Best Tennis Ball Hopper Buying Guide 2019 | Top 5 Brands and FAQs
Here's the point:
Tennis ball hoppers are pick-ups to gather the scattered tennis balls in the ground and added to that; they neatly store the balls to keep them in place till you next need them.
They are a great aid to comfort you by automating the extra tasks, saving your time and energy.
Look:
A variety of tennis ball hoppers are available in the market. Which one is best for you is the query we are going to solve for you today.
Let us see what features we need to consider before choosing a ball hopper for us.
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Tennis Ball Hopper Buying Guide
How do you choose the best tennis ball hopper for yourself?
It might be surprising for you to look into such details for buying what apparently seems a simple tennis ball hopper, but every player has his own needs, and the choice of ball hopper may vary accordingly. There are a few aspects one has to consider before they choose the right one for themselves. Here’s a list of these features.
1. Capacity
Tennis ball hoppers come in a variety of sizes and thus in varying ball carrying capacities. It starts from holding 30 balls up to 500 balls. The capacity requirement for single player is lesser than for multiple players using a single hopper.
2. Size and Weight
This is an essential factor that is based on two things.
Firstly, if you are to use the hopper at a single location, you may consider buying a larger, even heavier, hopper. If you have to move around, for instance, you are a coach and move to various places; you might want to consider a smaller, portable and a lightweight hopper that you can easily carry everywhere.
Secondly, you have to buy a hopper depending on the storage space you have for keeping it when not being used or in case of bad weather conditions.
3. Type
Hoppers of different styles are made for players with different choices. Some hoppers are wheeled and cart-like for higher capacity and easy movement on the ground. Ball-tubes are available usually for single player that requires fewer capacity hoppers and is easy to carry around. Pick-up hoppers are like carts but without wheels, lockable legs and may also be used as a basket, unlike cart hoppers. Mower like hoppers have both lockable legs like pick-up hoppers and wheels like cart hoppers. You choose the type as per your portability, capacity and location needs.
4. Durability
Durability is essential especially for coaches, regular players, and professionals. Tennis ball hoppers made of plastic or thin wires are less durable than heavy duty propylene made hoppers. You choose your tennis ball hopper keeping in mind your time of usage; rough or minimal.
5. Convertible features
Some of the tennis ball hoppers have lockable legs while others do not. The handles can be used to pick up the hopper as a basket and then the same handles can be folded to act as legs of the basket in a stand like a hopper.
Also, some hoppers have adjustable heights while others do not. You must buy a hopper with adjustable height if
6. Price
When investing in tennis ball hoppers, make sure you do not waste your money. Professional players may spend on high-quality hoppers, but regular players taking tennis as just a daily activity must make sure they don’t spend too much on something they do not even need. Cost efficient hoppers are the best. Maximum benefit and the least possible cost what you must look for.
Top 5 Best Tennis Ball Hopper Brands
Let us now look into a few popular brands of tennis ball hoppers being sold in the market.
1. Gamma
Gamma ball hoppers come in a wide range of variety. They produce hoppers for players with different needs. The Gamma tennis ball hoppers include Hi-Rise 75, Pro-Plus, EZ Basket, EZ Travel Cart Bag, Ball tube, Hoppets, and Risette. Among these the most popular and best-selling Gamm ball hoppers are Hi-Rise 75 gold and EZ Cart Premium Tennis Teaching and Travel Baskets. Gamma Ball Mowers are also a great invention with great capacity of 350 balls and even picks up scattered balls.
Hi-Rise 75 Gold is a high rise basket with a capacity of 75 balls. It is durable with weather resistant coating on it. It has a lid to avoid accidental spilling.
EZ Cart Premium Tennis Teaching and Travel Baskets are portable and lightweight. They are durable hoppers with a capacity of 150. Other similar carts may contain 300 plus balls. It has convertible features like removable handles and foldable legs.
2. Wilson
Wilson has its popularity in the world of Tennis. Wilson produces pick-up hoppers, carts with wheels, rollers, and baskets. The most popular Wilson tennis ball hoppers are Wilson 75 Tennis Ball Pick-Up Hopper has a capacity of 75 balls and has a lid to prevent spilling. The legs are lockable giving more stability to the hopper. On top of it, the price is extremely low.
3. Tourna
Tourna ball hoppers include ball-ports, deluxe carts, and ball pick-ups. The most popular Tourna ball hoppers include Tourna Deluxe Cart Ball-port with wheels and Tourna Pete Sampras Ball-port.
Tourna Deluxe Cart Ball-port is different from standard ball hoppers. Made of propylene, it looks like a crate with a thicker unbreakable material. It is portable and easy to move. It requires no assembly and has a lid to avoid spilling. It is very durable, but the price is much higher than other ball hoppers available in the market.
