Review of the Pro Penn Marathon ball

H

heat010

Rookie
I was very thankful for my local shop to provide me to free cans of these new balls prior to full retail release. I was excited at the opportunity. I have played with all types of ball. Currently my favorites are the Prince Tour Extra Duty, Penn ATP Extra Duty and the Dunlop A-Players in that order.

Once I opened up the can of the Marathons, I really like the very high optic yellow of the balls. They seem brighter than the regular Penns are super easy to pick up. The other thing I noticed was that it felt like a very light ball. Lighter than the typical tennis ball. I squeezed it and it had a nice give, but the bounce is extremely lively.

Once I played with it, impressions were immediately apparent. It is a very light ball and it really flies. The dwell time on the strings is very short. Not harsh but very solid. They are not too hard on the arm unlike the Grand Prix which last a long time but are bit too hard. If you hit with flat or under spin with the Marathons, the ball will take off long. Unlike the ATP extra duty which has some decent give once you make contact, the Marathon doesn't give you that kind of time on the string bed.

I had some serious control problems with them unfortunately. I bet it's due to the formulation in retaining uniform pressure for a long time. I had to switch to a much lighter frame in order to really whip with heavy topspin to keep them in.

The felt holds up great and does not hold dirt or debris from the court which is positive. I'm attaching pictures of a set I used for 4 sets of singles and 2 sets of doubles and the pressure stayed solid throughout all those sets.

Unfortunately with the overall firmness, these would be great for practice balls but for tournament play, I would still stick with my favorites listed above.

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DSCF1575.jpg
 
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Good to see someone finally had a chance to review this particular ball. I like the original Pro Penn ball but they are not available unless you order them online.

Have you had a chance to play with the original Pro Penn which I think are the best and longest lasting tennis ball out there?
 
It doesn't sound like it meets specs for rebound or weight. Are these for practice(as in NOT approved for tournament play?)?

I'll admit I'm pretty far out of the loop, new tennis ball-wise. Good old Dunlops or Penn ATP for me ;)
 
USPTA Approved, but that's it

From what I read they are USPTA approved due to longevity, but aren't tournament approved. Probably just a teaching ball. I bet they will replace the Pro Penn+ which is a USPTA ball as well.
 
whats the difference between a teaching ball and a game ball?

ive been using the atp penns for the past year and am unsure whether i should go with the marathon for this year, or switch to the wilson us open.
i like the wilson ball but it wears quickly, and wouldnt mind the marathon as long as it plays fairly similar to the atp ball.

i wish we had some more reviews of these...
 
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Tried out the regular duty version of this ball last night and was very impressed. The balls are very bright which are great for dusk and night play. They seem to keep a nice bounce with minimal fluffing during the match.
 
I played with the regular felt balls today, and I liked them. They are soft and bright. I can't comment on durability because I won 6-2 6-0. I like the way they play and the comfort.
 
These are the balls we use now, Marathons. Cannot tell these from the old ProPenns. Other club provides ED Prince Tours. Why does the cover fluff so badly?
 
max pl said:
whats the difference between a teaching ball and a game ball?

ive been using the atp penns for the past year and am unsure whether i should go with the marathon for this year, or switch to the wilson us open.
i like the wilson ball but it wears quickly, and wouldnt mind the marathon as long as it plays fairly similar to the atp ball.

i wish we had some more reviews of these...
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ATP Penns are really hard and to me they feel like pressureless balls. Pro Penns keep their bounce the longest and are comfortable on the arm.

Wilson US Open are nice but they lose their felt pretty quickly and now are getting up their in price.
 
Really liked the old Pro Penn balls will have too give these a try.
 
Ramon said:
I played with the regular felt balls today, and I liked them. They are soft and bright. I can't comment on durability because I won 6-2 6-0. I like the way they play and the comfort.
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Funny, I won my match with these balls easily too against a guy I usually lose to. They were fluffing up slightly but not bad at all.
 
I like these balls very much, but they're way over-priced. I'll stick with Dunlop Grand Prix balls.
 
I played with another can of these balls today. I notice they fuzz up very quickly on clay. It happened the first time also. I won 6-1 6-0, so apparently it's not hurting my game. Maybe it hurts other people's games more than mine.
 
I play only with the old Pro Penns and I love that ball. It seems like this new version is an improvement over the old version...I have to try them myself.
Good review.
 
Ramon said:
I played with another can of these balls today. I notice they fuzz up very quickly on clay. It happened the first time also. I won 6-1 6-0, so apparently it's not hurting my game. Maybe it hurts other people's games more than mine.
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The balls speed decelerates much faster. So, you may have solid technique and form where the slower speed allows you to be balanced and accurate in your execution. For 2.5 hours of playing, my hitting partner and I never felt rushed. We even wondered why we were not at all tired after a 2.5 hour hitting session. It was simply that we never felt the need to sprint or be hurried. It was kind of like hitting with he kids orange and yellow training balls.

