Franklin C45 Review
Franklin gets close, but no cigar.
As the sport exploded in popularity, Franklin was there at the top. It had brand recognition, top sponsorships, and favored equipment.
But as time went on, it chose not to keep up with the sport’s ever-changing game. Now, despite several failed attempts, Franklin is mostly synonymous with the X-40 ball.
Its latest stab is the premium-priced C45 paddle. At first, I was intrigued, which soon turned into hopeful excitement. Then, in the final week of playtesting, it went downhill quickly.
So, what happened?
Specs
Price: $229.99 (Code: PBSTUDIO to bring it down to $207)
Shape: Hybrid (16.3” x 7.6”)
Thickness: 14mm
Core: Polypropylene with foam
Face: Carbon Fiber
Handle Length: 5.7”
Grip: 4.3”
Static Weight: 7.6-7.9 oz
Swing Weight: 104
Twist Weight: 5.42
Warranty: 1 Year
Design: Gen 3 (foam enhanced core)
The C45’s Purpose
Immediately, the C45 sets the stage as very, very fast at the net. Its low stock weight combined with low swing weight (104) make it feather light.
This chosen direction is likely from the public response to last year’s FS Tour paddles. Those had swing weights in the 133 range, making them feel incredibly heavy.
Now, the downside to the C45 being so light is the twist weight (5.42). This is particularly low for any paddle, especially one in the hybrid shape. But there is a silver lining: the C45 is ripe for customization.
This can be hit or miss for some. Personally, I like this aspect. Those who want or need a light paddle get a good option. And those who like to tinker have the room here.
Occasionally, I see comments saying, "Why can't companies just make a perfectly balanced paddle out of the box?" The answer is that it isn't possible. What's perfectly balanced to you could be extremely heavy or light to another person.
There's no one-size-fits-all approach, so I appreciate having the option rather than being restricted. So really, the C45 being so lightweight is a big plus.
Setup
Most people will put on weight. That said, it's blown out of proportion how badly it’s needed. Initially, I was in this camp, but in the end, I went back to stock and felt it was fine. Adding weight unlocks the C45’s true potential, but it’s usable either way.
I tried a few different setups to see what would work. Originally, I had 5 inches of 2g/inch of lead tape at the bottom throat. This helped the stability, but the top felt dead.
Then, I tried 1g/inch of tungsten tape in 8-inch strips from the throat up the sides. This felt better, but I still had similar issues.
So, I put a 3-inch strip of 1g/inch tungsten tape at the head. This fixed the issue entirely. The previous setups were too imbalanced, with most of the weight at the sides instead of the head. Once the weight was up there, the dead spots were gone, and it hit considerably harder.
Before adding that weight, it reminded me of the PaddleTek Bantam dead spot. The paddle weight for this setup was 8.8oz, with a twist weight of 6.68 and a swing weight of 117.
So, even with the significant added weight, the maneuverability of the paddle was still great. Obviously, not like how it was out of the box, but 117 isn’t bad.
Now, the final setup I landed on came from the Franklin website. They show how their pros set up their paddles, and Paris had hers up with ½ g/inch tungsten tape wrapping the entire paddle, including the handle.
Now, you might say, "Holy crap, that is so much weight." But since it's ½ g/inch, it's actually not. The total added weight ends up at 0.7oz, and the final stats are 8.2oz for static weight, 114 swing weight, and 6.42 twist weight.
Those stats are pretty darn normal. There are plenty of hybrids that are basically in the same spec range. This setup made the C45 feel more solid, added considerable power, and got rid of the dead spots.
If you don’t want an ultralight paddle, this is the go-to setup. I really enjoyed it at the end. The only thing of note is I used two overgrips because with only one, I could feel the weight in the handle. With two, it was way less noticeable.
Feel & Performance
Feel is one of the more interesting aspects of the C45. It falls into the category that experiences a change as it goes from new to used.
Brand new, it feels firm and stiff, but it also feels like the ball sinks in more expected. It's hard to explain because typically, stiff paddles don’t have significant dwell time. But the C45 face feels flexible while also having quick rebounds and pop-offs. I enjoyed this feeling, but it's hard to explain without experiencing it for yourself.
