With the Joola Ben Johns Hyperion paddle being one of my initial favorite paddles, it might come as a surprise that I waited so long to get my hands on the Joola Perseus Pickleball Paddle for a full review.
While I was excited, I also knew I was going to be a bit underwhelmed given the state of the pickleball paddle market at the moment.
Right now we're dealing with what was best described by Chris Olson over at Pickleball Studio as a "copycat market" because the best technology to find on a paddle is the T700 toray carbon fiber face and a thermoformed build.
Some paddle companies will call the thermoforming process something different, and others will try to put some cool spin on the carbon fiber face - but at the end of the day we're dealing with the competition going for similar paddle specs, with this tech.
That said, the Joola Perseus is thermoformed and is using Joola's CFS, which is the Carbon Friction Surface.
So while it does compete well in this market, I just happened to have tons of other paddles I was looking forward to testing that were showing up to my doorstep while this one was coming out - and I knew the price would likely drop a bit in price on Amazon (which the Hyperion did as well).
You'll see a lot of the players in our Pro Pickleball Player Paddle Database using either the Joola Perseus or Joola Scorpeus (which I also had the chance to test), so there's no doubt these are great paddles that can take you to the pro level of play.
Overall this one did get a pretty great review, but it does come with a bit of a higher price point as well - so you'll have to decide if the pros outweigh that for you.
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Joola Perseus Review -
Full Paddle Technical Specifications
PRICE: $225 - $250
AMAZON: Yes - Click Here
MATERIALS: Charged Carbon Friction Surface with Reactive Honeycomb
THERMOFORMED: Yes
SHAPE: Elongated
THICKNESS: 14mm or 16mm
WEIGHT: 8 oz
LENGTH: 16.5 in
WIDTH: 7.5 in
GRIP LENGTH: 5.5 in
GRIP CIRCUMFERENCE: 4.25 in
WARRANTY: ONE YEAR
Joola Perseus Review -
Brief Introduction and Discussion (Plus Pros and Cons)
The Joola Perseus comes in with similar specs that we saw from the Joola Hyperion, but this time with a less rounded head - having a more squared off head.
As I mentioned above, the Perseus is a thermoformed paddle with Joola's charged carbon friction face, providing it with good power and spin potential.
You have the option to grab the Perseus in a 16MM (the Ben Johns version) or a 14MM version, which will be a bit more poppy and powerful.
You'll have a 5.5 inch handle, good for your two handed backhand, regardless of which model you choose, and a one year warranty from Joola.
Joola also made mention to the fact that they have made some great changes to protect from core crushing and delamination.
The Pros
Great Spin for Most Players
Get To Play With The Same Paddle Used By Ben Johns & Other Pros
Great Control Paddle
Power/Pop Improvement Coming From The Hyperion
The Cons
Very High Price Point for What You Get
Underwhelming
Joola Perseus Review -
Control and Feel Review: 9/10
With the Joola Hyperion coming in at 9.5, the Joola Perseus is coming in just behind it at 9 for control and feel.
The Hyperion still feels like it has a softer touch, but that's to be expected with the Perseus coming in with much more power.
The good news is that the trade off isn't very severe in terms of control lost, but you do gain a significant amount of power - which feels like a great trade.
I would still classify this one as a control paddle, which makes sense considering this is the highest score you'll see among the categories - but if you lean towards the 14MM then the power review will jump up to 9-9.5 and I personally think it becomes more of a power paddle.
The good news is, these categories are very close, and it's a pretty darn good all around paddle as well - with the spin, power and control all coming in with 8+.
While the Hyperion feels like one of the best control paddles on the market (still), the Perseus is just behind it, with only a few being slightly better. You'll still feel like you can easily drop thirds in the kitchen and feel confident with your soft game at the line.
Joola Perseus Review -
Power Review: 8.5/10
Coming in at 8.5 out of 10 is actually quite high considering the paddles we're comparing it to on the market.
The fact that this one is thermoformed should have told you that it was going to pack some pop to it, and you'll definitely feel like you have the necessary put-away power needed to win the points that you set up for yourself.
