USA Pickleball removes Facolos paddle after roughness review

A paddle can look tournament-ready on the sales rack and still end up off the approved list before your next retreat weekend or bracket draw. USA Pickleball said the Facolos Pro Series Elite X was removed after additional review and testing showed it exceeded allowable surface roughness standards, a finding that puts the paddle squarely outside sanctioned play.

The key issue was not just texture. USA Pickleball said Facolos acknowledged that the production version of the Elite X differed from the sample originally submitted for certification testing. That matters for players because the paddle you can buy is the one that has to match the paddle that passed. For retreat directors, club hosts, and anyone packing a bag for sanctioned competition, the lesson is blunt: approval is not a permanent stamp.

USA Pickleball’s approved paddle list is the controlling reference for sanctioned tournament play, and the equipment standards manual says approved equipment must be listed in the public database to be legal for those events. The organization said its Equipment Evaluation Committee has been in place since 2016, and by the January 2025 standards revision more than 5,000 paddles and 400 balls had been tested. That same revision added the Paddle/Ball Coefficient of Restitution test and updated requirements for paddle surface finish, gloss, and shiny edge guards.

The Facolos paddle had already been flagged before the removal. USA Pickleball’s compliance-status page listed the Facolos Pro Series - Elite X as Under Investigation with a report date of March 24, 2026. USA Pickleball has also said market-compliance samples can be discreetly acquired and tested after launch, which means a paddle can move from store shelves to scrutiny long after certification paperwork is filed.

The Facolos case fits a pattern. USA Pickleball delisted JOOLA paddles in 2024 after JOOLA said it had submitted the wrong paddles for certification. In February 2025, Chorus Fire EX and SX paddles were removed after failing PBCoR standards. In June 2025, USA Pickleball reversed an earlier delisting of the ProKennex 11mm Black Ace LG after new testing. The message to manufacturers is the same each time: the paddle in the wild has to match the one that cleared review.

For Facolos, the timing is especially sharp. The company announced a partnership with Gabriel Tardio through 2027, with the Elite X tied to that push into the U.S. market. For players, though, the practical step is simpler than the branding battle around it: check the approved list before you buy, borrow, or show up to a sanctioned event with a paddle that may no longer clear the gate.