GAMMA Tennis Ball Hopper, Durable, Convenient Storage

The handle/stand mechanism is very simple and the paint chips off these areas quickly, and the lid pops
Off sometimes- but, it’s crazy convenient and makes tennis practice and casual play so much easier and fun. Construction is v sturdy without it weighing a ton. Def good buy.

Gamma Hi-Rise Gold 75 Tennis Ball Hopper

PRO:
>solid, thoughtfully-designed, & lightweight
>never falls over, even if only 1 of the 2 steel balls on each leg gets “locked-on”
>handles never pinch my hand when picking up balls—just hold `em together tight
>balls readily enter between bottom slats when picking up, but never fall out again
>legs lock-onto bottom easily: just pull the leg out & away & gravity does the rest (see “***” below)
>holds at least 60 balls —-haven’t tested how many more it’ll take

CON: Nothing significant

I almost gave this 5 stars (see below). I got it from Amazon on 7/11/12 & have been using it often and REALLY HAPPY with it ever since. I had an “antique” hopper before this, which must’ve been made of iron—it weighed a ton. This one is much lighter and has tapered sides that make it fit more easily in my often-crowded car trunk. We live about one long block from the court where I practice and, one day when the car was in the shop, I EASILY carried this hopper on my shoulder to the court.

The lid works great. I can insert balls easily even when the legs/handles are UP. One of the “hooks” (that act as hinges) sometimes comes off and pliers would easily pinch it tighter so it wouldn’t come off, but it’s effortless to pop it back in place so I haven’t bothered. The lid’s clasp works perfectly: I never have balls all over my car trunk because it’s on its side, as I did with my old hopper.

Unit comes with handles separate. I had no problem attaching them, but this quote from another reviewer helped: “The handles go between the uprights, so the ends go fully into their slots. It is only when incorrectly placed outside the uprights that they will fall off. The legs must go in in front of the bars not around it. That’s why they come off. You have to push the bars in a bit.”

A bit of the gold paint does wear off with abrasion (like when I allow the handles to drop freely to the pavement prior to making legs out of them), but that doesn’t really bother me and it’s happened only at a couple points where it’s to be expected. As for the handles crashing against the pavement, Gamma could attach some sort of cushion at each corner of each handle to prevent direct contact, but having a tiny bit of paint worn off doesn’t affect the purpose of the hopper.

After using it 3 or 4 days a week for 12 weeks, one of the white plastic (?) rollers on the bottom of the basket has started to split open at one end. It’s a worthwhile feature because it enables U to effortlessly roll it on any fairly hard & flat surface, altho’ it’s light enough to carry on your shoulder, so I roll it only in & out of my car trunk, which is quite helpful. Gamma could easily & cheaply prevent this problem by permanently attaching a metal or nylon disc (to the metal rod holding this roller) about 1/4″ from each end of the (centered) roller, which would prevent the roller from sliding left or right far enough to jam the roller end against the vertical rod adjacent to it, which pressure appears to have caused the split. THIS PROBLEM IS THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT ONE, but it took this item from 5 stars to 4. Ya gotta be perfect to get 5 stars from me, because 5/5=excellent! SO, if you “couldn’t care less” about the roller option, then give this hopper 5/5 stars.

10/03/12 UPDATE: *** if U have trouble, the “secret” is: flip or pull leg as far out as possible, plus take care to hold “basket” in a position whereby the 2 uprights with the steel ball “keepers” fall against it SQUARELY, rather than too far left or right.

Nice product received it on time was price lesser than other places. I liked it so far.

Let me start off with a quick bit about me. I have been playing tennis for 11 years now, and ive been teaching/assisting/coaching for 9 years. I have taught for three different programs, and would do anything from large group, to private lessons on both hard and clay courts. I played on my high school tennis team, as well as my universities, and have traveled accordingly. So in my time, I have seen, used, and owned a number of different ball hoppers. Without a doubt, this is the best wire frame ball hopper I have ever used. It is also the best below 100 ball hopper I have ever used. It is well worth the 10 or 15 bucks it costs to upgrade from the cheaper model. You will not be disappointed. I cannot speak to how much longer this one will last over the cheaper alternatives, but I can without a doubt say it will last the longest, for many years if not decades to come. Here are a few features and details you may like to know.

Pros:
1. Great ball hopper, holds 75 which is more than I need for my current private needs. If you are giving serious lessons, it helps to have a larger basket, but for self practice, and hitting with friends, and fun lessons with friends. It works wonderfully.

2. Clearly well made with all the welds and is a lot more sturdy than any cheaper alternative, or any other wire ball basket ive encountered in my time. The coating on the wires shows no sign of wear after around a month of use.

3. The floating rails on the bottom are really neat, great ingenuity. Makes picking up balls that much easier and a little less impact on your arms.

Cons: (If you can actually consider these that)

1. On one of the legs, there is a metal ball welded to it. I can only assume this is to make it so when the handles are up and touching, they secure. Great thought/feature! It was just poorly executed. The handles still stay up great, but they do not secure into each other as intended. If you are going to add a cool feature like that, you’ve got to do it well.

2. If you bring up the legs before you close the basket, the basket will hit, and possibly latch on to the crossbar of the leg. Is this a big deal, not at all, I’ve run into it only a few times, but its just a little gripe.

All in all, great little basket. Sturdy, well made, will last a long time, and you will definitely be satisfied. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Very sturdy, constructed for major use I.e. tennis clubs-professionals.
Would suggest a size down for an individual using a couple times per week.