Why Ben Johns Adds Weighted Tape to His JOOLA Perseus Pickleball Paddle

From the original JOOLA Perseus CFS 16 to the Perseus Pro IV, Ben Johns has consistently customized his paddle with added weight. Here's what his lead and tungsten tape setups can teach us about swing weight, twist weight, stability—and the science of paddle customization.

The JOOLA Perseus is one of the most recognizable paddles in pickleball. It carries Ben Johns' name and was developed with input from one of the sport's most accomplished players. So there is an interesting question:

Why does Ben Johns add weighted tape to a pickleball paddle designed for Ben Johns?

And this isn't something Johns started doing recently. With the original JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus CFS 16, he added multiple strips of lead tape around the lower portion of the paddle.

When he later moved to the JOOLA Perseus Pro IV 16mm, the paddle changed and the weighting material changed from lead to tungsten. But something important remained remarkably similar: Johns continued adding weight around the lower outside edges of the paddle rather than concentrating it near the top. So this gives us an opportunity to look beyond a paddle review and examine what Johns is actually changing.

Because he isn't simply making his Perseus heavier. He is strategically changing its mass distribution—and therefore changing how the paddle behaves around different axes of rotation.

Ben Johns' Original JOOLA Perseus CFS 16 Lead Tape Setup

When the original Perseus CFS 16 was introduced, Johns publicly demonstrated how he prepared his paddle. His setup included an additional overgrip, edge protection and, most interestingly, lead tape.

JOOLA's instructions for replicating his setup called for four separate 5-inch strips of lead tape. One strip was placed along each side of the throat, starting just above the grip and extending roughly one-third of the way up the paddle. A second strip was then layered directly over the first strip on each side.

Ben Johns Weighted Tape Setup for the Perseus CFS 16

Johns' reason for putting the tape there is particularly important. According to JOOLA, he wanted more stability and control and felt that he already had sufficient power and spin. That's our first clue. If the objective were simply to increase swing weight and hitting mass, there are more aggressive places to add weight—particularly toward the top of the paddle.Johns deliberately kept his additional mass lower.

Why? The answer lies in the difference between static weight, swingweight and twistweight. For a broader explanation of these measurements, see our Pickleball Paddle Science Guide.

The Paddles Weight (also called Static Weight) Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

Static weight is straightforward.

Put a paddle on a scale and it might weigh:

7.8 oz, 8.0 oz or 8.3 oz

But static weight tells us only how much total mass the paddle contains. It doesn't tell us where that mass is located. Imagine two paddles that both weigh exactly 8.3 ounces. One has additional mass concentrated near the handle. The other has the same amount of additional mass concentrated near the tip. A scale says they're identical but your arm will tell you they are different. That's where swing weight becomes important.

What Is Swing Weight?

Swing weight describes a paddle's resistance to being rotated around an axis near the player's hand. A simplified expression for the contribution of a small amount of mass to rotational inertia is:

I = mr²

where:

I = rotational inertia
m = mass
r = distance from the axis of rotation

The important part is r². Distance is squared. That means the location of a gram of additional mass can matter enormously. Place a few grams near the throat and the increase in swing weight can be relatively modest. Move those exact same grams toward 12 o'clock and the effect becomes much larger. That's why asking:

"How much weighted tape should I add?"

is only half the question.

The other half is:

"Where should I put it?"

What Is Twist Weight?

Now consider a different type of rotation. Imagine striking the ball slightly toward the outside edge of the paddle rather than directly through its centerline. The impact applies torque to the paddle and tries to rotate—or twist—the paddle face in your hand. The farther that impact occurs from the centerline, the greater the twisting moment. Twist weight describes the paddle's resistance to that rotation.

Once again, mass distribution matters. Mass positioned toward the outside edges of the paddle contributes more to twist weight than the same mass positioned close to the longitudinal centerline. The same rotational-inertia principle applies, but now the important distance is primarily side-to-side rather than the distance from your hand.

This distinction is the key to understanding Johns' setup.

One Paddle, Two Different Axes

Think of the paddle as rotating in two different ways. For swing weight, we're primarily interested in how far the mass is located from the player's hand. For twist weight, we're interested in how far the mass is located from the paddle's longitudinal centerline. This creates an interesting opportunity.

A location can be:

relatively close to the hand while simultaneously being: relatively far from the paddle's centerline.

That's essentially what happens around the lower outside edges of a paddle. And that's almost exactly where Johns puts his additional weight.

What Ben Johns' Original Perseus Setup Actually Did

Fortunately, we don't have to rely only on theory. Pickleball Effect recreated Johns' complete original Perseus setup and measured the paddle before and after the customization.

Importantly, this was not a measurement of the lead tape alone. The test re created other elements of Johns' setup, including grip-related modifications. The resulting weight increase therefore represents the complete customized paddle, not the amount of lead tape Johns added.

The results were striking.

