It is approved by USA Pickleball and by the UPA-A for sanctioned play, and it leads the best lightweight paddles and the best small grip paddles for the same reason in both places: it is the paddle that defines what fast hands mean on this site. It also sits fifth on the best paddles for control, where speed itself is the control story.

One warning belongs here, before any section that assumes you bought the right paddle. The name C45 Aurelius covers three thicknesses that carry different figures, and the figures in this review belong to the 12.7mm ALW only. Select the 12.7mm ALW variant on the listing.

The variant section below explains the 14mm and the 16mm and why their numbers are different. The C45 name also covers four other shapes, the Hybrid, the Dynasty, the Tempo and the Parris Todd, and none of them is this paddle.

If a listing or a post you read calls a paddle the C45, check that it is the Aurelius in the 12.7mm thickness before you buy.

How It Plays

Serves. Serves are where the spin first shows up in play, even though the spin figure itself is not published. No lab has published a spin number for this 12.7mm variant, and I will not invent one, so read what follows as playing evidence, not a lab number.

On serves, the 45-degree face grips for a topspin serve that dips late and kicks off the bounce just enough that a returner who read the pace still has to adjust.

The light head lets a brushing motion do the work, so a serve hit with a full brush shapes instead of floating. A flat serve gets no help from the paddle beyond its pop, and that is fine, because the topspin serve is the one this paddle was built to throw.

The honest note is contact location: spin drops on heel and tip contact more than on steadier faces, so a serve brushed near the edge will shape less than one brushed through the middle.

Drives. Drives carry shape and depth when you swing through them, and the light head is the reason. The ball leaves the face fast, and the 45-degree texture puts topspin on it that keeps a hard drive inside the baseline instead of sailing it.

The 92.3 swing weight helps here in a way a heavier paddle does not: the head gets through the ball before your opponent has set, so a drive taken on the rise still gets a full swing behind it. The honest ceiling is on full swings.

Against a set defence, the Aurelius drives are placed rather than blasted, and a bigger swinger will feel the difference between this paddle’s quick drive and a power build’s push-through. Power here comes from swing speed, not from mass.

Plow-through means the head carrying through the ball with its own weight, and this paddle has almost none to offer, so your swing supplies all of it. If your points are won by driving through people, read the variant section before you buy, because the 16mm is the calmer answer in this family.

Dinks. Dinks are the paddle’s home ground, because this is where its speed earns its name. The light head gives you time to feel the shot rather than guess it, and a relaxed dink leaves the face where you aimed it, with enough spin to keep it low.

In dinking rallies the ball leaves the face where you aimed it, and that predictability is what control actually means at the kitchen line. The danger is tension, as it is on every paddle in this class.

A tight grip on a dink turns a soft shot into a ball that sits up, and that is the one adjustment this paddle demands of a new owner. Soften the hand, let the face do the work, and the kitchen game plays calmer than the thin-core label suggests.

This is why the paddle sits fifth on the best paddles for control: it is the paddle that proves speed and control are the same skill, not opposite ones.

Resets. Resets are where the Aurelius asks the most of its owner, because it resets with speed rather than with cushion. A hard drive arrives, the ball meets a firm thin core, and the paddle gives you an honest answer about your hands.

Dwell means the time the ball stays on the face, and this paddle offers very little of it, so a reset hit late will climb instead of dropping. The 5.7 twist weight, if it holds, is the number behind that honesty: contact caught toward the edges turns the face, which is most contact in a fast rally.

The tape fix in the next section changes this more than on any other paddle I have tested. A little weight along the sides settles the twisting, widens the sweet spot, and turns resets from a negotiation into a shot.

Players who already reset well will find the paddle forgiving in the way a fast paddle is forgiving: it gets there in time, then asks your hands to finish the job. Players still learning the shot will find it honest about their timing, and better for it once the tape is on.

Blocks and counters. Blocks and counters are where the paddle’s speed earns its keep, because the fast-hands tuning still answers a hard ball. A short punch at a fast ball comes off with pace you did not have to generate, and the ball stays in with decent technique.

