CURATED FOR AUSTRALIA

Pickleball Sets

A pickleball set is the fastest way into the game: paddles, balls and, on most of ours, a regulation net, chosen to work together instead of assembled from whatever was cheapest. What separates good pickleball sets from throwaway ones is...

A pickleball set is the fastest way into the game: paddles, balls and, on most of ours, a regulation net, chosen to work together instead of assembled from whatever was cheapest. What separates good pickleball sets from throwaway ones is the paddle. Bundled paddles are often built to hit a price on a box rather than to be played with for a season. The paddles in the sets we build are the same ones we sell individually, at full spec, which means the set is still worth owning after your first season. If you are buying a pickleball set for beginners, that matters twice over: nobody has to choose a paddle before they have hit a ball, and nobody outgrows the set in a month.

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Every set below is built from real stock in our Sydney warehouse, so what you see available is what we can actually ship. If you want the long version of how to choose between them, our pickleball set guide walks through each one with the reasoning.

Which set suits you

Count the players, then decide whether you need a net. That answers it in about ten seconds.

  • Franklin Dagger Set: two USA Pickleball approved fibreglass paddles and four Franklin X-40 balls in one box. The lowest-priced way onto a court with gear a club will let you play with, for a first hit, a holiday house or a spare pair in the car.
  • Starter Set: two Six Zero Quartz paddles, Franklin X-40 balls and two covers. Everything bar the net, for a pair playing somewhere a net is already up. This is the one for people who play at a club or a council court and want their own gear.
  • Value Set: the same two paddles plus a full-width Selkirk net. The one most households want, because it makes your driveway a court.
  • Court Set: that net with four paddles and a six-ball pack. Doubles for a family, a share house or a group that plays together. Four paddles is the number that makes a set social rather than a couple's purchase.
  • Pro Sets: the net and balls paired with two tournament paddles, in Six Zero Coral or Friday Aura Pro. For players who already know what they hit with and want a court to hit on.

Pickleball sets for beginners

The best pickleball set for beginners is one that nobody outgrows in a month. A beginner needs three things from a paddle: a big sweet spot, a face soft enough to keep the ball in play, and a weight they can swing for two hours. The Six Zero Quartz in our Starter, Value and Court sets does all three, and it is still a respectable paddle once you are playing club socials. On a tighter budget, the Franklin Dagger Set gets two people playing with approved paddles and the ball clubs use.

Two players starting together should take the Starter Set if there is a court with a net nearby, or the Value Set if there is not. Four players should go straight to the Court Set: sharing two paddles between four people is how a new group stops playing. If you would rather choose each paddle yourself, start with our beginner pickleball paddles.

Do you need a pickleball set with a net?

Only if there is nowhere nearby with one already up. Plenty of Australian councils now line tennis and netball courts for pickleball, and clubs supply the nets at their own sessions, so a pickleball set without a net (our Starter Set, or the Franklin Dagger Set) is all a lot of people need. Check your council's website or turn up to a club session before you pay for a net you will not use.

A pickleball set with a net earns its money at home: a driveway, a cul-de-sac, a quiet car park or a school hall. A full court is 13.4m long by 6.1m wide, and a casual hit needs less. The Value, Court and Pro sets all include the full-width Selkirk net described below, so the pickleball net set you put up at home is the same height and width you will meet at a club.

What is actually in the box

Set descriptions are usually vague on purpose. Here is exactly what you get.

The net on every set that includes one is the Selkirk SLK Prime: regulation 6.7m (22ft) across, 0.914m (36in) at the posts and 0.86m (34in) at the centre, steel frame, tension straps and a nylon carry bag. It goes up in a few minutes and one person can manage it. It is the same net we sell on its own in pickleball nets, not a lighter set-only version.

The balls are Franklin X-40, a USA Pickleball approved outdoor ball, in a three-pack or a six-pack depending on the set. The X-40 is the ball most Australian clubs have standardised on, which matters more than it sounds: playing on the same ball you will meet at your local club means your timing transfers.

The paddles come off our own shelves at full spec. Same model, same core, same face as the individually listed product. Nothing is downgraded for the bundle.

How to choose the paddle

This is the decision that matters, because the net and the balls are the same across the range.

The Six Zero Quartz in the Starter, Value and Court sets is a 16mm hybrid built for control and all-court play: a big sweet spot, soft hands at the kitchen, and enough on it to drive when you want to. It is the paddle we hand people who are still working out their game, and it is forgiving enough that four beginners can share a Court Set without anyone feeling out-gunned. More on the brand in our Six Zero dealer guide.

