The Franklin C45 is the original C45, a 14mm Gen 3 hybrid that's on both the USA Pickleball and UPA-A approved lists. Franklin's C45 Dynasty and C45 Tempo are separate paddles, so this review only covers the hybrid. What stands out most is how light it swings. The catch is that it doesn't play its best right out of the box. Stock, it has the lowest pop and the lowest twist weight of any hybrid I've tested. So it's for players who plan on adding weight to the sides. It's $229.99, or $206.99 with the code STSPICKLEBALL. If you play events under both approvals and you don't mind tuning a paddle, the C45 is my pick. If USA Pickleball approval is all you need, I'd get the Pickleball Apes Zen S+ instead, because it beats the C45 on pace and forgiveness for less money.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Only seven hybrids I've tested swing lighter, so it's really quick in your hands.
- Of the hybrids I recommend that are on both the USA Pickleball and UPA-A lists, none has more control.
- There's room for a two-handed backhand on the 5.7 inch handle.
Cons
- Hard hitters can push the face around until you add weight at the sides.
- It has far less power than the typical hybrid, so your drives won't get much help from the paddle.
- The sweet spot is far smaller than the typical hybrid's, so mishits lose pace.
- Several cheaper hybrids beat it stock on everything but control.
Quick answers
How much does the Franklin C45 weigh?
Franklin lists it at 7.6 to 7.9 ounces, with a swing weight of 104 and a twist weight of 5.6. Mine measured a swing weight of 107.1 and a twist weight of 5.47, so it swings a touch heavier than Franklin says and twists a bit more.
Close to feather light, with a twisty stock face
Only 29 paddles I've tested swing lighter. I measured it on August 4, 2026.
The trade is stability. Twist weight is how much the face resists twisting on an off-center hit, and the C45's comes in under even the typical elongated's, which is already lower than the typical hybrid's. So stock, the face is twisty on mishits. There's a little dwell too, where the ball sinks in a bit before it comes off.
If you're coming from a 16mm Vatic Pro PRISM Flash or a 16mm JOOLA Hyperion 3S, the C45 is going to be less forgiving. The PRISM Flash has a clearly bigger sweet spot, and even the Hyperion 3S, which is an elongated, has a little bigger one.
Not much pace on drives, but quick hands at the net
How its spin stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
Less spin than most hybrids, 33 RPM below the average
The top three for spin
- 1Honolulu J2CR Long Handle Crystal Blue2,467
- 211SIX24 Vapor Jelly Bean 22,40364 RPM behind
- 311SIX24 Ultré Jelly Bean 22,39770 RPM behind
- 43Franklin C45 Hybrid2,243224 RPM behind
Drives and serves
On drives and serves, the C45 has far less power than even the typical widebody, and widebody is the shape that gives up the most power. There just isn't much mass behind a full swing.
Franklin says laying the T700 carbon at a 45 degree angle gives the face an even texture that maximizes spin. By RPM, mine came in about the same as a typical hybrid. There's no grit on it, so spin-first players should look at the J2CR Long Handle Crystal Blue below.
Hands battles and blocks
Hand speed is the C45's best trait. Counters and quick exchanges at the kitchen come really easily, because there's less to get moving every time you react.
Hard drives push the stock face around on blocks. Tape at 3 and 9 o'clock is the usual fix. It also adds some swing weight, though, so you give up a bit of that hand speed.
Pop is worse, even though Franklin pitches its PowerFlex core as adding pop. Nearly every paddle I've tested has more, and adding weight tends to cut it further.
Dinks and resets
Control is its best score, 70 out of 100, right around a typical hybrid. Hit a dink clean and it stays low. Miss the center and you'll know it.
Off-center hits
Mishits are a real weak spot. Only two hybrids I've tested score lower for sweet spot, and the C45's is even a little smaller than the typical elongated's. Off-center resets and blocks come up short.
How it feels in your hand next to other hybrids you can buy
Quick in your hands, less steady than most when you miss the middle
How heavy the paddle feels when you swing it. A lower number swings quicker.
Only seven hybrids you can buy swing lighter.
How much the paddle fights twisting when you miss the middle. A higher number is steadier.
The lowest twist weight of any hybrid you can buy.
How its sweet spot stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
A smaller sweet spot than most hybrids
Both rings are sized to their score.
Its control leads the dual-approved hybrids I recommend
Franklin builds the C45 as a Gen 3 thermoformed unibody. The core is polypropylene honeycomb, and Franklin adds an EVA foam insert plus foam around the perimeter, under a raw T700 carbon fiber face with a raw peel-ply texture.
Being on both approved lists is where the C45 earns its place, because its control is as good as it gets among the dual-approved hybrids that I recommend. The JOOLA Kosmos Pro V 16mm is about the same on control, and it costs more at $299.95 with no code, since JOOLA doesn't take them.