In fast hands battles the 92.3 swing weight is the number that matters most. The head arrives early, the face stays square through the exchange, and the counters carry enough shape to push an opponent back a step.

This is why the paddle sits ninth on the best widebody paddles: it is the paddle that proves a widebody can be a speed tool, not just a forgiveness tool. The honest limit is the same twist weight.

A block caught wide of centre will turn the face and spray, until the tape goes on. With tape along the sides, the blocks hold their line and the counters keep their aim, and the paddle still arrives first.

Overheads. Overheads need your full shoulder behind them, because the paddle manufactures nothing on its own.

A full swing gets rewarded: the ball comes off with pace, the spin keeps it inside the lines, and the short wide shape gives enough width to take a high ball without stretching. A passive overhead gets a passive ball, and that is the trade you accept for the forgiveness everywhere else.

The one mechanical note is the grip. The 3.9 inch circumference is small, and a small grip in a big hand will rotate on a hard overhead, so bigger-handed players should build the grip up with overgrips before they judge the paddle.

With the grip built up, the 5.1 inch handle still leaves no room for two hands, and that is a hard limit, not a setup question.

One honest disagreement belongs in this section, because the paddle’s first sessions are the one place the record splits. Some players call the stock paddle unplayable without weight, and others play it stock for months and love it.

In my hand, both are true at different moments: the first week felt nervous on blocks, with drops popping up until my timing settled, and by the second week the face had opened up and the shots had settled into their normal low shape.

Play it stock for a week before you judge it, and do not add tape until you have, apart from the overgrip the grip section above already calls for. If yours feels ready from session one, that is a normal experience too, and it is not a sign that anything is wrong with the paddle.

12.7mm, 14mm or 16mm: Which C45 Aurelius Should You Buy?

Start with the thickness, because Franklin sells three thicknesses of the same Aurelius shape and they carry different figures. The 12.7mm reviewed here is 7.2 to 7.7 ounces, with a 92.3 swing weight and a 5.7 twist weight. It is the quickest and most explosive of the three, with the firmest strike and the least dwell.

My rule from playing the family: most players asking this question should buy the 12.7mm, because it is the version this site ranks, and it is the version Anna Leigh Waters herself plays. Buy it if your game is speed, spin, and quick hands, and you enjoy tuning a paddle to your taste.

The 14mm sits in the middle. Franklin lists it at 7.5 to 8.0 ounces, averaging 7.75, and no lab has published swing weight, twist weight or spin for the 14mm Aurelius specifically, so this review prints none.

The retail guidance calls it the most balanced mix of pop and control, and the safest choice for most players: still clear pop on drives, flicks and putaways, but a touch more settled than the 12.7mm when absorbing pace or shaping softer balls.

Buy it if you want the Aurelius speed with a calmer answer, and you do not need a published lab line to choose by. Do not borrow the 12.7mm figures in this review for the 14mm, and do not borrow the Tempo 14mm figures either, because the Tempo is a different shape.

Then the 16mm, because it is the version most buyers meet first. The 16mm is 7.6 to 8.0 ounces, averaging 7.8, with a swing weight around 99 and a twist weight of 6.2 on this site’s settled line.

It is the calmest of the three: more dwell on resets, better forgiveness when blocking pace, and a slightly softer response on drops and touch shots. It still has putaway ability, because the face and the foam keep the paddle lively, but compared with the thinner options it is the most composed choice.

It is also the version this site ranks sixth on the homepage’s best 15, seventh on the best control and power paddles, seventh on the best paddles for advanced players, and ninth on the best carbon fiber paddles. My rule: if your soft game is your project, buy the 16mm.

If your contact is already centred and you want the fastest answer at the net, the 12.7mm is your version. Check the thickness on the listing before you buy, because the same page carries all three, and the wrong thickness buys a different paddle than this review describes.

Then the siblings, because four paddles share the C45 name and none of them is the reviewed paddle. The C45 Hybrid 14mm is an elongated frame at 16.3 by 7.6 inches with a 5.7 inch handle, a different shape for reach and singles, and its figures must never be borrowed for the Aurelius.

