JOOLA Perseus Pro V Review (2026): What the Reviewers Actually Say

What the experts say

Chris Olson, Pickleball Studio (6/10 review)

The headline takeaway from Pickleball Studio's review:

"The Joola Pro V line is one of the smallest iterations I have ever seen a major brand do to their flagship lineup. This might be the first time that I recommend most people buy the older model over the new one."

And on the value:

"The Joola Pro V is a very minimal upgrade, and feels more like a lateral change. If you already own a Pro IV and are happy with it, we recommend you stick with it. For most people, buying a Pro IV for $229-250 will be the better option rather than considering the Pro V. With no longer lasting grit or full foam core, the Pro V feels like it lags behind the competition in 2026, unless you strictly wanted a softer feeling Pro IV as your upgrade. The Pro V plays well, but is overpriced."

On the new Kosmos hybrid shape (the one part of the lineup Olson genuinely liked):

"This year they did decide to add in a new shape, the Kosmos, which is their first ever hybrid shape. I'm glad they decided to finally add a hybrid to their lineup. Many companies have added a hybrid as an option to their line up, and it's something that Joola has been missing for a minute now. So, this is a welcome edition."

And the skeptical line on the new KineticFrame throat-flex marketing claim:

"Now if you recall, last year Joola also messed around with throat flex with their TechFlex Power technology which also made the same exact claim of improved precision as Kinetic Frame... I also noticed that when Joola demo'd this technology in a video to show the difference in launch angle, they compared a 3S to a Pro V, instead of a Pro IV, to a Pro V. Which makes you wonder if the difference in that launch angle is even that different between the Pro IV and Pro V."

Pickleball Effect (Braydon Unsicker)

To be added. Pickleball Effect's full review of the Pro V line is pending; we will pull verbatim quotes once it publishes.

What players say

The unbiased third-party signal: Amazon's customer aggregate on the Pro V shows 4.4/5 across 176 customer ratings at time of writing. That happens to match JOOLA's own brand-page aggregate (4.4/5 across 235 reviews), so for the Pro V the bias gap is essentially zero. Worth contrasting with the Pro IV, where Amazon shows 3.8/5 across 527 ratings (vs JOOLA brand page 4.1/5). The Pro IV gap is 0.3 points; the Pro V gap is zero.

The Pro V's 4.4/5 sits notably above Pickleball Studio's 6/10 expert verdict (which is roughly equivalent to 3.0/5 on a 5-point scale). That gap is informative: signature buyers (Ben Johns, Anna Bright, Simone Jardim, Tyson McGuffin loyalists) self-select for the paddle, while Pickleball Studio scored it against the broader power-paddle category as "minor refresh, buy the Pro IV instead."

Where the reviewers agree

One named reviewer so far. Pickleball Studio's read is clear and consistent: the Pro V is a minor refresh, not a meaningful upgrade, the price hike is unjustified, and most people should stick with or buy the Pro IV. The one exception is the Kosmos hybrid shape, which fills a real gap in the JOOLA lineup. We will update this section as additional reviewers publish.

Where the reviewers disagree

To be filled in once we have a second named expert source on this paddle. The Pro V is too new for cross-reviewer disagreement to have emerged in the data yet.

Verified specs

Per the Pickleball Studio measured spec database, the Pro V Perseus 16mm landed near a 116 swing weight with a twist weight in the 6-7 range. JOOLA's published static-weight band is 8.0 to 8.4 oz. The Pro V comes in five shapes (three elongated: Perseus, Hyperion, Agassi; one hybrid: Kosmos; one widebody: Scorpeus), and grip size depends on signature model: most are 4.25 in, with the Simone Jardim, Anna Bright, and Graf models at 4.125 in.

The price story

Per Pickleball Studio: "Last year the Pro IV was $279, and this year Joola has raised the price to $299." The Pro IV is now selling at $219 to $230 across major retailers (see our Pro IV review for current pricing). That puts the Pro V at a $70 to $80 premium over the previous-gen paddle while delivering, per the only major reviewer to score it so far, a "minimal upgrade."

Who should buy it

JOOLA loyalists who specifically want the slightly softer feel of the Pro V over the Pro IV. Players curious about the new Kosmos hybrid shape, since that is the genuinely new part of the line. Anyone who wants a 4.125 in grip on a Simone Jardim, Anna Bright, or Graf signature build (the Kosmos and Hyperion are both stuck at 4.25 in).

Who should not buy it

Anyone considering the upgrade from a Pro IV: per Pickleball Studio's review, the gain is not worth the spend. Bargain hunters: the Pro IV at ~$220 is the better value play right now. Players hoping for full-foam construction or longer-lasting grit: the Pro V offers neither.

Our verdict

One reviewer of substance has scored this paddle so far: 6/10, with a clear "buy the Pro IV instead" framing. We are not going to overrule that with a research synthesis. The format on this page is meant to surface what the named reviewers actually said, in their own words, and let you weigh the consensus. As more named reviewers publish on the Pro V, we will add their quotes here, and if the consensus shifts, the verdict updates with it.

About this review

Aggregated review with verbatim quotes from Pickleball Studio's full 6/10 review. Owner-aggregate score (4.4/5 across 235 reviews) pulled from JOOLA's product page schema; the gap with Pickleball Studio's 6/10 is the story. We have not personally played this paddle.

Sources

• Chris Olson, Pickleball Studio: Joola Perseus Pro V Review (6/10)
• Pickleball Studio on YouTube
• JOOLA: Perseus Pro V product page