Pressureless tennis balls are great for casual play and there are a few great options out there in the market. Tennis equipment brand Tretorn developed a pressureless tennis ball variant that’s currently one of the best to use for practice and casual playing. Here’s our Tretorn tennis ball review.
Why Use Pressureless Tennis Balls?
Regular tennis balls are pressurized, meaning they are hollow inside and filled with pressurized air. Overtime, with use, the air inside the balls escapes and causes the ball to be “dead”—the term used when balls lose their bounce and effectiveness in court. Pressurized tennis balls are what’s being used in tournaments and competitive play.
Pressureless tennis balls solve this problem as they are constructed to be solid. They are generally a cheaper investment than pressurized tennis balls because you won’t have to buy a new can every couple of plays. While they last long, their difference in construction compromises some bounce and ball handling, and spin is really just overall different. So while they are great for casual play and practice, you should really still consider playing with regular pressurized tennis balls if you want to be more serious and enter the competitive scene.
For more information about the difference between pressurized and pressureless tennis balls, and when to use which, read our post on pressureless tennis balls.
Tretorn Micro X Pressureless Ball Review
Tretorn managed to produce one of the best pressureless USTA and ITF approved balls in the market right now with the Micro X Pressureless Tennis Ball. Here’s a rundown of how great these balls are.
- Built for tennis ball machines
- Versatile and well-suited for all court types and climates
- Patented air-filled micro cells simulate the performance of pressurized tennis balls
Specifications
The Micro X pressureless balls come in two variants: an all-yellow and two-tone yellow and white high visibility flex-felt ball. The felt can come off after a while leaving the rubber core, but this shouldn’t be much of a problem as it doesn’t have much significant effect on the balls’ performance. It is sold in sets 48, 72, or 96 and they come in a reusable plastic carrying bag or bucket with Tretorn branding; a handy way of not spending more to buy a separate bag or container to carry and place these balls in.
The felt is imprinted with a huge X mark on its surface which has become the Micro X’s signature. The X mark is actually a great visual marker that you are dealing with a pressureless practice ball and not meant for competitive practice.
There are also variants where the Lobster branding can also be found on the ball themselves. This is because Lobster is one of the official distributors of the Tretorn Micro X Pressureless.
Patented Design
The Micro X is designed with what Tretorn calls “Micro Cellular technology.” The balls are made with about 700 million air-filled micro cells that Tretorn claims helps in the longevity and effectiveness of the ball. They say that the balls are “neither pressurized nor pressureless” but their ball construction and performance still matches that of most pressureless tennis balls.
This patented design is behind the Micro X’s reputation of long life, durability without losing the bounce, and for their reputation as one of the best balls to use in a tennis ball machine.
Durable Without Losing the Bounce
Many users claim and review that the Tretorn Micro X never goes dead in the court no matter how many sessions you use them for. Even when the felt has worn off, it still performs really great as if new and out of the box, albeit a little bald.
A lot of users have also said that they have been using the Micro X balls for years for practice saying that they are “reliable, long-lasting, consistent.”
Great to Use In A Tennis Ball Machine
The Tretorn Micro X is highly reviewed as one of the best tennis pressureless tennis balls to use in a tennis machine. Tennis machines can be very rough to tennis balls, especially to pressurized ones. Their throwing mechanism can be rather harsh and contribute to the ball losing air pressure inside faster than a normal playing or sparring session.
Using pressureless tennis balls in a tennis machine solves this problem. The durability of pressureless balls can be more cost-effective to you because it lets you use the balls over and over again for a long time without them ever ‘dying’ on you in a few sessions.
Great for Casual Practice
That said, pressureless tennis balls are generally great for practice sessions, especially for swings. Because you can use these types of balls in a machine over and over again, the Tretorn Micro X gives you the opportunity to also use them again and again for practice sessions.
Great for Most Playing Conditions
One of the caveats of regular pressurized tennis balls is that there are very specific conditions that you can get to use them. Altitude, court type, climate are just among these factors. Certain factors require certain types of balls; like how a high altitude tennis ball is needed if you’re playing in a place that is about ~4,000 feet above sea level.
The great thing about pressureless tennis balls like the Micro X is that you don’t have to worry much about what balls to use. Whether you are playing on clay or on a hard court, indoor or outdoor, high or low altitude, the Micro X is very versatile in its performance on any playing or practice condition.
Cons
One of the cons for the Tretorn Micro X (and any pressureless tennis ball in general) is that because it has a different bounce and feel on the court, ball handling is generally different from when you’re dealing with pressurized tennis balls. Because of this, it is not recommended that you practice exclusively with this if you’re looking into entering competitive play. Pressureless tennis balls tend to be a bit heavier on the racquet and faster on the court.
This added weight and speed compared to using pressurized balls might cause you to have a very hard time adjusting for when you are going to play competitively with pressurized balls.
Summary and Recommendations
The Tretorn Micro X Pressureless is possibly one of the best constructed pressureless tennis balls for use out there today. With its patented “Micro Cellular technology” design, it is very versatile on any practice conditions and can last you a long, long time. It is definitely worth its relatively premium price.
There are also other great pressureless tennis balls we recommend like the Penn Pressureless while the Tourna Pressureless is a great budget option, not just for kids but for dogs, too!
Post last updated on March 29, 2022