How do Tretorn X balls feel in hand?

[zerojoshua]

My experience with other pressurless balls is that they feel to soft in hand and result in a ball that feels dead to the hit. How much do they give when you squeeze them in hand?

Thanks,

Josh

[tball]

They feel much harder than regular balls.

[zerojoshua]

Originally Posted by tball

They feel much harder than regular balls.

Even harder then a Dunlop Grand Prix just removed from a can (Which I love)?

[tennisnj]

Very hard in your hand, even harder when you try to hit them. Tennis elbow is in your future if you use them for any prolonged amount of time (aside from them shooting out of a ball machine). I agree with you zerojoshua about the Dunlop Grand Prix & Tretorns are even harder.

[max]

Originally Posted by tball

They feel much harder than regular balls.

Yes this is the case. I used to use them. It takes some adjustment but after a couple of weeks it's doable. Gamma sells/sold pressureless balls directly as well; dig up one of their old catalogues and give them a call.

[ricki]

rock - hard

[mctennis]

Originally Posted by ricki

rock - hard

Ditto +1. Very hard.

[BoingTennis]

They are hard when new and they stay hard through their lifetime.

I had a weird batch recently where some balls were popping (white foam exploding out) when using them to practice my serve.

[ductrung3993]

hard and heavy

[beernutz]

I don't think they are that much harder than 'regular' balls. I bought 108 of them in 2010 when I bought my ball machine and used them exclusively in it for two years hitting for probably at least 1 hour per week. I never had any arm or elbow problems from that. They are somewhat harder than pressured balls but they aren't like hitting rocks as some people are implying. The only reason I don't use them is that the outer felt finally wore off and they're pretty expensive to replace. I created a system to repressurize regular balls and now use it to keep my ball machine supplied with good balls.

[AR15]

I had a bucket of them with my ball machine, and I found them slightly firmer than regular tennis balls, but I would not describe them as "rocks" by any means. They hit pretty much like new firm balls.

For the tennis ball machine, I like these because they throw consistently vs balls with varying levels of compression.

And, I think I've felt more elbow pain when I've hit dead balls than I've felt from the Tretorns.

[retrograde]

Warmed up with some new Micro X balls today ... my partner and I agreed they played like they were slightly heavier than a regular ball, but nothing that bothered us. We were hitting with new Penn ATP's at the same time for comparison. The Micro X's might have bounced slightly higher off the hard court (or maybe the ball has greater spin potential) but the difference was subtle.

From a static weight viewpoint, all these balls weigh the same. Out of the can, the Tretorns varied from 2.00 oz to 2.05 oz. The Penn ATP's varied from 2.00 oz to 2.10 oz.

I think that any player perceptions that the Tretorn's are slightly "heavier" or "harder" has to do with differences in the elasticity of the ball and differences in how they deform on impact. Would be interesting to watch a high-speed video to see if there are any visual differences.

My elbow can be a bit sensitive so only time will tell whether the bag I'm about to order will mess with my arm after some machine sessions.

[zerojoshua]

Originally Posted by beernutz

I created a system to repressurize regular balls and now use it to keep my ball machine supplied with good balls.

I also use an old soda keg to re-pressurize balls. It's not that efficient.


The cold weather didn't hurt the Tretorn X balls, but as I feared the balls are soft in hand and this is why they feel heavy. More surface area hits the racket.

This is the reason I started the thread and apparently I did not convey my concerns properly.

They are still decent but not nearly what I had hoped for.

[tball]

Strange, I played with mine outside just before Christmas. It was cold (39 degrees F). All other balls (some regular, some pressureless from other companies) -- were all dead. I threw out a bagful that day. The tretorns were the only ones which bounced. They did not feel heavy. If anything, they were a little "too bouncy" -- that's the only complaint.

Anyway, I have not found anything better yet.

The other presureless balls just lose their bounce overtime. I prefer to deal with extra liveliness of Tretorns. It is almost like opening a new can in the middle of the day in the summer.

[zerojoshua]

Originally Posted by tball

All other balls (some regular, some pressureless from other companies) -- were all dead. I threw out a bagful that day. The tretorns were the only ones which bounced.

The bounce of the Tretorns are great at 25 deg, but so are Dunlop Grand Prix and Propenn Marathons.

I am speaking of how they feel when you squeeze them. Because they give more means that they hit the string-bed with more surface area.

They are the same weight as other balls.

[retrograde]

Originally Posted by zerojoshua

I also use an old soda keg to re-pressurize balls. It's not that efficient.

Could you please elaborate? I'm curious if you mean the end result isn't satisfactory ... or the cost/effort required to get good results is too much?

It seems to me like $50 for a soda keg pressurizer would be a good deal for those who need to fill a ball machine hopper, or for those who want to have a basket of practice balls.

[zerojoshua]

Originally Posted by retrograde

Could you please elaborate? Is the end result not good, or is the cost or effort required to get good results more too much?

It seems to me like $50 for a soda keg pressurizer would be a good deal for those who need to fill a ball machine hopper, or for those who want to have a basket of practice balls.

Some balls stay dead regardless of pressurization. Some take a lot longer to pressurizer than others.

If you're looking for consistent bouncing balls the Re-pressurization rout is not for you. I still use the keg, but not as any type of primary ball system.

[retrograde]

Originally Posted by zerojoshua

Some balls stay dead regardless of pressurization. Some take a lot longer to pressurizer than others.

If you're looking for consistent bouncing balls the Re-pressurization rout is not for you. I still use the keg, but not as any type of primary ball system.

Fair enough. Any idea of the rough percentage of balls that re-pressurize OK per batch compared to the percentage of "stubborn" or "non-responsive" balls?

Mixing in some re-pressurized balls with a batch of Tretorns might turn a ball machine into one with variable depth oscillation

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Feels like a rock, also hits like a rock.

[magnut]

How durable is the felt on these compared to regular balls? Do they bounce well when its really cold (like in the 40s)?