How to Find Out What Paddle a Pickleball Pro Uses, and Whether It Suits You

Start with the maker’s sponsor page

Makers name the pros they sponsor on product and team pages. JOOLA’s Perseus Pro V page lists “Signature Pros: Ben Johns, Simone Jardim” and, in JOOLA’s own words, calls it “Ben Johns’ paddle of choice”; CRBN’s pro-team page lists Andrei Daescu (both read October 22, 2026). Read these as sponsor statements: they tell you who is signed, in the sponsor’s wording. For how the makers compare as brands, see our guide to what pickleball paddle brand is good.

Check the tour’s player page

The PPA Tour’s Ben Johns page states “Ben Johns plays the JOOLA Perseus Pro V 16mm.” (read October 22, 2026; the page shows no date for the entry, and it carries a “Buy This Paddle” link to a retailer). Treat it as one source, not the last word: in a March 2025 r/Pickleball thread, one commenter wrote that “The PPA Tour site lists what paddle players use in their profile but it can be woefully inaccurate/outdated.”

Cross-check a dated list from a named writer, and read its date first

pickleball.com’s list by Hannah Johns was published September 17, 2026 and shows no later update; it warns that “With sponsorships and paddle technology changing quickly, the equipment used on the PPA Tour can change throughout the season.” Regan Family Pickleball’s roster is marked “Last updated: August 2026.” pickleball.com’s paddle links go to a retailer with a reader discount, so use such lists for who plays what, not as reviews.

Look for a switch, a new signing or an unreleased paddle

pickleball.com reports that Anna Leigh Waters “has been competing with a black unreleased Franklin paddle” and that JW Johnson “has been playing with an unreleased PIKKL paddle”, and notes that “PIKKL was recently bought by Paddletek, but remains its own standalone brand.” Not every pro is signed, either: of Catherine Parenteau, who plays a Luzz Glider, pickleball.com (September 17, 2026) says “She is technically the only unsigned Top 10 player right now.” Regan Family Pickleball’s August 2026 roster still lists her with Selkirk (Vanguard Power Air Invikta), a reason the date matters.

Match the exact model, thickness and edition

A pro’s edition can differ from the retail paddle with the same name. JOOLA’s page says Johns’s Perseus edition comes “in 16mm (8.1oz) or 14mm (7.9oz), both with his preferred 4.250in grip circumference”, while on the Scorpeus Pro V page Anna Bright’s 14mm comes “for a bit less weight (8.0oz) with the same slimmer grip (4.125in)”. pickleball.com says Hayden Patriquin “plays with his own edition of the C45 Dynasty 16mm”, and the USA Pickleball database carried that edition as a separate entry from the plain C45 Dynasty 16mm when our pro paddle roundup checked it on October 21, 2026, and a re-check on October 22, 2026 found the same. If you plan to use the paddle in USA Pickleball-sanctioned play, check the database for your exact model and thickness: USA Pickleball’s Equipment Standards Manual (January 2025 edition) says approved products “must be listed on the USAP public Database in order to be legal for use in sanctioned events (no pro prototypes or unreleased special editions).”

Write down the source and the date

Note which page said what, and when you read it. Regan Family Pickleball says “Sponsorships change constantly”, so the answer you found has a shelf life; recheck before you buy.

Compare the shape first

Pickleball Effect’s paddle guide (June 30, 2026), from a paddle review site, says “Elongated paddles have historically been the most popular shape because they’re what most pros use, although that’s starting to change.” It adds: “They’re also the most demanding.” It gives typical sizes of 16.5 x 7.5 in for elongated, 16.25 x 7.75 in for hybrid and 16 x 8 in for widebody, and for players not yet settled on a shape it says “I’d recommend starting with a hybrid or widebody.” If you already play one shape well, the same guide says “Unless you have a specific reason to switch, like you want a bigger sweet spot, a lighter feel, or quicker hands, there’s no reason to change.”

Check the size and handle against yours

USA Pickleball’s Equipment Standards Manual (January 2025) sets the limits: “The combined length and width, including any edge guard and butt cap, shall not exceed 24 inches (60.96 cm). The paddle length cannot exceed 17 inches (43.18 cm).” So for a paddle at that limit, every extra inch of length is an inch less width (worked from the two limits). For handles, Pickleball Effect says a 5.5-inch handle “has become the gold standard” and recommends “sticking with a handle that’s 5.4 inches or longer” for most players. Then compare grip circumference: as step 5 above shows, two pros’ editions of JOOLA paddles differ by an eighth of an inch.

Compare the weight, and expect pros to add some

Helios, a paddle maker, writes on its own blog (January 2026) that “Professional paddles typically weigh between 8.0 and 8.6 ounces.” and that “Many top players add lead or tungsten tape to customize weight distribution rather than relying on stock configurations.” Regan Family Pickleball says the same of pros: “They often customize weight with lead tape, but the base paddle is the same one available to the public.” Pickleball Effect adds that static weight “is usually the least important because two paddles that weigh exactly the same can swing and feel completely different”, so compare swing weight where a reviewer publishes it. USA Pickleball sets no limit (“There is no restriction on paddle weight.”), and its manual lists weighted tape among allowed alterations with a placement rule: “Decals and tape can extend no farther than 1.0 inch (2.54 cm) above the top of the grip nor more than 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) inside the outer edge of a paddle or, if an edge guard is in place, 0.5 inch inside the edge guard.”

Look at the core thickness, and know the sources split

USA Pickleball says “There is no restriction on paddle thickness.” Helios says “Most professionals choose paddles with 16mm cores for enhanced touch and control during soft game exchanges.” pickleball.com’s September 2026 table of the top 10 women lists 14mm paddles for Bright, Tyra Black and Kate Fahey, 16mm for Parenteau, Rachel Rohrabacher and Kaitlyn Christian, and 13.25mm for Parris Todd; it also lists a 14mm paddle for Waters and a 16mm for Jorja Johnson, noting that each one’s latest paddle is unreleased. On what thickness changes, the two agree in direction: pickleball.com says “Generally speaking, the thinner the paddle, the more power that can be generated,” and Helios says “Thinner 13-14mm cores deliver more power but sacrifice forgiveness on off-center hits.” Our guide to 14 mm and 16 mm paddles covers the choice in more depth.

Read the core construction last

Pickleball Effect describes Gen 3 paddles as adding “foam around the perimeter of a honeycomb polymer core” and Gen 4 as “incorporating foam throughout the paddle’s core”, and suggests “using it as a filtering tool rather than your starting point.” Read the core description on the pro paddle’s maker page against those two descriptions before you compare it with your own paddle’s core.

Decide, or step to a nearby model

If the pro’s paddle matches your shape, handle, grip and weight, it is a fair candidate. If it does not, the same maker often sells the same series in another shape or thickness, as JOOLA does with the Perseus, Kosmos and Scorpeus. If you are newer to the game, our guide on what to look for in a beginner paddle starts from your needs instead of a pro’s, and our guide to intermediate pickleball paddles covers the step after that.