The 16 mm version: what the specs say
Franklin publishes the lot. A 16 mm (.629 in) polypropylene honeycomb core, a MaxGrit coated fiberglass face, a weight range of 7.9–8.3 ounces with an 8.1 oz average, a 4 1/2 inch grip circumference marked Large, a 5.6 inch handle, 16.5 by 7.5 inches in an elongated shape, and USAP Approved. For a paddle at this price that is a complete sheet, and completeness is rarer than any individual number — most of the market at this money publishes a face material and leaves you to find out the rest when the box arrives.
Why the grip is the headline
Here is the mechanism, and it is worth understanding because it is the opposite of what people assume. A grip that is too smallforces you to squeeze harder to keep the paddle from twisting in your hand. Squeezing all game is what aggravates an arthritic hand, a sore wrist and eventually a tennis elbow — so an undersized grip is one of the few genuinely self-inflicted causes of pain in this sport. A larger grip lets you hold the paddle loosely, which is the relaxed hand every coach and every physiotherapist asks for.
Most paddles ship at 4 1/4 inches or less, and the standard advice is to build them up with overgrips — which works, but each wrap adds only about 1/16 of an inch, and stacking three of them changes the feel and the balance of the handle. Franklin skipping that whole exercise by printing 4 1/2 inches on the box is why this paddle anchors our paddles for arthritis list and why it keeps coming up in our grip size guide. If you have ever finished a session with an aching hand, this is the spec to shop on.
The flip side is honest and simple: 4 1/2 inches is genuinely large. If you have small hands you will find it a stretch, and a grip that is too big is its own problem — you lose wrist action and fine control. Our paddles for small hands list is the other end of that spectrum, built only from paddles publishing 4.25 inches or less.
The 16 mm core, and what it does for a sore arm
Core thickness is the second reason to pay attention. A 16 mm polypropylene honeycomb core is thick and soft: it flexes more on contact, absorbs more of the ball’s energy inside the paddle, and therefore sends less of it back up the handle into your wrist and elbow. It also gives a bigger, more consistent sweet spot and a quieter, more muted feel.
What you give up is pop. A thicker core returns less energy, so put-away power takes more work. For a player over 55 that is close to a free trade — the placement game beats the power game at recreational level anyway, and our senior strategy guide makes that case at length. If you want the full argument on thickness, our 13mm vs 16mm guide walks through what the two numbers actually do to the ball and to your arm.
One caveat we should not skip: the face is fiberglass, not carbon. Fiberglass is livelier and a little harsher than a raw carbon face, so the 16 mm core is doing the damping work largely on its own here. A premium carbon paddle with dedicated vibration engineering — the ProKennex line, for instance, which tops our low-vibrationpicks — will treat a bad elbow better. It will also cost three or four times as much.
The 13 mm version: lighter, poppier, and not for a sore arm
Franklin also publishes a 13 mm Signature Series Pro, and the differences matter more than the shared name suggests. Same MaxGrit fiberglass face, same 16.5 by 7.5 inch elongated shape, same 5.6 inch handle — but a 13 mm core, a published 7.5–8.0 oz (7.75 oz average, so a lighter paddle than the 16) and a 4 1/4 inch medium grip rather than the large.
That makes it the better buy for exactly one kind of player: someone with a healthy arm and average hands who wants more pop for the money. The thinner core is stiffer, returns more of the ball’s energy, and drives better — and the lighter published floor is easier on a shoulder over a long session. It is why the 13 mm earns “best for power on a budget” on our under-$50 list, where it fits and the 16 mm does not.
But if anything hurts, it is the wrong paddle. A 13 mm core transmits more vibration and punishes off-center hits harder, and the grip drops to 4 1/4 inches, so you lose both of the features that made the 16 mm version a joint-friendly recommendation. Two paddles, one name, opposite buyers — and the listing photos look nearly identical, which is the trap.
Who should buy which
- Buy the 16 mm if your hands hurt.Arthritis, a grip that feels too thin, a hand that cramps late in a session — the 4 1/2 inch circumference is the most direct fix available at any price, and the thick soft core backs it up.
- Buy the 16 mm if your elbow complains. Not as good as a dedicated carbon vibration-control paddle, but the softest core on a sub-$100 fiberglass paddle with a published spec sheet.
- Buy the 13 mm if nothing hurts and you miss the drive. Lighter published weight, more pop, a long handle for a two-handed backhand, and it sits in the cheapest tier.
- Buy neither if your wrist is the problem. Both are elongated at 16.5 inches, which moves mass away from your hand and raises the swing weight a weak wrist feels. Our wrist-pain picks are standard shapes for that reason.
Where it falls short
Three honest limits on the 16 mm. First, weight: at 7.9–8.3 oz it is one of the heavier paddles we recommend, and the published floor is higher than most. If your shoulder is the sore joint rather than your hand, look at our lightweight listinstead — grip size will not save you from an 8.3 oz paddle on a bad shoulder.
Second, the elongated shape. Sixteen and a half inches of length buys reach and costs stability in the hand; for a player with a weak wrist the trade goes the wrong way. Our paddle shapes guide explains why a standard shape is the safer default for an unreliable wrist.
Third, the fiberglass face. MaxGrit fiberglass is grippy and gives good spin for the money, but it is livelier than carbon and transmits a little more through the handle. This is a well-specified budget paddle, not a premium arm-protection tool, and we would rather you knew the difference.
A sourcing note in the same spirit: Franklin’s own website blocks automated requests, so the spec figures above come from Pickleball Central’s published spec table for each model — linked in the Sources section, and re-read in full the day this review went up.
How it compares
Against the Onix Graphite Z5 MOD, the other sub-$100 paddle we review, the Franklin is softer and far better gripped and the Onix is much more forgiving in shape — a 4-inch grip and a hard Nomex core versus a 4.5-inch grip and a soft 16 mm polymer core. For hands, buy the Franklin; for mis-hits, buy the Onix. Against the Selkirk SLK Atlas Max, the Selkirk is the better-built paddle with a 16 mm control core and a carbon face, and the Franklin still wins on grip circumference. Against the budget fiberglass starters on our under-$50 list, the 16 mm Franklin is a step up in every published spec that matters to an older arm.
See it ranked against the rest of the field in our best paddles under $100 roundup and our best paddles for seniors list.
The verdict
The Franklin Signature Series Pro 16mm is the paddle we recommend when somebody tells us their hands hurt. A published 4 1/2 inch large grip at this price is close to unheard of, the 16 mm polypropylene core is the soft, forgiving kind, Franklin prints every figure and it is USAP approved for organized play. The trades are real: it is on the heavy side at 7.9–8.3 oz, the elongated shape is wrong for a weak wrist, and a fiberglass face is livelier than carbon. The 13 mm sibling is a different paddle — lighter, poppier, medium grip — and the right buy only if nothing hurts. Match the thickness to your arm, not to the price.