JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16mm Review: A Control-First Signature Paddle

The JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16mm is the paddle that sits at the top of our Best Pickleball Paddles rankings. JOOLA designed it with Ben Johns, and it pairs a 16mm honeycomb core with a textured Carbon Friction Surface face and a Hyperfoam edge wall. The result is a paddle JOOLA itself tunes for control first, with spin close behind and power held back.

We have not played this paddle ourselves. This review assesses it from JOOLA's published specs, materials, and design: who it suits, how its construction should translate on court, and where its limits are. At around ~$160, it costs well under most tour-level paddles carrying a top pro's name.

Who Should Buy the JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16mm?

The Hyperion CFS suits players who win points at the kitchen line with resets, dinks, and placement rather than raw pace. It makes the most sense once your fundamentals are in place and you want a paddle that rewards touch and spin.

• Beginners: Playable, since the 16mm core and foam-filled edge are forgiving, but it is more paddle and more money than a first-year player needs. A paddle like the Onix Graphite Z5 is the easier starting point.
• Intermediate players (3.5+): The best fit. Players building a soft game get a stable 16mm core for blocks and resets and a textured face that helps shape dinks and rolls.
• Advanced players (4.0+): A strong fit for control-oriented players. Hard hitters who want more put-away pop may prefer a thermoformed or elongated power paddle instead.

How the JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16mm Should Play

Based on its specs, the Hyperion CFS should play as a control paddle with good spin and moderate power. JOOLA's own ratings put it at 8.5 for control, 8 for spin, and 7.5 for power on a 10-point scale, and the construction lines up with that.

Control: A 16mm honeycomb core absorbs more energy than the thinner 14mm cores used on power paddles, which should keep blocks and resets from popping up. The Hyperfoam edge wall adds mass at the perimeter, which is designed to resist twisting on off-center hits. Spin: The Carbon Friction Surface is a textured carbon face, so it should grip the ball better than smooth graphite or fiberglass faces on topspin drives and rolled dinks. Power: Without a thermoformed, unibody build, expect less pop than JOOLA's Gen 3 and Gen 4 power lines. The 8.4oz average weight and 16.5in length give some plow-through on drives, but this is not a paddle built to end points with pace.

Construction: Carbon Friction Surface and Honeycomb Core

The Hyperion CFS uses a textured carbon face over a 16mm polypropylene honeycomb core, with a Hyperfoam edge wall around the perimeter. It is a traditional, non-thermoformed build, which is why it leans toward control.

The Carbon Friction Surface is JOOLA's name for its gritty carbon face texture, and it is where the paddle's spin comes from. Underneath, the polypropylene honeycomb is the standard modern core material: quieter and softer than the older Nomex cores, with a dwell time that helps soft shots. The Hyperfoam edge wall fills the outer edge of the core with foam, which JOOLA uses to widen the usable hitting area. The curved top and 16.5in x 7.5in footprint sit between a widebody and an elongated shape, and the 5.5in handle, 4.25in in circumference, leaves room for two-handed backhands.

Similar Paddles to Consider

See the full lineup in Best Pickleball Paddles of 2026. If you want the earlier Ben Johns signature with an elongated shape, read our JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus Pro IV review. For another 16mm control paddle with a raw carbon face, see our Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control review. If you want more pop for less money, the Paddletek Bantam TKO-C review covers a thinner, livelier option.