Pressureless tennis balls: the best to use in tennis ball machines
Have you ever noticed how regular tennis balls tend to go soft after awhile? That’s because they are filled with a pressurised gas, which is what gives them their zip and bounce. Unfortunately this gas gradually dissipates under normal atmospheric pressure, which is much lower than the balls’ internal pressure. And in case you were wondering, that’s the reason regular tennis balls are sold in pressurised cans.
How long does it take for them to go flat? Not very long at all, unfortunately – according to a study by Wilson, not more than about two weeks.
This is obviously not good news for owners of tennis ball machines. Think about it: if you set your machine to deliver a ball every five seconds and load it up with 100 balls, how much use will each ball get? Well, if you play constantly for an hour, you’ll hit 720 shots – around 7 shots per ball. But that doesn’t allow for rest breaks or pausing to reload the machine, so in reality it’ll be a fair bit less than that. Bottom line is your balls are going to be barely used after a session, and unless you’re using your machine every day, you’ll find the balls going flat before you’ve had decent use of them!
Pressureless tennis balls
The answer is pressureless tennis balls, also known as practice balls. Whereas a regular ball gets its bounce from being filled with highly pressurised gas, a pressureless ball has an internal pressure not much different to atmospheric pressure. By contrast it gets its bounce from the structure of its rubber shell, and thus does not lose bounce over time. In fact, if anything a pressureless ball gets more bouncy as its fur wears down and it becomes lighter. However, this process is much slower than the decay of pressurised balls, and allows you to get full use of the balls before having to replace them.
Pressureless balls can be a little more expensive than the regular kind, but when you consider how much less frequently you will need to replenish your supply, it’s a worthwhile investment that will save you a lot of money in the long run. All the major tennis ball manufacturers have a pressureless offering – Dunlop, Slazenger, Wilson, Penn – and all naturally claim that theirs is the best. But Tretorn seems to have the edge in this market with their “micro cell” technology which they claim results in a ball with all the benefits of being pressureless, but also performs like a regular pressurised ball.
My advice is to try a few different kinds and see what works for you. Frankly, most recreational players are not going to be that bothered about minor differences in performance – the important thing is balls that are durable and provide consistant bounce.
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Pedal-powered ball machine
I have to admit this made me laugh: I’ve just come across this pedal-powered tennis ball machine made out of recycled (spot the pun?) bike parts – looks really nifty, not to mention eco-friendly. Just make sure you’ve got a really fit buddy to power the sucker while you’re hammering away at your backhand!
This gives new meaning to the phrase portable tennis ball machine – after all, a lot of the weight and expense of most machines is the humungous battery that comes with it! This definitely gets an A+ for innovation; I’m just not so sure about the usability aspects. Nice work, guys!
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Portable Tennis Ball Machines?
The marketing blurb for most popular tennis ball machines on the market today usually contains at least one reference to portability – conjuring up a mental image of tucking your machine under your arm along with your racket and a tube of balls as you amble over to the practice court. However, anyone who’s had the pleasure to use of one of these fine machines will agree that’s definitely not the case!
Here are the approximate weights of some of the best-selling machines available:
- Tennis Tutor – 42 pounds
- Wilson Portable – 38 pounds
- Lobster Elite – 42 to 46 pounds
As you can see, even the Wilson Portable weighs around forty pounds! Perhaps the truly most portable machine around is the humble Tennis Twist, weighing in at only eleven pounds – just goes to show what effect losing all those fancy extras like spin, oscillation and the ability to throw the ball harder than a six year old can have!
Portable equals Battery Operated
In case you haven’t gotten it yet, “portable” tennis ball machines are not necessarily light; rather this is a reference to the fact that they run on batteries (ie: you don’t have to plug them into mains power, and thus can use them wherever you like).
Portability features to look out for
When purchasing a tennis ball machine, be sure to look out for features that’ll make your life easier when moving it around. After all, even the best machine in the world will not help your game one bit if it stays in the garage because it’s too much hassle to get it down to the courts!
- detachable hopper – this is often the bulkiest part of the machine
- not square – narrower in one dimension gives you options when trying to get it in your boot
- big wheels – glide easier over cracks, potholes, and even stairs
- convenient handles – preferably extendable
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Tennis Tutor ball machines
Sports Tutor makes a range of tennis ball machines that cater to various kinds of players, from kids and absolute beginners right through to club and professional players. The best-known and most popular of these is the Tennis Tutor, but if you want a different set of features you should be able to find something to suit.