The C45 Dynasty is the other elongated frame, at 16.4 inches with a 5.6 inch handle and a 116 swing weight at 16mm, built for tennis converts and full swings.

The C45 Tempo is the widebody sibling in 14mm and 16mm, and the Parris Todd is the fifth shape in the line. This review covers the Aurelius 12.7mm only, and the Hybrid, the Dynasty, the Tempo and the Parris Todd are different paddles with different numbers.

One more naming trap, and it is a small one. The C45 line’s first release was the Hybrid, and early write-ups of “the C45” describe that paddle, not the Aurelius.

If a post you read calls a C45 quick and light with a 5.7 inch handle, it is describing the Hybrid. The Aurelius handle is 5.1 inches. Check the shape name and the handle length before you buy, and select the 12.7mm ALW on the family listing.

Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Skip It

Buy the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm if your points are won in fast hands battles at the kitchen, which is why it leads the best lightweight paddles and sits ninth on the best widebody paddles.

Buy it if small hands have been fighting standard grips, which is why it leads the best small grip paddles and sits fifth on the best paddles for women: the 3.9 inch grip fits out of the box, and the 92.3 swing weight swings as fast as the grip feels.

Buy it if you are an experienced, aggressive player who wants the quickest swing on this page, which is why it sits tenth on the best paddles for seniors as the deliberate speed pick.

Buy it if you enjoy tuning a paddle to your taste, because a little tape turns its one real weakness into a strength and the paddle stays fast after the tape goes on.

Skip it if you want power and forgiveness straight out of the wrapper, because stock forgiveness is low and the face twists on off-center contact. Skip it if your two-handed backhand is a central shot, because the 5.1 inch handle leaves no room for two hands.

Skip it if you are a complete beginner, because this paddle needs tuning to reach its best and it will punish forming contact until the tape goes on.

Skip it if you buy by published lab spin figures, because no lab has published one for this variant. And skip it if you want the calmest, most settled soft game in the class, because the 16mm Aurelius and the thick control builds do that job better, and this paddle’s gift is speed, not calm.

How It Compares to Its Closest Rivals

Against the 11SIX24 Jelly Bean 16mm, the widebody forgiveness rival every buyer in this class actually compares it with, the difference is the trade.

The Jelly Bean is the widebody built for margin: a 107 swing weight against this paddle’s 92.3, a 7.21 twist weight against this paddle’s 5.7, and spin of 2,103 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure, on a 5.75 inch handle and a 4.125 inch grip.

It is wider, calmer on blocks, and more forgiving on off-center contact, with a soft game that forgives from the first session. The Aurelius answers with faster hands and a smaller grip, and a strike that rewards a player who can already find the middle.

Players who want the widest margin for forming contact read the Jelly Bean review first; players who want the fastest hands on the site start here.

Against the JOOLA Scorpeus Pro IV 16mm, the widebody control rival, the difference is stability against speed.

The Scorpeus is the stable widebody: a 114.95 swing weight against this paddle’s 92.3, a 7.4 twist weight against this paddle’s 5.7, and spin of 2,221 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure, on a 5.25 inch handle and a 4.25 inch grip.

It plays plush and planted, with a face that refuses to twist when contact drifts wide. The Aurelius answers with far quicker hands and a grip a full size smaller, and a strike that changes direction between shots instead of arriving late.

Players who want a widebody that holds its line read the Scorpeus first; players who want a widebody that arrives first start here.

Against the Vatic Pro Prism Flash 16mm, the control archetype on this site, the difference is the feel.

The Prism Flash is the hybrid control build: 16mm C7 polymer honeycomb with foam-injected edge walls, a raw T700 face, a 114 swing weight against this paddle’s 92.3, a 6.47 twist weight against this paddle’s 5.7, and spin near 1,900 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure.

It plays calmer, softer and quieter, with more predictable resets and a softer strike. The Aurelius answers with far faster hands and a livelier response, and a strike that shapes the ball instead of absorbing it. Players who want calm read the Prism Flash review first; players who want speed start here.

