THE PADDLE REGISTER · 2024 · DISCONTINUED

JOOLA Gen 3 series (Perseus 3 · Hyperion 3 · Scorpeus 3 · Magnus 3)

Reviewers found the Propulsion Core delivered a step change in power and pop over Gen 2 thermoformed paddles, which is exactly what got it pulled. Within a month USAP removed the line, JOOLA sued for $200M, and consumers filed class actions. The episode drove USAP's PBCoR power test and the UPA-A's rival certification; it is the paddle story of 2024.

List price
≈$280 retail (reported)
Launched
Apr 16, 2024date known to the day
Build
Honeycomb + foam (Gen 3)
Thickness
14 / 16mm
Shapes
Elongated (Perseus, Hyperion) · Standard (Scorpeus) · Extra-elongated short handle (Magnus)
Pro
Ben Johns (Perseus 3), Simone Jardim (Hyperion 3), Collin Johns and Anna Bright (Scorpeus 3), Tyson McGuffin (Magnus 3)

123416.5 in nominal7.5 in5.5 in nom.16 mm
Drawn to scale from a nominal elongated outline; this paddle's own dimensions are not published. Left: the face. Right: cut away to the core. An original drawing, not a product photo.
USA PICKLEBALLNot on the list Sanctioned amateur play.
UPA-ANot confirmed here PPA Tour and MLP.
QUIET CATEGORYNot listed USAP's under-80 dB list for noise-restricted courts.
PATENTSBrand holds core patents Brand-level status, from the ITC case file and settlements.

Certification note. Approved from a Sept 2023 submission; USAP notified JOOLA of removal May 15 2024 and announced it May 16; USAP upheld the decision Jun 4 2024 after resubmitted paddles failed. Refunds offered for purchases Apr 16–Jun 15 2024.

Status checked Sep 21, 2026. Lists change; confirm on the USAP and UPA-A lists before a tournament.

TIMELINE

  1. Sep 2023 APPROVAL JOOLA says the Gen3 models were approved by USAP in the September 2023 paddle submission process. joola.com ↗
  2. Apr 16, 2024 LAUNCH Gen3 paddles go on sale; JOOLA's refund window later starts from this date. joola.com ↗
  3. May 16, 2024 DELISTED USAP announces removal of all Gen3 paddles from the approved list (JOOLA was notified May 15), citing a JOOLA 'administrative error' in Nov 2023 similarity testing. pickleheads.com ↗
  4. Jun 4, 2024 DELISTED USAP says resubmitted Gen3 paddles did not pass all requirements and offers a Corrective Action Plan. thedinkpickleball.com ↗
  5. Jun 5, 2024 LEGAL JOOLA announces full refunds for Gen3 purchases Apr 16–Jun 15; Edwards Henderson announces a $5M class action over 'USA Pickleball Approved' advertising. pickleball.com ↗
  6. Jun 12, 2024 LEGAL JOOLA (Sport Squad, Inc.) sues USA Pickleball in the U.S. District Court for Maryland seeking $200M. thekitchenpickle.com ↗

HOW IT IS BUILT

Propulsion Core: a horseshoe-shaped foam channel between the foam-filled carbon fiber perimeter and the honeycomb core, under a 'Charged Carbon' raw carbon face. JOOLA said the design lets the core move like a stringbed.

  1. 1polypropylene honeycomb core
  2. 2horseshoe-shaped foam channel (Propulsion Core)
  3. 3foam-filled carbon fiber perimeter
  4. 4Charged Carbon raw carbon face
Face
Charged Carbon (raw carbon fiber)
Edge
foam-filled carbon perimeter with edge guard

Construction per pickleballcentral.com ↗

Exact MSRP not confirmed on a brand page; classaction.org reports ~$280. Pickleball Central lists Scorpeus 3 as '16 by 8' with a 5.25 in handle and 5.5 in handles on Perseus/Hyperion, 5 in on Magnus; not carried into variants because PBC is a retailer blog, not a brand page or lab table.

123416 in nominal8 in5.25 in nom.16 mm
Scorpeus 3 16mm

VARIANTS · PUBLISHED AND MEASURED NUMBERS

VariantShapeLength × widthHandleCoreWeightSwingweightTwistweightFrom
Perseus 3 16mm elongated — — 16 mm — 119 — pickleballcentral.com ↗
Perseus 3 14mm elongated — — 14 mm — 116 — pickleballcentral.com ↗
Hyperion 3 16mm elongated — — 16 mm — 118 — pickleballcentral.com ↗
Scorpeus 3 16mm standard — — 16 mm — 112 — pickleballcentral.com ↗
Magnus 3 16mm elongated — — 16 mm — 119 — pickleballcentral.com ↗

Swingweight and twistweight are each lab's own measurement of its own sample. Unit-to-unit variance is normal.

MEASURED BY THE LABS

otherReview · pickleballcentral.comPickleball EffectReview · pickleballeffect.comotherReview · justpaddles.com

The register does not re-measure paddles or copy a lab's numbers wholesale. Power, pop and spin belong to the people with the radar guns; go read them.

FIELD REPORTS · AFTER YOU BUY IT

Reviewers measure a paddle new. Nobody measures it at hour sixty.

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Keep a bag on Rally: log the hours you put on this paddle, when the grit fades, and when it goes dead. It stays on your device until you press "send a wear report", and the report carries no name.

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SOURCES · HIGH CONFIDENCE

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NEARBY IN THE REGISTER

JOOLA · 2026 POWER FX $179.95 · FOAM JOOLA · 2026 Rally Rocket limited edition $329.95 · GEN 3 JOOLA · 2026 Pro V collection (KineticFrame) $299.95 · GEN 3 JOOLA · 2025 Vision series: Vision · Heat Vision · Double Vision $89.95 · $99.95 · $119.95 · POLY JOOLA · 2025 Agassi Pro · Graf Pro price n/a · GEN 3 JOOLA · 2025 Pro IV: Perseus · Hyperion · Magnus · Scorpeus $279.95 · GEN 3

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