Best pickleball paddles under $100
Real construction, real spin, under a hundred dollars. This is the most improved price bracket in the sport.
Reviewed Sep 16, 2026
Three years ago, under $100 meant a fiberglass face, a thin core and a short handle. Direct-to-consumer brands changed that. You can now buy a raw carbon paddle with a 16mm polymer core and a 5.5 inch handle for less than the cost of a decent pair of court shoes.
That makes this the bracket where the most players should be shopping, not just the budget-conscious ones.
The best paddles at this price are not cut-down versions of premium paddles. They are the same basic recipe: a polypropylene honeycomb core, a raw carbon face, an edge guard, a long handle.
What you give up is refinement rather than category. You are less likely to get published swingweight and twistweight figures, thermoformed or foam-injected edges, or the tightest manufacturing tolerances. You are also buying from smaller brands with fewer people answering warranty emails.
Warranty is the clearest one. Coverage in this bracket ranges from 90 days to a year, and the claims process at a small direct-to-consumer brand is rarely as smooth as at a company with a retail presence.
Availability is the second. Several excellent value paddles go out of stock for weeks at a time, and some disappear entirely when a brand refreshes its line. We remove paddles from this database when that happens rather than leaving a dead link on a buying guide.
Not everyone under $100 should buy raw carbon. Fiberglass faces are livelier, which means more free power, and they are usually cheaper again. If you play casually, mostly hit flat, and value pop over spin, a good fiberglass paddle is a sensible purchase rather than a compromise.
The trade is that fiberglass texture is smoother and wears faster, so the spin ceiling is lower from day one and drops sooner.
Chosen from the database by the criteria above. Every spec was checked against the manufacturer on the date shown on each card.
HEAD
HEAD's control paddle: a thick 17mm core under a 12k raw carbon face, heavy at 8.5 oz with a short 4.9-inch handle, built to absorb pace.
Selkirk
Selkirk's entry-level SLK line in the standard Max shape: a raw carbon face over a 16mm polymer core at $80, with a one-year warranty.
ProXR
A 16mm raw T700 carbon paddle with a wide 16 x 8 inch face, for players who want a large, forgiving hitting area and control from a thick core.
Franklin
The traditional-shape sibling of Franklin's FS Tour Dynasty: a raw T700 carbon face over a 16mm polymer core with a foam-injected perimeter, a short 5 in handle and a midweight-to-heavy 8.6-8.9 oz build.
Vatic Pro
Raw Toray T700 carbon, hybrid shape, under $100. The paddle that made premium construction affordable for beginners and intermediates, with a long-handle option.
Friday
A thermoformed elongated paddle with a triple-layer T700 face and foam edges at a light 7.7 oz, with published swingweight and twistweight.
