Good balls/Bad balls

[CharlottesHead]

Any recommendations for balls that might suit my taste? I'm looking to buy in bulk once I find the perfect combination of quality and value.

This is what I do and do not like.

Good balls:
Wilson US Open (durability not the greatest though)
Robin Söderling Tour (definitely my favourite so far)

Bad balls:
Head
Babolat French Open
Tretorn Serie +

All of the "bad balls" I have found to be too hard fresh out of the tube

Its It's probably safe to say I've used dunlop/slazenger at some point but either they weren't fresh or I was too much of a noob at the time to feel any difference. Same for Prince.
Tecnifibre & Yonex I definitely never tried. Penn isn't available so much in Europe.

I like balls that aren't overly heavy (like babolat) and that actually bounce (looking at you Tretorn) and have good feel & durability.

What are YOUR recommendations???

 

[Rohith Kolli]

I would suggest the Dunlop atp balls. Not the champion ball, the atp tour balls. They bounce really good and last pretty long

 

[CharlottesHead]

Ok thanks! I've read though that they're very hard, is there a brand you can compare them to?

 

[ichaseballs]

penn - either propenn or championship. don't think i tried the tour.
wilson - either usopen or championship.
dunlops are good too.

if you're playing outside get heavy duty. indoors regular duty.
ball savers are great. i always keep two around.

 

[CharlottesHead]

penn - either propenn or championship. don't think i tried the tour.
wilson - either usopen or championship.
dunlops are good too.

if you're playing outside get heavy duty. indoors regular duty.
ball savers are great. i always keep two around.

Penn isn't available from any of the major online tennis retailers in Europe unfortunately.
Would you say Dunlops are harder/softer/equal to Wilson US open for example?

 

[ichaseballs]

about the same? if the same price, i would get wilsons.

 

[beltsman]

Any recommendations for balls that might suit my taste? I'm looking to buy in bulk once I find the perfect combination of quality and value.

This is what I do and do not like.

Good balls:
Wilson US Open (durability not the greatest though)
Robin Söderling Tour (definitely my favourite so far)

Bad balls:
Head
Babolat French Open
Tretorn Serie +

All of the "bad balls" I have found to be too hard fresh out of the tube

Its It's probably safe to say I've used dunlop/slazenger at some point but either they weren't fresh or I was too much of a noob at the time to feel any difference. Same for Prince.
Tecnifibre & Yonex I definitely never tried. Penn isn't available so much in Europe.

I like balls that aren't overly heavy (like babolat) and that actually bounce (looking at you Tretorn) and have good feel & durability.

What are YOUR recommendations???

Pro Penn Marathon is my current favorite.

 

[stapletonj]

pro penn marathon are good balls, but not the cheapest.

 

[beltsman]

pro penn marathon are good balls, but not the cheapest.

Yeah. But IMO they are worth it for match play. Penn Extra Duty loses its pop by the third set.

 

[Tar Heel Tennis]

Locally, Penn Championship balls at Wal-Mart run ~ $2.50/can. I can purchase the Pro Penn Marathon in the same shopping center as Wal-Mart for $2.99/can from local sports shop. My experience is that Penn Championship balls are consistently the worst balls produced. The PP Marathon is a really good ball for only a modest increase in price. That said, I pay for the Dunlop ATP Tour balls - both extra duty and regular duty for playing on Har-Tru courts and indoors.

 

[megamind]

I like wilson us open balls

my dog likes all balls

 

[PigPen]

What about the Dunlop Aus Open vs Dunlop ATP?

 

[tonylg]

What about the Dunlop Aus Open vs Dunlop ATP?

Not sure about the ATP, because after playing with the Aus Open I'll never buy another Dunlop ball again.

 

[PigPen]

Not sure about the ATP, because after playing with the Aus Open I'll never buy another Dunlop ball again.

What happened to the Aus Open ball? What ball do you play with?

 

[tonylg]

What happened to the Aus Open ball? What ball do you play with?

Generally with Wilsons, sometimes Penn.

The Dunlop AO balls are like playing tennis with a beach ball.

