Best 13mm Pickleball Paddles: 8 Picks Compared

Our verdict

Our Top Picks

A 13 mm core is on the thin side of the range testers describe: Pickleball Studio counts 13 mm as one of the two standard thicknesses, while Pickleball Effect names 14 and 16 mm as the most common, and a few makers go down to 11 or 12 mm. This guide covers eight paddles stocked on Amazon, from five brands, and each one passed a single test first: the maker’s own product text gives a 13 mm core for the exact model we link. Every review names the maker’s figures, the seller we saw on Amazon and what the USA Pickleball list showed on 2026-10-26.

Related guide: Best Pickleball Training Paddles: 8 Picks Compared

Related guide: Best Pickleball Paddles for a Two-Handed Backhand: 8 Picks Compared

For the neighbouring thicknesses, see our best 12mm pickleball paddles and best 14mm pickleball paddles; for picks across every thickness, our best pickleball paddles; and for lower-priced options, our best budget pickleball paddles.

Related guide: Best Sweet Spot Pickleball Paddles: 8 Picks Compared

Compare the picks

Compare the 8 13mm paddles

Every row is the exact variant we link, with the maker’s figures. “Core” is the maker’s stated core thickness; “USA Pickleball” is what the approved-paddle list showed when we searched it on 2026-10-26, with the date the list gives for the entry.

HEAD’s own site refused our page reader (HTTP 429), so the HEAD row comes from HEAD’s text on its Amazon listing; the review says where other sources differ.

What a 13 mm core changes

The sources we read agree on the general direction and disagree on the details. Read them as tendencies, not rules.

• Against 16 mm: more pop, a firmer feel, less forgiveness, on average. Pickleball Studio’s core-thickness guide: “When you purchase a 13mm or below paddle, it’s because you want more power.” It adds that thin paddles “feel stiffer when the ball hits the paddle”, and: “Usually, thinner paddles come at the expense of being a little less forgiving than their thicker counterparts.” Pickleball Effect’s buyer’s guide says the same in other words: “Generally, a thicker core increases softness, sweet spot size, and control. Conversely, a thinner core results in a firmer feel, more pop, and a smaller sweet spot.” Wilson, a maker, puts it in its paddle guide as “13mm paddles: Thinner core, more power and responsiveness” against “16mm paddles: Thicker core, more control, stability, and softer feel”.
• Testers who played both thicknesses of one paddle. Pickleball Effect, on the first-generation SLK Halo XL: “The 13mm had a stiffer feel in comparison to the 16mm though it felt more plush compared to 13mm paddles I’ve played with from many other brands. It had more pop than the 16mm but it wasn’t enough to put it in the power category.” Pickleball Central, a shop that sells the paddle, wrote in its Obsidian lab review (Aug 21, 2023) that “the 13mm model requires more accuracy in hitting the center of the paddle.”
• Against 14 mm: the sources disagree on which is “standard”. Pickleball Studio: “13mm and 16mm are the standard thicknesses that you’ll find for most paddles. However, more recently, we’ve seen 14mm and 15mm paddles to try and bridge the gap between a thin and thick core paddle.” Pickleball Effect’s guide: “You’ll see paddle thicknesses range from 10mm to 20mm thick. The most common being 16mm and 14mm.” Our 14 mm guide covers that middle step, and our 14 mm vs 16 mm guide the step above it.
• Against 11 mm: not simply “less power”. Tennisnerd’s write-up of HEAD’s Boom pair (a launch article, not a test) describes the 13 mm Team EX as “Similar as the Tour but with a more “common” 13 mm polypropylene core which gives it a bit more power and overall a bit more comfort”, and says of the 11 mm Tour EX that “not everyone is used to the thin core of 11mm of the Tour though so that is something to get used to.” That runs against the thinner-means-more-power rule of thumb, and the two HEAD paddles also differ in face, so thickness is not the only change.
• Weight. In the three lines where a maker lists both thicknesses side by side, the 13 mm is listed lighter: Gamma’s Airbender page gives 7.9 oz for the 10 and 13 mm and 8.3 oz for the 16 mm; Franklin’s Signature Series page gives 7.5 – 8 oz for the 13 mm and 7.9 – 8.3 oz for the 16 mm (with a 4.25 in grip on the 13 against 4.5 in on the 16); and Franklin’s CM Signature page gives 7.6 – 8.1 oz for the 13 mm and 7.9 – 8.3 oz for the 16 mm. Other lines may differ; for how weight figures are stated, see our guide to pickleball paddle weight.
• Construction can outweigh thickness. Pickleball Studio closes its guide with “these are just guidelines and not hard rules”, noting thin paddles that play like control paddles and thick ones with more power than average.

