RPM Friction Pro Widebody Review 2026: A Softer Joola Pro IV?

The RPM Friction Pro's have flooded the market ever since they released. James Ignatowich purposely designed them as an upgrade to the very popular Joola Perseus Pro IV's.

I played with the 14mm elongated version and liked it a lot—let's see how the widebody version compares.

My name is Pickle Li. I'm a 5.0 pickleball player and reviewed over 30 paddles. I created MyPickleList which does community-driven paddle ratings, and there are currently over 650 ratings.

Image via RPM

Caveats & Disclosures

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

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

I'll be rating this paddle on my website MyPickleList at the end, so stay tuned for that.

If you are interested in buying any of the RPM's, use code PICKLELI for 15% off at rpmpb.com/PICKLELI.

Shout out to Premier Racquet Sports for letting me borrow this paddle. Check them out if you're in the Atlanta area.

Quick Specs Overview

The RPM Friction Pros come in an elongated shape and a widebody. They both have 14mm and 16mm options—the one caveat is the 14mm widebody is not approved.

According to James Ignatowich, he took 70% of the same construction of the Joola Pro IV's but just added more stability in the throat to improve them.

I did like the 14mm elongated version I tried, so he is probably onto something.

The widebody I have right here weighed 7.97 oz.

I didn't add any additional weight for this review.

Image via RPM

On-Court First Impressions: Power, Control & Feel

Pop

This paddle has above average pop.

I don't think it's too poppy off the face—for example, if you just stick out your paddle and block a shot.

Where I think the paddle shines is on smaller swings—that's when I think power/pop increases significantly.

Good for counters but not too much pop hitting softer shots.

Control & Feel

So the main comparison to this paddle is obviously the Joola Pro IV's. In terms of feel, the Pro IV's have a more crisp feel off the face while the RPM, especially the 16mm I have here, are a bit softer and muted.

In comparison, the RPM's feel like they trampoline more, while the Pro IV's have more heat coming straight off the face.

Like the Pro IV's and paddles I like more, I think the feel is intuitive.

I can place my shots well and the spin allows me to dip the ball where I want.

I felt like I could dip my shots better with the 14mm elongated, but that one was brand new and this one is used.

That being said, the 14mm wasn't the grittiest compared to other RPM's I felt in the wild.

I do think there is some variance in grit levels with the RPMs.

The sweetspot is good on the widebody—did not really have any complaints with it. Especially in stock form.

Very consistent and I do prefer the softness and pop level on it.

The harder resets were a bit easier to control than the Joola and a lot easier than more poppy/power paddles like the Boomstik or even the Luzz Cannon I tried.

Overall, good control and feel overall for a power paddle. Harder to control than an all-court or some lower tier power paddle due to it still being poppy, but just a trade-off of the extra firepower.

If I had to describe it in one sentence, I would say a softer feeling Joola.

Power

Like the Joolas, this is also a Mid Tier Power Paddle.

Serves and returns can hit deep if you hit them well, but not completely effortless power like something more powerful.

I didn't find myself overly missing long, compared to slightly more powerful paddles and even the 14mm elongated version.

In general, still in the mid tier, but the elongated version will have more power.

Still enough power to get the job done in my opinion—maybe just not as easy to blast people away with drives compared to other paddles, assuming you aren't a super good banger.

RPM Friction Pro Widebody Rating & Verdict

Now let me rate this on MyPickleList.

MPL is a website I built that does community-driven paddle ratings. The purpose is to be a quick and easy way to see how good a paddle is without having to watch YouTube videos like this one.

We currently have over 130 members and over 650 ratings, and it's only going to get better with more ratings so please join!

If you're in the Atlanta area, you're in luck since we are currently giving $20 gift cards to Premier Racquet Sports if you rate and comment on 5 paddles. We had 35 out of the 100 people redeem them so far.

My Rating: 9/10

For my personal preferences in paddles, I do think the RPM's are upgraded Pro IV's.

They have a slightly softer and more forgiving feel, better spin, and cost less.

They are currently $212.50 with code PICKLELI (15% off), and may go down more later.

The paddle plays well in stock form, and probably could play better with a specific setup.

Overall, I will give the Widebody RPM a 9/10. It may or may not lack the same spin + power as the elongated option—can't tell without using a brand new one—but you gain the extra sweet spot and consistency of the widebody shape.

Who Is This Paddle For?

This paddle is for you if you're looking for high-level power, but want to still have relatively good control.

I think it also relatively light feeling—a little under 8oz + a widebody shape.

And I think more importantly, if you like the gen3 feel, especially in the widebody shape, there aren't too many options and I think this is probably one of the better ones.

If you do like a more poppy and crisp feel, then I think you can probably just stick with the Pro IV's or other options like that.

I personally like more forgiveness and dwell time on my paddles which is why I would prefer these over the Pro IV's.

Durability Concerns

There is some durability concerns of mainly core crush, typical of gen3 paddles though.

RPM did improve their warranty policy, so that's a plus.

Future RPM Releases

Overall, great new paddle by James Ignatowich.

He's currently living in China and going all in on RPM it seems.

There is a couple new versions of the RPM's coming out relatively soon I think—a blue color Ryan Fu one which I think may be a variation or upgrade of the current Friction Pro.

They are also releasing a full foam core paddle as well.

So yeah, if you aren't in a rush, there may be new stuff on the way and/or you may or may not be able to get the original RPM's on discount soon.

I'm very excited to see what RPM has in store—make sure to use code PICKLELI if you do decide to get anything now or in the future, it helps support my dream of going full time!

Ready to Rate Your Paddle?

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Want to buy the RPM Friction Pro Widebody? Get it here with code PICKLELI (15% off) →

This is a first impressions review based on a few days of play testing. Long-term durability and performance may vary. Shout out to Premier Racquet Sports for providing the demo paddle. Use code PICKLELI for 15% off RPM paddles.