Some people had some issues feeling like that had enough power both at the baseline and even in hands battles and overheads with the Hyperion, and those issues are gone with the Perseus.
Lea Jansen even mentioned the fact that she feels like she's playing a whole new game using the Perseus (and having come from the Hyperion) because she feels like she can put balls away so much better.
While you won't have the same power level as a paddle like the CRBN 1X or Selkirk Vanguard Power Air (which scored 10 and 9.5, and I personally think trade too much power for a loss of control), you'll still feel like you have a strong paddle that you won't have any power issues with.
Joola Perseus Review -
Spin Potential Review: 8/10
Some reviews came in that the Joola Perseus spin was a bit underwhelming and I suppose that is due to the fact that it has been one of the hyped and anticipated paddles of the entire year (similar to the Hyperion last year); but that is what will happen when it is Ben Johns new paddle and half the players on the tours use Joola paddles.
While it doesn't dominate like some other paddles, the spin potential is still fairly high and it will provide more than enough spin for the large majority of players (hence why so many players are able to dominate with the Perseus and Scorpeus at the pro level).
The Perseus 16MM came in around 1720 RPMs (the 14MM around 1772) on Chris Olson's testing (Pickleball Studio) and Braydon at Pickleball Effect ranks it at a "High" spin rate (with Very High being the highest).
But, then you have Pickleball Journey who did their own testing and have the 14MM Perseus coming in with 2268 RPMs and being the highest on the entire list they've created.
So I'm not sure if this shows you how skewed these tests could be or not - but the one thing I'm definitely taking from it is the fact that the Perseus can definitely provide the necessary spin.
Joola Perseus Review -
Aesthetic and Personal Opinion: 7/10
As you guys know by now, I personally prefer very minimal designs, plain black faces with not much flash.
That said, the Hyperion wasn't far off, but the Perseus isn't exactly my favorite.
It's not horrible, it's just not what I generally would go for.
Being the Perseus, though, it will definitely stand out on the court and you'll have a lot of players knowing exactly what it is (if that's something you like).
Outside of aesthetics, I personally really like the paddle, it just isn't in my own top three to five.
There are just too many other insanely good paddles out right now that make it hard to want to pick this one up that often - which is why it's coming in at 7 and not higher.
Joola Perseus Review -
Everything Else: 7.5/10
I mentioned the fact that the pickleball paddle market is extremely flooded right now, with a lot of really good options out there - and that's why this one falls down a few slots.
While the swing weight is great, it has upgraded pop and power from the Hyperion without losing much control, and the spin potential is fairly high - it just doesn't knock any of these categories out of the water.
It has great control, and leans towards a control paddle, but really is kind of a Jack of All Trades, Master of None.
When you factor in the MSRP price to buy it on Joola's website being $250, the score drops down a bit, considering the fact that you can get paddles like the Vatic Pro Flash (or even the Vatic Pro Alchemy), Ronbus R1 Pulsar, Six Zero Double Black Diamond, and other paddles that rank higher in these categories, while being $100 cheaper.
I didn't drop the score down to 6.5 just because the paddle quickly dropping to $220-225 on Amazon, so I generally consider that the price, but it's still not a great deal for what you're competing with.
Joola Perseus Review -
Closing Thoughts: 40/50
I really enjoyed hitting with the Joola Perseus paddle, and this doesn't change my Joola Hyperion Review - which is still an amazing paddle, with so much control.
The great part about the Perseus, though, is the fact that players who are coming from the Hyperion will get much more pop and power, great hands speed, less head heavy feel, and a better overall paddle, without trading too much control.
If you want to lean more towards power you can also go with the 14MM and send powerful drives that much harder, which some pro players have actually decided to do.
The pickleball paddle market is so competitive right now, but if you're a big Joola fan, and/or just want to be able to play with the same paddle as some of your favorite pro players, this one is still a pretty good option - competing with the best paddles in most categories, just at a bit higher price point.
