Friday exploded onto the scene two years ago with their high-quality paddles, made with advanced materials, that sold at a fraction of the price. They've kept that spirit alive as they've moved into foam paddle territory with this $130 paddle.
The Friday Aura is the cheaper, all-court version of the Friday Aura Pro, a $160 power paddle that I've already reviewed. It has the same unique signature Friday feel – it's springy and lively but with good touch. Some players won't vibe with it but Friday fans will love this upgrade and many newcomers to the brand will find it incredible value for money.
The Friday Aura is designed as the all-court alternative to the Aura Pro power paddle. It succeeds in that, with a nice balance of power and control, while generating awesome spin. This paddle has a unique springy feel so I would recommend trying it out before buying if possible. I let 12 people play with it – some absolutely loved it, while others didn't. I personally struggled a little with control. The lower price point helps, though, making sure this paddle stands out. Most paddles at this level of performance cost upwards of $160. The Friday Aura is excellent value at $120 (with our $10 discount).Today's best deals
Buy or pass?
Buy if:
You want a great-value all-court paddle:
you don't need to spend $200 to get a super-reliable all-court paddle – the Friday Aura does everything well for under $130.
You want elite spin at a budget price:
this is one of the best pickleball paddles for spin, easily competing with paddles that cost twice as much.
You like the Friday feel:
if you're already used to the trademark springy Friday feel, this paddle is a great foam upgrade.
Pass if:
You want a more aggressive power paddle:
try the Friday Aura Pro or any of our top pickleball paddles for power.
You want a pure control paddle:
this is an all-court paddle so check out the best control paddles if you want one more purposefully designed for your touch game.
You want a super-forgiving paddle:
the Warping Point Neon is a budget paddle with a huge sweet spot that gives you more forgiveness than the Aura.
Friday's signature feel (and pricing) in foam
Friday's new Quad-Foam core uses four types of foam, from an EPP foam core to an EVA foam perimeter, and even shock and vibration dampening foam in the bottom corners. There's also an "ElasTECH" internal perimeter weighting system that is unique to Friday paddles. All of this gives the Friday Aura a very distinct feel.
The best way to describe it is a springiness that I haven't really felt in any other paddle. I found it a little difficult for drops and dinks (more on this below) but some players totally took to it and loved the feel. I'd recommend trying this paddle out before purchasing if you can, because you'll know pretty quickly if it's for you.
Where it excels is spin. It grips the ball intensely – great for drives and out-of-the-air attacks, because I could really hit and the paddle would bring the ball down and keep it in. However, that same quality made drops and dinks tricky, because it tended to bring the ball down into the net.
However, the people who loved this paddle said they were able to control it extremely well. So, even though it wasn't personally for me, I still scored it pretty high on control.
At $130, it comes in at a price point where there isn't too much competition. Our discount makes it just $120, so this is a strong paddle to rival the Enhance MPP Turbo and Vatic Pro V-SOL Pro as the standouts when it comes to the best-value pickleball paddles.
Paddle Weight
7.9 to 8.1 oz
Paddle Length
16 inches (widebody) / 16.375 inches (hybrid) / 16.5 inches (elongated)
Paddle Width
8 inches (widebody) / 7.625 inches (hybrid) / 7.5 inches (elongated)
Handle Length
5.5 inches
Grip Circumference
4.25 inches
Paddle Face Material
T700 CFC (carbon fiber – fiberglass – carbon fiber)
Core Material
Quad-Foam
Core Thickness
16 mm
Sweet Spot
Medium-Large
How the Friday Aura plays
| Category | Rating | Notes |
| Power | 8/10 | Above average – it's not going to knock your socks off, but you're not begging for more power either. I did feel like I needed to lift up more on the ball to get it deeper on serves, but because it wasn't super powerful, I was able to consistently get my drives in. I wasn't let down in firefights. |
| Control | 8/10 | This is where that unique feel comes into play. I personally had a harder time controlling it on dinks and drops – I felt like the paddle grabbed the ball really intensely and brought it down, so I hit into the net a lot. But when I let other people play with it, some were really digging how controlled it was for their game. |
| Spin | 9.5/10 | This paddle did extremely well with spin. The T700 carbon fiber surface gripped the ball. While it affected my control a little, forcing the ball down, it was excellent for drives and aerial attacks. |
| Forgiveness | 8/10 | I could tell immediately when I mishit off-center. I had a hard time with delicate resets from the middle of the court. But some people really honed in on the sweet spot. |
| Weighting | 9/10 | It felt really good in my hands. I could be on balls at the net, and for volleys I could get my paddle in position on time because of the weighting. I didn't have any issues with tennis elbow or strains even though I used the elongated model. |
| Grip | 8.5/10 | The Aura has a smaller-feeling handle than the Aura Pro, so that's something to consider. I liked the stock grip here better than the one on the Aura Pro, though. It didn't slip in my hand as much when my hand got sweaty. |
| Durability | 9/10 | I put 10+ hours on it and it looks on par with any other foam paddle. I didn't feel like it was going to break down at all. Feels solid in all the right places. |
| Aerodynamics | 9/10 | Very quick in the hands. Friday players are always attacking and have super fast hands, so that doesn't surprise me. I had several hand battles at the 5.0 level where my partner accidentally popped it up and I had to stand my ground, and I was able to sneak a couple of points in our favor even though they had the advantage, because of how fast it was. |
✅ Pros
Fast and maneuverable
This is a very quick paddle. I played with the elongated one and I had really fast hands. The widebody and hybrid should be even quicker.
Longer-lasting foam tech
Friday has always offered high-quality specs like T700 raw carbon fiber at affordable prices. They've kept that philosophy here with a 4-foam paddle for $130. It should increase durability and make this paddle as long lasting as some $250 paddles.
Great value in today's market
With the price of everything going up in 2026, pickleball paddles are no exception. It's refreshing to see a new paddle for $130. The Friday Aura scores very highly on our value-to-performance metric – nestled right between the Maverix Havik 2 and the Enhance MPP Turbo – making it one of the best deals in pickleball right now.
❌ Considerations
The unique feel won't be for everyone
On the court, reactions to this paddle were varied – some players loved it, others couldn't connect with it. If you get a chance to demo the Aura before buying, take it.
Drops and dinks can go into the net
The way the paddle face grabs the ball helps you on drives, because it keeps the ball low. It affected my touch shots, though, and I hit a decent amount into the net. This didn't affect everyone who played with it, so it's just something to consider.
Friday Aura price – is it worth it?
It's not the absolute cheapest paddle – you can get great pickleball paddles for $100 like the 11SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean – but it's a great price at $130. A high-quality foam build, and high score rankings across the board cement the value. At just $120 with our discount, it's a winner.
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Alternatives to the Friday Aura
If the Friday Aura isn't for you, here are other paddles worth considering:
More power
Friday Aura Pro
Best for $100
Warping Point Neon
Best advanced
Maverix Havik 2
What even more options? Try my 30-second quiz and I'll recommend the best paddles for your play style and budget.
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