How the 13 mm picks were chosen

The tests each paddle passed

• A maker-stated 13 mm core for the exact model linked. We read the core value, not the label: the maker’s description, feature text or spec tab had to give 13 mm for the core (or “13mm / 1/2 in”, as Gamma writes it), matched as a whole figure. A “13” in a listing title was not enough, and neither was a figure the maker gives only as overall “thickness” without calling it the core; that left out the Babolat Striker Pro and Wilson’s Fierce 13 paddles. Engage’s Pursuit Pro listings on Amazon say “13mm”, but Engage’s own pages give 12.7 mm (they are in our 12 mm guide). Onix’s Evoke Premier appears in a retailer’s 13 mm list, but Onix lists it as “Paddle Thickness: 14mm”. We also dropped the HEAD Boom Xceed 2026: HEAD’s text on its Amazon listing gives both “13 mm” and “7/16 in” (about 11 mm) for the thickness, HEAD has no page we could read to settle it, and the USA Pickleball list has no entry for it.
• Stocked on Amazon in that exact variant. Each pick was a New offer in stock with a buy box on 2026-10-26, at or below the maker’s regular price where the maker publishes one. Selkirk’s 13 mm SLK Nexus and LABS Project 008 Tour 13mm had no in-stock offer with a buy box that day, and we found no Amazon listing for Onix’s 13 mm Praxis or Mizuno’s Acrospeed paddles.
• Specs from the maker. Weight, core, face, length, width, handle length and grip circumference come from the maker’s page. Where the Amazon listing or a tester disagrees, the review gives both.
• A checked approval status. We searched the USA Pickleball list by brand and model, with and without hyphens and spaces, on 2026-10-26, and quote what it showed.
• Distinct roles. Eight paddles from five brands. Franklin has three (a raw carbon paddle, a 16.5 x 7.5 in fiberglass paddle and an 8 in wide fiberglass paddle), Gamma two (a thermoformed paddle with a foam handle and an open-throat paddle) and HEAD one (its 2024 Boom Team EX).

Sources and sellers, what owners say about 13 mm cores and overlap with our other paddle guides

Sources and sellers

Pickleheads and Pickleball Effect rate paddles after on-court play; Pickleball Effect also runs its own spin test. Pickleball Central sells the paddles it reviews, so we label it a retailer, not an independent tester. Only three picks have an independent review we could read (the Sapphire, the Halo XL and the Obsidian), and none of those three is a test of the exact current paddle we link: each review says which version was played. Four picks rest on maker figures alone, and the Franklin Signature Series Pro on comments from players. On 2026-10-26, five of the eight were sold by Amazon.com or the brand; the reviews name the three other sellers and the date we saw them.

What owners say about 13 mm cores

An r/Pickleball thread, 13mm vs. 16mm Core? (Aug 2023), split the way the testers do:

• One reply separates power from pop: “16mm doesn’t come at the expense of power, it comes at the expense of pop.” The same commenter: “The thinner the core, the greater the pop, but the higher the overall weight, the more power.”
• Another points to construction: “Thermformed paddles are already poppy and effortlessly powerful.” The same reply adds: “The control aspect takes some getting used to with thermos, so 13 or 14mm will just be making it even harder.”
• And a plain preference: “I just like the feel of 13mm so I stick with it.”

These are a handful of players’ views from one thread, not a survey. Three of our picks are thermoformed by their makers’ account (the Sapphire, the Halo Power and the Obsidian 13).

Overlap with our other paddle guides

We checked every Amazon link on our live, scheduled and private posts before choosing. One pick repeats a model already picked elsewhere: the Six Zero Sapphire 13mm, whose blue colour sibling is in our balanced paddle guide. Two more share a listing with a different thickness picked elsewhere: the GAMMA Obsidian 16 is in our long-handle paddle guide, and the Airbender 16 in a scheduled guide. Gamma sells the 13 and 16 mm versions as separate models.

Detailed Reviews

Six Zero Sapphire 13mm, Thermoformed Carbon 13mm

Evidence: Independently reviewed, same series. Pickleheads: Sapphire 13 mm (Nov 2023).

