Best Pickleball Paddle For Beginners

If you finally caught the pickleball bug, you may be on the market for a new pickleball paddle. With so many choices with a wide variety of price ranges, you may wonder what is the best pickleball paddle for beginners. Here, we will break down how to choose the best paddle for you.

When it comes to choosing the best paddle for you, you should be looking at the following criteria:

Grip
Weight
Paddle face
Price
Warranty

The first thing you will want to make sure of is that the grip feels comfortable for your hands. If a paddle grip starts out being too narrow, that is not a problem because you can always add width with overgrips. But if the grip starts out too large, you can’t take away the size.

If the weight is too light, you can always add more weight with lead tape. However, certain paddles are “top-heavy” where the weight is concentrated at the end of the paddle face. Or it is heavy overall. It is easier to go up in weight but not be possible to take away the weight of a paddle without altering it from how it has been manufactured.

Paddles also come in different shapes. It can be elongated with a narrower face for more reach. Or traditional with more face but shorter in length. You may find that the “sweet spot” of a paddle is easier to find with a traditional paddle, rather than an elongated type.

You may not want to drop $333 on a fancy paddle. Especially as a beginner learning the sport. And the truth is, you don’t need to be dropping that kind of cash to get better at pickleball unless you really want to. We personally looked for a good-value paddle that would get the job done. So with all these criteria in mind, here’s our choice of the best pickleball paddle for beginners.

And lastly, the warranty should be a factor. You don’t want to spend your hard-earned money for something to happen to your paddle and be out $100 or more. A paddle company should have a warranty on their products if they don’t perform. So let’s get started.

Franklin Sports Pro Pickleball Paddle

Even with the number 1 pickleball player in the world no longer using this paddle, the Franklin Pickleball Paddle is still one of the best options on the market. Not only is it a great value (aka not grossly expensive), it has a long enough handle that makes a two-handed backhand easy to use. If you’re coming from tennis with a two-handed backhand, it is a great paddle that you can easily transition into.

Franklin also offers a 90-day warranty so if there is any issue, they will replace it with a new one.

ONIX Graphite Z5 Graphite Carbon Fiber Pickleball Paddle

If you’ve talked to pickleball players that have been playing the sport for a while, chances are they’ve used a Z5 paddle. The reason the Z5 is so popular among beginners is the size of the “sweet spot” on the paddle face. The bigger sweet spot is great to have when you’re still learning to have more control of your shots.

There is also a pop you will hear with the graphite face with each shot. It can strangely be satisfying unless you’re bothered by the sound. Onix does offer a one-year warranty for a year from the purchase date so make sure you keep your receipt.

Selkirk Neo Pickleball Paddle

Even though Selkirk makes very expensive paddles, the Selkirk Neo comes out to be the most affordable paddle on this list. It is a lightweight to midweight paddle that will suit most people. It has a Graphite face like the Z5 so you will hear a similar pop.

The Selkirk Neo also comes as a pair for not much more money so it is a great value if you and a friend or family member are starting to play pickleball together. Selkirk offers a lifetime warranty on their paddles and the warranty process is easy to do.

EP Engage Encore MX 6.0 Pickleball Paddle

Choosing a pickleball paddle should be as simple as possible without too many choices. Because too many choices can cause even more confusion. So for our last pick of the best pickleball paddles for beginners, the Engage Encore lines are great for a variety of reasons.

First, the paddle face has a big sweet spot that you can feel in your shots. Second, many of the Engage paddles are made in the USA. And lastly, like Selkirk, Engage has a lifetime warranty. Even though the Engage line is a bit pricier than the other paddles, you will have peace of mind knowing that your product has a lifetime warranty should anything happen.

More Pickleball Tips

If you’re still struggling with finding the best beginner paddle for you, look for a pickleball instructor in your area or a store that sells pickleball products for demo paddles. You can test out different paddles for a day or a few weeks to see which paddle works best for you.

For more pickleball tips and gear recommendations, check out the next article.