The 10 Best Ball Hoppers
Special Honors
Sports Tutor They may not be much help when it comes time for clean up, but for tennis players looking to take their game to the next level, Sports Tutor offers a selection of machines to help users run drills and sharpen their skills. While their line does include some budget-friendly models for beginners, their high-end units will be prohibitively expensive for many users. sportstutor.com
Editor's Notes
July 08, 2020:
While most of our previous selections managed to make it through this round of updates, we did decide on removing the Pick-Up Bucket due to availability issues. We also replaced the Tourna Pete Sampras Ballport with Tourna Ballport Deluxe, which is essentially the same offering, only with longer legs and added wheels. From there, we matched our five existing selections with five new options, including some exciting choices like the Oncourt Offcourt MultiMower — a large model with a 300-ball capacity that’s suitable for country clubs and community centers, the SamMoSon Roller — a rolling model with a 50-ball capacity that works quite quickly, and the Hoparazzi Elite — a basic model with a 65-ball capacity that’s available in 10 interesting colors, as well as a standard white version.
A few things to think about for this category:
Cleanup: While cart-style offerings like the Asenver Ball Cart are great for keeping a whole bunch of tennis balls on hand, they present no convenient means of cleaning up all of said balls once you’ve bounced them off your racquet a few times. Tube-style offerings like the Gamma BallTube can save you from bending over by picking up balls one at a time, while wire-basket units like the Wilson 75 can often pick up two or three simultaneously. But for maximum cleanup efficiency, the quickest and easiest method of gathering discarded balls tends to be mowing models like the SamMoSon Roller.
Capacity: This can vary drastically from model to model, so it’s important to put a bit of thought into just how many balls you’re planning on handling. Tube-style units – like the Gamma BallTube and Tourna Tenn Tube, which can accommodate as many as 18 or 20 balls, respectively – might offer ample utility to the casual user, but busy country clubs and community centers with demanding needs are likely to prefer mowing options that work faster and can accommodate more balls – like the SamMoSon Roller and Oncourt Offcourt MultiMower, which can accommodate as many as 50 or 300 balls, respectively.
Portability: For the most part, all of our selections feature lightweight designs that make them reasonably portable; even the large Oncourt Offcourt MultiMower, which weighs 44 pounds, disassembles reasonably easily, allowing it to fit into the trunk of your sedan. That being said, many models have added features that help improve their portability and maneuverability.
Cart-style offerings – like the Asenver Ball Cart, Bkisy Teaching Cart and Gamma EZ Travel Cart – are often equipped with casters, making them easy to roll across concrete or any other form of floor that’s smooth and solid. Similarly, our upgraded pick the Tourna Ballport Deluxe features built-in wheels, so there’s no need for dragging, and the Gamma BallTube comes with a convenient strap, so you can just throw it over your shoulder, if your local court’s within walking distance. The Oncourt Offcourt MultiMower is even outfitted with a third pair of wheels, so users can lean back to help the front end hop over curbs.
Now that you’ve got your hopper picked out, all that you’ll need is a tennis net and a tennis ball machine and you’ll be just about ready to open a club of your own!