Tennis Twist
Without doubt the smallest, lightest and cheapest tennis ball machine on the market, the Tennis Twist is intended for use by kids and/or beginners. It has virtually no features you’d typically expect to find on a ball machine – no oscillation, no control of pace or feed rate, certainly no spin. About the only variable setting it has is trajectory: you can control the depth of the ball in five increments between 12 and 20 feet. So it’s likely you will outgrow this machine pretty fast. But on the upside it’s very portable, you won’t have to remortgage your house to afford one, and it’s easy for kids to operate on their own. You can even use it to keep the dog amused! The Twist is available in AC or battery models – it takes six standard D size batteries, which provide five to ten hours playing time.
Tennis Tutor Prolite
If you’re looking for something with more features that’s capable of keeping up with you as you improve your game, the Prolite is a good option. At roughly three times the cost of the Tennis Twist, it’s still one of the most affordable tennis ball machines around. It comes in AC or battery models (built-in rechargeable battery), and has settings for varying ball speed, feed rate and trajectory, and also an optional oscillator which is well worth the extra cost. At only a foot high and weighing just 22 pounds (29 pounds for the battery model) it’s also one of the most portable solutions around.
Tennis Tutor
The Tennis Tutor comes with all the features of the Prolite as standard, but with a heavy-duty rechargeable battery and optional two-function wireless remote control for starting and stopping the machine and controlling the oscillation, and 2-line function for delivering the ball to two preset court positions.
Tennis Tutor Plus
The Plus model includes all the features of the standard Tennis Tutor, and includes spin functionality for imparting topspin or backspin to the ball, providing a more realistic playing experience. The Tennis Tutor Plus – Player model has some fairly sophisticated electronics that simulates playing against a real opponent. It has Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced modes so you can practice at the level that’s right for you.
Wilson Portable
Yes, as I mentioned in a previous article, despite the Wilson branding, this machine is manufactured under a contract with Sports Tutor. It is roughly equivalent to the Tennis Tutor Plus, although tends to be a little cheaper. You can read more about the Wilson Portable here.
So which one should you choose? It depends on how much you want to spend, how you intend to use the machine, and what features you require. You decide.
For more information about any of these machines, check out the manufacturer’s website.
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Wilson Portable Tennis Ball Machine
Despite the Wilson branding, Wilson Portable tennis ball machines are actually manufactured under a contract with Sports Tutor, the same company that makes the Tennis Twist, Tennis Tutor, Tennis Tower and Shotmaker machines. So it shares many design features with those machines, and even looks quite similar.
Wilson Portable features
The Wilson Portable has a fairly standard set of features for the market segment it occupies, catering to the school/club and recreational market: speed control between 10 and 75 mph, interval control between 1.5 to 10 seconds, random oscillation, varying degrees of spin, and a range of trajectories from groundstroke to lob. Optionally, it also comes with remote control and two-line capability (at additional cost).
Portability…?
One of this machine’s major selling points is its portability. Admittedly at 38lbs including the battery, it’s a bit lighter than most other comparable machines, but you aren’t exactly going to ask your six year old to load it into the car for you, if you know what I mean! (When it comes to tennis ball machines, “portable” is really a euphemism for battery-operated – in other words you’re not dependent on your courts providing a mains electricity supply). While on the subject of power supply, additional power options which you may want to consider are a Fast Charger, or an external AC power adaptor which allows you to run the machine off mains power if it’s available – these do cost extra however.
The Wilson Portable has a built-in handle and wheels to make it easier to move, but a recurring gripe is that the handle doesn’t extend, so you typically have to walk hunched over when pulling it (it’s less than 2 feet high) – not the best way to loosen up those hamstrings before a workout! However, the upside to this is that it’ll fit comfortably into most cars, and also won’t take up too much room in the house, garage or clubhouse.
I’ve heard no major gripes about the machine’s performance, as you’d expect from a company who’s been in the business for as long as Sports Tutor has, and in the end this is the main factor for me. I can put up with a few rough edges as long as it does what it says on the tin – and this machine does.
You can find out more at the manufacturer’s website. Please feel free to share your experiences of the Wilson Portable in the comments section below.
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