Wanted the Thrive Project Fury Hybrid’s power with more reach and put-away leverage? This Thrive Project Fury Elongated build brings the same Gen 3+ crack, more tip leverage for drives and serves, and still feels surprisingly quick in hand. You give up a hair of off-center forgiveness; you gain easier finishing power. They also introduced two new colors, Red and Blue. My blue one really stands out, one of the most beautiful paddles in terms of design and colorway I have had.
Full deep dive on the Thrive Project FURY tech, specs, and data for the Hybrid → Link
Initial feel: The stock build felt quick for an elongated, not head-heavy. You can choose your SW from 115 to 118; mine came in at 116. Impact is classic louder, crisp “pock,” linear power, and tons of grab on the ball.
What stood out (Initial Impressions)
Power: Extra lever length = free depth on drives and serves; put-aways feel automatic.
Pop: A bit less than the Hybrid, but still serious pop for any elongated paddle on the market.
Spin: The face is seriously grippy; it has a heavy kick on roll volleys and carving slices.
Stability: Better than most elongateds; still a touch less forgiving than the Hybrid on high or edge shanks.
Maneuverability: Faster hands than many 16.5 × 7.5 sticks; balanced rather than whippy.
Feel: Lively and connected, not muted; you know when you catch center.
Elongated vs Hybrid, same FURY family
Elongated: More plow, reach, and top-end hammer; slightly less pop and a narrower sweet spot; great for attackers, two-hand backhands, and baseline drive merchants.
Hybrid: Wider sweet area and calmer mishits; a tad quicker in kitchen hand battles; a safer pick if you want more maneuverability and sweet spot.
Gen 3+ vs Gen 4, quick take
Gen 3+: Lively feedback, instant power, connected ball feel; great if you like to swing and shape.
Gen 4 (full-foam): Bigger built-in stability and softer touch, but can feel muted and may need more swing for the same pace.
FURY Elongated: Keeps the Gen 3+ sauce, pop, and feel, while tightening stability more than most classic Gen 3 builds.
Thrive FURY Elongated vs JOOLA Perseus Pro IV, quick compare
Form factor and core
FURY Elongated: 15.5 mm polymer honeycomb core with 8 mm cells; tri-layer face (carbon, fiberglass, carbon); thermoformed 360 unibody; TPE perimeter ring; internal core weights near 4 and 8 o’clock; peel-ply texture; USA Pickleball PbCOR 0.433.
Perseus Pro IV: 14 mm or 16 mm options; textured carbon face; JOOLA “Tech Flex Power” foam under the edge guard; “Propulsion” core feel.
SW and weight feel
FURY Elongated: Choose-your-SW is a FURY calling card; pick your own from 115–118. Internal weighting boosts torsional stability without a head-heavy feel. Expect the Elongated to sit higher than the Hybrid but still be quick for its class.
Perseus Pro IV: Typical SW reported around 116 for 14 mm and 118 for 16 mm, with the same weighting foam sitting at the 4 and 8 o’clock positions. The 16 mm plays a bit slower than the 14 mm sibling, but with more plow and dwell.
Power
FURY Elongated: Gen 3+ crack with extra tip leverage; easy depth on drives and serves; linear response.
Perseus Pro IV: Premium pop; 16 mm builds feel a touch softer with strong put-away power.
Spin
FURY Elongated: Very coarse peel-ply texture; tons of grab for heavy topspin and carving slices.
Perseus Pro IV: Excellent spin and dwell from textured carbon, but not as gritty as the Thrive.
Stability and forgiveness
FURY Elongated: Internal weights at 4 and 8, plus a TPE ring; calmer than most elongateds for its speed.
Perseus Pro IV: Foam under the edge guard; very stable for an elongated, 16 mm is the calmer option.
Feel and swing
FURY Elongated: Lively and connected; audible “pock”; quick in hand for a 16.5 × 7.5 profile.
Perseus Pro IV: Slightly more muted and refined; a hair slower swing in the 16 mm but very composed.
Price and warranty (typical)
FURY Elongated: $199 ($180 with SLICE10); 6-month warranty.
Perseus Pro IV: Premium pricing at ~$280; 12-month warranty.
| Metric | Thrive FURY Elongated | JOOLA Perseus Pro IV 14 mm | JOOLA Perseus Pro IV 16 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Pop | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Spin | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Dwell | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Sweet spot | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Control | 8 | 7 | 8 |
Which one for you
Thrive FURY Elongated and JOOLA Perseus Pro IV have a similar performance for about $100 less on the FURY. The Perseus is softer with a deeper thock, very composed; the FURY is more lively and connected, with that louder “pock.”
- Pick FURY Elongated if you want max reach with a connected Gen 3+ feel; a bit stiffer; big spin; quick hands; customizable inertia; and you like shaping aggressive topspin drives with more sound feedback.
- Pick Perseus Pro IV if you want a softer contact, extra stability in the 16 mm for max power, and great topspin drives out of a more muted, refined feel.
Availability: Thrive Project Fury Elongated is on pre-order, expected to ship on or before Oct 22, $199 MSRP ($180 with SLICE10), and the pre-order includes about $45 in accessories: neoprene cover, Fast Hands training balls, lead weights, paddle eraser, bottle opener, keychain, and sticker.