Friday Pickleball Paddle Reviews: Is It Worth It?

Posted by:

bepickleballer

On:

April 20, 2024

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When I search for the Friday Pickleball Paddle review, I get dismayed when I see that 3 of the top 4 results are from the company’s website and that you’re trying to read an unbiased review.

I have no affiliation with Friday Pickleball. Also, I thought I would be a good person to write this review as I probably should be in the PA program (paddles anonymous) from purchasing 25-50 pickleball paddles (see my pickleball paddle receipts if you must). In addition, I have a background in marketing, so I love uncovering odd marketing or even potentially sketchy pickleball paddle marketing practices.

Picture of the search results for Friday Pickle

In this article, I will cover what I liked and didn’t like, and Friday pickleball paddle alternatives.

So, let’s get started.

What I Liked

Here’s what I liked about my Friday pickleball paddle.

Design

I loved the design of the paddle, and I loved many of the design options for the pickleball paddle. Of my 25-50 paddles, I may like the design of the Friday pickleball paddle more than any other paddle.

So, I’m not saying this lightly.

I mean, even the back of the Friday pickleball paddle looks great.

Picture of the back of the Friday pickleball paddle.

I also really like he white on the sides of the paddle.

Kudos to the designers of this paddle.

Paddle Carbon Fiber and Weight

While the best material for a pickleball paddle is debatable, I like carbon fiber much more than fiberglass, graphite, and wood faces.

The price is around $69.99 to $79.99 at this time unless you take advantage of the mystery offer, which may be a 2-pack.

I would say that the 2-pack price may make this carbon fiber paddle a better value for a carbon fiber paddle. I still prefer my favorite beginner carbon fiber paddles based on the price range.

When I weighed this paddle, the paddle weighed 8.1 ounces, which is a weight that I like. I apologize for the image quality below; I used my wife’s bread scale.

Picture of a scale showing the weight of the Friday pickleball paddle.

What I Didn’t Like

Here’s what I didn’t like about my Friday pickleball paddle experience.

Playability

The Friday Pickleball home page’s tagline is that you don’t need to spend $200 to get a great paddle (source: Fridaypickle.com), but this paddle did not play nearly the same as my Joola Ben Johns Hyperion, my SixZero Double Black Diamond Control.

For example, while the paddle’s face material is carbon fiber, I did not see nearly the same grip as Ben John’s Hyperion paddle.

I also didn’t feel I had nearly the same control as the $200 paddles. That said, I liked how the Friday pickleball paddle played similar to fiberglass paddles such as the Head Radical Elite pickleball paddle which is in the same price range.

Website Experience

I know this doesn’t relate to the paddle, but I really didn’t like the website experience.

I hate when websites push a pop-up in your face as one of your first interactions with your website, begging you for an email address to start sending emails.

I expect this to mean endless spam for the rest of my life. So, I gave my “email address” for spam and got 3 emails rather quickly. Also, I’d question how often the mystery discount is anything other than what I received.

Email showing how many emails I received in 3 days from Friday Pickle.

That said, I am not sure I have received any other emails recently, so if that’s the case, it’s a definite win.

Friday Pickleball Paddle Alternatives

Here are some alternative carbon fiber paddles that I love. One paddle is more expensive and the other is less costly.

Vatic Pro Prism

This has been my go-to paddle recently. I have started winning more games against friends that I previously never beat.

I like the feel and play compared to my Joola Ben Johns Hyperion and SixZero Double Black Diamond. The paddle has a great carbon fiber face, providing power, and control in my play.

This paddle is under $100, but, you can use the code: BePickleBaller for an additional $10 off the final price. I also appreciate that the paddle comes with a nice cover.

If you consider the Vatic Pro Prism paddle, you decide between a 14mm vs 16mm paddle. That defines the thickness of the paddle, and if you are an intermediate or advanced player, you may opt for 14mm while a beginner may opt for a 16mm thickness.

Check Price on Vatic Pro

Vatic Pro Prism pickleball paddle with the cover.

Let’s cover the less expensive option.

Anything Sports Carbon Fiber

I won my first game against a much better opponent with Amazon’s Anything Sports carbon fiber paddle. The paddle is under $30 on Amazon. That’s so affordable for a carbon fiber paddle.

The grip is not as long as my other paddles, which is a negative for larger hands, but I like this paddle. This paddle plays better than some of my fiberglass paddles in the $60-$90 range, but I will note that it may be unavailable.

On Amazon, this paddle has a 4.4 rating. Two of the negative reviews mention the grip, which I agree with. I don’t purchase a paddle just because of the grip size. Everything else on this paddle checks out.

Check Price on Amazon

Picture of man holding the Anything Sports pickleball paddle.

Summing It All Up

The Friday pickleball paddle has an amazing aesthetic design, and I love that the paddle is carbon fiber.

I didn’t love how the paddle played for me, but I will try again as I want to love this paddle. Also, I hope the developers consider updating the website experience as a pop-up in my face demanding my email address isn’t my favorite experience.