Best Foam Core
Pickleball Paddles (2025)

Foam core paddles are reshaping the pickleball landscape. By replacing traditional polypropylene honeycomb with full EVA or hybrid foam cores, they create a different feel—more connected, with longer dwell time, bigger sweet spots, and often better plow-through. Not all foam builds are equal, but when done right, they can combine power, control, and forgiveness in ways older constructions can’t.

Top paddles of 2025—outstanding performance, trusted construction, and consistent quality across batches. These are my most reliable picks for competitive play.

CRBN

2 Trufoam Genesis

Buy TruFoam

Gearbox

GX2 Power Hybrid 16mm

Buy GX2 Power

Honolulu Pickleball Co.

J2FC+ 16mm

Buy J2FC+

Honolulu Pickleball Co.

J2NFL 16mm

Buy J2NF

Excellent paddles with strong all-around performance and solid build. Just shy of S-tier due to minor tradeoffs in feel, versatility, or long-term durability.

Gearbox

GX2 Hyper 16mm

Buy Hyper

Gearbox

GX2 Power Elongated 16mm

Buy GX2 Power

Honolulu Pickleball Co.

J2NFK 16mm

Buy J2NFK

Honolulu Pickleball Co.

J2NFT 16mm

Buy J2NFT

Ronbus

Ripple R2 V2 14mm

Buy Ripple

Ronbus

Ripple R4 V2 14mm

Buy Ripple

E6 Pickleball

Surtr 16mm

Good overall paddles that may suit certain styles or use cases. They perform respectably, but something—whether it’s a smaller sweet spot, average touch, or occasional construction concerns—keeps them out of the top tiers.

CRBN

1 Trufoam Genesis

Buy TruFoam

CRBN

3 Trufoam Genesis

Buy TruGoam

Gearbox

Pro Ultimate Hyper 16mm

Buy Pro Ultimate

Selkirk

Project 008 Epic 13mm

Buy Project 008

Selkirk

Project 008 Invikta 10mm

Buy 008

Selkirk

Project 008 Invikta 13mm

Buy Project 008

Selkirk

Project 008 Invikta 16mm

Buy 008

Selkirk

Project 008 Maxima 16mm

Buy 008

Selkirk

Project 008 Tour 13mm

Buy Project 008

Ronbus

Ripple R1 V2 14mm

Buy Ripple

Playable, but limited. These paddles show clear shortcomings in performance, build quality, or refinement that hold them back in competitive settings.

Gearbox

Pro Ultimate Elongated 16mm

Buy Pro Ultimate

Gearbox

Pro Ultimate Power 8.0 14mm

Buy Pro Ultimate

Not recommended. These models fall short across the board—whether in feel, durability, or overall value—and aren’t viable options for serious play.

Diadem

Warrior BluCore Max 16mm

Buy BluCore

Diadem

Warrior BluCore Standard 14mm

Buy BluCore

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Best Foam Core
Pickleball Paddles (2025)

2 Trufoam Genesis

GX2 Power Hybrid 16mm

J2FC+ 16mm

J2NFL 16mm

GX2 Hyper 16mm

GX2 Power Elongated 16mm

J2NFK 16mm

J2NFT 16mm

Ripple R2 V2 14mm

Ripple R4 V2 14mm

Surtr 16mm

1 Trufoam Genesis

3 Trufoam Genesis

Pro Ultimate Hyper 16mm

Project 008 Epic 13mm

Project 008 Invikta 10mm

Project 008 Invikta 13mm

Project 008 Invikta 16mm

Project 008 Maxima 16mm

Project 008 Tour 13mm

Ripple R1 V2 14mm

Pro Ultimate Elongated 16mm

Pro Ultimate Power 8.0 14mm

Warrior BluCore Max 16mm

Warrior BluCore Standard 14mm

Navigation

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Franklin C45 Review: A New Standard for Power-Hybrid Paddles?

Ronbus Ripple R1 and R2 Pickleball Paddle Review

Pickleball Apes Pulse E, Pulse V, and Pulse S Pickleball Paddle Review

Paddletek ALW-C 12.7mm and 14.3mm Pickleball Paddle Review

11SIX24 Monarch All Court Paddle Review

Bread & Butter Fat Boy Pickleball Paddle Review

Best Foam Core Pickleball Paddles (2025)

2 Trufoam Genesis

GX2 Power Hybrid 16mm

J2FC+ 16mm

J2NFL 16mm

GX2 Hyper 16mm

GX2 Power Elongated 16mm

J2NFK 16mm

J2NFT 16mm

Ripple R2 V2 14mm

Ripple R4 V2 14mm

Surtr 16mm

1 Trufoam Genesis

3 Trufoam Genesis

Pro Ultimate Hyper 16mm

Project 008 Epic 13mm

Project 008 Invikta 10mm

Project 008 Invikta 13mm

Project 008 Invikta 16mm

Project 008 Maxima 16mm

Project 008 Tour 13mm

Ripple R1 V2 14mm

Pro Ultimate Elongated 16mm

Pro Ultimate Power 8.0 14mm

Warrior BluCore Max 16mm

Warrior BluCore Standard 14mm

Navigation

Featured Posts

Body Helix Flik F1 TerraCore XC Review

Element 6 Pickleball Surtr Paddle Review

Avoura Revaya and Rivelle Pickleball Paddle Review

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Best Foam Core
Pickleball Paddles (2025)