JOOLA is launching its first all-foam paddle, the Power FX, on September 30. The brand has spent years building its lineup around honeycomb, including the Pro IV and Pro V that most of its pros still play. It announced the Power FX out of the blue before launch and without seeding out many review units, which left players with more questions than answers about what JOOLA's take on foam would look like. 

Here's what we know

The Power FX is a 16mm Perseus that retails for $179.95 and launches September 30 in a green and teal colorway called Daydream. It uses an EPP foam core inside a carbon fiber frame, but the notable piece is JOOLA's Adaptive Propulsion Core, which extends further into the throat than earlier versions and includes two small air gaps near the top of the head. Austin Kim, JOOLA's director of product, told All Drive No Drop that the design is meant to counter foam's muted feel by adding flex, sound, and a sense of the ball sinking into the face. In the launch press release, he described it as "the first one where both power and the feel showed up in the same paddle."

Grit is where JOOLA's pitch gets less convincing. The Power FX has no embedded particles, relying instead on a revised weave and resin that JOOLA says is grittier and longer lasting than its previous surfaces. When pressed on durability, Kim called the surface "a consumable" that "you will wear it down eventually," which is honest but falls short of the promises made by brands using particle-based grit. John Kew did find it grittier than both the Pro IV and Pro V out of the box, so the early texture is there. Whether it holds up is another matter.

Check out John Kew's First Look Below

On power, Kim says the Power FX outpaces the Pro V, and Kew agrees it is very much a power paddle, though not as explosive as the Boomstik. Kew's most interesting observation is the feel, which he described as stiff and hollow, an unusual combination in a foam market that mostly leans soft and plush. That fits what JOOLA says it was aiming for, although it remains to be seen whether that firmness plays crisp or unforgiving at the kitchen.

Plenty is still unknown. JOOLA hasn't published weight, swingweight, or handle length, quantities are limited, and core durability, which is the biggest question in the foam category, can't be judged from a first look. The paddle is USAP and UPA-A approved, and a Kosmos version may follow next year.

For now, the Power FX looks like a paddle that's worth keeping an eye on that fits a unique slot in the paddle market, but we still expect a more significant update from JOOLA in early 2026. The Power FX isn't meant to replace the Pro V, and it isn't the most powerful foam paddle available. What it offers is foam pop with a firmer feel than most of the category, at a price well below JOOLA's flagship. The grit and the core will have to prove themselves over the coming months.