Move to a Pro Set once you have a preference:

Not sure whether the jump is worth it? We wrote an honest answer in mid-tier versus pro-tier paddles. For most people buying their first set, it is not, and the Quartz is the better call.

Pickleball kit, paddle set or racket set?

They are all the same thing. Pickleball kit, pickleball paddle set, pickleball racket set, pickleball bats and balls: people search for all of them, and every one means paddles and balls in one purchase, with or without a net. The correct word is paddle (we explain why in pickleball racket, bat or paddle), but nobody at a club will mind what you call it.

What matters more than the name is the count. A pickleball paddle set of two suits a couple or two mates. A set of four is what a family or a regular doubles group needs, because pickleball is mostly played as doubles and four paddles means nobody sits out.

Set or separates

Buying a set comes in at a lower price than buying the same items individually, and the components are chosen to work together. But sets are fixed combinations, so if two players in your group want different paddle shapes, you are better off building your own from the paddle range, balls and a net.

The rule of thumb: if nobody in the group has a strong paddle preference yet, take a set. If someone does, build it. You can also start with a set and add a paddle later, which is what most households end up doing once one person gets properly into it.

Sets are inventory-safe, and why that matters to you

Every set we build ourselves is made from the real component stock, not a separate pretend SKU. If we only have two of a paddle colour left, the set that uses two of them shows as the last one available. It means the availability you see is real, and you will not be told after checkout that something is on backorder.

It also means colour choice is genuine. Where a set offers a paddle colour, that colour is being pulled from the same shelf as the individual listing.

Playing indoors, or somewhere noise is an issue

Pickleball has a noise reputation, and it is earned. The crack is the ball, not the paddle. If you are playing in a hall, a garage, an apartment complex or anywhere with neighbours close by, pair a set with our quiet foam balls, which drop the volume substantially without changing how you swing. Background on that in our indoor versus outdoor ball guide.

What about a department-store pickleball set?

Kmart, Big W and Anaconda all sell pickleball sets for a fraction of these prices, and for a hit at the beach or one afternoon in the backyard they do the job. We would rather you start on one of those than not start at all.

Before you buy one for regular play, check two things. First, whether the paddles are USA Pickleball approved, which you need for any sanctioned competition and which tells you the paddle was built to a playing standard. Second, what ball is in the box: timing learned on a soft practice ball does not transfer to the Franklin X-40 that most Australian clubs play with. If the answer to either is no, you will be buying again within a few weeks of joining a club, and the cheaper set was not cheaper.

Clubs, schools and councils

We supply pickleball kit in volume across Australia: paddles by the dozen, balls by the hundred, and portable nets. We invoice on purchase order, and you deal with Ben and Chris directly rather than a reseller portal.

Institutional buying is a different problem from household buying. You need durability over performance, a spread of grip sizes, enough balls that losing a few does not end the session, and storage that survives being handled by people who did not pay for it. Tell us your headcount and court count and we will put a pack together rather than point you at a fixed bundle. We also do custom club merchandise for clubs kitting out a squad. If you run a club, join the club programme first: club pricing across the range for your committee, a standing code for your members, and nothing to pay.

New to pickleball

If a set is your first purchase, two reads will save you money. The rules and scoring explained, because pickleball scoring is the part that confuses everyone in the first month. And how to actually start in Australia, which covers finding courts and clubs near you.

Once you are playing regularly, paddle accessories (overgrips, edge guards) and a bag are the next things worth having. Our accessories guide covers what is genuinely useful and what is not.

Giving a pickleball set as a gift

A lot of pickleball sets are bought as presents: Australian searches for them more than triple in December. Two things worth knowing. Sets that include a net ship as a bulky item and take longer than a paddle, so order those early. And if you do not know how seriously the person will take it, the Starter Set is the safe call: real paddles, the ball their club will use, and nothing that gathers dust if they already have a net nearby.

Buying a pickleball set in Australia

Free Australian delivery over $150, dispatched from Sydney, and a 30-day return on factory-fresh gear. Sets that include a net ship as a bulky item, so allow a little longer than a paddle to arrive.

Building your own instead? Start with a paddle, add balls and a net, or browse the full pickleball equipment range. Training on your own, or coaching a group, is where a ball machine and our training aids come in.

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