Facolos Achieves Major Milestone With Dual Certification of EliteX Paddle

Source: Monkey Ball

For serious pickleball players, paddle certification is no small matter.

The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) has long set the gold standard for paddle approval at tournaments across the country, making USAPA-certified paddles a familiar sight in competitive play. In contrast, paddles carrying the International Pickleball Federation (IPF) mark have remained relatively rare—until now.

Big changes are brewing in the world of paddle certifications.

Just a month after JOOLA’s headline-grabbing move to announce dual certification for their paddles, Facolos has now entered the spotlight. On Thursday, Facolos co-founder Jessica Vo announced via Facebook that Facolos has officially achieved dual international certifications. The breakthrough paddle? The Facolos EliteX.

“We did it! Facolos goes PRO—with dual international certifications,” Vo shared. “We’re beyond proud to announce that our Facolos EliteX Pro has officially received both USAPA and UPA-A 2025 certifications—making it the first pickleball paddle from Vietnam to be internationally recognized for professional play.”

Vo highlighted that the Facolos EliteX successfully met the stringent requirements of both governing bodies, passing comprehensive evaluations including:

• RPM (revolutions per minute) testing

• Performance Enhancement Factor (PEF) analysis

• Artificial break-in simulation tests

This dual certification signifies that the Facolos EliteX not only meets but exceeds the technical demands required for play at the highest levels of professional competition, including premier circuits like the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP). Importantly, this certification is permanent—not conditional—solidifying the EliteX’s place in the competitive landscape.

After months of tireless innovation, rigorous testing, and fine-tuning, Vo credited the milestone to an enormous amount of dedication and passion poured into every detail of the paddle’s development.

“This is just the beginning. From Vietnam to the world—let’s play pro, let’s play Facolos,” Vo concluded.

With this achievement, Facolos steps boldly onto the global stage, signaling that the future of pickleball innovation might just come from corners of the world that players have yet to fully explore.