Pressureless balls?

[Omar4GO6]

Currently, I have a ball machine with pressureless balls. They seem to work fine, but I'm not sure if I should get real balls instead. What do you guys think? Pressureless or real balls?

[ramos77]

unless you're rich, you don't really have a choice.

pressurised balls dont last long and lose pressure quickly.

pressureless balls are more expensive initially, but cheaper in the long run.

which ones did you get?

[charliefedererer]

Get the Tretorn Micro-X Pressureless Tennis Balls x72 http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Tret...TRETPRESS.html

"Unlike traditional balls, the Tretorn balls have 700 million balloon-like microcells inside them that don't leak. They keep their pressure much longer than traditional gas pressured tennis balls. We found these balls to play very similar to regular heavy duty tennis balls."




I think you are less likely to develop tennis elbow, or a wrist or shoulder problem, because these balls really are "softer" than all other pressureless balls.
That is because other pressureless balls rely on the hard rubber in their outer wall to bounce, rather than having the microcells of the Tretorn, or the compressed air inside a regular tennis ball.

[Frank Silbermann]

I find that all brands of pressureless balls play better than pressurized once the temperature falls below the 50s (fahrenheit). For actually playing tennis, the best pressureless ball is Tretorn. But for banging serves and ground strokes against a concrete wall, other brands are better. On hard shots against the wall, Tretorns tend to crack, spewing a puff of white crap into the air. Then you get another puff every time they hit the wall until they've soon lost their bounce.

[charliefedererer]

^^^ I've never tried the Tretorns against a concrete wall - then again I'm lucky enough to have a nice Bolletierri concave wall that is softer than concrete to hit against.

But even the Tretorns are probably slightly harder than a regular tennis ball, and I use regular balls for hitting against the backboard and serve practice.

I definitely agree with you that the Tretorn Micro - X plays better then a pressurized ball in the cold - for me the temp has to be in the low 40's or 30's to break them out.

[SystemicAnomaly]

One pressurized ball that is well worth considering is the Prince Tour. It feels a lot better than pressureless balls, is kinder to your shoulder/elbow/arm and lasts quite a bit longer than other pressurized balls. The only problem is that Prince balls are a bit difficult to find right now in many areas. Worth the extra cost tho' -- in the long run it ends up being cheaper than inexpensive tennis ball because of its longevity.

[syc23]

I asked the same question a couple of months ago and decided that since i don't have a ton of money, I opted for a basket of Tretorn MicroX pressureless balls - probably along with getting a set of resistance bands, the best investment I've made to my tennis development.

The balls feel a tad hard to hit with in the beginning but they do soften a little (but still retain its bounce). Great for drills and serve practice.

[ramos77]

The Babolat Academy balls are a little softer than the Tretorns...

[Frank Silbermann]

Originally Posted by charliefedererer

I definitely agree with you that the Tretorn Micro - X plays better then a pressurized ball in the cold - for me the temp has to be in the low 40's or 30's to break them out.

You're probably comparing pressureless balls to brand new pressurized balls right out of the can.

Normally, for practice I will use a pressurized ball until it's three weeks old (or bald, whichever comes first). But if the weather is anywhere in the 40s or below, a pressurized ball that is a week-or-three old is just too dead for me.