 

The 22.7 g increase deserves some clarification. It does not mean Johns added 22.7 g of lead tape. It is the difference between the stock test paddle and Pickleball Effect's test of his complete playing setup. The additional mass included the weighted tape as well as grip-related materials and other elements used to reproduce Johns' finished paddle. It is estimated that Johns added approximately 10g of lead tape. 

What makes the test particularly interesting isn't simply the increase in static weight. It's what happened to the paddle's rotational characteristics. The complete setup increased static weight by more than 10%, yet swing weight increased only about 3.4%. Twist weight, meanwhile, increased approximately 18.2%.

That's a very different result from simply adding a large amount of weight near the top of the paddle. The paddle became substantially more resistant to twisting on off-center contact while experiencing a comparatively modest increase in swing weight. That is consistent with Johns' stated objective at the time: more stability and control rather than simply adding power and plow-through.

There is one further qualification. Because Pickleball Effect tested the complete setup, we shouldn't attribute every measured change to the lead tape itself. This is particularly important for the 5 mm movement in balance point toward the hand. Adding mass to the grip area can pull the measured balance point toward the handle, partially offsetting the effect of weight added around the paddle's perimeter.

So the test doesn't tell us precisely how much each individual modification contributed. But it demonstrates the larger principle very well:

Johns wasn't simply making the Perseus heavier. He was deliberately changing how its mass was distributed—and, as a result, how the paddle resisted both swinging and twisting.

The Original Perseus Became a Very Different Paddle

Look at the two most important numbers:

Stock:
Swing weight: 116
Twist weight: 5.87

Customized:
Swing weight: 120
Twist weight: 6.94

That's a significant transformation. The paddle gained only four swing-weight points while twist weight increased by more than one full unit. In practical terms, the paddle became substantially more resistant to rotation on off-center impacts without becoming proportionally harder to swing. This helps explain the logic behind Johns' lower-perimeter weighting.

Then the Perseus Changed

Several generations later came the JOOLA Perseus Pro IV 16mm.

The Pro IV retains the familiar elongated Perseus dimensions:

16.5 inches long

7.5 inches wide

5.5-inch handle

with an average factory weight of approximately 8.1 ounces.

The construction, however, evolved substantially. JOOLA's Pro IV uses its TechFlex Power construction, a polypropylene core and EVA foam wall, along with what JOOLA describes as optimized weight distribution.

And Johns changed his customization setup as well. He moved away from lead tape. This time, he chose tungsten weighted tape.

Ben Johns' Perseus Pro IV Tungsten Tape Setup

Johns' newer Pro IV setup uses two strips of tungsten tape.

Each strip is approximately:

5.5 inches long

0.5 inches wide

0.5 grams per inch

One strip goes on each side.

That means each strip contributes approximately:

2.75 grams

for a total of:

5.5 grams, or about 0.19 ounces.

The strips start roughly one inch above the grip and extend around the lower corners and several inches up the sides of the paddle.

Ben Johns Weighted Tape for Perseus Pro IV

Notice again where the tape isn't. It isn't at the top of the paddle. Different Perseus. Different internal construction. Different amount of additional mass.

But Johns is still concentrating that additional mass around the lower perimeter. That's what makes his customization history so interesting.

Why Does Ben Johns Keep Putting Weight There?

The two generations suggest a consistent objective. Johns wants additional mass and stability. But he doesn't want to unnecessarily increase swing weight and compromise hand speed. Lower-perimeter weighting is an efficient way of pursuing that combination.

The tape is positioned toward the outside of the paddle, where it can contribute to resistance against twisting. At the same time, it remains much closer to the player's hand than tape positioned near 12 o'clock. So compared with tip weighting, the swing-weight penalty is substantially smaller.

In simple terms:

Johns is adding mass where he can gain stability relatively efficiently in terms of swing weight.

Why Not Put the Weight at 12 O'Clock?

Suppose we take Johns' approximately 5.5 grams of Pro IV tungsten tape and move it all to the top of the paddle. The total paddle weight doesn't change. It's still 5.5 additional grams. But the physics changes considerably. Because the added mass is now much farther from the player's hand, its contribution to swing weight rises dramatically.

Remember:

I = mr²

Distance is squared.

So moving mass farther from the axis of rotation has a disproportionately large effect. Tip weighting can be useful. It can increase effective hitting mass and plow-through and can make the paddle feel more powerful through contact. But there's a price: higher swing weight and slower maneuverability.

For a player who values extremely fast paddle preparation and recovery during hand battles, that trade-off may not be attractive. Johns himself explained with his original Perseus that he already felt he had sufficient power and spin. His priority was stability and control and his tape placement reflects that.

What About 10 and 2 O'Clock?

Move the same mass slightly down and outward to approximately 10 and 2. Now the tape still sits relatively far from the hand, so it meaningfully increases swing weight. But because the mass is also moving farther from the paddle's centerline, it contributes more to twist weight than weight concentrated at 12. The result is a more balanced modification:

more hitting mass + more stability

but still with a meaningful increase in swing weight. For a player seeking both power and stability, this can be an attractive region.