Tourna Pete Sampras Ball-port is durable and lightweight. Its assembly is straightforward like other Tourna hoppers. It carries around 75 balls. The cost is meager.
4. Hoparazzi
The Hoparazzi ball hoppers produce one the best ball hoppers, Pro Elite 125 Tennis Ball Basket. It is traveling teaching cart with built-in wheels and modifiable height. The capacity of this hopper is 125 balls with a lid to prevent spilling of balls. The assembly is easy, but the hopper is expensive.
5. HEAD
HEAD is also a popular brand producing tennis goods. HEAD 72 Pro Ball Basket is a hopper they have introduced to ease up the life for tennis players and coaches. They have simple design and assembly with a capacity of 72 balls. Its light weight makes it portable and is made up of durable material. The handles are not adjustable however making it less stable. The price of the hopper is very reasonable.
There’s a variety of products available, but you need to choose yours keeping in mind the features mentioned above and your requirement.
To further make it easy for you, we have provided a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to solve any ambiguities you might have when choosing your product.
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FAQs: Buying a Tennis Ball Hopper
Question: Picking up balls is a healthy activity for knees and legs then why buy a ball hopper?
Answer: When tennis balls are scattered all over it takes a lot of energy and time collecting them. It is very wise to use a machine help you do so instead of tiring yourself. You must use your energy in the game instead of in preparation and pack-ups. Also, if you want to keep your knees and legs healthy, go for sports, running, and exercises, picking up balls and carrying them is not the only option left.
Question 1: Which size is best for players?
Answer: Every player need varies. If you are a beginner or have to use the hopper for yourself only, buy a hopper with less capacity. If multiple players are to use the hopper, then buy a hopper with higher capacity. Also, if the hopper is to be used at a single location, you may buy a large hopper. If you move around a lot for the game, you should buy a portable, small and compact ball hopper.
Question 2: Are movable hoppers always better than stand like hoppers?
Answer: The answer is NO. It depends on your requirement. If you are a coach or dealing with many players in a larger place wheels are necessary. For novices and players who do not wish to move around a lot, using lesser capacity hoppers like ball tubes, wheels are not always needed.
Question 3: Are less expensive ball hoppers not good?
Answer: Not at all. The price varies according to some features, brand variation, and material used in making of hoppers. You have to see the features that you need. Spending extra on heavy high capacity hoppers is not wise. If your needs are satisfied with less expensive hoppers, you do not have to buy the expensive ones thinking they may be better just because they are expensive.
Question 4: Which brand is producing the best tennis ball hoppers?
Answer: Many brands are producing high-quality hoppers. Each brand is producing a variety of hoppers. Some features available in one hopper may not be available in the other, so saying one brand is better than the other completely may not a right thing to say. However, the top five brands have been mentioned in the article above for your convenience.
Question 5: Which tennis ball hoppers are most durable?
Answer: Mostly when producing hoppers, companies focus on the durability too. Durability depends on the material used in making of the hopper. Propylene-made hoppers are normally most durable. Hoppers with additional weather resisting coatings also increase durability.
Question 6: Is it advisable to buy tennis ball hoppers even when you have no problem in picking up balls yourself?
Answer: Yes. The purpose of buying tennis ball hoppers is not solely to collect tennis balls, but it also acts as a neat and organized storage place to assemble balls until you next need them. Lids help in the prevention of spilling of balls. It also keeps a count of your tennis balls as they are set in one place. It is always a better option to make life as comfortable as possible.
Question 7: Is it easy to assemble tennis ball hoppers?
Answer: Some of the tennis ball hoppers do not need to be assembled like ball tubes, baskets, and bags. However, others need assembling. Few hoppers are very easy to assemble. There are clear instructions and tools available for most of the hoppers. If you still find it difficult you may want to find someone who can help you in assembling the hopper.
Question 8: Is it easy to handle tennis ball hoppers?
Answer: Mostly, tennis ball hoppers come with adjustable features like lockable legs, adjustable height, and removable handles. You just need to choose the right hopper for yourself as per the criteria mentioned above in the article and handling hoppers become much easier than it seems.
Question 9: Do tennis ball hoppers come with tennis balls?
Answer: No. Tennis ball hoppers do not come with tennis balls. You need to buy a set of balls separately. There might be a special offer by some brands for promotions on specific occasions, but normally tennis ball hoppers come alone with essential tools only.
Final Words
From simple ball tubes to modern high tech carts, tennis ball hoppers vary to satisfy different customer needs. With the purpose of storing, collecting and organizing tennis balls it is a great invention to make life easier for tennis players and coaches. Choose your tennis ball hopper wisely as per your needs, budget, and taste. I hope this article was helpful in letting you decide which tennis ball hopper best suits you. Good Luck!
