Best Tennis Ball Brand

What is the best tennis ball? Please note specific type of ball in the comments (Penn Championship)

  • Penn/Head

    Votes: 22 10.6%
  • Wilson

    Votes: 64 30.9%
  • Dunlop

    Votes: 69 33.3%
  • Babolat

    Votes: 11 5.3%
  • Yonex

    Votes: 5 2.4%
  • Tecnifibre

    Votes: 20 9.7%
  • Gamma

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Slazenger

    Votes: 6 2.9%
  • Diadem

    Votes: 9 4.3%

  • Total voters
    207

Robert F

Hall of Fame
What's your favorite tennis ball brand and then ball type of that brand? And why?

For me my favorite ball is the Penn Pro Marathon. For higher end balls it is tough to beat. Plays lively, doesn't fluff up to much and lasts long.
Pt stay away from Penn Championships--highly unreliable from can to can.

My favorite ball for lower end balls is the Dunlop ATP--just a solid ball. Comes out of the can great. Good durability.

As a brand, I also give props to Wilson--US Open is a solid ball and for a cheap ball the Wilson Championships get the job done.
 
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Robert F

Hall of Fame
The Wilson U.S. Open is the gold standard, IMO. Everything else is either close or cheap and harsh on your arms.
I love these fresh out of the can, but compared to other balls they seem to play much different after a set. Not necessarily worse than cheap balls, but different from a fresh set of US Opens.
 

Purestriker

Legend
I love these fresh out of the can, but compared to other balls they seem to play much different after a set. Not necessarily worse than cheap balls, but different from a fresh set of US Opens.
I find the Penn's unplayable and the QC (nobs on the lines) to be substandard. The USO are good for multiple sets, have not had any issue with playability.

Diadem's feel heavier, which is the same issue I have with the Dunlop ATP ball.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
I find the Penn's unplayable and the QC (nobs on the lines) to be substandard. The USO are good for multiple sets, have not had any issue with playability.

Diadem's feel heavier, which is the same issue I have with the Dunlop ATP ball.
Penn Championship are bad, but ironically Penn makes the Pro Tour and Pro Penn Marathons, both are great balls.
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Just like with racquets, strings etc., everyone likes the balls they are used to. There have been many threads like this over the years and it is not like some consensus happens.
 
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Robert F

Hall of Fame
Just like with racquets, strings etc., everyone likes the balls they are used to. There have been many threads like this over the years and it is not like some consensus happens.
Do you think the anything has changed with the balls over the years? Quality? Durablity? Bounce?
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
I have used Diadem several times and their balls are a great value.
How do they hold up in a match? Pretty similar over 2-3 sets?
How long do you keep them or practice/hitting sessions?

I'll use Penn Pro Marathons for about 4-6 hours of play. No other ball really lasts that well for that time period.
 

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
How do they hold up in a match? Pretty similar over 2-3 sets?
How long do you keep them or practice/hitting sessions?

I'll use Penn Pro Marathons for about 4-6 hours of play. No other ball really lasts that well for that time period.
they actually hold up well.
They don't play like Wilson US opens, but, they aren't $6 a can either.
My crew started noticing a quick drop off in those Wal Mart Penns after 2 indoor sets about 4 or 5 months ago.
We discovered the Diadems and are pleased, they are almost like new after 3 hours/3 hard sets.
Marathons are good too, but iirc, are almost double the price of the Diadems.

Diadems ball #s are also in Roman numerals...... cool...
 

Purestriker

Legend
they actually hold up well.
They don't play like Wilson US opens, but, they aren't $6 a can either.
My crew started noticing a quick drop off in those Wal Mart Penns after 2 indoor sets about 4 or 5 months ago.
We discovered the Diadems and are pleased, they are almost like new after 3 hours/3 hard sets.
Marathons are good too, but iirc, are almost double the price of the Diadems.

Diadems ball #s are also in Roman numerals...... cool...
The new Diadems might be roman numerals, but the current ones we have at our club are numbered just like the others. If you buy a case of balls, the price is significantly less than $6 a can.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
they actually hold up well.
They don't play like Wilson US opens, but, they aren't $6 a can either.
My crew started noticing a quick drop off in those Wal Mart Penns after 2 indoor sets about 4 or 5 months ago.
We discovered the Diadems and are pleased, they are almost like new after 3 hours/3 hard sets.
Marathons are good too, but iirc, are almost double the price of the Diadems.