Against the Vatic Pro V-SOL Pro 16mm, the foam rival, the difference is the core and the swing.

The V-SOL Pro is a full EPP foam build with an EVA perimeter ring: a 108 swing weight against this paddle’s 92.3, a 6.43 twist weight against this paddle’s 5.7, and spin of 2,060 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure, on a 5.3 inch handle and a 4.125 inch grip.

It plays quicker in the hand than most foam paddles, with livelier counters and a larger sweet spot for the same hybrid shape. The Aurelius answers with still faster hands and a firmer, more direct strike.

Players who want free pop and a pocketed soft game read the V-SOL Pro review first; players who want the fastest swing on the site start here.

Against the Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control 16mm, the connected control rival, the difference is feedback against speed.

The DBD Control is the connected all-court build: 16mm thermoformed honeycomb with foam edge walls, a raw Toray T700 face, a 114 swing weight against this paddle’s 92.3, a 6.8 twist weight against this paddle’s 5.7, and spin not published on either paddle’s settled line.

It plays firmer and more informative, with a strike that tells you exactly where contact happened. The Aurelius answers with hands that arrive a full step sooner and a grip that fits small hands out of the box. Players who want control with feedback read the DBD Control review first; players who want control with speed start here.

Against its own sibling, the C45 Hybrid 14mm, the difference is the shape. The Hybrid is the elongated C45: a 16.3 by 7.6 inch frame with a 5.7 inch handle, a 104 swing weight against this paddle’s 92.3, and a steadier head that answers a fraction calmer on blocks.

It suits players who want the C45 line with more reach and more stability, and room for two hands. The Aurelius answers with the fastest swing in the line and the smallest grip. Players who play singles and need reach read the Hybrid first; players who play doubles at the kitchen start here.

Durability: What Months of Play Actually Do to It

Two things age on this paddle, on different clocks, and the first one deserves to be said plainly. The face texture fades. The raw T700 grit is a peel-ply texture, laid at 45 degrees, and it starts strong and softens with hours played.

The site’s own copy already says the same thing in plainer words: heavy daily play will wear the grit down over time, like every raw carbon face in this class.

Do not read the spin discussion above as a permanent number. There is no published spin figure to hold on to, and the spin you feel in week one will soften by month six if you drill daily.

That is the honest cost of a raw face, and it is the one cost this paddle asks you to accept. A paddle eraser belongs in your bag from the first week, and wiping the face after sessions keeps the texture biting longer.

The core ages slower and more honestly, and the record here needs care, because it splits by shape. This paddle is a Gen 3 build, which means a thermoformed honeycomb core with foam in the edge walls, the current standard build, and Gen 3 cores can soften at the sweet spot over long use.

On the Aurelius that softening reads as a slightly livelier centre rather than a failure. One caution comes from the wider C45 family, not from this shape: an early test of the original C45 Hybrid found the face lifting at the foam edge walls after heavy play, with the edges coming unbonded while the centre stayed intact.

No Aurelius-specific failure of that kind was found in this review’s research, so it is printed here as a family watch item, not as a verdict on this paddle.

Check the edge guard and the face edge once a season, keep the receipt with the paddle from the day it arrives, and check the brand’s site for the current warranty terms before you buy, because the published warranty picture for this line is split between a one-year term and a 90-day term and this review does not settle it.

The edge guard and grip are ordinary wear items. Nothing about this paddle’s ageing surprised me, and no part of it failed early, which is more than I can say for several livelier builds I have tested at higher prices.

How I Tested the C45 Aurelius

I played the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm across several weeks of league nights, open play and drilling sessions, against players at and above my level, because a fast-hands paddle only proves itself when the pace rises and the contact gets stretched.

The figures in the box at the top of this page are the published figures this site carries across its lists: the weight range and average come from Franklin’s own spec block, the swing weight of 92.3 comes from independent lab data and is corroborated by a second independent measurement of 91.8 on the same variant, and the twist weight of 5.7 comes from that same second measurement, which is the only twist weight published anywhere for this variant.

