Tennis ball 2025

[Westerwick]

Just opened a can of the Costco Penns on Saturday (two days ago) ... one ball was completely flat, one ball had a really erratic bounce and the third one was playable. So the two "good ones" sent into the ball machine hopper. You get what you pay for. Yes. They are cheap. Essentially seconds just packaged as "championship" balls.

Sounds familiar. I also saw one really funky ball that had a huge blob of rubber at one of the seams where it should have been a seam and some felt.

Several times now I've gone to our club Monday morning drop in where they pass out cans of this junk, and pulled out the Babolat or Diadem balls with half a dozen sets from the weekend to use since they bounce better and have better felt. I don't even ask for the used Penns at the end of the day for the ball machine. I do suggest that they could donate them to the Humane Society Thrift Store where they sell them for a quarter each as dog toys.

 

[Dunlop300g]

Sounds familiar. I also saw one really funky ball that had a huge blob of rubber at one of the seams where it should have been a seam and some felt.

Several times now I've gone to our club Monday morning drop in where they pass out cans of this junk, and pulled out the Babolat or Diadem balls with half a dozen sets from the weekend to use since they bounce better and have better felt. I don't even ask for the used Penns at the end of the day for the ball machine. I do suggest that the could donate them to the Humane Society Thrift Store where they sell them for a quarter each as dog toys.I'

What's your take on the Diadem balls? I feel like they are super hard and play like rocks? But hey I could be wrong. Just my first impression.

 

[Dunlop300g]

OK. Honestly still kicking myself for not scooping up some TW Dunlop Grand Prix balls when the shipping was free around the top of this year. Won't pass this one up again! For sure!

 

[mad dog1]

What's your take on the Diadem balls? I feel like they are super hard and play like rocks? But hey I could be wrong. Just my first impression.

I’ve read many folks saying the Diadem ball is just like the US Open ball. IME, Diadem balls are harder than US Open balls and don’t bounce as well.

 

[mad dog1]

Thanks for the shout! I’ll consider testing them out after I get through my case of Yonex tours. Do they feel any different from the Grand Prix?

The Grand Prix ball is going to bounce different than that TF ball. The GP ball will be a little livelier.

 

[Dunlop300g]

I’ve read many folks saying the Diadem ball is just like the US Open ball. IME, Diadem balls are harder than US Open balls and don’t bounce as well.

Yep. That's been my experience as well. I do like the US Open balls very much.

 

[Westerwick]

What's your take on the Diadem balls? I feel like they are super hard and play like rocks? But hey I could be wrong. Just my first impression.

My experience is exclusively with the Diadem high altitude balls, where they seem to work well for us at 7000 ft. High altitude balls are essentially the same as low altitude balls with lower internal air pressure (there is a provision to use a slightly larger diameter ball at high altitude, but nobody does this and I've never seen any of those). One of the tricks we sometimes use when it is cold out (another characteristic of high altitude that we have to deal with a lot) is to use low altitude balls and rely on PV=nRT to bring the pressure down to usable. Another problem at high altitude is that you usually have to deal with a range of altitudes (I play in band between 5000 and 10000 ft) and sometimes wild temperature swings, so we often just use pressureless balls that play a little firmer but don't seem to care much about altitude or temperature.

Sorry that I can't really help you with your lowlander problems . . .

 

[Dunlop300g]

Wow! I can't even imagine playing at those altitudes; here in Northern California; I played a match one time at probably around 3000 ft in the summer and felt like the balls were flying out like crazy; so that's above 90 degrees F at 3000 ft. in the summer; and it was only in what we call the "foothills" of the Sierra Nevada; can't even image anything close to 10000 feet. You're cardio must be off the charts to play up there.

My experience is exclusively with the Diadem high altitude balls, where they seem to work well for us at 7000 ft. High altitude balls are essentially the same as low altitude balls with lower internal air pressure (there is a provision to use a slightly larger diameter ball at high altitude, but nobody does this and I've never seen any of those). One of the tricks we sometimes use when it is cold out (another characteristic of high altitude that we have to deal with a lot) is to use low altitude balls and rely on PV=nRT to bring the pressure down to usable. Another problem at high altitude is that you usually have to deal with a range of altitudes (I play in band between 5000 and 10000 ft) and sometimes wild temperature swings, so we often just use pressureless balls that play a little firmer but don't seem to care much about altitude or temperature.

Sorry that I can't really help you with your lowlander problems . . .

.

 

[TheBoom]

I'm definitely in the minority, but I like the Dunlop balls. I like that they play a bit slower, it fits my game well and I can hit through them well enough. That said, I do want to try out the Babolat balls, didn't know they were an option until recently!

