Friday Aura Pro vs RPM Q2 Elongated
Friday Aura Pro vs RPM Q2 Elongated is a closer call than the price gap suggests. Both are 16 mm Gen 4 foam-core elongated paddles on an identical 41.9 x 19.1 cm face, both carbon, both approved USAP at PBCoR .43. The Aura Pro is $275.00 and the Q2 starts at $358.00. The short version: the $83 does not buy you a better paddle, it buys a different intent. The Aura Pro is the control and all-court build, the Q2 is the power and spin build, and that is how our own filters type them.
The specs, side by side
Every figure below is the one held on the product itself. Nothing is estimated.
| Friday Aura Pro Elongated 16mm | RPM Q2 Elongated | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $275.00 | From $358.00 |
| Weight | 227 g (8.0 oz) | 221 g (7.8 oz) |
| Face size | 41.9 x 19.1 cm | 41.9 x 19.1 cm |
| Core thickness | 16 mm | 16 mm |
| Swing weight | 116 | 114 |
| Twist weight | 6.0 | 6.1 |
| Handle length | 5.5 in | 5.5 in |
| Grip circumference | 4.25 in | 4.125 in |
| Core | Dual foam (EPP plus ElasTECH throat insert) | EPP full-foam (3 mm groove channels) |
| Face | T700 raw carbon fibre | CarbonBite carbon fibre |
| Perimeter | ElasTECH perimeter weighting | TPU perimeter inserts |
| Generation | Gen 4 | Gen 4 |
| Approval | USAP, PBCoR .43 | USAP, PBCoR .43 |
| How we file it | Intermediate. All-court and control | Professional. Power and spin |
Two rows are missing on purpose. We hold a spin figure for the Aura Pro and a balance point for the Q2, and not the reverse, so rather than half-fill two rows with one real number and one guess we have left both out. We would rather the table be short than wrong.
What actually separates them
The swing weight is the real difference, and it runs against the scales. The Q2 is the lighter paddle in your hand at 221 g against 227 g, but the Aura Pro has the higher swing weight, 116 against 114. So the Q2 feels lighter when you pick it up and quicker when you are blocking at the kitchen, while the Aura Pro carries more through the ball on a drive. If you have ever picked up a paddle that felt light on the shelf and heavy in a rally, that gap is the reason.
Off-centre forgiveness is a wash. Twist weight 6.1 against 6.0 is inside the margin that anyone could feel. Neither paddle is the forgiving one. If stability off the tip is your priority, this pair will not decide it for you.
The grip is the detail neither product page leads with. Both handles are 5.5 inches long, but the Aura Pro is 4.25 inches around and the Q2 is 4.125. An eighth of an inch sounds like nothing and is not: the thinner Q2 grip suits a player who wants wrist snap and spin, the thicker Aura Pro grip suits anyone who holds on tight or finds their hand aching after three games. You can build a thin grip up with an overgrip. You cannot take a thick one down.
The cores are solving the same problem in opposite directions. The Q2 is a single EPP foam block with 3 mm groove channels cut through it and TPU inserts around the rim. The Aura Pro is a dual foam build with a separate ElasTECH insert at the throat and ElasTECH weighting around the perimeter. Both are chasing a stable, quiet, powerful 16 mm elongated. The Q2 does it by removing material from the middle; the Aura Pro does it by adding material at the edges.
Which one we would pick
Pick the Friday Aura Pro Elongated if you play an all-court game and want the ball to stay where you put it. It is the control build, it is $83 cheaper, and the heavier swing weight is an advantage on resets and drops rather than a cost. It is filed as an intermediate paddle for a reason: it is the more forgiving introduction to a 16 mm elongated.
Pick the RPM Q2 Elongated if you are hunting power and spin and your hands are fast. The lighter head and the thinner grip both point the same way, and the Q2 is the paddle built for a player who is already generating their own pace and wants the head to keep up at the net.
What we would not say is that one is better. They are the same size, the same thickness, the same generation and the same approval. One is a control paddle and one is a power paddle, and the honest question is which of those you are.
Where to go next
- Friday Aura Pro Elongated 16mm and the full range of Friday pickleball paddles.
- RPM Q2 Elongated and the full range of RPM pickleball paddles.
- The Aura Pro also comes in a widebody and a hybrid: which Aura Pro shape to buy.
- New to this generation of paddles? Foam core, thermoformed, Gen 4: what the jargon actually means.
- The whole RPM line compared: RPM pickleball paddles in Australia.
Prices and specs on this page were read from our own product records on 21 October 2026.