JOOLA
JOOLA Essentials 16
The widest measured sweet spot in our sub-$100 test group. Mishits off the top third still clear the net, which is exactly what a new player needs while their contact point is inconsistent.
- Core
- 16 mm
- Weight
- 7.9 oz
- Swing wt
- 108
- Twist wt
- 5.8
- Shape
- standard
- Surface
- Textured fiberglass
- Grip
- 5 in
- Released
- 2025
Pros
- Largest sweet spot under $100
- Low swing weight (108) is easy on the elbow
- Forgiving on off-center dinks
Cons
- Limited put-away power at the kitchen line
- Fiberglass face wears faster than carbon
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
DNA match — paddles within 5% of the Essentials 16
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

JOOLA Essentials 16
IQ 82.2 · $89
5 paddles within 5% of the Essentials 16
Ranked by DNA deviation
- -10 pop-4 power-4 spin+4 touch
+4 touch · -10 pop
- -10 sweet spot+6 spin-6 forgiveness-4 pop
Saves $15 versus the Essentials 16 · +6 spin · -10 sweet spot
- +8 swing weight-6 control-6 forgiveness-6 sweet spot
+8 swing weight · -6 control
- -7 control-7 forgiveness-7 sweet spot-6 touch
+6 swing weight · -7 control
- +10 swing weight+9 touch-8 pop-8 launch angle
+10 swing weight · -8 pop · Higher IQ score (82.9 vs 82.2)
Best alternatives
Similar paddles (within 8% DNA)
Ranked in
More from JOOLA
Table-tennis heritage brand that moved into pickleball in 2022 and now dominates tournament play through its Gen 3 propulsion cores.
