Regular Duty balls vs. Extra Duty balls

[bayoozen33]

I play on hard courts so the extra duty balls are recommended, but are the regular duty balls really that much different? I heard KMart sold Dunlop Championship balls so I went there and they had a 3 pack (9 balls total) of Dunlop Championship Regular duty for 5.75 and single packs (3 balls) of the Dunlop Champ Extra Duty.

On a side note, I have purchased Penn ATP balls and Wilson US Open balls (both extra duty) for 1.50 on clearance at Target last summer.That was a pretty sweet deal.

 

[charliefedererer]

Regular duty felt work just fine on hard courts. It's just that they will wear quicker. But for most players in the US this doesn't matter as they open new balls for matches, and often for practice sessions, and the price for balls is so inexpensive. In the rest of the world balls are more expensive, and durability is probably more of an issue.
I actually prefer regular duty balls on hard courts as they don't fluff up as much, and feel ever-so-slightly lighter.

 

[bayoozen33]

Regular duty felt work just fine on hard courts. It's just that they will wear quicker. But for most players in the US this doesn't matter as they open new balls for matches, and often for practice sessions, and the price for balls is so inexpensive. In the rest of the world balls are more expensive, and durability is probably more of an issue.
I actually prefer regular duty balls on hard courts as they don't fluff up as much, and feel ever-so-slightly lighter.

Thanks for your response. Yeah I don't see how it would matter really because even with a regular duty ball it seems like you'd have to hit it an awful long time for the felt to wear off much. Seems like the pressure in the ball would be gone before the felt. I also saw some Wilson heavy duty at Walmart for 1.88 and I can get a 10% discount....but I'm thinking the Dunlop will be better value even for the 30 cents extra a can. I don't like the Wilson or Penn Championships.

 

[mikeler]

^ Agreed. Regular duty balls on hard courts play just fine for 1 match. They are lighter so you can hit them harder too. What I don't like is heavy duty balls on clay. After a few games they really pick up the clay and become heavy and very arm unfriendly.

 

[Nuke]

They are lighter so you can hit them harder too.

Actually, I find just the opposite. Regular duty balls are usually lighter and bouncier, so there's a tendency to hit them long unless you add more spin or take a bit off your swing. I feel I can really pound the heavy duty balls, though.

 

[mikeler]

^ I hit with a lot of spin so they are not a problem for me. I could see a flat hitter not liking them.

 

[Wes_Loves_Dunlop]

i actually prefer the extra duty because even after 1 hour of hitting with extra duties, the felt is all worn down. reg duty is even worse.
id suggest wilson us open over penn. the wilson seems to bounce better for longer

 

[Power Player]

Penn pros die after 1 hour of hard rallying. That is basically a fact. I go with the Dunlops, but of course some people will complain about how hard they are, and they have a point.

My mindset is that if I'm for rallying for 2 hours, I am buying 1 can of balls and that is going to be Dunlops every time. For a match, I don't care that much as long as it's a new can.

 

[mikeler]

The clay court version of the Dunlops is a good ball. The hard court version is why they are called DunRocks.

 

[bayoozen33]

The clay court version of the Dunlops is a good ball. The hard court version is why they are called DunRocks.

Are you talking about Dunlop Championship or Grand Prix? The grand prix extra duty are definitely hard which I did like but I think it got kind of hard on my arm. I haven't played with the Championships yet but I have a can of extra duty and a few cans of regular duty to compare soon.

 

[ronalditop]

I use extra duty balls because they last longer than regular duty ones, and since in my city balls are pretty expensive ($5 a can), I use a can for almost a month. I play on clay BTW.

 

[mikeler]

^ Grand Prix regular duty. I still like Prince regular duty the best.

 

[bayoozen33]

^ Grand Prix regular duty. I still like Prince regular duty the best.

Really? How are the Prince? There's a place where I can get a case for $54 plus tax but 10% discount.

 

[Wes_Loves_Dunlop]

in my school, the freshman use wilson champion balls, jv uses penn xtra duty (wilson us open if we're lucky), and vars uses wilson us open.

wilson us open is by far the best ball

 

[bayoozen33]

in my school, the freshman use wilson champion balls, jv uses penn xtra duty (wilson us open if we're lucky), and vars uses wilson us open.

wilson us open is by far the best ball

Yes they are a good ball, and the price reflects that. Unless you can find them on clearance at Target like I did (I bought all the remaining cans left though lol).

 

[Jaewonnie]

US Open is heavy duty? I wear them out after like an hour... They are very good for that hour though..

 

[parasailing]

Dunlop Grand Prix heavy duty are okay. They keep their bounce but I found after a few hours of hitting, they lose their felt and become really hard.

 

[fruitytennis1]

Dunlops grand prix

 

[mikeler]

US Open is heavy duty? I wear them out after like an hour... They are very good for that hour though..

Same feeling here. After about an hour this ball is completely fuzzed up and plays nothing like it did the first hour. Like you, that first hour I'm happy with them.

 

[mikeler]

Really? How are the Prince? There's a place where I can get a case for $54 plus tax but 10% discount.

The regular duty Prince bounce higher than any other tennis ball. If you like to play with heavy spin, this ball is for you. I typically pay $64 plus shipping when I buy a case.

 

[bayoozen33]

The regular duty Prince bounce higher than any other tennis ball. If you like to play with heavy spin, this ball is for you. I typically pay $64 plus shipping when I buy a case.

Hmmmm...I hit with minimal amount of topspin. Some but not like a heavy western amount. I think i'm going to compare the 2 versions of the dunlop championships and then the Wilson Champ Extra Duty. I might of purchased the case of Prince, but they are currently out of stock at the site I would purchase them from.

 

[bayoozen33]

So I broke open a can of the Dunlop Championship Regular Duty tonight. Two of the three balls has some deformations. The balls are quite lively and hard to control. They feel somewhat similar to the grand prixs in that I think they will keep their pressure and bounce, however they aren't quite as hard (although still harder than Penn's and Wilson's...thats what she said).

 

[mikeler]

I agree, they are still a harder ball than Wilson or Penn.

 

[pub]

One thing strange is that the Extra vs Regular, the price is the same.
How is this possible?
More felt should be more cost.
Could this mean, more felt for Extra has reduced rubber?

How can the cost be the same?
I use the balls for three days, 1 hour per day, store it inside pressure can.

 

[ichaseballs]

bumping a 15 year old thread... i guess you can say it's on topic...

i don't think felt is a major cost in the production of tennis balls...
i have seen products with different manufacturing costs be priced the same at retail. (This is esp true for various color choices)

 

[pub]

bumping a 15 year old thread... i guess you can say it's on topic...

i don't think felt is a major cost in the production of tennis balls...
i have seen products with different manufacturing costs be priced the same at retail. (This is esp true for various color choices)

Do you know why the quality of balls dropped so much recently?
Even the same product is very different.
Could you please take a look at the post below (I posted it yesterday, 1/13/2025) and share your thoughts?

Tennis ball 2025

What is going on with the quality of the balls....please help me out to choose one only if you have really used it. I live in Illinois and orders balls from Tennis train and Hola flying animal. - Babolat Championship Gold Tennis Ball Case ($94), (red Gold text on the case) This was my go to...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[stapletonj]

regular duty balls are lighter and travel faster. most people use them for clay only

little known fact, for the longest time (not anymore), the women's tour used regular duty felt even on hard courts while the men used extra duty felt.

The media/sport didn't advertise that because they were trying to push the agenda that women tennis players were "just as good" as men.

John McEnroe's interview where he was asked if Serena could beat a top ten male player..... comes to mind