The Friday Aura Hybrid is the original Aura in the hybrid shape, not the Aura Pro. It's a 16mm full foam paddle with a soft, dense feel, and it hits hard. It's $129, or $116.10 with the code STSPICKLEBALL. The catch is control. The Aura Hybrid scored 27 out of 100 for control, which puts it near the bottom of all the paddles I've tested. So it's for players who want real power and a soft feel, and who don't mind adding lead tape to steady it on off-center hits. For everyone else, my pick is the Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid. It costs $9.01 less, it hits about as hard, and it's far more controllable.
Pros and cons
Pros
- It scored 85 out of 100 for power, and only about one in eight paddles I've tested hits harder.
- The face is soft and dense, so you hear a solid thud at contact instead of a hollow crack.
- It swings lighter than a typical hybrid, so there's room to add lead tape.
- At list price, it's $40 less than the Aura Pro Hybrid.
Cons
- Only four hybrids I've tested are less controllable.
- When you miss the center, the face twists in your hand more than on almost any other hybrid.
- Spin is only about average for a hybrid.
- The warranty is 6 months.
Quick answers
Is the Friday Aura good?
If power is what you want, yes. Its weak spot is the kitchen, and every paddle I suggest below is far more controllable.
Is the Friday Aura Gen 4?
Yes. Friday's own product page calls it Gen 4, and it has a full foam core instead of a honeycomb core.
How much is the Friday Aura?
The Aura Hybrid lists at $129, and code STSPICKLEBALL takes 10% off, which brings it to $116.10.
Soft and dense, with a thud instead of a crack
The Aura Hybrid is a soft paddle. The face has some give when the ball hits it, and the foam in the throat soaks up the impact. It's dense rather than hollow, so contact sounds like a solid thud instead of a crack.
There's a fiberglass layer in the face, and fiberglass has a reputation for feeling stiff. On the Aura Hybrid, the full foam core and the throat foam win out. That's a good example of why you judge a paddle by its whole build, not one layer.
It's a good fit if you're coming from a stiff, hollow paddle and you want something softer.
Real pace on drives, but the kitchen is where it costs you
How its spin stacks up against other hybrids you can buy
Less spin than most hybrids, 37 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
- 46Friday Aura Hybrid2,239228 RPM behind
Drives and serves
Drives and serves are where the Aura Hybrid is strongest. It's A tier for power, and it hits a little harder than a typical hybrid. Only 12 hybrids I've tested hit harder.
The power comes from the build. A full foam core and a fiberglass layer in the face both run high on power in my database, and the Aura Hybrid has both. That pace carries over to put-aways, so you've got plenty to finish a point.
On spin, the Aura Hybrid lands right around a typical hybrid. So your serves and drives get normal topspin, not extra.
Hands battles
In hands battles, the Aura Hybrid has a little more pop than a typical hybrid. So on speed-ups and counters, the ball comes off with some pace, even on a short swing. Only 13 hybrids I've tested swing lighter than it does, so it's quick in your hands.
The kitchen
The kitchen is where the Aura Hybrid falls short. On dinks, the ball comes off it softer than it does off the Aura Pro Hybrid. My pop test has those two paddles tied, though, so that difference is in the feel, not in the numbers.
A soft feel isn't the same as control. Friday calls the Aura's control elite, but the Aura Hybrid scored 27 out of 100 for control in my testing. Only 25 paddles I've tested are less controllable. A fiberglass layer in the face adds spring, and more spring costs you some control. Even so, the Aura Hybrid is the least controllable 16mm hybrid I've tested with a fiberglass layer in the face.
Mishits
Twist weight is how well a paddle resists turning when you miss the center. The Aura Hybrid's twist weight came in at 6.01. Only seven hybrids I've tested are lower. That's even lower than a typical elongated, and elongated paddles are known for having the smallest sweet spot from side to side. So when you catch the ball toward the edge, the face turns in your hand more than it would on a typical hybrid.
Friday says the sweet spot covers the entire face. The Aura Hybrid's sweet spot scored a little below a typical hybrid's in my testing.
I'd add lead tape at 3 and 9 o'clock. Weight on the sides raises the twist weight. It also adds some swing weight, but the Aura Hybrid swings light enough that it has room for it.
How it feels in your hand next to other hybrids you can buy
Quick in your hands, a little less steady when you miss the middle
How heavy the paddle feels when you swing it. A lower number swings quicker.
Swings lighter than most hybrids.
How much the paddle fights twisting when you miss the middle. A higher number is steadier.
Less steady than most hybrids.
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.
Hits like a typical full foam hybrid, with far less control
The Aura Hybrid measures 16.375 by 7.625 inches, and Friday lists the weight at 7.7 to 8.1 ounces. The core is full foam, with an EPP foam center and an EVA foam perimeter. The face is a layer of fiberglass between two layers of carbon, with a raw peel-ply finish and no grit. Raw carbon faces in general lose some spin as they wear. The 5.5 inch handle has room for a two-handed backhand. It's USA Pickleball approved, and the warranty is 6 months.
