Franklin has launched the C45, a signature paddle developed with women's world No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters. The model, covered by US pickleball outlet The Dink on August 12, is sold on the fact that she was involved in its development before she ever used it in competition, and has kept playing with it since. Top players entering at the design stage is becoming familiar in Japan too, with Mizuno and Mitani Sangyo joining the market, and the C45 shows in concrete terms what an era of players deciding the shape looks like. There is plenty here to guide how players in Japan judge their equipment.
A signature model Waters shaped before competing with it, then kept using
The C45 was released as Waters' signature paddle. The Dink writes that Anna Leigh Waters was involved in shaping the C45 before she used it in a match, and then kept using it. Unlike a tie-up that lends a name, the core point is that the actual paddle she chose for her own matches was productized as-is. For a player at the very top of the world to green-light a mass-production model, it has to pass her standards down to how the face meets the ball and how quickly it moves in the hand.Waters, who reads play and moves before the ball arrives thanks to her football background, has a style that makes it logical for this signature model to be built around fast exchanges.
The 45 in "C45" is the 45-degree peel ply on the surface, with T700 carbon for spin
The 45 in the name comes from the angle of the surface treatment. The face material is T700 carbon, with a 45-degree peel ply (weave) texture that bites the ball and makes spin easier to generate. The Dink described it as a textured carbon face that grips rather than slips, and a foam-layer core that flexes on contact for a soft feel and pop. Spin levels themselves are expected to hit a ceiling under regulation planned for October, witha 2100 spin-rate cap shaking Asia's paddle factories. Putting surface grip at the center of its design philosophy, the C45 is also a new product that will be tested on how well it holds up after the rules change.
A long 5.1-inch handle and the Aurelius shape suit two-handed play
The shape is the "Aurelius" that Waters chose, an elongated silhouette 15.7 inches long (about 40cm) and 7.6 inches wide (about 19cm). The handle is a long 5.1 inches (about 13cm). That is what The Dink's original article was getting at when it asked whether your paddle handle is too short. An elongated shape reaches further at the tip, buying reach and swing speed, but the sweet spot narrows. A long handle gives room to players who take the backhand with two hands, encouraging a stroke driven by the body rather than the wrist. For players in Japan coming from tennis, it is a shape that easily accommodates keeping a two-handed backhand as they move into pickleball. The choice of shape shows a clear priority on quick hands. Conversely, for someone who scatters the ball with one-handed flicks, the longer face can feel heavy to maneuver at times.
Three thicknesses — 12.7, 14 and 16mm — with foam channels widening the sweet spot
The core is PowerFlex polymer, available in three thicknesses: 12.7mm, 14mm and 16mm. Foam channels running inside reinforce the structure while widening the sweet spot. The difference in thickness changes feel and forgiveness. Here is a guide to which one players in Japan might take.
| Core thickness | Feel | Suits players who |
|---|---|---|
| 12.7mm | Strong pop, the ball leaves the face quickly | Value speed and pop on attack |
| 14mm | Between pop and maneuverability | Want a balance of attack and defense |
| 16mm | Easy to hold the ball on the face, high forgiveness | Prioritize control and consistency |
Tendencies by thickness are the editorial team's summary based on general paddle characteristics. Weight across the range is 7.2-8.0 ounces (about 204-227g).
What players in Japan can take from the C45's design
価格は約229.95ドル(8月時点で1ドル148円換算の概算で約3万4千円)で、USAピックルボールとUPA-Aの両認証を取得している。着目すべきは、トップ選手が名前を出す条件が「面の食いつき」「フォームコアの柔らかい打感」「ネット際の手の速さ」という具体に絞られている点だ。生の反発力より速い手元を上に置く優先順位は、ハニカムからfrom honeycomb to foam cores taking the lead. Even within Franklin, the aim differs from the signature model built around young gun Patrikin; the C45 translates the demands of a finished world No. 1 into mass production. If you are buying one in Japan, first check in-store which handle length and thickness fit your grip, and judge whether the face's grip will still count after October's spin regulation. When you are stuck choosing equipment, reading who built it and what they prioritized is faster than reading the spec sheet.
