Friday Aura Widebody Review

I bought the Friday Aura Widebody from PBSports.ca for $198.99 plus HST. I’ve played four sessions with it over about a week, all doubles and mostly at the kitchen line, and it’s now my main paddle. For context: I started pickleball about six months ago and I’m a solid novice edging toward intermediate, so this is a developing player’s view.

Power and control

There’s good pop, and power is easy to generate, but the paddle is just as easy to control. I didn’t have to choose between the two.

Dinks and the kitchen

This is where I love it most. Dinks feel effortless: a light touch gives a good bounce in the kitchen without the ball popping up. I feel a lot of control over the ball at the kitchen line.

Spin

It generates lots of spin, particularly on serves.

Feel and forgiveness

The best word I have is trampoline-like. The ball dwells on the face a moment and then springs off predictably. It doesn’t feel like a rock and it doesn’t feel like a sponge. It’s also very forgiving, much more so than my Head Extreme Elite.

Weight and balance

It’s very light and well balanced, and the lightness is one of my favourite things about it.

Durability

No problems so far. It still looks good. There are some minor nicks on the edge guard from times I’ve dug into the ground to get a ball.

Downsides

• No paddle cover included. It would have been nice if it came with one.
• Limited colour choices. More colour options would have been good.

Who it’s for

I think it suits players of every level. I’m not experienced enough to speak for advanced players, but I think I would have benefited from this paddle as a beginner as well as at my current level.

Verdict

A solid 9/10.

More photos