Best Gen 3 Paddle on the Market? | RPM Friction Pro V2 14mm Review

RPM has been one of the hottest brands recently. The original Friction Pro went head-to-head with Joola Pro IVs, and the Q2 is my highest-rated paddle right now.

I got my hands on the RPM Friction Pro V2 — let's see if it's better than the original and how good it is in general.

Intro

My name is Pickle Li. I'm a 5.0 pickleball player and I've reviewed over 50 paddles on this channel. I created MyPickleList, which does community-driven paddle ratings, and there are currently over 1,000 ratings.

Caveats & Disclosures

Reminder: This is a first impressions review, not a full review.

I played with this for a few days, so I can't speak to long-term durability.

It is gen 3, so it may play differently over time and can core crush — keep that in mind.

I'll be rating this paddle on MyPickleList at the end of this write-up, so stay tuned for that.

Shout out to Bob from my Discord for sending this paddle to review. Join the Discord if you haven't — link in the video description.

Use code PICKLELI for 15% off RPM paddles at rpmpb.com/PICKLELI.

Quick Specs Overview

The Friction Pro V2 upgrades the original Friction Pro — RPM changed the core and upgraded the grit. Still gen 3.

Currently elongated only, in 14mm and 16mm. Bob sent the 14mm — that's what this review covers.

• My sample weight: 8.1 oz (with overgrip — bare weight might be slightly lighter)
• Setup: Stock the whole time

On-Court First Impressions (14mm)

Pop

Above-average pop — on par with other mid-to-high tier power paddles.

Not as poppy as a Boomstik or RPM Q2 in stock form (at least this 14mm).

Control & Feel

What surprised me most: dwell time and softness. Every ball seemed to dwell on the face, yet there was still enough pop and power to stay aggressive.

I enjoyed the feel a lot — especially after hearing some people say the 16mm V2 was too poppy.

Resets still have pop — not completely plush — but it feels good. Easier than Boomstik/Q2-style hollow pop, maybe slightly harder to read exact depth (could be less time on it).

Sweet spot: Really big and consistent — toward the top for elongated paddles, though not as good as the Q2 (shape matters; I prefer hybrid/widebody).

Grit: Seemed pretty new when I got it. RPM's long-lasting gritty surface — one of the roughest on the market. My Q2 still spins well after heavy use; not zero drop-off, but grit holds up decently. V2 spin was really good — gritty face + dwell helped me dip shots where I wanted.

At its peak, V2 feel rivaled the Q2 — but Q2 is more sustainable for me; I always know where the ball is going on the Q2. Extra dwell on the V2 helps spin but made it slightly less intuitive in direct comparison. Still very intuitive overall — nitpicking for context.

Power

Mid-to-high tier power — enough for basically everyone.

Serves and maybe returns didn't quite hit the same top-tier power as the hardest power paddles. Overheads and counters felt closer to high-tier territory.

May not be absolute max firepower for serve/return hunters — at least not this 14mm stock setup.

Verdict & MyPickleList

MyPickleList is a site I built for community-driven paddle ratings — a quick way to see how a paddle stacks up without watching a full review. We have 300+ members and 1,000+ ratings; more ratings make it better, so please join if you haven't.

If you're in the Atlanta area, Premier Racquet Sports in Dunwoody is running $20 gift cards when you rate and comment on 5 paddles on the site.

Back to the review.

Pleasantly surprised by the 14mm V2 — especially after people I know didn't love the 16mm V2. Dwell and plushness for a power paddle, still enough firepower. Spin and sweet spot were standouts.

Rating: 9/10 (Friction Pro V2 14mm)

One of my favorite elongated paddles recently — firepower, intuitive feel, great sweet spot.

Still like the Q2 a bit more overall — easier to read ball flight, plus I prefer hybrid/widebody sweet spots. The V2 had some high peaks though; more time might push it toward a 10, or a future widebody V2 could be the move.

Great paddle — plays well light in stock form, room for customizers to optimize.

Concern: Gen 3 core durability — hope RPM added at least a month or two of longevity vs the original.

RPM's been on a heater — looking forward to what's next.

Thanks for reading. Join the MyPickleList community on site and Discord — we talk paddles, gear, and pickleball tips daily. If you caught this as a video too, like and subscribe there; it helps a lot. See you next time.

Shop RPM paddles → (code PICKLELI, 15% off)