Six Zero’s Sapphire page sells the paddle only in 13 mm and lists a T300 carbon face, a “13mm thick power polymer core” (0.51 in in its spec table), 16.5 x 7.5 in, a 5.6 in grip length with a 4.125 in circumference and a 7.9 oz average weight (“+/- 10gm”). It describes a “Hot Mold (Thermoformed) Production Process” and foam-injected edges it calls Carbon Fusion Edge Technology.

Pickleheads reviewed the 13 mm Sapphire (published Nov 30, 2023): “Its 13 mm thickness also means plenty of pop. There were times when I’d pop up a routine short drop or send a serve or drive flying. So you can expect an adjustment period.” The same reviewer found more control than expected: “One thing that surprised me is how good the control is.” Pickleheads’ spec box lists a “700K Toray carbon” face and a 4 ¼ in grip, where Six Zero’s page now lists T300 carbon and 4.125 in, and USA Pickleball added a “Sapphire RC13MM” entry in May 2024, after that review. The paddle Pickleheads played may differ in its face from the one sold now, so we grade that review as same series, not as a test of this exact paddle.

The Amazon listing’s variation is Neon and its size field 16.5″ x 7.5″, matching Six Zero; its bullets call the face “300K carbon”. It was sold by Six Zero US on 2026-10-26.

Specs (Six Zero Sapphire, 13mm Neon)

• Core: 13 mm (0.51 in) polymer honeycomb (Six Zero)
• Weight: 7.9 oz average, +/- 10 g (Six Zero); 7.9-8 oz (Pickleheads)
• Face: T300 carbon, textured (Six Zero); “300K carbon” (Amazon listing); “700K Toray carbon” (Pickleheads)
• Size: 16.5 x 7.5 in, elongated (Six Zero)
• Handle: 5.6 in; 4.125 in circumference (Six Zero); 4 ¼ in (Pickleheads)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “Sapphire RC13MM”, added 2024-05-14, and “Sapphire”, added 2022-12-15 (read 2026-10-26)

SLK Halo Power XL 13mm, Long-Handle Raw Carbon

Evidence: Independently reviewed, previous generation. Pickleball Effect: Halo XL 13 mm Power, first generation (2022).

Selkirk’s HALO Power page gives the XL as 16.4 x 7.4 in with a 5.75 in handle, a 4.25 in grip circumference, a 7.7 – 8.0 oz weight range, a T700 CarbonFusion carbon fiber face and a Rev-Power polymer honeycomb core with a “Core Thickness: 13mm”. It lists the face, the thermoformed UniBody design and a foam-injected perimeter as new. The same page’s spec block for the Max shape gives a 16 mm Rev-Control core and an UltraWeave face, figures that do not match its 13 mm description, so we link the XL only.

Pickleball Effect (Braydon Unsicker, Dec 8, 2022) played “the Halo XL 16mm Control and 13mm Power”: the first Halo generation, before Selkirk’s thermoformed version. On the 13 mm: “The 13mm offered more when it came to attacking, particularly with counters and hand battles though it felt a little more head heavy to me while the 16mm seemed better balanced though they were nearly the exact same weight.” It found the 13 mm “a little poppier and took more time to adjust” than the 16, and of the handles wrote: “Their 5.75” handle lengths were a bit excessive, I wish they were somewhere between 5.25-5.5”.” That review’s spec table gives the 13 mm XL a 4 in handle circumference; Selkirk now lists 4.25 in.

The Amazon variation is “Power | Gray | 2025” in the “XL (Elongated Shape)”, sold by Selkirk Sport on 2026-10-26. For more long-handle paddles, see our long-handle paddle guide.

Specs (SLK Halo Power, XL 13mm Storm Gray)

• Core: 13 mm Rev-Power polymer honeycomb (Selkirk)
• Weight: 7.7 – 8.0 oz (Selkirk)
• Face: T700 CarbonFusion carbon fiber, thermoformed (Selkirk)
• Size: 16.4 x 7.4 in, XL (Selkirk)
• Handle: 5.75 in; 4.25 in circumference (Selkirk)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “Halo Power XL”, added 2024-04-25, and “Halo Power 13mm XL”, added 2022-08-03 (read 2026-10-26)

Franklin Signature Carbon 13mm, Foam-Edge T700 Carbon

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Franklin Sports.

