Franklin has been the ball in Australian pickleball for years. The X-40 is what most clubs default to and what the US Open plays with. The paddles are newer here, and the C45 signature range is the serious one: three professionals, five paddles, one construction, $379.99 across the board.
We are one of the first Australian stockists, and we have had all five in hand. Here is the honest version: the C45 is a very good paddle with one genuinely interesting piece of engineering, and which of the five you want depends almost entirely on where you win points.
Buy one if you already know whether you are a kitchen player or a baseline player. Skip it if this would be your first serious paddle, and we will say why below.
What the 45 in C45 actually means
Every C45 shares the same build: a 45-degree T700 raw carbon face over a PowerFlex polymer honeycomb core with an inner foam channel.
The 45 is the part worth understanding, because it is the reason this paddle feels different rather than just another raw carbon face. Most carbon faces run their fibre weave square to the frame, at zero and ninety degrees. Franklin rotates the layup to 45 degrees.
What that changes is how the face loads. A square weave is stiffest along its fibres, which is exactly the direction the ball is travelling on a drive, so the face resists rather than flexes. Rotate it and the ball meets the weave diagonally, so the face gives a fraction more on contact and returns it as dwell. In practice you get the grit and bite of raw carbon for spin, without the board-like feel that thin thermoformed paddles can have when the ball catches the edge of the sweet spot.
The inner foam channel does the other half. Foam around the perimeter is common now, and it is what stops a thermoformed paddle feeling harsh at the tip. Franklin runs a channel through the core rather than only around the rim, which is a quieter, more damped result than a pure honeycomb.
None of this makes the C45 a magic paddle. It makes it a forgiving one for its stiffness class, which matters more the longer your sessions get.
The five paddles, and who each is for
Anna Leigh Waters, 14mm and 12.7mm
Waters is the number one player in the world, and her paddle is the most distinctive thing in our catalogue. The Aurelius shape is 39.9cm long with a 13cm handle and a 3.9 inch grip. Read those numbers again if you skim specs: that is short, with a small grip, on a hybrid face.
It is built for a player who wins at the kitchen line. The short frame puts mass in your hand rather than out at the tip, so hands battles are quick and blocks are easy to steer. The trade-off is real and you should know it before you buy: you give up reach. Lunging wide on a drive, you will feel the 2cm you are not carrying.
The 14mm is the steadier of the two and the one we would put most players on. The 12.7mm is quicker off the face and less forgiving off centre, which is a fair description of how Waters plays.
The small grip deserves a flag. At 3.9 inches this is the smallest circumference on our paddle wall. If you have large hands you will want an overgrip on it from day one, and if you already build your grip up two layers, look at the Patriquin instead.
Hayden Patriquin, 16mm and 14mm
The opposite argument. Elongated at 41.7cm, which is where you go when you win points from the back of the court and on overheads. Extra length is leverage: it is more reach on the stretch and more racquet-head speed through a drive, paid for with a smaller sweet spot and a slower paddle in a hands battle.
The 16mm is the one we would recommend to most players moving into an elongated shape. The thicker core calms the face down, so resets land shorter and the paddle forgives a contact that is not quite middle. The 14mm is punchier and more demanding, for a player who already drives cleanly and wants the ball to leave faster.
Parris Todd, 13.25mm
The Todd is the interesting one on paper. A hybrid at an unusual 13.25mm, with a 104 swing weight and a 5.6 twist weight.
Those two numbers together are the story. A 104 swing weight is genuinely fast, low enough that the paddle does not feel like work at the end of a long third game. A 5.6 twist weight is stable, meaning the face resists rotating when you catch the ball off centre. Fast and stable usually pull against each other, and getting both is the engineering win here.
It also carries the longest handle of the three at 14.5cm, so if you hit a two-handed backhand this is the C45 that has room for your bottom hand.
The specs, side by side
| Paddle | Shape | Core | Length | Handle | Grip | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waters 14mm | Hybrid (Aurelius) | 14mm | 39.9cm | 13cm | 3.9" | 220g |
| Waters 12.7mm | Hybrid (Aurelius) | 12.7mm | 39.9cm | 13cm | 3.9" | 218g |
| Patriquin 16mm | Elongated | 16mm | 41.7cm | 14.2cm | 4.125" | 220g |
| Patriquin 14mm | Elongated | 14mm | 41.7cm | 14.2cm | 4.125" | 218g |
| Todd 13.25mm | Hybrid | 13.25mm | 41.4cm | 14.5cm | 4.15" | 220g |
All five: 45-degree T700 raw carbon face, PowerFlex polymer honeycomb core with inner foam channel, USAP and UPA approved, $379.99.
How to choose between them
Ignore the player names and answer one question: where do you actually win points?
- At the kitchen, in hands battles. Waters 14mm. Take the 12.7mm only if you are confident off centre.
- From the back, on drives and overheads. Patriquin 16mm. The 14mm if you already drive cleanly and want more pace.
- All-court, or you hit a two-handed backhand. Todd. The fast-and-stable combination suits a player who has to do a bit of everything, and the long handle is the only one that really fits two hands.
- You have large hands. Not the Waters, or budget for an overgrip.
If none of that describes you yet, that is useful information too. Try the paddle finder, or hit reply on any email from us and you will get Ben or Chris rather than a form.
Who should not buy a C45
At $379.99 this is not a first paddle, and we would rather say so than sell you one. A C45 rewards a player who already knows which shape suits them, because the whole range is built on shape differences. If you are still working that out, a starter paddle at a third of the price will teach you the same lesson without the outlay, and you will buy your next paddle knowing exactly what you want.
The other honest limitation: this is a stiff, spin-first construction. If you are coming off a soft fibreglass paddle and you like a plush, muted feel, the C45 will feel quick and bright by comparison. That is a preference, not a fault, but it is worth knowing before you spend.
How the C45 compares to what else we stock
At $379.99 the C45 sits in the same band as the RPM Friction Pro V2 at $358 and below the JOOLA Perseus Pro V at $479.95.
Against the RPM, the C45 is the more damped of the two: the Friction Pro is the sharper, more aggressive thermoformed feel, the C45 is a little softer at the same stiffness class thanks to that foam channel. Against the JOOLA, you are paying $100 less and giving up the Gen 5 Pro V technology and the Ben Johns name, which is a fair trade if you do not need either.
If you want foam-core feel for meaningfully less, the foam-core comparison covers three paddles between $275 and $312 that get you most of the way.
The verdict
The C45 is a genuinely well-built paddle range with one real piece of engineering behind it, and the shape spread is wide enough that most players will find one that fits. The 45-degree layup is not marketing: it is why the paddle bites without feeling harsh.
Buy the Waters 14mm if you live at the kitchen, the Patriquin 16mm if you win from the back, the Todd if you are all-court or hit two hands. Skip the range entirely if this is your first serious paddle.
Stock is genuinely limited while we find our feet with the range, so what shows on each product page is what is on the shelf in Sydney. Dispatch is 1 to 3 days, free over $150.
Browse the full Franklin range, including the X-40 balls the tournaments use, or every pickleball paddle we carry.
