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Pressureless tennis balls are an alternative to normal pressurized tennis balls. But are they as good? What are the differences? And which option is better?

 

Pressurized Tennis Balls

As a quick summary, pressurized tennis balls have:

  • More bounce – Pressurized balls feel more “lively” when they first come out of the can. The can itself is pressurized to 14 psi to match the internal pressure inside the tennis balls.  The can is vacuum sealed to prevent the pressurized gas from leaking.
  • More spin response – Because they’re lighter than pressureless tennis balls, you can generate more spin with these balls.
  • More speed – Since they have less mass than pressureless balls, pressurized balls travel faster.

But these benefits are very short-lived. Within two to four weeks (or less) of opening the can, these balls will have lost their initial bounce, and to the passionate tennis player they are pretty much unplayable. As the pressurized gas inside the balls escapes, these balls lose their bounce and feel “dead” or “wooden.”

 

Pressureless Tennis Balls

Pressureless balls, on the other hand, feel a little “dead” right from the start. But, over time, as the felt fabric cover on the ball wears away and the rubber inside softens, these balls actually become more bouncy. While that sounds good, the fact that these balls are heavier means that they strike your racquet with more force. And they require your arm and the rest of your body to use more force in hitting them. The result can be an increase in injury. And while the balls may become bouncier, their spin response decreases over time. A definite negative in these days when so many people are trying to generate spin on their serves and ground strokes.

 

Best Uses

So, if you want to play any sort of competition tennis then pressurised balls are the only real option. If you want to improve your play by practicing with another player then once again only pressurised balls will give you the correct bounce and spin characteristics. If however, you want to use balls for rebound or machine practice, then pressureless tennis balls can be a good option since they won’t lose their bounce over time.

 

Can you stop pressurized balls losing their bounce?

Since pressurized balls are better to play and practise with, how do you solve the problem of them losing their bounce?

It’s annoying having to worry about how “fresh” your tennis balls are every time you arrive at the court. There’s one really good option for this:

 

PressureBall Stops Tennis Balls Losing Their Bounce

Pressureball-Tube, PressureBall is a flexible plastic pressure tube for tennis balls that enables you to store your pressurized tennis balls at 14 psi – which is the same pressure as the pressurized can you the tennis balls originally came in.

With PressureBall you simply put your tennis balls in the tube, and then use a bicycle pump with a pressure gauge to increase the pressure in the tube.

By pumping a PressureBall tube to the recommended pressure of 14 psi, your tennis balls will be stored at the same pressure as the pressurised can they were sold in. This means your tennis balls will bounce as good as new balls every time you use them, right until the felt wears out!

What is more, because the pressure in the tube can even be pumped up more than 14 psi if desired, pressure loss can even be reversed so that balls that have gone soft can be revived to “new” ball pressures and performance.

By using PressureBall tennis plays can enjoy playing with proper pressurized tennis balls, without needing to replace or put up with balls that go soft. Instead the balls keep bouncing like new balls until the felt completely wears out! It is by far the most economical choice for tennis enthusiasts.

 

WAIT! BEFORE YOU GO ...

Have you read the Frequently Asked Questions?

I’ve answered many common questions about PressureBall on the FAQs page.