Best Tennis Balls

[mhj202]

Originally Posted by zapvor

haha. i dont like any of the dunlops. especially grand prix

Originally Posted by zapvor

... the reason i dont like them is the weight. too hard and heavy...price isnt a big concern, playability is.

+1. My club sells the Dunlop Grand Prix exclusively and I don't like the feel at all. They may stay consistent for longer but, unfortunately, it's consistently hard and heavy.

I've been trying to bring my own cans of Wilson USOpen balls for matches but may try the Penn ATP based on the feedback on here.

[ArliHawk]

Originally Posted by mhj202

+1. My club sells the Dunlop Grand Prix exclusively and I don't like the feel at all. They may stay consistent for longer but, unfortunately, it's consistently hard and heavy.

I've been trying to bring my own cans of Wilson USOpen balls for matches but may try the Penn ATP based on the feedback on here.

I just feel like the Dunlops are hard on the arm.

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by mhj202

+1. My club sells the Dunlop Grand Prix exclusively and I don't like the feel at all. They may stay consistent for longer but, unfortunately, it's consistently hard and heavy.

I've been trying to bring my own cans of Wilson USOpen balls for matches but may try the Penn ATP based on the feedback on here.

where in ny? i go up there each yr for the us open and would like to hit when visiting

[db10s]

Originally Posted by Matchball

What ?

Slazenger not included? You gotta be kidding me, right?
By far the best ball IMO.

Yep, them and Penn ATP.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by zapvor

.... the reason i dont like them is the weight. too hard and heavy. i have played in snow and over100degree heat, on decoturf2 to har tru clay. i have paid for about 5 cans of balls in the last 5yrs so price isnt a big concern, playability is. hence why i picked volkl. does this make sense to you now

Now we are getting some where. Yes, your feedback is now more informative. You are correct that Dunlop balls, in general, feel harder or stiffer than balls from Penn, Wilson and some others. This is probably one of the main factors with regards to longevity. Because, they last so much longer than other brands, they usually end up being cheaper in the long run. Of the pressurized balls, I believe that Prince Tour balls are only ones that last significantly longer that Dunlop GP balls.

I don't recall the Prince Tour balls feeling as stiff as the Dunlop GP balls.

Despite their stiffness, Dunlop balls are still quite a bit easier on the arm (less stiff) than hard pressureless balls. I currently have a seriously compromised shoulder and have had mild-to-moderate cases of TE in the past. Despite these issues, the Dunlop balls have never bothered my arm except on very cold nights.

This is probably because I use a soft string at a fairly low tension and the frames that I use provide a pretty good measure of dampening & isolation (from the shock and vibrations due to the ball, strings and frame). If you are using tight or harsh strings with a harsh feeling frame(stiff or lacking in shock reduction) or hit a lot of balls off-center, it may explain why Dunlop balls bother you so much.

As for their weight, I do not believe that the GP or other Dunlop balls are significantly heavier than other brands. They may give the illusion that they are heavier but they must fall in that fairly narrow weight range that I've stated (earlier in this thread, I think).

[zapvor]

well there you go

i string at low tension, poly syn. i also dont use stiff rackets. i just dont like heavy balls

[SystemicAnomaly]

^ Hard/stiff balls not heavy balls.

Poly strings can be a huge factor, even at low tensions. A racket that is flexible (not stiff) is no guarantee that they will not transmit a lot of shock (and vibration) to the arm.


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[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by zapvor

yea. well in the TW world everyone also debates on lead placement and how much overgrip weight will affect the swingweight, and how fuzz on the stringbed causes them to lose topspin, so yea....

but the reason i dont like them is the weight. too hard and heavy. i have played in snow and over100degree heat, on decoturf2 to har tru clay. i have paid for about 5 cans of balls in the last 5yrs so price isnt a big concern, playability is. hence why i picked volkl. does this make sense to you now

Well there's yer problem!

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Well there's yer problem!

lol yea. in the rain too. at the end my shoes weighed like 5lbs each

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by SystemicAnomaly

^ Hard/stiff balls not heavy balls.

Poly strings can be a huge factor, even at low tensions. A racket that is flexible (not stiff) is no guarantee that they will not transmit a lot of shock (and vibration) to the arm.


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for me they are heavier too. you are connecting the wrong things. i dont like the balls because they are hard and heavy, not because they transmit shock to my arm. it has nothing to do with that. i just dont like the feel of the bounce

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by zapvor

for me they are heavier too. you are connecting the wrong things. i dont like the balls because they are hard and heavy, not because they transmit shock to my arm. it has nothing to do with that. i just dont like the feel of the bounce

The hardness of the Dunlop ball is exactly what that shock (& vibration) transmitted the arm is. What other explanation would you have for your ability to feel the hardness/stiffness of the ball?