What About 3 and 9 O'Clock?

Now move the mass farther toward the sides. This increases its lateral distance from the paddle's longitudinal centerline. And because that lateral distance is critical to twist weight, 3 and 9 become very efficient locations for increasing torsional stability. The likely result is:greater resistance to twisting, more stability on off-center impacts, potentially greater forgiveness But the weight is still farther from the hand than Johns' lower placement, so the swing-weight increase will also be greater. So again, there is a trade-off.

And Then We Get to Ben Johns' Lower-Corner Position

Now move the same mass lower. The mass remains outside the paddle's centerline, so it still contributes to twist resistance. But it moves considerably closer to the hand. That reduces its effect on swing weight. And that gives us perhaps the simplest explanation of Johns' setup:

Ben Johns is adding stability while trying to minimize the cost in swing weight and hand speed.

It's an elegant solution to a paddle-design problem.

The Same Weight Can Create Very Different Paddles

Consider the same amount of additional mass placed in four different locations:

Tape location	Swing-weight effect	Twist-weight effect	Primary objective
12 o'clock	Very high	Low	Plow-through / power
10 & 2	High	Moderate	Power + stability
3 & 9	Moderate	High	Stability / forgiveness
Lower corners / Johns region	Low	Moderate	Stability with less loss of hand speed

These are directional relationships, not laboratory measurements for a particular Perseus. Exact changes depend on the starting paddle, the amount of tape and its precise position. But the underlying physics explains something important: The same 5 grams can produce a very different paddle depending on where those 5 grams are placed.

For a broader understanding of all weighted tape options, read our Pickleball Weighted Tape Guide & Paddle Weighting Optimizer.

Why the Perseus Is Particularly Interesting to Customize

The Perseus uses an elongated 16.5 × 7.5-inch shape. That geometry provides reach and leverage, but the relatively narrow face also means the paddle does not extend as far laterally as a wider paddle. That matters for twist weight. Because twist weight depends heavily on how far mass is distributed from the centerline, an elongated narrow paddle can present an interesting tuning opportunity. A player can add perimeter mass to increase resistance to twisting while retaining the reach and other characteristics of the elongated shape.

And Johns' original Perseus illustrates this particularly well.

The stock paddle tested at a 5.87 twist weight.

After the complete Johns-style customization, that measurement rose to 6.94.

That's an approximately 18% increase in twist weight.

Want to understand the principles behind this setup? Explore our Pickleball Paddle Customization Guide to learn how weight placement, swingweight, twistweight and balance can change paddle performance.

Should You Copy Ben Johns' Perseus Setup?

Not necessarily. That's perhaps the most important practical lesson from all of this. Johns' paddle is tuned for Ben Johns. His strength, technique, hand speed, contact consistency and style of play are obviously different from those of most recreational players. Instead of copying his tape configuration, it makes more sense to copy his method of thinking.

Ask what you want your paddle to do differently.

If you want more power and plow-through:

Consider moving mass higher on the paddle.

If your paddle twists too much on off-center contact:

Consider adding mass farther toward the perimeter to increase twist weight.

If you want greater stability without making the paddle dramatically slower:

Lower-perimeter weighting becomes particularly interesting.

There isn't one universally correct location for weighted tape.

The correct location depends on the characteristic you're trying to change.

The Bigger Lesson Behind Ben Johns' Perseus Setup

There's a tendency to think of a pickleball paddle as a finished collection of specifications:

8.1 ounces.

16.5 inches long.

16 mm core.

A particular swing weight. A particular twist weight. But Ben Johns' Perseus setups demonstrate another way of looking at a paddle:

As a tunable platform.

A few strategically positioned grams can change how easily the paddle accelerates, how resistant it is to twisting, where its balance point sits and how substantial it feels through impact.

That's why two paddles with identical static weights can feel dramatically different.

And it's why simply asking "How heavy is this paddle?" doesn't tell us nearly enough.

Ben Johns has changed Perseus generations. He has changed from lead tape to tungsten tape. He has changed how much additional mass he uses. But one aspect of his setup has remained strikingly consistent: He concentrates additional mass around the lower perimeter rather than loading the top of the paddle. So perhaps the most useful lesson from the world's most famous Perseus setup isn't exactly where Ben Johns puts his tape.

It's this:

Don't start by asking how much weight you should add to your paddle. Start by asking what you want your paddle to do differently. Once you know that, the science can tell you where the weight should go. Use our Paddle Optimizer app to help you customize your paddle for your play. 

For information on Ben Johns weighted tape setup for his Perseus Pro V paddle, see our blog - Ben Johns Perseus Pro V Weighted Tape Configuration Explained

For information on Ben Johns weighted tape setup for his Perseus Pro 3S paddle, see our blog - Ben Johns' JOOLA Perseus 3S Weighted Tape Setup Explained

For information on Anna Leigh Waters weighted tape setup see our blog - Anna Leigh Waters' Paddle Setup: Weighted Tape on the Paddletek ALW-C and Franklin C45