Next to a typical 16mm honeycomb hybrid, the Aura Hybrid has far more power and clearly more pop. Next to a typical 16mm full foam hybrid, it has about the same power and pop. Both of those builds have far more control than the Aura Hybrid.
Six early owners love the soft touch
Friday released the Aura in March 2026. I found six owner reports, all from March 2026 to April 2026, and none since then.
Owners love the soft touch, and they say it still has enough power. They also call the resets buttery, and they like how long the ball rests on the face on drops and dinks. And they say the sweet spot is big and soft.
My numbers back up the power, but not the resets or the sweet spot. The Aura Hybrid's twist weight is the lowest of any 16mm hybrid I've tested with a fiberglass layer in the face, and its sweet spot score is tied for the lowest in that group.
I didn't find any complaints. As of October 2026, about seven months after it first shipped, I haven't found a defect that three or more owners report.
Six reports are enough to show what owners like, but not how many owners feel that way, or how the Aura Hybrid holds up over time.
Should you get the Aura Hybrid or the Aura Pro Hybrid?
The Aura Hybrid's biggest rival is Friday's own Aura Pro Hybrid. The Pro is $169.00, or $152.10 with the code STSPICKLEBALL. That's $40 more than the Aura Hybrid at list price, and $36 more with the codes.
The two paddles have the same shape, size, handle, weight range, approval and warranty, and Friday describes both cores the same way. The difference Friday lists is the face. The Pro uses plain raw T700 carbon, and the Aura Hybrid has a fiberglass layer between two layers of carbon.
The first thing you'll notice is the feel. The Pro is stiffer, and it sounds hollower at contact. The Aura Hybrid is clearly softer.
In my testing, the Pro has a little more power and clearly more control. It also spins more. The sweet spot is about the same. The Aura Hybrid swings lighter, and it twists more.
If you like a soft paddle and you'd rather keep the $40, get the Aura Hybrid. If you can't decide, get the Pro. Its extra control and spin come into play on every point, and the Aura Hybrid's wins are mostly the price and the feel.
Four paddles with far more control, and three of them cost less
Two paddles you might pick instead
How it stacks up against the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid and the EPP Turbo Hybrid
A paddle only wins a score when it leads by 5 points or more.
Aura HybridHybrid · $116.10
MPP Turbo ArmorGrit HybridHybrid · $99.99The MPP Turbo ArmorGrit has more pop, spins more, has a bigger sweet spot and is more controllable. Power is about the same. The MPP Turbo ArmorGrit costs about $16 less.
Aura HybridHybrid · $116.10
EPP Turbo HybridHybrid · $99.99The EPP Turbo hits harder, has more pop, spins more, has a bigger sweet spot and is more controllable. The EPP Turbo costs about $16 less.
Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid, $119.99, or $99.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL
The Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid is my pick. It's $9.01 less at list price, and $16.11 less with the codes. It's for players who want the Aura Hybrid's power, plus real control and spin. It hits about as hard as the Aura Hybrid, with a little more pop. It's far more controllable, and it spins far more. Its sweet spot is clearly bigger, too, and its higher twist weight keeps the face steadier when you miss the center. The face has Enhance's ArmorGrit coating, and the core warranty is one year. What you give up is a little grip size. The ArmorGrit's grip is 4.1 inches around, and the Aura Hybrid's is 4.25 inches.
Enhance also makes a plain MPP Turbo Hybrid without the ArmorGrit coating, for $119.99, or $99.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL. It's far more controllable than the Aura Hybrid too, and it spins more.
Enhance EPP Turbo Hybrid, $119.99, or $99.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL
The Enhance EPP Turbo Hybrid is the closest build to the Aura Hybrid. It has the same carbon, fiberglass and carbon face with a raw peel-ply finish, and an EPP foam center with an EVA perimeter. It's for the same player who'd rather have raw carbon than a grit coating. It costs the same as the ArmorGrit Hybrid. It has a little more power and a little more pop than the Aura Hybrid, and it's far more controllable. The sweet spot is a little bigger, and spin is about the same. You also get a longer 5.9 inch handle and a one year core warranty.
Pickleball Apes Zen S+ 16.5mm, $188.88, or $169.99 with code STSPICKLEBALL
The Pickleball Apes Zen S+ costs the most here. It's $59.88 more than the Aura Hybrid at list price, and $53.89 more with the codes. It's for players who want one of the best hybrids in my database for under $200. It hits clearly harder, and it has clearly more pop. It's far more controllable and spins far more. Its sweet spot is far bigger too, and it swings lighter. It has a grit face, a 5.75 inch handle and a one year warranty. All you give up is money.
Get it for the power and soft feel, not for the kitchen
Get the Friday Aura Hybrid if you want real power and a soft, dense feel, and you're willing to add lead tape at 3 and 9 o'clock to steady the face. If you can live without the soft feel, get the Enhance MPP Turbo ArmorGrit Hybrid, which costs $9.01 less.
Testing details
- Tested
- September 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 2,239 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
No. 1
No. 2
No. 4
No. 1
No. 2