 

[McGradey]

The Wilson Federer ones are good. They are quite heavy and firm but they hold their felt and a consistent bounce over the course of a few sets.
I tried the Robin Soderling in the white tube and they were nice but not well suited to a fast court, will try the black next time.

Slazenger Hardcourt Advantage are still my favourites.

 

[mikeler]

Generally with Wilsons, sometimes Penn.

The Dunlop AO balls are like playing tennis with a beach ball.

DunRocks

 

[JBH]

You know I’ve had my share...

 

[Injured Again]

I used to be a huge fan of the Pro Penn Marathon balls but as our courts have aged and become smoother, that ball is really too fast to be fair to all types of players. The US Open balls are a bit slower and last just as long or longer so they are now my go-to ball, especially since I'm lucky enough to be able to get them fresh from Wilson for less than $70 a case of 24 cans delivered to my door. The Marathons are almost $80 a case, and now many people around here have switched to the Dunlop Championship balls that are $2.17 a can from Walmart before taxes. Those are decent balls but definitely wear and lose bounce faster than USO or PPM balls.

 

[TagUrIt]

Pro Penn Extra Duty are my tennis balls of choice. They have a nice weight to them and the hold up during a several set match.

 

[MICHELUZZO]

I've played with various babolats, head, and dunlop balls. The new dunlop Atp and Ao have excellent durability on clay and hardcourt. Although, the Atp are heavy and Ao bounce waaay too high for my likes. For me, the Fort balls are the most balanced. Babolat Team are really soft on the arm but seem a little light. The RG balls are amazing on clay court. Just a tad heavy. Head balls are rocks. Just my 2 cents...

 

[red rook]

My two favs by far are us open and propenn. The last case of propenns inexplicably had about a fourth to a third of the cans that were duds. Would pop them open only to throw away...ouch considering they’re not cheap. I just received another case of us opens and am on my fourth can. Love them.

 

[Howard H]

Any recommendations for balls that might suit my taste? I'm looking to buy in bulk once I find the perfect combination of quality and value.

This is what I do and do not like.

Good balls:
Wilson US Open (durability not the greatest though)
Robin Söderling Tour (definitely my favourite so far)

Bad balls:
Head
Babolat French Open
Tretorn Serie +

All of the "bad balls" I have found to be too hard fresh out of the tube

Its It's probably safe to say I've used dunlop/slazenger at some point but either they weren't fresh or I was too much of a noob at the time to feel any difference. Same for Prince.
Tecnifibre & Yonex I definitely never tried. Penn isn't available so much in Europe.

I like balls that aren't overly heavy (like babolat) and that actually bounce (looking at you Tretorn) and have good feel & durability.

What are YOUR recommendations???

When did you last try HEAD balls and which one. The new HEAD Tour XT is a very nice ball not feeling hard out of the can at all. It is compareable to Dunlop.

 

[red rook]

A buddy and I have went through three cases of Dunlop ATP. Not a bad ball but slow. I can’t hit winners past the guy with that ball LOL

 

[dr325i]

When did you last try HEAD balls and which one. The new HEAD Tour XT is a very nice ball not feeling hard out of the can at all. It is compareable to Dunlop.

How do we get them in the US?
Would love to try them. Had great memories with Head balls when I lived in Europe 2009-12

 

[Howard H]

How do we get them in the US?
Would love to try them. Had great memories with Head balls when I lived in Europe 2009-12

HEAD balls are Penn in the US. Not all models are compareable though, but it is the same company. Maybe you try the new Penn Tour. It should be similar to the HEAD Tour.

 

[dr325i]

HEAD balls are Penn in the US. Not all models are compareable though, but it is the same company. Maybe you try the new Penn Tour. It should be similar to the HEAD Tour.

I was hoping you say THAT because I have been using Penn Tour XD (former ATP Tour) for a few years now and loving them

 

[Howard H]

I was hoping you say THAT because I have been using Penn Tour XD (former ATP Tour) for a few years now and loving them

That's why you are a legend

 

[dr325i]

That's why you are a legend

Now you made me blush!

 

[Zoolander]

I was hoping you say THAT because I have been using Penn Tour XD (former ATP Tour) for a few years now and loving them

If they are the same as the former “Head ATP Tour” balls I would get here in Australia in a gold can, then they are the best balls out there, bar none.

