This article provides a running summary of our tests and assessments of various pickleballs. The balls that we tested are all USAPA-approved and are assumed to meet the basic requirements for diameter, weight, bounce, etc. so we will not test or report on those characteristics. When selecting a pickleball, we believe that there are only three important factors that players must consider: performance, durability, and price. Other factors, such as color, surface finish, and appearance are highly subjective and are a matter of personal preference, so they are not necessarily criteria on which to base a purchase.
Performance / Speed
The performance of a ball is a rather nebulous term but most players will agree that it is desirable for a ball to come off the paddle with a lot of “pop” and velocity. In a previous article (“Why Do New Pickleballs Have More “Pop?”) we determined that the amount of “pop” and velocity is not just a property of the paddle or just the ball, but how the paddle interacts with the ball. A stiffer ball will cause greater deformation of the paddle face and thus amplify the so-called “trampoline effect”. Because of the trampoline effect the paddle will grip stiffer balls better, allowing you to put more spin on the ball. Softer balls, on the other hand, will feel “dead” and will have a lower velocity and less spin because they will require a greater amount of force to deform the paddle face. We therefore classify balls as “high performance” vs “low performance” based on a measure of their stiffness.
The stiffness of each ball was calculated by measuring its deformation under compression loads of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 lbs using the same apparatus that is described in “How Many Games Will a Pickleball Last?” The average stiffness of each ball was then measured when the ball is new and then after playing 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 games, or until they cracked or were otherwise too soft for competitive play. Because there was a wide variance in the measured data, the stiffness was linearized over 30 games even though the ball might not have lasted for 30 games.
Based on a review of the stiffness characteristics of several balls, we classified balls with a stiffness greater than 120 lb/in as high performance. Balls with a measured stiffness less than 80 lb/in were classified as low performance. Balls with a measured stiffness in the range of 80 to 120 lb/in were classified as medium performance. These classifications were validated with several intermediate-level players who played balls of different stiffness in several games.
Durability / Useful Life
The durability or useful life of each ball was judged based on the number of games played before either the ball cracked or lost a significant amount of stiffness to affect its performance. Competitive players started to notice a degradation in ball performance when the ball lost more than 10% of its stiffness. Depending on how stiff the ball was when it was new, it was at this point when it became easier to deform the ball by squeezing it with your thumb.
In our tests, we assume that the end of life (EOL) of a ball occurs when it cracks or when it loses more than 10% of its stiffness or when it has been played for at most 30 games. In our tests (so far) one brand of balls had outstanding durability, lasting over 30 games! Subdividing the 30-game lifetime into thirds, we categorized balls as low durability if its useful life was less than 10 games; medium durability if its useful life was between 10-20 games, and high durability if its useful life was greater than 20 games.
Price / Value
The price per ball was obtained by calculating the unit price from a package quantity of 12 balls from PickleballCentral.com. While the price per ball is important, we also reasoned that a ball that lasts for more games will have a greater value than one that may last for only a few games. We therefore introduce the idea of the ball value index, which integrates performance, durability, and price into a single metric. The ball’s value index was calculated by dividing the ball’s useful life by the price of the ball. For example, a ball that costs $4.00 that lasts for 40 games will have a value index of 10 and will have the same value as a ball that costs $2.00 that lasts for 20 games.
Summary
A summary of our findings is provided in the table and chart below, followed by more detailed reviews in subsequent sections. We will update the table and chart as we gather more data and test other brands of balls. The balls were evaluated and played by intermediate-level players (level 3.5) on outdoor concrete courts at warm Florida temperatures. Results may vary according to your level of play and how hard you hit the balls.
Ball | Price Per Ball ($) | Stiffness (lb/in) | Useful Life | Performance | Durability | Value Index | |
New | EOL | ||||||
3.33 | 138 | 132 | 30 | High | High | 9.0 | |
3.33 | 129 | 122 | 24 | High | High | 7.2 | |
2.17 | 125 | 82 | 15 | Medium-High | Medium | 6.9 | |
2.50 | 100 | 90 | 17 | Medium | Medium | 6.8 | |
3.08 | 104 | 94 | 17 | Medium | Medium | 5.5 | |
2.30 | 89 | 80 | 7 | Medium-Low | Low | 3.0 | |
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Franklin X-40
We discussed the Franklin X-40 in our article, “DuraFast 40 vs Franklin X-40 Pickleballs“. The Franklin X-40 is one of the most popular balls so most of us are familiar with how it plays. Its popularity is due in part to the fact that you can purchase Franklin X-40’s from a wide variety of on-line and brick and mortar merchants.
A brand-new Franklin X-40 starts out at the low end of the medium performance scale with a stiffness of about 89 lb/in. The ball rapidly loses its stiffness, degrading by 10% in about seven games. Beyond seven games, the Franklin X-40 behaves like a low performance ball. At around 12-13 games, the ball will have lost almost 20% of its stiffness and can be easily deformed with pressure from your thumb. Because of its low starting stiffness and rapid rate of losing stiffness, we would also classify the Franklin X-40 as a medium-to low performance ball with low durability.
A 12-pack of Franklin X-40 balls from PickleballCentral.com costs $27.62, giving it a low per-unit cost of $2.30. However, if the per unit cost is amortized over the 7-game lifetime of the ball, the ball has a relatively low value index of about 3.0 games per dollar spent. The Franklin X-40 would be a good ball for casual players who do not hit the ball hard and desire a low-cost ball that is recognized by almost everyone.