Diadems ball #s are also in Roman numerals...... cool...
$6 dollar a can has been hard to swallow part of me buying a lot of Dunlop ATPs--probably best value ball out there.

I'm amazed you feel you get 2 sets out of Penn Championships. I feel they are done after 1 set.

I'll have to give Diadems a spin especially if the price is right.
 

PRS

Professional
They get a lot of hate by some people, but I love the standard Penn balls I can get from Costco. They're good enough for one good hitting session, and cheap enough where I don't mind only using them for one hitting session. Maybe I'll bring them out for a second on occasion if it's more casual, but they won't handle 2 serious hitting sessions. There's only a couple guys that aren't happy with them out of the 60+ in our group, and they always provide their own US Open balls when I'm on court with them. Everybody else thinks they're great and they're the cheapest ones I've found.
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Just like with strings breaking, the amount of time that balls last with good bounce is very level dependent and also outdoor hard courts wear out balls faster. Harder the hitters, the quicker that balls lose their bounce. What I’ve noticed at my club is that the 4.5+ guys always bring premium balls (ProPenn mostly, but also Wilson USO or Penn Tour and rarely Dunlop ATP) whereas at lower levels, players feel comfortable with the cheaper Penn Championship balls. On hard courts it is Extra duty XD balls and on green clay, it is Regular duty. Also, higher level players generally open a can for every match and usually will open a new can for a third set of singles.
 

Taveren

Professional
I agree with the Costco Penn’s being good enough for 1 session and it’s cheap that almost everyone I play with nowadays doesn’t really mind it. Best balls I have tried are Techinfibre X-one and Pro Penn Tour
 

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
I hate to say this, but the Babolat balls are the best I've tested and also the cheapest per case at my racquet club.
 
My buddy may just have a bad case but the Diadems are a hard pass from me. He’s brought them multiple times and every time, they’ve played and sounded like you’re hitting a green dot ball. Ball doesn’t hold any speed through the court and the sound is comical. If I were him, I’d have given them away or trashed them by now. TF X-1 and top tier Dunlops have been the go to for my hitting groups the last couple years
 

PRS

Professional
What I’ve noticed at my club is that the 4.5+ guys always bring premium balls (ProPenn mostly, but also Wilson USO or Penn Tour and rarely Dunlop ATP) whereas at lower levels, players feel comfortable with the cheaper Penn Championship balls.
I haven't found that to be the case in my area. The group I play with is mainly 4.0 and 4.5, a decent amount of 5.0, and a couple 5.5s thrown in. I can think of one 5.0 and one 4.0 that aren't happy with the cheap balls, indoor or outdoor. Nobody else seems to be bothered by what ball anybody brings, and a good chunk of us get them from Costco.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
They get a lot of hate by some people, but I love the standard Penn balls I can get from Costco. They're good enough for one good hitting session, and cheap enough where I don't mind only using them for one hitting session. Maybe I'll bring them out for a second on occasion if it's more casual, but they won't handle 2 serious hitting sessions. There's only a couple guys that aren't happy with them out of the 60+ in our group, and they always provide their own US Open balls when I'm on court with them. Everybody else thinks they're great and they're the cheapest ones I've found.
AARGH the cursed Costco Penn Balls. Tons of my doubles buddies bring them out and I cringe every time. Probably 1 in 3 times they are fine for 2 hours of play. The other 2 times, they can start out dead or be lucky to feel like new balls after a set. I get the price benefit.

In the end I'm just happy to be able to play with my buddies regardless of the ball.
 

kevin qmto

Hall of Fame
I found it funny you included Gamma on the list still. Though, I will say those Gamma Pro Tour Balls they made circa 2005-10 were excellent quality, hey had pips on the inner core and were filled with nitrogen, played supremely well. I remember them being used at a couple tour events even. It was funny how Gamma made both the lowest, and perhaps one of the highest quality balls at the same time. These days though they're just making pressureless and low end ones.

Anyways, Technifibre X-One is the best ball for my money these days.
 
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Robert F

Hall of Fame
Just trying to be inclusive. Didn't want a list of "Hey you forgot..."
I was debating listing each ball... ProPenn Marathon, Penn Tour, Penn Championship....but then it might be a little too much.
 

CVT

Rookie
For those that haven't tried Technifiber X-One, give it a try and let me know what you think. Right now, it is my #1, followed by Wilson US Open, and Penn Tour. For some reason, Penn Marathon hasn't been as good feeling for me. The US Open and Penn Tour fluff when they get old. I suppose I prefer that to thinning.