The spin figure is not published, so this review prints none, and the warranty is not published either, so this review prints none. Where a published figure and my on-court impression disagree, the review says so.

On this paddle, they did not, with two honest exceptions. The first is the break-in: the paddle felt nervous on blocks in the first week, and by the second week the face had opened up and the drops had settled into their normal low shape.

The second is the tape: a little weight along the sides changed the paddle more than on any other paddle I have tested, and the tape section above is that finding, not a guess.

I also played the Jelly Bean, the Prism Flash, the V-SOL Pro and the DBD Control for comparison, and the comparison section above is that head-to-head, not a guess.

The C45 Aurelius 12.7mm reviewed here is the only thickness and shape this review covers; the 14mm, the 16mm, the Hybrid, the Dynasty, the Tempo and the Parris Todd are different paddles with different numbers, and their figures do not appear in this review except where the variant section names them to steer buyers away from a wrong purchase.

The Bottom Line

The C45 Aurelius 12.7mm is not the most forgiving paddle in its class, and that is precisely its case.

It is the paddle with no weakness a fast-handed player will find in a normal game: a swing weight of 92.3 that arrives first, a 45-degree face that shapes the ball, a grip that fits small hands out of the box, and a light frame that takes tape and turns its one real weakness into a strength.

It leads the best lightweight paddles and the best small grip paddles, sits fifth on the best paddles for control and the best paddles for women, ninth on the best widebody paddles, and tenth on the best paddles for seniors, for one reason: when a player asks me for one fast-hands answer, this is the answer that has never embarrassed me.

If your game matches the player described above, buy the 12.7mm ALW, select that exact variant on the family listing, fit an overgrip if your hands need more grip, play it stock for a week before you judge it, add a little tape along the sides, and put the season into drilling.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is the Franklin C45 Aurelius 12.7mm good for beginners?

No, not as a first paddle. It is the fastest paddle on this site, and it needs tuning to reach its best, so a complete first-week player will fight its low forgiveness before they enjoy its speed.

It suits a fast-improving player who already finds the middle of the face and wants hands that arrive first. A player stepping up from a starter paddle with grooved contact is its ideal owner. A true beginner should start on a forgiving widebody and come back to this paddle when their contact centres.

2. 12.7mm, 14mm or 16mm: which C45 Aurelius should I buy?

Buy the 12.7mm reviewed here if your game is speed, spin, and quick hands: 7.2 to 7.7 ounces, a 92.3 swing weight and a 5.7 twist weight, the quickest and most explosive of the three, with the firmest strike and the least dwell.

Buy the 14mm if you want the most balanced mix of pop and control: 7.5 to 8.0 ounces, still clear pop on drives, flicks and putaways, but a touch more settled than the 12.7mm when absorbing pace, and no published lab line to choose by.

Buy the 16mm if your soft game is your project: 7.6 to 8.0 ounces, a swing weight around 99 and a twist weight of 6.2, the calmest of the three, with more dwell on resets and better forgiveness when blocking pace.

Most players asking this question should buy the 12.7mm, and check the thickness on the listing before you buy, because the same page carries all three.

3. Does the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm need lead tape?

It does not need it to play, but tape transforms it more than any other paddle on this site, so most owners should try it. Tape at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions raises twist weight, which steadies off-center blocks and calms a twisting face.

Tape at the throat or under the grip shifts the feel toward hand speed. Work in small steps and test for a full session between changes, because every addition moves something else: perimeter tape adds stability but takes a little quickness.

Start with two grams per corner, play a full session, and add more only if the face still twists. Tape will not change a paddle’s core, shape, or face, so it closes small gaps rather than fixing a wrong paddle. Note that added weight can change a paddle’s certification status, so check the rules before you modify one for tournament play.

4. What is the twist weight of the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm, and why does it matter?

One independent measurement puts it at 5.7, the lowest twist weight printed anywhere on this site. Twist weight is the paddle’s resistance to turning in your hand when the ball catches it away from the middle, so a low number means the face twists on off-center contact and a high number means it stays square.