Owners ask for weight setups, and no common defect has turned up
Owners back up the weight point. Between March 2025 and May 2026, three owners said the C45 needed weight to feel stable and asked for setups. And between March and October 2025, three owners said that with tungsten added it was steady enough to be their main paddle.
The guys over at Franklin say they designed the C45 to cut down on break-in, where a Gen 3 paddle gets hotter over time. Franklin says it does that with a two-step thermoforming process and a dual foam edge wall around a honeycomb that isn't compressed. That's aimed at a real issue, because honeycomb core crush is what can heat a Gen 3 paddle up. It first shipped on February 5, 2025, and as of October 2026 I haven't found a defect that three or more owners report.
The Zen S+ matches or beats it on every score for $37 less
So here's the honest catch with the C45. The Pickleball Apes Zen S+ is a 16.5mm hybrid at $188.88, or $169.99 with the code STSPICKLEBALL, which is $37.00 less than the C45 after codes. And it's as good as or better than the C45 on power, pop, control, spin and sweet spot, which covers all five of my scores.
The big gains are in pace and forgiveness, with far more power and pop and a far bigger sweet spot. I will say, the swing weight surprised me. You'd expect to give up the quick hands, but the Zen S+ actually swings a little lighter, and its face is steadier on top of that.
You give up UPA-A, since it's only on the USA Pickleball list. It's full foam with a grit coating, not honeycomb, and its 5.75 inch handle fits two hands. No UPA-A events on your calendar? Buy the Zen S+.
Cheaper hybrids that add the pace and forgiveness it lacks
Two paddles you might pick instead
How it stacks up against the Glider 2026 and the J2CR Long Handle Crystal Blue
A paddle only wins a score when it leads by 5 points or more.
C45 HybridHybrid · $206.99
Glider 2026Hybrid · $107.10The C45 is more controllable. The Glider 2026 hits harder, has more pop, spins more and has a bigger sweet spot. The Glider 2026 costs about $99 less.
C45 HybridHybrid · $206.99
J2CR Long Handle Crystal BlueHybrid · $175.50The J2CR Long Handle hits harder, has more pop, spins more and has a bigger sweet spot. Control is about the same. The J2CR Long Handle costs about $31 less.
Luzz Glider 2026
$119.00, or $107.10 with the code STSPICKLEBALL, which is $99.89 less than the C45. Like the C45, it's approved by both USA Pickleball and UPA-A, and it's the only paddle in this group that is. Same quick swing, far more power, a far bigger sweet spot, a little less control. The 5.31 inch handle is tight for two hands.
Honolulu J2CR Long Handle Crystal Blue
It's a 16mm hybrid at $195.00, or $175.50 with the code STS10, which is $31.49 less after codes. It spins far more than the C45, and like the Zen S+, it doesn't lose to the C45 on any of my five scores. It's UPA-A only, though. Honolulu lists it at 8.0 to 8.3 ounces, heavier than the C45, and the handle is 6 inches.
11SIX24 Vapor Jelly Bean 2
This 16mm hybrid is $169.99, or $159.99 with the code STSPICKLEBALL, which is $47.00 under the C45. It's the only alternative here with more control than the C45, a little more, plus a far bigger sweet spot and a steadier face. But it's UPA-A only and swings a lot heavier.
11SIX24 Ultré Power 2
If pace is what you're missing, the Ultré Power 2 has far more power and pop than the C45. It's a 16mm hybrid at $209.99, or $199.99 with the code STSPICKLEBALL, which takes $10 off, so it's only $7.00 less after codes. It's clearly less controllable, though, and it's only on the UPA-A list, with a heavier swing.
Worth it if you need both approvals and you'll tune it
Both approvals, and you'll add weight to the sides? The C45 is my pick. USA Pickleball only? Get the Zen S+. Both approvals for a lot less money? I'd buy the Glider 2026.
Testing details
- Tested
- August 4, 2026
- Power and pop
- 20 full serves for power and 20 punch volleys for pop, every ball speed read on a Stalker radar gun.
- Spin
- 20 more serves on the radar. I drop the outliers and average the rest, which gave this paddle 2,243 RPM.
- Swing and twist weight
- Measured on a Briffidi SW1 swing weight machine.
- Sweet spot and control
- The same dinks, drops, resets and drives off a Titan ONE ball machine, for every paddle.
- The scores
- Out of 100, with the same tests for every paddle. The top paddles I've tested score 100.
- Published
- Scores from
- My database, updated October 15, 2026. How I test
Watch the review
7:10Franklin C45 Review - A Unique Gen 3 With a Secret
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