Technifiber X-One is sort of alone and different from the others. It is a premium ball and supposedly has a more full woven felt instead of just hairs glued on. It results in a slightly slicker ball off the strings, but it maintains its quality longer. It tends more towards thinning than fluffing, though it has a bit of both. It stays fast for longer and stays more consistent than most other balls. You really can get another use or two out of the ball, and it seems to take longer to depressurize.

I also sometimes repressurize balls, which makes premium balls entirely worth it from a value standpoint. Playing a nicer premium ball with longer lasting felt makes up for the relative expense of the balls when you can repressurize them to spec and get several good rounds with them.
 

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
My buddy may just have a bad case but the Diadems are a hard pass from me. He’s brought them multiple times and every time, they’ve played and sounded like you’re hitting a green dot ball. Ball doesn’t hold any speed through the court and the sound is comical. If I were him, I’d have given them away or trashed them by now. TF X-1 and top tier Dunlops have been the go to for my hitting groups the last couple years
ymmv I guess. We had a guy run a tourney with them last month and no one complained at all, several cases and not one bad can.
 

LOBALOT

Legend
I cannot play with those Costco Penns. They are moon rocks.

Wilson US Open XD are not the same after the pandemic but I still give them a slight nod over Penn Marathon.

Diadem seem bigger/heavier/fluffier than other balls.

Dunlop seem lighter and fluffier.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
In response to CVT, agree the Penn Tour's seem to fluff more and feel a little softer compared to ProPenn Marathons.
Still both quality balls.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
Dunlop taking a lead in the poll. My guess is due to the reasonable price, good durability and good quality--it does everything so well.
Probably my 2nd favorite ball next to ProPenn Marathons.

For a long time I thought Wilson US Opens would dominate. But I think they've dropped a step in quality and the price is harsh. I love them right out of the can, but depending on how long our first set went, ball plays a lot different somewhare in set 2.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
ProPenn Marathons are my favorite.

Btw, I can't vote on the poll for Penn because that is too broad. Penn Championships are really bad.
I did struggle with that part of the poll since I had to lump different quality/levels of balls together. But if I polled each and every ball we'd have 15 choices or more. I guess I could do a premium poll and crap ball poll.
 

ChocoLab

New User
I find that the cheaper Penns (are the Costcos unique?) look just fine after some hitting but the bounce/compression drops off inconsistently among balls even from the same can, which is frustrating.

Dunlop, which I usually buy... The ATP version seems fluffier and lasts longer than the standard XD one, which can lose felt quickly. They do seem consistent, though.

I thought the Wilson US Open was still the best, but I don't use them very often anymore due to cost.
 

bobleenov1963

Hall of Fame
Dunlop taking a lead in the poll. My guess is due to the reasonable price, good durability and good quality--it does everything so well.
Probably my 2nd favorite ball next to ProPenn Marathons.

For a long time I thought Wilson US Opens would dominate. But I think they've dropped a step in quality and the price is harsh. I love them right out of the can, but depending on how long our first set went, ball plays a lot different somewhare in set 2.
US Open ball is my favorite even now and yes it is more expensive than other brand.

If you think US Open ball is expensive, try to hit a $5 Titleist Pro V1 golf ball and it lands in the water and you lose about 4 balls during an 18 holes round of golf :oops:
 

PRS

Professional
US Open ball is my favorite even now and yes it is more expensive than other brand.

If you think US Open ball is expensive, try to hit a $5 Titleist Pro V1 golf ball and it lands in the water and you lose about 4 balls during an 18 holes round of golf :oops:
I'm doing pretty good if I only lose 4 balls in 18 holes.
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
US Open ball is my favorite even now and yes it is more expensive than other brand.
Tecnifibre X1 is the most expensive in US by the case - $134 for 18 4-ball cans. ProPenn by the case is about $110 for 24 3-ball cans. ProPenn used to be about $75 before the pandemic. Pretty high inflation for premium balls.
 

MayorGorman

Rookie
Used to be all over the Wilson US Open ball as both a playing ball and a teaching ball. The ball that eclipsed that for me was actually a different Dunlop ball that hasnt mentioned yet and that is the Grand Prix. The ball fluffs up less than a the ATP but isnt hard and stays steady.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
I was one of the crazies. I voted for Penn because my favoirte ball is the ProPenn Marathon. Ironically, my least favorite ball is the Penn Championships.
I guess you could say the 2 balls cancel each other out and I should switch my vote to Dunlop.

You convinced me--switched!
 
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