Franklin’s Signature Carbon page lists a “Premium T700 raw carbon fiber” surface with a foam-infused edge guard and says: “The 13mm thick polymer core and high-density foam injected perimeter offer an enlarged and enhanced sweet spot”. Its spec line reads 16.5 x 7.5 in, 5.6 in handle, 4.25 in handle circumference, 7.5 – 8 oz and “CORE: 13mm Polypropylene”. Franklin gives that one spec line for the series and does not list separate figures for its Traditional shape, so we link the Elongated.

We found no independent test of the Signature Carbon. The Amazon listing’s variation is “Elongated | White”, Size 13mm, and its bullets repeat Franklin’s spec line. It was sold by Amazon.com on 2026-10-26. USA Pickleball lists the elongated 13 mm as “Signature Carbon E 13mm”.

Specs (Franklin Signature Carbon, 13mm Elongated White)

• Core: 13 mm polypropylene (Franklin; “polymer core” in its text)
• Weight: 7.5 – 8 oz (Franklin)
• Face: T700 raw carbon fiber (Franklin)
• Size: 16.5 x 7.5 in (Franklin)
• Handle: 5.6 in; 4.25 in circumference (Franklin)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “Signature Carbon E 13mm”, added 2025-10-28 (read 2026-10-26)

GAMMA Obsidian 13, Foam-Handle Thermoformed

Evidence: Independently reviewed, same series. Pickleheads: Obsidian 16 mm.

Gamma’s Obsidian 13 page lists “Core Thickness: 13mm / 1/2″”, a Toray T700 raw carbon fiber face, an average weight of about 8.0 oz, 16 3/8 x 7 1/2 in, a 5 3/4 in grip length and a 4 1/8 in grip size. It calls the paddle thermoformed, with a molded-foam handle, foam-filled edges and a variable end-cap weighting system, and sums up the thickness as “13MM CORE FOR FASTER RESPONSE AND ADDED POP”.

We found no independent test of the 13 mm. Pickleheads tested the 16 mm and was lukewarm: “GAMMA admit their 16 mm core paddle (the one I tested) is better for control than power. So, the 13 mm model may be worth another test.” Pickleball Central, which sells Gamma paddles, compared both in 2023 and found the 13 mm needs more accuracy on the center, as quoted above.

The Amazon listing (model ROB1310, the same number as Gamma’s page) gives the width as 7.375 in where Gamma says 7 1/2 in. The buy box changed hands on 2026-10-26: our page read showed Tennis Express, and Amazon’s product data the same day showed Great Call Athletics, both racquet-sports retailers, at Gamma’s list price.

Specs (GAMMA Obsidian 13, 13mm)

• Core: 13 mm (1/2 in) polymer honeycomb (Gamma)
• Weight: about 8.0 oz average (Gamma)
• Face: Toray T700 raw carbon fiber, thermoformed (Gamma)
• Size: 16 3/8 x 7 1/2 in (Gamma); 16.375 x 7.375 in (Amazon listing)
• Handle: 5 3/4 in; 4 1/8 in grip size (Gamma)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “RCF Obsidian 13”, added 2024-01-23, and “Obsidian 13”, added 2023-04-10 (read 2026-10-26)

GAMMA Airbender 13, Open-Throat Raw Carbon

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: GAMMA.

Gamma’s Airbender 13 page lists “Core Thickness: 13mm / 1/2″”, a Toray T700 raw carbon fiber face, an average weight of about 7.9 oz, 16 1/2 x 7 3/8 in, a 5 3/8 in grip length and a 4 1/8 in grip size. Gamma describes “LIGHTWEIGHT OPEN THROAT DESIGN FOR FASTER HANDS AT THE NET” and an end-cap weighting system, and its listing adds a gel insert in the throat that Gamma calls the Zorbicon Shockbuster. Gamma’s line-up card on the same page lists the Airbender 10 and 13 at 7.9 oz and the 16 at 8.3 oz.

We found no written independent test of the Airbender 13. The Amazon variation is “13 MM – Paddle Only” (model RAB1310, matching Gamma), sold by RacquetGalaxy, a racquet-sports retailer, on 2026-10-26, with three left.

Specs (GAMMA Airbender 13, 13mm Paddle Only)

• Core: 13 mm (1/2 in) polymer honeycomb (Gamma)
• Weight: about 7.9 oz average (Gamma)
• Face: Toray T700 raw carbon fiber (Gamma)
• Size: 16 1/2 x 7 3/8 in, open throat (Gamma)
• Handle: 5 3/8 in; 4 1/8 in grip size (Gamma)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “RCF Airbender 13”, added 2024-04-10 (read 2026-10-26)

Franklin Signature Series Pro 13mm, Fiberglass MaxGrit 13mm

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Pickleball: Signature Pro with MaxGrit, thickness not stated.

