When I started this pickleball blog 3 years ago, I purchased a bunch of budget pickleball paddles to try to find the best ones.
I wrote blog posts to share my learnings, but now that it’s been 2 years, I noticed just how wrong I was.
Some of the paddles I ranked in the top 10 budget pickleball paddles are not there today.
Here’s the list of paddles I would not purchase again.
1. Franklin Pilot Pickleball Paddle
This is a 10mm thickness racket, so it’s a bit thinner than what I would go with as a beginner. That said, the grip size is 5 inches, and this racket is made of polypropylene, which has the same feel as carbon fiber. which helps grip the ball, providing more control.
That said, you can get plenty of good carbon fiber paddles for under $50.
The Franklin paddle is also 8 ounces, which is the normal weight for most paddles.
Maybe the only thing I like about this paddle is the fun design. I appreciate how this paddle has an image of the sweet spot, making it potentially easier to understand where you need to hit the ball.
When I purchased this paddle, I believe it was around $50, but I believe it’s now around $35 in 2026. Franklin just signed ALW, so I’d imagine they will create fine, new paddles, but I wouldn’t purchase this one again.
2. Coastal Sports Paddle
The Coastal Sports paddle is an under $25 option that carries a 4.8 rating on Amazon, based on over 100 reviews.
But again, the paddle a graphite face (which I appreciate more than Fiberglass) and a honeycomb polypropylene core.
But, I just didn’t play well with this paddle. I feel that you don’t get much control and the lack of grip results in very little spin on the ball.
3. Anything Sports Carbon Fiber.
The Anything Sports Carbon Fiber paddle was my favorite budget pickleball paddle, but it was unavailable.
I loved the carbon fiber 20mm or 14mm as a beginner pickleball paddle. I have the 14mm, but I would do a 16mm if you are a beginner.
While the paddle height and width are not as large as my other paddles, I appreciate that you get to test out a carbon fiber face at a fraction of the price. The paddle plays well, and even the reviews mention that this paddle used to be in the $70 range, so around $30 is a huge improvement.
Two of the most negative reviews mention the grip, which I will give to them. After playing more with this paddle, I realize that the grip is actually an issue.
Overall, I would not have ranked this paddle in the top budget pickleball paddles list in 2026.
Conclusion
After 2 years of wring on BePickleballer, I still have a lot to learn. That said, I have learned a lot about the differences in quality of carbon fiber vs fiber glass vs graphite while understanding just how important core materials make the best budget paddles, the best.
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