Ep. 02 — Core Thickness: 14mm vs 16mm
14mm or 16mm — what those two millimeters actually change, who plays which, and how to find yours.
Turn a paddle on its edge and you're looking at the core — a honeycomb (or, increasingly, foam) layer sandwiched between the two faces. Almost every paddle comes in one of two thicknesses: 14mm or 16mm. Same shape, same face, and the two play noticeably differently.
The whole story is dwell time: how long the ball sits on the face before it leaves. A thinner core flexes less, so the ball snaps off faster. A thicker core lets the ball sink in, so it stays a fraction longer and comes off slower and steadier. Everything else — power, control, sweet spot, feel — follows from that.
14mm (thin core)
Less dwell time, more pop. The ball comes off the face faster, so speed-ups, counters and drives get pace without a bigger swing. Hands feel quicker at the kitchen. The trade-off is a smaller sweet spot and less forgiveness — off-center hits sail or die, and taking pace off a hard ball takes more skill.
Crisp, lively, louder. You feel exactly where you hit the ball, which advanced players love and newer players sometimes don't.
The Power Hitter and any quick-hands player who already makes clean contact. If your elbow or shoulder complains after long sessions, this isn't the core to choose.
Tyson McGuffin (JOOLA Kosmos Pro V 14mm), Christian Alshon (Paddletek Bantam TKO-C 14.3mm), Catherine Parenteau (JOOLA Scorpeus Pro V 14mm).
16mm (thick core)
More dwell time, more control. The ball sinks into the face, so resets, blocks and dinks land softer and shorter, and the extra material makes the paddle more stable when you hit off-center. The sweet spot is bigger. The trade-off is a little less free pop — you generate your own pace with the swing.
Plush and muted. Mishits still come back playable, and there's less vibration in your arm.
The Wall, The Dinker, The All-Courter and The Strategist — anyone who wins with placement before pace. Also the safe pick for tennis crossovers and anyone managing elbow or wrist soreness. If you're unsure, start here.
Ben Johns (JOOLA Perseus Pro V 16mm), Collin Johns (JOOLA Scorpeus Pro V 16mm), Federico Staksrud (JOOLA Kosmos Pro V 16mm).
- JOOLA Perseus Pro V · Ben Johns 16mm
- CRBN 3X 16mm
- Six Zero Double Black Diamond 16mm
- Selkirk Amped Pro Air Epic 16mm
- Thrive Azul 16mm
- Mark OneX 16mm
See all 24 paddles
- JOOLA Perseus Pro IV · Ben Johns 16mm
- JOOLA Hyperion Pro V 16mm
- JOOLA Hyperion Pro IV 16mm
- JOOLA Scorpeus Pro V · Collin Johns 16mm
- JOOLA Scorpeus Pro IV · Collin Johns 16mm
- JOOLA Scorpeus Pro V · Anna Bright 16mm
- JOOLA Kosmos Pro V · Staksrud 16mm
- JOOLA Steffi Graf Pro V 16mm
- Six Zero Ruby 16mm
- Selkirk Amped Pro Air Invikta 16mm
- Selkirk Vanguard Control Invikta 16mm
- Thrive Surge 16mm
- Mark Two 16mm
- Mark TwoR2 15.5mm
- Neonic Flare Titanium 16mm
- Neonic Flow 16mm
- 11SIX24 Hurache-X All Court 16mm
- 11SIX24 Hurache-X Power 16mm
Why the gap is shrinking
The old rule — 14mm for power, 16mm for control — was written for honeycomb cores. Newer paddles with foam cores, foam-injected edges and larger honeycomb cells put pop back into 16mm without giving up the stability. So a modern 16mm can hit like an older 14mm and still feel forgiving.
The takeaway: thickness still matters, but it matters with what the core is made of and what's on the face — which is exactly where the next episode picks up.
So which core is yours?
Core thickness is the second factor.
Shape came first. Face material, handle length, grip size and weight are next in the Daily Drop series.
Want a shortcut? Sona's free PaddleMatch™ quiz looks at all six factors together and suggests one paddle for how you play.
Get fit. Take the PaddleMatch™ quiz