Franklin Ben Johns Signature Pro

75Tested 2026-03-22 · Absolute first-timers

A starter paddle with a famous name on it. Perfectly serviceable for the first few months of play, and easy to hand down once you upgrade.

Core: 13 mm
Weight: 7.7 oz
Swing wt: 104
Twist wt: 5.6
Shape: standard
Surface: Textured fiberglass
Grip: 4.9 in
Released: 2024

Pros

Cheapest paddle we would recommend
Very light and easy to swing
Forgiving face

Cons

Thin core limits control
Little spin available

Paddle DNA™ — all 15 traits

Every trait normalised 0-100 against the full database, so these numbers mean the same thing on any paddle page. How we measure →

Key attributes

Power70

Control78

Spin66

Forgiveness84

Sweet spot86

Stability72

Maneuverability86

Pop74

Touch72

Consistency76

Swing weight46

Twist weight64

Launch angle69

Plow through54

Softness78

DNA match — paddles within 5% of the Ben Johns Signature Pro

Our similarity engine ranks the whole database by average DNA deviation. Tighten or widen the band to see how far you have to travel to save money or gain a trait.

Paddle DNA™ match

Match tolerance

Only show cheaper paddles

Franklin Ben Johns Signature Pro

IQ 74.7 · $60

2 paddles within 5% of the Ben Johns Signature Pro

Ranked by DNA deviation

#1ONIX Z5 Graphite$70 (+10) · 11 mm · widebodyDNA match97.5%74
+6 pop-4 spin-4 softness+3 power
+6 pop · -4 spin
Compare Full DNA
#2Selkirk SLK Evo Hybrid 2.0$80 (+20) · 16 mm · hybridDNA match95.2%78
+10 plow through+8 spin+6 power+6 swing weight
+10 plow through · -5 launch angle · Higher IQ score (78.4 vs 74.7)
Compare Full DNA