Best Tennis Balls

[Deleted member 369227]

The Tecnifibre, Yonex and pressurized Tretorn balls are all coming out of the same factory in Thailand (Technifibre-Bridgestone joint venture). It looks like they have set strict exclusive distribution areas, so anything "out-of-market" can only be obtained via grey market sources (rather than normal authorized distributors) and will carry additional mark-ups. I did get a case of Yonex Tour balls here in the USA at a fairly decent price. As far as I can tell, they play the same as the Tecnifibre X-1's. Both of these balls have popped up at tournaments outside of their home markets during 2013.

Yep, Tecnifibre X-One balls are made in Bridgestone-Tecnifibre factory, it's printed on the can. Didn't know that some Tretorn balls are made there, but will definitely test them, as they are moderatley priced here. Do you know by chance which exact model of Tretorn balls originates from that Bridgestone factory?

 

[Chotobaka]

Yep, Tecnifibre X-One balls are made in Bridgestone-Tecnifibre factory, it's printed on the can. Didn't know that some Tretorn balls are made there, but will definitely test them, as they are moderatley priced here. Do you know by chance which exact model of Tretorn balls originates from that Bridgestone factory?

No, I do not know the exact model as I have never seen them in person. It is safe to assume that whichever ones are marketed as their top-of-the-line balls are the ones that are comparable to Tecnifibre X-1 and Yonex Tour.

 

[mikeler]

Somebody around here brought Tecnifibre balls years ago here. They were pretty good but then I stopped seeing them.

 

[Fifth Set]

That I do not know. I have yet to see the new ones in the wild. But given the premium quality and price point, I would not be surprised. There is more than one OEM tennis ball manufacturer in Thailand, but the Tecnifibre/Bridgestone facility would seem to be a likely choice for Prince Tour.

What more can you tell us about this factory in Thailand?

The Babolat "Roland Garros" all court ball, which is another premium ball sold in the US that, like the Pro Penn Marathon, is almost as good as the Prince Tour, is also made in Thailand. It sounds to me like Thailand is doing something right with tennis ball production.

FWIW, the Marathon is made in China, not Thailand. So, it's not quite the case that only the Thai factories can make a good ball.

 

[Chotobaka]

What more can you tell us about this factory in Thailand?

The Babolat "Roland Garros" all court ball, which is another premium ball sold in the US that, like the Pro Penn Marathon, is almost as good as the Prince Tour, is also made in Thailand. It sounds to me like Thailand is doing something right with tennis ball production.

FWIW, the Marathon is made in China, not Thailand. So, it's not quite the case that only the Thai factories can make a good ball.

Not much to add, really. The factory was built a few years ago and is operated as a joint venture between Bridgestone and Tecnifibre. Thailand has been a source of manufacturing of higher quality products for Japanese companies for a long time now and is home to many JV enterprises.

 

[Rjtennis]

Actually, I feel the complete opposite. They feel heavy, less lively, and dead on the spot...

I dislike the penn marathon balls too. They play so dam slow after just a few games. That 2012 Nadal vs. Nole AO match would still be going if they used Penn Marathons. They are definetly a heavy ball that fluffs up.