HEAD balls are Penn in the US. Not all models are compareable though, but it is the same company. Maybe you try the new Penn Tour. It should be similar to the HEAD Tour.

Howard are the “Head Tour” balls sold in Australia in a gold can now the same as the old “Head ATP tour” balls that were also in a gold can? Or have they been changed?

 

[Howard H]

If they are the same as the former “Head ATP Tour” balls I would get here in Australia in a gold can, then they are the best balls out there, bar none.



Howard are the “Head Tour” balls sold in Australia in a gold can now the same as the old “Head ATP tour” balls that were also in a gold can? Or have they been changed?

HEAD Tour (before HEAD ATP) and HEAD TOUR XT are all in the golden can.

 

[ARaj]

I have tried loads of balls. Note that I play in the UK, either on fast-astro or tarmac courts so durability may be different.

Good balls -
Robin soderling Black - Love these, bit pricey and not as widely available but everything about them is great
Robin soderling white - they are less durable than the black on hard courts and are quite light but they work well on clay / slower courts
Head ATP (before they got replaced by dunlop) - enough "fluff" for a decent feel, good bounce and very durable. Can get them at £5 for 4 balls, if you know where to look so good value. Light enough to hit winners and enough feel to play with control/feel so I tend to have fair matches with a wider variety of players
Wilson Federer - Similar to Head ATP, maybe a bit firmer and more expensive
Head Davis Cup - Good all round and pretty durable, fast enough but not as durable as Head ATP. Bit firmer feel and harder to control

Bad balls -
Any cheaper head balls - Radical, Instinct, Championship etc.. etc.. Only use to hit in damp conditions for max 45mins - 1hour where I don't want to ruin good balls
Wilson US Open - can't say how much I hate these. So so hard, flies through the air and bounces insanely high for the first few games and then suddenly dies, doesn't bounce or go through the court, either extreme but never playable
The old Wilson AO - fluffs up super fast and doesn't last, even on the astro courts
Dunlop AO - only used once but not convinced, the bounce seemed inconsistent
Babolat RG - only decent on clay, absolutely horrible on anything else (so may be a bit unfair to bucket them under bad balls but I feel at my level, most balls should be at least playable on all surfaces)

 

[smboogie]

Penn Champ $35/Case: cases from Costco have the most inconsistencies, I blame it to sitting in a warehouse too long. I've had mostly good cases but the balls don't last long
ProPenn XD $80/Case : Much better ball, good bounce and average durability
Dunlop ATP Champ XD $60/case: My new go to ball for consistency and durability. I have found them lasting well into 2 sets and afterwards perfectly fine as warm up/practice balls.
Dunlop ATP AO $90/Case: good, but not seeing the benefits of price jump over standard ATP Champ
Wilson US Open XD $90/Case: Great consistent bounce and durability.

I haven't tried the Penn Extra Duty, Wilson Triniti at all yet.
Personally for my everyday regular play I really like the Dunlop ATP Champ as the price per case, consistency and durability are great AND since so many play Penn it's easier to know which balls are yours on the courts.

 

[Fintft]

The Wilson Federer ones are good. They are quite heavy and firm but they hold their felt and a consistent bounce over the course of a few sets.
I tried the Robin Soderling in the white tube and they were nice but not well suited to a fast court, will try the black next time.

Slazenger Hardcourt Advantage are still my favourites.

Slazenger on hard courts, but on clay I prefer Dunlop Fort.

 

[polksio]

i like propenns marathon

 

[tenniscan]

Anyone know whether the Penn tour balls in USA are same as Head Tour? And whether the Penn Extra Duty or Regular duty are more similar to Head Tour?

 

[socallefty]

Anyone know whether the Penn tour balls in USA are same as Head Tour? And whether the Penn Extra Duty or Regular duty are more similar to Head Tour?

All balls come in XD for hard courts or RD for clay. Head is branded Penn in the US. So, Penn Tour and Head Tour come in XD and RD versions also. If you play on clay, buy RD as it will pick up less clay during play.

 

[tenniscan]

In Europe head tour comes in one version.