Does this have the highest dwell time on the market? No. Paddles like the CRBN TruFoam fit that mold better, but regardless, it’s an interesting aspect of the rigid C45.
Another head-tilter is the profile of the paddle. It's poppy but doesn't have much plow-through or driving power, especially considering its lightness.
In stock form, its pop and power levels are very different. You can be offensive at the net but can’t do much from the baseline. However, that changes drastically once weighted up. It moves squarely into the power category with great plow-through on serves, drives, and overheads.
All this means that this isn't a particularly easy paddle to use. For players below 4.0, there will be some struggle with resetting and dinking at the kitchen. This is largely due to the poor sweet spot when using it stock, and these issues mostly go away with my final weight setup.
After adding weight, there were only two aspects that I still found off-putting.
The bottom of the face is bad. People shouldn’t be hitting this area, but compared to other paddles, the energy is severely lacking.
Spin could be better. Compared to other recent paddles, the difference is drastic. Serves and drives lacked the dip and shape that I’m used to.
Take these complaints with a grain of salt though. Plenty of other people have said they get fantastic spin, so it could just be my technique or another odd reason.
Durability & Break-In
This is where things start to go downhill. If you want an in-depth dissection, I recommend checking out JohnKew Pickleball or Pickleball Medicine, as they both did excellent teardowns.
At a glance, all you need to know is that this is a Gen 3 paddle. There are some interesting/unique manufacturing techniques being used; however, I'm not convinced it's improving performance or durability.
There have been zero Gen 3 paddles with long-term durability success, particularly due to core-crushing. The 11SIX24 Power Series has done well, but it’s still too early to tell.
I say this to reinforce that any Gen 3 foam core is likely not going to last long-term. It won’t happen in a few months, but the paddle WILL change over time, especially compared to a PaddleTek Bantam or Engage Pursuit Pro.
This much is true for the C45. The first thing that happened in my testing was that it started rattling. It's not substantial, but it’s apparent that something (glue or core) is loose. This isn’t uncommon, but it’s very annoying for a $230 premium product. This rattling happened in both test paddles we had.
The second issue was the change in pitch and feel. It started feeling plusher and softer with a louder thunk. It almost felt like there was less tension in the paddle compared to a new one. This change had almost zero impact on power.
The final thing happened on our last day of playtesting and is likely related to the previous change. The edge guard came loose in the top corner, and the carbon fiber face poked out over the edge guard.
I could even stick a knife blade underneath the face and pry up. Usually, when an edge guard comes loose, you can’t do that. This signaled to me that the face likely delaminated.
A further teardown revealed that the edges disbonded from the foam while the center remained intact. This explains the sound and feel change without a power increase.
After this discovery, Franklin emailed me saying they have a less than 1% defect rate and haven't seen many of these issues. Any of the things I already mentioned are covered under the one-year warranty. Supposedly, these aren’t common issues, and even if they are, you could get a replacement.
Besides that, I had the new and used units X-rayed. The cells look pretty healthy, and there aren't any major signs of core crushing. For reference, our used C45 had about 35 hours of playtime on it.
Closing Thoughts
As you can tell, this review was tough. Despite it coming off as pretty negative, I really enjoyed the C45. Even if you need to add weight, having a lighter stock paddle is always a bonus since no one ever shares the same preferences.
While the C45 isn’t my first option at a tournament, I could compete fine with it. The higher pop is more than I prefer, but the paddle was fun to play with. Its quickness at the net allows me to finish the ball easily, and the dwell time feels just right.
Outside of durability, spin was my only complaint, and that's probably what would hold me back from using it consistently.
You should consider the Franklin C45 if:
You like lightweight, 14mm paddles.
Love to customize with added weight.
Want the absolute fastest hybrid at the net with high power from the baseline (after some tape).
Don’t care about durability issues.
There’s no doubt that the C45 will find a home with people who love pop, swinging fast, and customizing to their heart’s content. But for me, I would not spend my own money on something that might have long-term issues.
I’m not the only reviewer to experience these issues, and it’s not a secret that Franklin pros’ paddles have sounded ridiculous recently. It could be chalked up to 1% duds or extreme unluck, but when something seems fishy, then it probably is.
Interested in buying one?
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