Franklin’s Signature Series Fiberglass page gives the 13 mm version as 16.5 x 7.5 in, a 5.6 in handle, a 4.25 in handle circumference, 7.5 – 8 oz and “CORE: 13mm Polypropylene”, with “SWING WEIGHT: 116 kg/cm2 & TWIST WEIGHT: 6.95 kg/cm2”. It describes “the fiberglass surface layer” and a MaxGrit surface “designed for improved traction on the ball to increase spin”. The 16 mm version on the same page is 7.9 – 8.3 oz with a 4.5 in circumference.

We found no independent test, and players disagree. In an r/Pickleball thread, Feel My Paddle, the poster says the paddle’s owner “hit a few strokes with it, and was ready to go back to her original paddle”, then hit with “a Franklin Signature Pro with Max Grit” and wrote: “Her Franklin felt very forgiving and controllable”. In another, Why are the Franklin Signatures going for so cheap?, one reply says: “The spray on grit wears out super fast, and they’re old tech, like everyone said.” Neither names the thickness.

The Amazon variation is Size 13mm, “Pro Player – Black”, with Franklin’s spec line in its bullets; it was sold by Amazon.com on 2026-10-26.

Specs (Franklin Signature Series Pro, 13mm Pro Player Black)

• Core: 13 mm polypropylene (Franklin)
• Weight: 7.5 – 8 oz (Franklin)
• Face: fiberglass with MaxGrit texture (Franklin)
• Size: 16.5 x 7.5 in (Franklin)
• Handle: 5.6 in; 4.25 in circumference (Franklin)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “Franklin Signature Series 13MM”, added 2022-03-02 (read 2026-10-26)

HEAD Boom Team EX 2024, EX Extended Fiberglass

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: HEAD (Amazon listing; head.com refused our reader).

HEAD’s site refused our page reader, so these figures come from HEAD’s own text on its Amazon listing: “The HEAD Boom TEAM EX features a 13mm polypropylene honeycomb core, fiberglass hitting surface, and increased swingweight”, a weight of “7.9 oz (225 g)”, a “4 1/8-inch Comfort Grip” and a “5.5-inch elongated handle”. HEAD’s listing calls it “IDEAL FOR RECREATIONAL TO INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS”. Its size field gives a 16 in length and HEAD’s description says “Its 16-inch frame”; HEAD’s text gives no width.

Tennisnerd, in its launch article (Oct 7, 2024), lists “Core: 13mm. Polypropylene Honeycomb” but a “Carbon hitting surface w/ SpinOn Technology” and 7.5 x 16.5 in. HEAD’s listing says fiberglass. We found no independent test.

It was sold by Great Call Athletics, a racquet-sports retailer, on 2026-10-26, with seven left.

Specs (HEAD Boom Team EX 2024, 13mm Mint)

• Core: 13 mm polypropylene honeycomb (HEAD, Amazon listing)
• Weight: 7.9 oz (225 g) (HEAD, Amazon listing)
• Face: fiberglass with SpinOn texture (HEAD, Amazon listing); “Carbon hitting surface” (Tennisnerd)
• Size: 16 in length (Amazon listing size field); 7.5 x 16.5 in (Tennisnerd); width not published by HEAD
• Handle: 5.5 in; 4 1/8 in grip (HEAD, Amazon listing)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “Boom TEAM EX”, added 2024-02-06 (read 2026-10-26)

Franklin CM Signature 13mm, 8-Inch-Wide Fiberglass

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Franklin Sports.

Franklin’s CM Signature page gives the 13 mm version as “PADDLE: 15.9″ X 8″ ; HANDLE LENGTH: 5″ ; HANDLE CIRCUMFERENCE 4.25″; WEIGHT: 7.6 – 8.1 OZ. ; CORE: 13MM Polypropylene”, with a fiberglass surface layer and MaxGrit texture. Its intro paragraph names the 16 mm version, but the page carries separate 13 mm and 16 mm spec lines. The Amazon listing says the paddle was “Designed by Pickleball pro Christine McGrath”.

We found no independent test. The Amazon variation is Size 13mm, Purple, and its bullets give the same 13 mm spec line. It was sold by Amazon.com on 2026-10-26.