 

[dmtree]

Just opened a can of the Costco Penns on Saturday (two days ago) ... one ball was completely flat, one ball had a really erratic bounce and the third one was playable. So the two "good ones" sent into the ball machine hopper. You get what you pay for. Yes. They are cheap. Essentially seconds just packaged as "championship" balls.

Not a single dud in the last 3 or 4 boxes of Costco Penns (High Altitude), the most consistent high altitude balls for my money, even if they only last 2 hours. Penn Tours on the other hand are wildly inconsistent while costing double.

 

[AleYeah]

Thanks for starting this thread, @pub. I was about to start a similar one and noticed you'd done it already.

Since I picked up the game again after a long absence back in 2020, I've mainly played with Penn XD as they're cheaply/easily obtained, but there really are a lot of options out there. Great input here so far. I hit especially forehands with a ton of topspin, have a decent kick serve, and also approach the net a lot. Sounds like I could really be doing myself a favor by shopping around for some of the livelier balls.

 

[Robert F]

Thinking this through more, don't we want balls that don't fluff.
If a ball starts losing pressure it will lose bounce and speed. So to compensate, don't we want a ball that balds/loses fluff so it then travels faster through the air compensating for the lack of pressure?

 

[ebo03]

I’m returning two cases of Penn Tour regular duty balls. The rubber is harder than before and they have less pressure. The bounce is very poor and they sound/feel more like hitting a pressureless ball.

Previously, I always liked Penn Tour over Wilson US Open. The felt was much more durable and stayed bright longer. US Opens are nearly naked after 2 hours of play. I could get 4 hours of out of Penn Tour and they were in decent shape. Bye bye Penn, never again!

I’m trying Dunlop ATP and Yonex Tour next. I always remember Dunlop Grand Prix extra duty balls fluffing up in just a few minutes on hard courts. We’ll see if their newer ATP ball is any better.

 

[Cobaine]

For me Dunlop Grand Prix Extra Duty are currently the best balls on the market for the price. Great bounce, don’t fluff up. Will last usually two hitting sessions.

My hitting partners bring ProPenn, Costco Penn, Penn Tour, and Wilson US Open. They are all worse than the Grand Prix in either bounce, fluff, or durability (or all three).

 

[SupahMan5000]

Tecnifibre Champion is my go to for training sessions where we’re going to be hitting as many balls as possible

If I feel a little luxurious or we’re playing sets I’ll open two cans of USO.

We use USO for our high performance groups and it is definitely a luxury. The balls last quite a while when in a big cart and feel great

 

[Robert F]

For me Dunlop Grand Prix Extra Duty are currently the best balls on the market for the price. Great bounce, don’t fluff up. Will last usually two hitting sessions.

My hitting partners bring ProPenn, Costco Penn, Penn Tour, and Wilson US Open. They are all worse than the Grand Prix in either bounce, fluff, or durability (or all three).

Do you make the guy who opens up a Costco Penn pay you all a pittance for bringing out such shoddy balls when everyone else is bringing out quality level balls?
I wish most rec leagues would ban Costco Penns from play.

 

[the_faceless_player]

The case of Yonex Tour balls I ordered like 4 months ago finally came off backorder and shipped so I'll see how they measure up against my usual go to X1 and Dunlop balls.

 

[ebo03]

The case of Yonex Tour balls I ordered like 4 months ago finally came off backorder and shipped so I'll see how they measure up against my usual go to X1 and Dunlop balls.

I hit Yonex Tour today for the first time. 2 hours on hard courts and they held up pretty well. High quality felt that stays down and doesn’t fluff up.

 

[stapletonj]

What's your take on the Diadem balls? I feel like they are super hard and play like rocks? But hey I could be wrong. Just my first impression.

Yes, they are harder than Penns, but they last like Pro Penns, and are significantly less expensive, especially case prices.

Babolats are good balls, but I just can't get past the value of the Diadems. They are not like rocks.

Played WalMart Penns for a while, but in the last year they got so bad they didn't even last 3 sets of doubles

 

[Arzivu]

Diadems may be a little hard but they are a quality ball. Miles better than a championship ball, like the dunlop, which lose their bounce after 1 hour of hitting.

 

[Dunlop300g]

Yes, they are harder than Penns, but they last like Pro Penns, and are significantly less expensive, especially case prices.

Babolats are good balls, but I just can't get past the value of the Diadems. They are not like rocks.