At least that is the way the altitude version of the Penn Marathons worked for me.
 
Use the Marathon ball tonite. Shoulda call this ball the Sprint, that is all the cover lasts. Thank goodness we used US Opens Wed.
 
Ronaldo said:
Use the Marathon ball tonite. Shoulda call this ball the Sprint, that is all the cover lasts. Thank goodness we used US Opens Wed.
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My only match with these was over so quickly I could not get a chance to evaluate how long they last. Sounds like I should keep buying my US Opens. Did you play on clay or hard courts?
 
mikeler said:
My only match with these was over so quickly I could not get a chance to evaluate how long they last. Sounds like I should keep buying my US Opens. Did you play on clay or hard courts?
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Hardcourts indoors. Our clay will not open until May. Maybe sooner this year though.
 
Used em for the first time today after receiving my case.
Played on a damaged court needing surfacing so my impression may not be 100% accurate, but they play very well.

-Dont fluff up like Wilson US Opens
-Are as bright as Penn ATPs; yet these crappy courts got them very dirty within minutes.
- Are soft out of the can unlike Penn ATPs; softer than broken in Penn ATPs.

After a bit more play time I'll give further impression of longevity, but for now that's all I got.

Certainly not bad balls like a few posters here claim.
 
I had some serious control problems with them unfortunately. I bet it's due to the formulation in retaining uniform pressure for a long time. I had to switch to a much lighter frame in order to really whip with heavy topspin to keep them in.

I have to agree. These balls offered no feel, even on my Fed stick which has great ball pocketing. You just feel disconnected from the shot. However, if you use a light stick, with an extreme grip and just whip through the ball, you can keep these in. But you must have moderate flat shots or heavy topspin.

I told my hitting partner to hit some winners on me...and in 20 minutes of hitting out, I got to everything. Therefore, I think these are great for players who are looking to take back the "time" their opponents are trying to steal from them with pace, spin and angles. I just did not feel rushed against a big hitter.

BTW - The Penn ATP's were completely different...in a better way. They don't last as long, but you get true ball pocketing.
 
They definitely have three phases in their life cycle. They start out "normal" out of the can, then the ones I played with fluffed up a bit, and finally, they lost the fluffy felt and went back to firmer versions of the out-of-the-can phase. They do not lose all of their fluff like Dunlop Champs, which tun into little missiles in no time flat. They also stay nice and bright unlike US Opens, which look a month old after an hour. They retain their bounce just as long as the old Pro Penns and will still be good for another casual match or weeks in the hopper.
 
Penn ATP vs Penn Marathon Balls
​

I have purchased cases of both balls in Regular Duty. Tennis Warehouse sells the Marathon for $78 a case and Penn ATP for $58 a case.

After hitting more than a dozen cans of Marathons and two cases of Penn ATPs, I have concluded, I would pay $58 a case for the Penn ATP, but wouldn't pay $38 for case a Marathon balls. Paying $20 more for Marathons is asking someone to stick a gun to your head and rob you. Save $20 and buy a much better ball. Yeah, the Marathon balls look cool, but I would rather the ball stay dry and not fluff up.

Penn ATP definitely last longer, and most importantly they don/t fluff on damp clay courts. The ATP balls seem to shed the dampness that the Marathons soak up. I haven't hit with the Regular Duty felt versions of either ball, but there is a major difference between these two Penn balls.

When I am playing a USTA match at home, I bring Penn ATP. I use the Marathon balls for matches between teammates. That is as honest as I can be with myself. When a match matters, I choose the Penn ATP every time.

Q: What is the easiest way to attach a picture to these posts?

I would love to show you what two sets look like with a can of Marathons vs two sets with Penn ATPs, then the Penn ATPs after four sets. The Penn ATPs are better after four sets than the Marathon after just two sets. I use other forums for work discussions and they are simple to attach a picture. This forum doesn't have a upload picture button that I have found.
 
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g4driver said:
Penn ATP vs Penn Marathon Balls
​

I have purchased cases of both balls in Regular Duty. Tennis Warehouse sells the Marathon for $78 a case and Penn ATP for $58 a case.

After hitting more than a dozen cans of Marathons and two cases of Penn ATPs, I have concluded, I would pay $58 a case for the Penn ATP, but wouldn't pay $38 for case a Marathon balls. Paying $20 more for Marathons is asking someone to stick a gun to your head and rob you. Save $20 and buy a much better ball. Yeah, the Marathon balls look cool, but I would rather the ball stay dry and not fluff up.