Specs (Franklin CM Signature, 13mm Purple)

• Core: 13 mm polypropylene (Franklin)
• Weight: 7.6 – 8.1 oz (Franklin)
• Face: fiberglass with MaxGrit texture (Franklin)
• Size: 15.9 x 8 in (Franklin)
• Handle: 5 in; 4.25 in circumference (Franklin)
• Approval: USA Pickleball list, “Christine McGrath Signature”, added 2019-08-15 (read 2026-10-26)

Choosing a 13 mm paddle

Read the value, not the label

The same thickness is written as 13 mm, 0.51 in or 1/2 in (which is 12.7 mm; Gamma writes “13mm / 1/2″”). Our research turned up four ways a “13” can mislead: Amazon titles that say “13mm” for paddles their maker lists at 12.7 mm (Engage), a retailer’s 13 mm list that includes a paddle its maker calls 14 mm (Onix’s Evoke Premier), a maker page whose spec block for one shape gives 16 mm (Selkirk’s Halo Power Max), and a listing that pairs 13 mm with 7/16 in (HEAD’s Boom Xceed 2026, which we left out). Go by the core value on the maker’s page for the exact model.

Thickness, weight and handle

In the three lines where a maker lists 13 and 16 mm side by side (Gamma’s Airbender, Franklin’s Signature Series and CM Signature), the 13 mm is listed lighter. Handles here run from Franklin’s 5 in on the CM Signature to Selkirk’s 5.75 in on the Halo Power XL. Several makers state weight as an average and others as a range, so compare them as each maker’s own figure.

Who a thin core suits

Pickleball Studio’s guide: “if you are a new player up to about 3.5, I would usually tell you to opt for a thicker paddle.” Our guide on what to look for in a beginner paddle covers that choice. If you still want a 13 mm, HEAD aims its Boom Team EX at recreational to intermediate players.

Check approval for your events

All eight have a USA Pickleball entry, dated in the table. Search the list for your exact model and thickness before a sanctioned event.

Frequently Asked Questions

No single thickness suits everyone. Pickleball Studio links 13 mm and thinner cores to power and 16 mm and thicker to control, and calls this “just guidelines and not hard rules”. Pickleball Effect’s guide puts it as a thinner core giving “a firmer feel, more pop, and a smaller sweet spot”. For the thicker side, see our 14 mm vs 16 mm guide.

Pickleball Studio usually tells new players up to about 3.5 to “opt for a thicker paddle”, and Pickleball Effect found the first-generation Halo XL 13 mm “took more time to adjust” than its 16 mm. If you want a 13 mm anyway, HEAD markets its Boom Team EX for recreational to intermediate players; our best beginner pickleball paddles guide covers other options.

We found no count of what most pros use. Pickleball Studio notes that “more often than not, you will see premium paddles offered in a 13mm and 16mm variant”, naming the Franklin Signature among its examples. One pick here, Franklin’s CM Signature, carries a pro’s name: Franklin says it was designed by Christine McGrath.

Not exactly: 1/2 in is 12.7 mm and 13 mm is 0.51 in. Gamma lists its 13 mm paddles as “13mm / 1/2″”, while Engage lists its thin cores as 12.7 mm; those are in our 12 mm guide. The number on the maker’s page for the exact model is the one to go by.

Approval is listed per model, often per thickness. All eight of our picks have an entry on the USA Pickleball list. Check the list for your exact model before a sanctioned event.

Ratings depend on the source, and this guide covers 13 mm paddles only. Our best pickleball paddles guide compares picks across every thickness and style.

The bottom line

Final Verdict

For a thermoformed elongated 13 mm, the Six Zero Sapphire 13mm (check price) is the pick Pickleheads reviewed in that thickness, finding “plenty of pop” and better control than it expected. For reach, the SLK Halo Power XL (check price) puts a 13 mm core under a 5.75 in handle, and Pickleball Effect liked the first-generation 13 mm XL in counters and hand battles. The Franklin Signature Carbon 13mm (check price) pairs a T700 raw carbon face with a foam-injected perimeter, per Franklin. Gamma’s GAMMA Obsidian 13 (check price) and GAMMA Airbender 13 (check price) add end-cap weights; the Franklin Signature Series Pro 13mm (check price), HEAD Boom Team EX 2024 (check price) and Franklin CM Signature 13mm (check price) are the fiberglass options.

Whichever you choose, read the core figure on the maker’s page for the exact model, and check the approved list before a sanctioned event.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.