"Soft/Arm Frindely" balls
- Thread starter Pynot
- Start date
ductrung3993
Hall of Fame
I second this. Babolats are pretty hard too.
ThomasTerrible
Rookie
The US Opens are quite soft I think..
"They look as hard as billiard balls"..?? If I use my shirt 5 times without washing it, it still looks soft...
maxpotapov
Hall of Fame
I second that. And eye-friendly too, they stay bright as long as you play with them.
I don't think this thread is about the best all-around ball. That subject has been beaten down in other threads. I've basically found that you get what you pay for. The premium balls (Pro Penn, Wilson US Open, etc) are generally better overall than the championship balls, but no one agrees which one is best overall.
I like softer balls also, which is why I'm partial to Penn, but I'll buy other brands too. On the cheaper end, Penn Championship balls are soft, but I think Wilson has better quality control because I still find flat Penn balls on occassion. I can usually get Dunlops for cheaper, but I found their quality control to be lacking. On the higher end, I like the quality of the Pro-Penn Marathon balls, and they are softer than the Wilson US Open balls, but the Wilsons last longer.
mikeler
Moderator
maxpotapov
Hall of Fame
There are exceptions to this rule, Slazenger Wimbledon Ultra Vis / Hydroguard (4 balls silver tin can) are very arm friendly and very durable. Up to 10 hours for 8 balls on indoor carpet or some gummy/smoother hardcourts, and I talk about putting some pressure and spin on the ball.
I've ordered another case of those recently, too bad TW does not carry them.
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Woolybugger
Rookie
10-and under orange balls 
I like the Penn balls that I buy by the case at Costco. I also like the Wilson US Open balls.
I absolutely hate the Wilson Titanium balls - they feel very hard and unyielding to me, like the underlying rubber (or whatever the material is) is stiffer than other balls. I don't even like to warm up with them and I would gladly open my can myself rather than play with an opponent's Wilson Titaniums.
For a while, my club was selling Prince balls, and I liked the way the felt and thought they were a little more visible, too. But a local shop owner told me that while people liked playing with them, they had a relatively high incidence of pressurization failure in the can, leaving the balls DOA.
I absolutely hate the Wilson Titanium balls - they feel very hard and unyielding to me, like the underlying rubber (or whatever the material is) is stiffer than other balls. I don't even like to warm up with them and I would gladly open my can myself rather than play with an opponent's Wilson Titaniums.
For a while, my club was selling Prince balls, and I liked the way the felt and thought they were a little more visible, too. But a local shop owner told me that while people liked playing with them, they had a relatively high incidence of pressurization failure in the can, leaving the balls DOA.
toedragger
Rookie
I third that. On probably my fourth case of these. Absolutely love them, and everyone in our league agrees these are very arm friendly, good performing balls.
I usually play with Wilson or Penn Championship balls. They are fairly soft IMO, especially if you get the regular duty ones which are lighter and have less felt.
Stay away from TI balls - very hard. Picked up a pack of Penn Tribute for the first time today and was not impressed - even harder than the TI balls.
Stay away from TI balls - very hard. Picked up a pack of Penn Tribute for the first time today and was not impressed - even harder than the TI balls.
mikeler
Moderator
Just hit with Penn Marathon regular duty balls today for only the 2nd time. Used them for about 3 hours with 2 singles sets and 2 doubles sets. They still looked great after all that, held their bounce, felt soft/light and are very bright. I think they will be my new ball of choice.