Penn ATP definitely last longer, and most importantly they don/t fluff on damp clay courts. The ATP balls seem to shed the dampness that the Marathons soak up. I haven't hit with the Regular Duty felt versions of either ball, but there is a major difference between these two Penn balls.

When I am playing a USTA match at home, I bring Penn ATP. I use the Marathon balls for matches between teammates. That is as honest as I can be with myself. When a match matters, I choose the Penn ATP every time.

Q: What is the easiest way to attach a picture to these posts?

I would love to show you what two sets look like with a can of Marathons vs two sets with Penn ATPs, then the Penn ATPs after four sets. The Penn ATPs are better after four sets than the Marathon after just two sets. I use other forums for work discussions and they are simple to attach a picture. This forum doesn't have a upload picture button that I have found.
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The regular duty Penns are lighter than both the ATP or Pro Penns. All three balls are great on clay but my arm prefers the regular duty.
 
g4driver said:
Penn ATP vs Penn Marathon Balls
​



Q: What is the easiest way to attach a picture to these posts?

I would love to show you what two sets look like with a can of Marathons vs two sets with Penn ATPs, then the Penn ATPs after four sets. The Penn ATPs are better after four sets than the Marathon after just two sets. I use other forums for work discussions and they are simple to attach a picture. This forum doesn't have a upload picture button that I have found.
Click to expand...

easiest way for me is to upload the pic to imageshack or similar, and then paste the direct link to the picture icon above the dialog box here.
 
I've been using the "old" ProPenn+ interchangeably with the Marathon balls. I've haven't noticed any difference really. They're both labeled as ProPenn with the one difference is that the USPTA is labeled in blue instead of black now. As far as I can tell they are the same ball simply with a different name and look in hopes of generating more sales.
 
Pro Penn has gone down the toilet since the US operation was shut down and are no longer worth the premium. The Phoenix, AZ USA balls were superb. Now, Chinese junk. Hard to find in my neck of the woods, but the Thailand-manufactured Tecnifibre balls (JV between TF and Bridgestone) are very, very good.
 
Has anyone here tried Penn championship ball, how good is it?, I've read that thr good for flat hitting which I'm looking for.

Can anyone comment on how durable, fluff, bounce, picked up dirt easily or not, carnt find any reviews about this ball
 
The name Marathon should tell you something. Lasts a long time but heavy, hard and inconsistent. Pick one up, and squeeze it at various places. Some spots hard, some soft. Lots of bad balls out there and this is one of them.
 
i've gone through 2 cases of the Pro Penn Marathon balls and they are great. not hard like Dunlop balls. last alot longer than regular Penn balls you get from Costco. retain their bounce longer. the brighter color felt offers better visibility at night. haven't noticed any of the cons that the others have mentioned at all. i'll continue using these.
 
I've recently started using them. Have used about 12 cans so far. Right before this I've gone though a case of Dunlop A-Player, and before that a case of Penn Radical. I find the latter two are much better, esp. the Radical.
Dunlops are noticeably firmer right out of the can, have very 'reserved bounce' and feel heavy. However, as the game goes on, they get softer and livelier. We were able to play 5-setters with one can -- no problems. The bounce is somewhat low, bug very consistent. The balls stay very clean/bright yellow.

Marathons are noticeably softer and bouncier right out of the can. The liveliness of the ball is somewhat surprising for someone used to Dunlops or budget balls. Initial impression is that 'Oh! This is a great ball'. However, the bounciness diminishes fast. At the end of 1 set, you can feel they are at 90% of their initial pressure. They also seem to absorb all the dirt and color on the court, and become faded greenish color just after 1 hour. The felt never fluffs up (unlike Dunlops) -- which results in very reduced spin (compared to fluffed up Dunlops).
Of all three, I prefer the Penn Radicals -- softer than Dunlops, stay even throughout the match, have a longevity equal to if not surpassing that of Dunlops'.

Just as reference point, all three are head and shoulders above the rest. The budget Penns, Dunlops and Wilsons are pretty much dead after 1 set, to the point when some people opt to open a new can just to continue the match.
 
tball said:
I've recently started using them. Have used about 12 cans so far. Right before this I've gone though a case of Dunlop A-Player, and before that a case of Penn Radical. I find the latter two are much better, esp. the Radical.
Dunlops are noticeably firmer right out of the can, have very 'reserved bounce' and feel heavy. However, as the game goes on, they get softer and livelier. We were able to play 5-setters with one can -- no problems. The bounce is somewhat low, bug very consistent. The balls stay very clean/bright yellow.