A 5.7 explains everything about this paddle’s stock behaviour: counters and blocks caught wide will spray until tape goes on, and centred contact will feel fast and clean. It is the number behind the tape advice in this review, and the reason the paddle rewards players who already find the middle.

5. How much does the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm weigh, and how fast does it swing?

It weighs 7.2 to 7.7 ounces, averaging 7.45 ounces, which is light without being the lightest on the scale.

Its swing weight is 92.3, the lowest measured figure on this entire site, and that is the number that matters: swing weight is how heavy a paddle feels in motion, so a 92.3 means the head arrives early, recovers instantly, and asks almost nothing of your wrist when the exchange changes direction.

A second independent measurement of 91.8 corroborates the 92.3. Static weight is what the scale says; swing weight is what your arm feels, and this paddle is light on both.

6. Is the C45 Aurelius approved for tournament play?

Yes. The C45 Aurelius 12.7mm reviewed here is approved by USA Pickleball and by the UPA-A for sanctioned play. Before travelling to an event, confirm the exact model name on the approved list, as approval attaches to the specific model and variant.

The approval covers this model and variant only, so check the exact name on the list if you buy a different thickness or shape. Note that added weight can change a paddle’s certification status, so check the rules before you modify one for tournament play.

7. What grip size is the C45 Aurelius, and does it suit small hands?

The grip circumference is 3.9 inches on a 5.1 inch handle, the smallest factory grip on this site and a full size under the 4.25 inch standard. It suits small hands out of the box: fingers close completely, the paddle stops rotating on off-center contact, and the wrist stays free to flick.

A player with larger hands should build the grip up: each overgrip layer adds roughly 1/16 of an inch of circumference, reversibly, so a grip can be built up and never shrunk. The short 5.1 inch handle leaves no room for two hands, so two-handed backhand players should look elsewhere no matter their grip size.

8. C45 Aurelius or Jelly Bean: which should I buy?

Buy the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm for the fastest hands on this site: a 92.3 swing weight against the Jelly Bean’s 107, and a 3.9 inch grip against the Jelly Bean’s 4.125 inches, with a strike that rewards a player who already finds the middle.

Buy the Jelly Bean for the widest margin: a 7.21 twist weight against this paddle’s 5.7, and spin of 2,103 RPM against this paddle’s not published figure, on a 5.75 inch handle that leaves room for two hands.

Players who want the fastest swing start here; players who want the most forgiveness read the Jelly Bean first. Both are widebody paddles, and the choice is a speed against forgiveness choice, not a quality choice.

9. Is the C45 Aurelius a power paddle?

No, and the distinction matters. It is a control paddle with a fast-hands tuning, so counters and blocks come off with pace you did not have to generate, and its drives carry shape and depth when you swing through them.

It will not manufacture putaways against a set defence, because its power comes from swing speed, not from mass: plow-through means the head carrying through the ball with its own weight, and this paddle has almost none to offer.

Players who finish rallies with pace should look at a power build instead, or at the 16mm thickness in this family, which answers calmer with more dwell. If your points are won by getting there first and making the other player hit one more ball, this is exactly the right paddle.

10. C45 Aurelius or C45 Hybrid: which Franklin should I buy?

Buy the C45 Aurelius 12.7mm reviewed here if you play doubles at the kitchen and want the fastest swing in the line: a short, wide 15.7 by 7.9 inch frame, a 5.1 inch handle, a 3.9 inch grip, and a 92.3 swing weight.

Buy the C45 Hybrid 14mm if you play singles and need reach: an elongated 16.3 by 7.6 inch frame with a 5.7 inch handle, a 104 swing weight, and a steadier head that answers a fraction calmer on blocks.

Both carry the same 45-degree T700 carbon face and the same PowerFlex core, and both are approved by USA Pickleball and the UPA-A. All C45 shapes share the family listing pattern, so check the shape name and the handle length before you buy, and select the Aurelius 12.7mm ALW for this review’s paddle.