Played WalMart Penns for a while, but in the last year they got so bad they didn't even last 3 sets of doubles

Yes. I'm glad you mentioned their durability. I've put a couple of the Diadem balls in my ball machine basket over the past year and I've also found this to be true. On the ball "hardness" I guess if you play with them all the time you'd get used to it; it was just a noticeable difference switching them out for Penn at that point in time.

 

[Westerwick]

I use a lot of Diadems in both the ball machine and serving bucket. In our mountainous area the pressureless balls work really well at any altitude and temperature. They are harder but last like forever, on a par with Trinitis. They seem to have the same construction, wearability and failure modes as Trinitis, so wouldn't be surprised if they come from the same factory. The pressurized balls (HA version) play about the same as other good quality balls, and lose pressure at about the same rate. I routinely take a can of Diadems used for several sets and show that they play better than new Penns or Dunlop HA balls. They hold their bounce (unlike the Penns, that are often flat when new) and don't turn into giant fuzzballs like the Dunlops. I find them comparable to the Babolat Gold HA balls.

 

[Westerwick]

Wow! I can't even imagine playing at those altitudes; here in Northern California; I played a match one time at probably around 3000 ft in the summer and felt like the balls were flying out like crazy; so that's above 90 degrees F at 3000 ft. in the summer; and it was only in what we call the "foothills" of the Sierra Nevada; can't even image anything close to 10000 feet. You're cardio must be off the charts to play up there.

.

If you think tennis is tough, the soccer referee assigners keep special lists of refs they send can to the top of the mountain high schools. I only do games up to 8750 ft at Telluride now, but used to do Summit HS in Frisco at 9100 and the worst is Lake County in Leadville at 10,200 ft. We are sensitive to that and watch closely--I had one of my assistant refs have a heart attack after a college game at a 7000 ft field.

 

[Dunlop300g]

If you think tennis is tough, the soccer referee assigners keep special lists of refs they send can to the top of the mountain high schools. I only do games up to 8750 ft at Telluride now, but used to do Summit HS in Frisco at 9100 and the worst is Lake County in Leadville at 10,200 ft. We are sensitive to that and watch closely--I had one of my assistant refs have a heart attack after a college game at a 7000 ft field.

That's totally insane! Having done a fair amount of mountaineering I can't even image playing soccer at those altitudes!

 

[HBK4life]

I have noticed the regular Dunlaps have fallen in quality in the past year. They used to be pretty good. Now they feel like feltless rocks.

 

[WNB93]

I have noticed the regular Dunlaps have fallen in quality in the past year. They used to be pretty good. Now they feel like feltless rocks.

What are regular "Dunlaps"? FORTs?

 

[HBK4life]

What are regular "Dunlaps"? FORTs?

The blue can.

 

[WNB93]

The blue can.

I suppose the ATPs then as AO is also blue.

They all went down in quality though.
AO are great balls but after 45 mins of pro hitting they're flat. Change the sound, no bounce etc...

Used to be good for a while.

 

[Tranqville]

Played a match with Tecnifibre X-One today. Enjoyable experience, as the ball suits my attacking game. The ball fluffed a bit towards the end of the first set, but retained speed.

I expected X-One to be similar to Babolat Gold All-court, as I believe they come from the same factory, but they are totally different.

Here are the balls after a two set plus long deciding tiebrake match:

 

[tjanev]

I’ve read many folks saying the Diadem ball is just like the US Open ball. IME, Diadem balls are harder than US Open balls and don’t bounce as well.

their felt lasts longer as well. Diadem was a good 'unknown" brand ball and entered into the market at a good price. now they're priced the same as the big brands. I like them, i have purchased them for a couple years now. once during pandemic and once last year. there was a difference in the felt. ball got a bit slower. the older ball did bounce close to us open balls ( i think us open balls are too bouncy and light ) their felt lasted longer, and it wasn't as heavy as the dunlop balls. kind of a best of all worlds.

 

[socallefty]

Played a match with Tecnifibre X-One today. Enjoyable experience, as the ball suits my attacking game. The ball fluffed a bit towards the end of the first set, but retained speed.

I expected X-One to be similar to Babolat Gold All-court, as I believe they come from the same factory, but they are totally different.

Here are the balls after a two set plus long deciding tiebrake match:

Looks like we have similar tastes in racquets and balls.

 

[Soundbyte]

Diadem XD wins. You can usually grab them for $90ish a case with coupon codes. They last much longer than US Opens. They play the most consistent to myself and hitting partners. Tec X1 feel too hard. ProPenn Marathons or Dunlop ATP (not the crappy ATP championship) would probably be my 2nd choice. If I'm changing balls every set, then US Opens still suffice.

Costco Penns are not an option anymore. Too crappy