Core Impact
The Core Impact ball has the same look and feel of the Franklin X-40 at a slightly higher cost of $30 per 12-pack, giving it a cost $2.50 per ball. The stiffness of a new Core Impact ball is about 10% higher than a Franklin X-40, measuring about 100 lb/in which puts it firmly within the medium performance category.
The big advantage of the Core Impact over the Franklin X-40 is that it loses 10% of its stiffness in about 17 games, giving it more than twice the useful life of the Franklin X-40. Because of this, the Core Impact would be classified as a medium durability ball.
Taking into account the cost and useful life of the ball, the Core Impact has a value index of 6.8, which is more than twice that of the Franklin X-40. In terms of playability, the Core Impact might play slightly faster than the Franklin X-40, but a survey of intermediate players thought that the Core Impact (at 16 games) played virtually identical to a new Franklin X-40.
The Core Impact is a high value ball with medium performance and medium-to-high durability that we would highly recommend for those players who are used to the performance of the Franklin X-40 but want a ball with greater durability.
Core Outdoor
The Core Outdoor ball has the same look and feel of the DuraFast 40 at a slightly lower price of $37 per 12-pack, giving it a price of $3.08 per ball. However, the initial stiffness of the Core Outdoor ball is significantly less than the DuraFast 40 at about 104 lb/in (vs 130 lb/in). This puts it in league with the Core Impact at about 100 lb/in. Both Core balls would be classified in the medium performance category.
The Core Outdoor ball loses stiffness at about the same rate as the Core Impact, with the useful life also at about 17 games before losing 10% of its stiffness. This would put the Core Outdoor ball into the medium durability category.
Because the Core Outdoor ball is more expensive than the Core Impact ($3.08 per ball vs $2.50 per ball), the Core Outdoor ball has a lower value index of 5.5 vs a value index of 6.8 for the Core Impact ball.
Selkirk SLK Competition
The SLK Competition ball has the same look and feel of the DuraFast 40 ball at a much lower price of $2.17 per ball (vs $3.33 per ball for the DuraFast 40). Out of the box, the Selkirk Competition performs similar to the DuraFast 40, with a stiffness of 125 lb/in. However, the ball loses 10% of its stiffness by about 15 games and at about 20 games developed soft spots.
The high initial stiffness of the ball classifies it as a medium-to-high performance ball; however, its rate of stiffness loss classifies it as a medium-durability ball. Taking into account its relatively low purchase price of $2.17 per ball together with its useful life of about 15 games, its value index is a moderately high 6.9 games per dollar spent. Players who like the DuraFast 40 but wish to spend a lower initial price might consider the Selkirk SLK competition, however, its lower durability gives it a lower value index than the DuraFast 40.
DuraFast 40
We provided an in-depth review of the DuraFast 40 in our article, “DuraFast 40 vs Franklin X-40 Pickleballs“. With a stiffness of almost 130 lb/in new, the DuraFast 40 had among the highest measured stiffness of the balls tested (so far). The DuraFast 40 balls developed cracks at around 24 games, where the stiffness degraded to about 122 lb/in or by only 6%.
The high initial stiffness of the DuraFast 40 together with its low rate of stiffness loss classifies the DuraFast 40 as a high performance, high durability ball. The DuraFast 40 has a relatively high purchase price of $3.33 per ball; however, if this price is amortized over the 24-game lifetime of the ball, it has a relatively high value index of 7.2 games per dollar spent.
Because of its high performance, high durability, and high value, we would highly recommend the DuraFast 40 for all levels of play.
Pro Penn 40
At first glance, the Pro Penn 40 has the look and feel of one of those balls you get for free when you order your first set of beginner paddles; however, this is where any similarity ends. The Pro Penn 40 is a fantastic ball with outstanding value.
The initial stiffness of the Pro Penn 40 was the highest measured (so far) at 138 lb/in. This is more than 50% stiffer than a Franklin X-40. Players who are used to the Franklin X-40 will claim that the ball is heavier, although in reality it is the same weight (about 0.95 oz) as the Franklin X-40. The heavy feel of the ball may be due to one of the following factors: (1) serves and returns are coming towards you at a higher velocity, which will require more effort on your part to return the ball, and/or (2) the stiffer ball will deform the paddle to a greater extent, giving you greater “feel”. The greater deformation of the paddle face will also allow you to put more spin on the ball.
The Pro Penn 40 has outstanding durability. Even after 30 games, the ball loses only 5% of its initial stiffness! In fact, testing of the Pro Penn 40 found several balls that exceeded 30 games in competitive games among intermediate (3.5) players. One ball even developed cracks after about 30 games which were initially undetected by the players, yet this ball still had a stiffness that exceeded 125 lb/in!
These results firmly classify the Pro Penn 40 as a high performance and high durability ball. Its initial cost is relatively high at $3.33 per ball, however, when this cost is amortized over 30+ games, the Pro Penn 40 has an outstanding value index of 9.0 games per dollar spent, which is higher than any ball tested to date. Because of this, we would highly recommend the Pro Penn 40 for intermediate-to-advanced players. In fact, after playing with Pro Penn 40 balls, it becomes difficult to settle for lower performance balls, such as the Franklin X-40.