As for heaviness (static weight), the balls are within ITF specs (which are fairly narrow as I indicated previously). If the balls really are heavier, on average, that other balls that you use, the difference is, no doubt, extremely slight. It is doubtful that you would even be able to detect the difference with most commercial scales (like a food scale or a postal scale). A ball may give the illusion that it is heavier (weights more) because of its stiffness &, perhaps, due to it's dwell time on the stringbed.
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[zapvor]

easy. i bounce the ball on the ground like a basketball. very easy to tell how hard something is. try it

[tistrapukcipeht]

Is Penn ATP really the same as Pro Penn Marathon?

[SystemicAnomaly]

^ No, not the same ball. check out the descriptions for the 2 balls on the Penn site:

http://www.pennracquet.com/professional.html

Originally Posted by zapvor

easy. i bounce the ball on the ground like a basketball. very easy to tell how hard something is. try it

This doesn't make any sense -- don't get what you are trying to say. Are you saying that you are bothered by the sound of the Dunlop balls on the strings or the ground?

If you are talking about the way it feels, then it is (mechanical) shock & vibrations, my friend. Pure & simple.
.

[zapvor]

i guess its tough to explain. when you bounce a basketball, you dont complain of vibrations/ shock. when was the last time any NBA pro or any casual basketball baller said "oh god the way the ball bounces its giving me shock and vibrations" so again, go bounce different kinds of tennis balls. try it.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by zapvor

i guess its tough to explain. when you bounce a basketball, you dont complain of vibrations/ shock. when was the last time any NBA pro or any casual basketball baller said "oh god the way the ball bounces its giving me shock and vibrations" so again, go bounce different kinds of tennis balls. try it.

It appears that I have not been clear enough with what I've been trying to say. ALL ball impacts with the racket/strings will transmit some measure of shock and vibrations to the hand and arm holding the racket. Even when we hit foam balls or the softest Penn balls with the most arm-friendly racket available on the market, there will be some shock & vibrations transmitted to the hand/arm -- this is what we are feeling. When we say that Dunlop balls feel harder than Penn balls, it is because they affect the strings and racket in such a way that a bit more shock/vibrations are produced that reach your arm.

When you bounce your basketball you also feel shock/vibrations transmitted to your hand/arm. However, they are not usually great enough to really bother you. It is only when the shock intensity or magnitude that reaches our arm is large enough that problems arise.

If the intensity is high enough, the shock can eventually result in wrist, elbow or shoulder problems. In your case, the shock/vibrations from hitting Dunlop balls is enough to bother you a bit but not enough to cause any real pain or damage.

The bottom line: Just because an impact doesn't result in pain or damage does not mean that no shock or vibrations are produced (and reach your arm).

[SystemicAnomaly]

More info on impact shock:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577483/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_%28mechanics%29

"A mechanical or physical shock is a sudden acceleration or deceleration caused, for example, by impact, drop, kick, earthquake, or explosion . Shock is a transient physical excitation... "

[anubis]

Wow, I had no idea that balls meant so much. I guess I just never really paid attention. i buy regular old penn championships at costco b/c its $30 a case, never really knowing that they were crappy balls. I have a couple of cans of pro penn marathons and i like those a lot, but only b/c they last longer. but i didn't know that better balls actually bounced differently, or could be imparted with more or less spin.

[SystemicAnomaly]

^ The Penn Champs are not really crappy balls. It's just that there are better balls available on the market -- for a price. If you get ball that last a lot longer than the Penn Champs, it could be much cheaper in the long run. It would be great if Prince Tour balls became available again since their longevity is unmatched -- and they are superior balls in other respects as well.
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[zapvor]

Originally Posted by SystemicAnomaly

It appears that I have not been clear enough with what I've been trying to say. ALL ball impacts with the racket/strings will transmit some measure of shock and vibrations to the hand and arm holding the racket. Even when we hit foam balls or the softest Penn balls with the most arm-friendly racket available on the market, there will be some shock & vibrations transmitted to the hand/arm -- this is what we are feeling. When we say that Dunlop balls feel harder than Penn balls, it is because they affect the strings and racket in such a way that a bit more shock/vibrations are produced that reach your arm.

When you bounce your basketball you also feel shock/vibrations transmitted to your hand/arm. However, they are not usually great enough to really bother you. It is only when the shock intensity or magnitude that reaches our arm is large enough that problems arise.

If the intensity is high enough, the shock can eventually result in wrist, elbow or shoulder problems. In your case, the shock/vibrations from hitting Dunlop balls is enough to bother you a bit but not enough to cause any real pain or damage.

The bottom line: Just because an impact doesn't result in pain or damage does not mean that no shock or vibrations are produced (and reach your arm).

lol you are nuts man. how are you going to tell me what bothers me or not. only i can feel what i feel. hitting dunlop balls doesnt bother me a bit. i just dont like the way they feel so i choose not too play with them. its not because of this shock thing you keep trying to drill into me. but at this point i dont think you will get it, so nevermind. believe whatever you want