Marathons are noticeably softer and bouncier right out of the can. The liveliness of the ball is somewhat surprising for someone used to Dunlops or budget balls. Initial impression is that 'Oh! This is a great ball'. However, the bounciness diminishes fast. At the end of 1 set, you can feel they are at 90% of their initial pressure. They also seem to absorb all the dirt and color on the court, and become faded greenish color just after 1 hour. The felt never fluffs up (unlike Dunlops) -- which results in very reduced spin (compared to fluffed up Dunlops).
Of all three, I prefer the Penn Radicals -- softer than Dunlops, stay even throughout the match, have a longevity equal to if not surpassing that of Dunlops'.

Just as reference point, all three are head and shoulders above the rest. The budget Penns, Dunlops and Wilsons are pretty much dead after 1 set, to the point when some people opt to open a new can just to continue the match.
Click to expand...

Never seen Penn Radical balls. Ever try the Penn ATP ball?
 
Seems like the Marathons randomly lose some of their fuzz in isolate places now, not all over the ball. You have to pick the fuzz off to keep the ball uniformly covered.
 
Just got some of these, thanks to a guy on here,
So ive literally played with every simple slazenger&head balls, ive also played with the penn's atp.
But got to say these extra duty marathons last very very very long - feel good to me, heavy but not too heavy like wilson us balls. (best balls for me)

Ive only played with 1 can - and its last me 7-9hrs, just either practicing serving or hard hitting rallies with my friend.
Played these in slightly damp conditions and the ball never absorbed water nor lost its fluff.

here's a pic of the only can ive used:


hope the others last as good as this can
 
finalfantasy7 said:
Just got some of these, thanks to a guy on here,
So ive literally played with every simple slazenger&head balls, ive also played with the penn's atp.
But got to say these extra duty marathons last very very very long - feel good to me, heavy but not too heavy like wilson us balls. (best balls for me)

Ive only played with 1 can - and its last me 7-9hrs, just either practicing serving or hard hitting rallies with my friend.
Played these in slightly damp conditions and the ball never absorbed water nor lost its fluff.

here's a pic of the only can ive used:


hope the others last as good as this can
Click to expand...

this has been my experience as well. i'm almost done w/ my 2nd case of these. they've all been this good for me so far.
 
Ronaldo said:
Has anyone used this ball? http://www.wilson.com/en-us/tennis/balls/tour-clay-green/

Easily the best-looking ball ever IMHO
Click to expand...

Tried a can from a dealer on the same HAR-True clay courts I regularly use the Penn ATPs. At $4 a can, I will pass. At $68 a case (including shipping) I would still buy the Penn ATP Regular Duty Balls from Tenniswarehouse over these Wilson Har-True . These balls didn't impress me - I told the manager not to try and sell them for $4 a can. I asked his opinion - he yawned as well.

The Penn ATP balls are just better IMO on Har-Tru. If these Wilson balls were $38 a case, yeah I'd buy them, but they will be more than $68 a case.
 
Wow, played with these for the first and hopefully last time last night at a mixer. Just horrible. WAY too "bouncy". could not keep the ball in the court, nobody could out of apprx 16 players ranging from 3.0 to 4.0....
 
stapletonj said:
Wow, played with these for the first and hopefully last time last night at a mixer. Just horrible. WAY too "bouncy". could not keep the ball in the court, nobody could out of apprx 16 players ranging from 3.0 to 4.0....
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How frequently do you open a fresh can of balls?

My experience is that folks get very accustomed to playing with old balls or cheap balls that rapidly lose their bounce. So, when a quality ball that retains its bounce is introduced, many people are surprised - just not used to it.

This is particularly the case with Pro Penn Marathon and Prince Tour Extra Duty. These are two of the best balls available in the US. Personally I prefer the Prince since they feel softer on my arm than the Pro Penn.

Either way, I have heard the "too bouncy" comment on both - especially from folks who frequently hit on a ball machine (known for containing literally dozens of dead balls).
 
I usually play with Wilson US Opens.
Penn ATPs
Dunlop Grand Prix etc.

I play with all kinds of tennis balls on all kind of surfaces and I have never seen any so "bouncy"
 
Fifth Set said:
How frequently do you open a fresh can of balls?

My experience is that folks get very accustomed to playing with old balls or cheap balls that rapidly lose their bounce. So, when a quality ball that retains its bounce is introduced, many people are surprised - just not used to it.

This is particularly the case with Pro Penn Marathon and Prince Tour Extra Duty. These are two of the best balls available in the US. Personally I prefer the Prince since they feel softer on my arm than the Pro Penn.

Either way, I have heard the "too bouncy" comment on both - especially from folks who frequently hit on a ball machine (known for containing literally dozens of dead balls).
Click to expand...

haven't tried the Prince Tour Extra Duty yet, but i do agree that the Pro Penn Marathon is one of the best balls.
 
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