Frequently Asked Questions
Tennis balls are manufactured from a rubber compound and have an internal pressure of around 14psi or 1kg/cm2. The rubber compound, however, is slightly porous and so the pressure escapes over time. This results in an increasingly softball with decreased bounce.
To counteract this, new tennis balls are sold in pressurized containers. Once the container is opened, the balls slowly start to lose their pressure, and therefore their bounce.
PressureBall is essentially a reusable version of the pressure can that new tennis balls come in. PressureBall stops new tennis balls going flat, indefinitely. Because the tube can be pressurised to a higher level than the internal pressure of a ball, it will also revive softballs.
We ship from New Zealand. We always ship within 2 days of receiving your order. It normally takes 16-20 working days to arrive around the world.
Orders are sent via International Airmail Postage and not by Courier. If you have not supplied a Postal address then please contact me urgently.
I stand behind my product 100%. PressureBall comes with a one year warranty and a money-back guarantee, during which time, if there are any problems with it, or if you are not happy with the performance of the tube for any reason, I will provide a full replacement or your money back.
(the above statement is void if you do not have a method for measuring the pressure in the tube)
In ATP and WTA tournaments, balls are changed after every nine games, (with the first change occurring after only seven games, because the first set of balls is also used for the pre-match warm-up). This is because tennis balls start losing their pressure as soon as they’re taken out of the can.
If you’ve ever bought second-hand tennis balls from a tennis open, you’ll know that the felt looks almost as good as new, and the bounce is still pretty good, but good tennis players know it no longer bounces quite as well as a brand new tennis ball.
That’s why PressureBall was created. It keeps tennis balls bouncing like new, so you can keep your tennis balls for longer, and yet still have perfect bounce.
How To Use PressureBall?
To keep your tennis balls bouncing like new tennis balls should be stored at 14 psi.
If you’ve seen some people quote “2 atm” or “27 psi” or “27.4 psi” don’t be concerned – they’re quoting a scientific measurement of air pressure when compared to a vacuum. But pump gauges don’t measure air that way. On any pump that has a gauge, you’ll want the air pressure to read 14 psi for storing tennis balls, as this is the correct pressure. The short explanation is that 14 psi on a gauge means the air inside is 14 psi more than normal air on the outside. And that’s what you want.
If you would like a more detailed and technical answer, then we have explained the technicalities here.
The tube states that a maximum of 20 psi should be used, however the tubes have been tested to 35psi and at that stage the tube material will stretch and the tube will increase in diameter. PressureBall has been designed to be robust. You can pump up the tube and throw it in the trunk of your car with your tennis gear. No need to be gentle with it. But, as should be obvious, it shouldn’t be stabbed with sharp objects!
I guarantee the PressureBall tube for one year. If there are any problems with it due to manufacturing faults, or if you are not happy with the performance in anyway, I will provide a full replacement or your money back within a year of purchase (but you must ensure you have some means of measuring the pressure). And even if you have problems the following year I will supply instructions on how to fix the tube or if this is not possible to fix, I will also send a replacement.
One way people try to reduce the cost of replacing their tennis balls is to purchase pressureless tennis balls. We’ve tested pressureless tennis balls and found that they can be useful for some select uses, but there are some significant downsides to be aware of.
It depends on how soft the ball is. PressureBall was designed originally to stop new balls going soft, but because you can put extra pressure in the tube it means that soft balls can also be revived quickly. Balls that have been sitting for a week will revive in 1 to 2 days. Balls that have not been used for a number of weeks, and are a little soft, can be revived in a week. If you store the tube in a warm place (mid summer temperatures) then the time to revive can be reduced further. Balls that are quite soft will take 2 weeks to a month depending on how warm the tube storage temperature is.
PressureBall has been tested to up to 35 psi, however it is not recommended to store tennis balls at that pressure. Most soft tennis balls will collapse at pressures above 25 psi, so there is no point using a tennis ball pressurizer any higher than that level. We recommend 20 psi for reviving soft tennis balls, and 14 psi for maintaining perfect bounce.
Not all balls can be revived, but the vast majority can be. If a ball changes shape in the tube at 14 psi then it is really soft. It can probably still be revived but you will have to set the tube at a lower pressure first before storing it at the the correct pressure. So it becomes a little more time consuming. The rule to follow is that if a ball changes shape in the tube, the pressure needs to be decreased so that it can first revive at a lower pressure.
