Practicing your tennis shots consecutively is all fun and games until you run out of balls and have to pick them up. No one particularly enjoys bending down to pick up tennis balls as part of their tennis practice. Thankfully, tennis ball hoppers can ease the pain of constant bending. Your tennis practices will become more efficient and effective with more time to hit and less time to pick up tennis balls.
There are various designs of tennis ball hoppers, so how do you know which tennis ball collector is best for you? We listed out a detailed explanation of the different types and reviews of the best tennis ball picker-uppers for you to choose one that best fits your needs.
Best Mower + Cart Combo
This is an excellent product and is many tennis pro's product of choice. With two baskets (one that the balls pick up into and one up top for feeding) you'll feel like you spend very little of your day collecting balls and can concentrate more on what you enjoy - teaching.
Check Today's PriceThe tennis multimower is the best tennis ball mower and cart combination. This tennis ball collector is expensive, and might not be suitable for amateur or individual players, but it is easy to use and very efficient.
Pro teachers will find this tennis multimower effective for their tennis lessons because of the 300 ball capacity and teaching cart. The teaching cart allows for quick accessibility to grab balls for feeding without constantly bending down, or picking up balls.
Easily transport the smooth ride of the Multimower across any court surface. This tennis ball collector is equipped with a “rigged” roller that allows for a smooth ball pick up. The two extra back wheels allow for easy transportation over any small bumps.
The Tennis Multimower is guaranteed to be jam-free and has hinged arms that can be wheeled through gates. It can collect all types of tennis balls including regular, plus red, orange, and green transition balls.
Best Ball Mower
If you don't need a cart added to your ball mower then this is the best option. It's a tried and true product from a reliable company...if you're a tennis instructor or player who very simply wants an extremely efficient way to pick up balls after drills, this is your best option.
Check Today's PricePick up tennis balls extremely quickly and effectively with the Playmate Ball Mower. Named the best tennis ball mower. You can collect tennis balls with ease and have more time for practicing.
Considered as one of the best tennis ball picker-uppers, the Playmate Ball Mower comes at a costly price. However, coaches and tennis pros will find this ball collector effective to maximize their player’s practice time as it is one of the fastest ball retrievals. It holds up to 225 tennis balls making it convenient for longer drills.
Key features include convenient folding arms to pass through gates and storage, strong drum wheels, and aircraft aluminum construction. This ball collector will last years making it perfect for rental courts.
Best Budget Tennis Ball Roller
Another good option for people of all ages, this light weight and relatively inexpensive device is fun to use, easy to transport and will help with getting balls up off the court faster.
Check Today's PriceThe Kollectaball K-Max is the best budget tennis ball collector. If you’re in need of a fast and effective way to pick up a court full of tennis balls, this tennis ball roller is for you. The design is built with wires that were tested to last up to 10,000 hours without breakage.
It is lightweight and sturdy allowing tennis players of all ages to have fun while using this tennis ball collector. It can hold up to 60 tennis balls and has an easy release V-Opener that spreads wires to dispense the collected balls into a hopper.
Pick up all sizes tennis balls, if you are giving pickleball a try; and on any court surface. The sturdy handle allows for ball collecting without bending over to pick them up.
The Kollectaball K-Max 60 Ball Collector is great for schools, clubs, sports facilities, teams, and individuals.
Best Tennis Ball Roller
This is the premium solution for someone who wants a portable ball picker upper and who doesn't mind paying a bit extra. Not only does this pick up balls incredibly quickly, it also converts to a hopper of sorts...letting you quickly transition from pick up to feeding.
Check Today's PriceThe best tennis ball roller is the Crown Sporting Good EZ Roller 2-in-1 and comes at a decent price. This self-standing tennis hopper has a smooth feel when picking up tennis balls. You can pick up to 5 tennis balls at once and has a 50 ball capacity in the rolling drum.
The EZ Roller is lightweight and just a few feet long to make it easy to use for any tennis player as an effective way to pick up tennis balls. Once you have picked up all of your tennis balls you can flip it over on the tripod stand to use as a ball hopper. Adjust the height of the tripod base to match your own height; so there is no bending, stretching, or picking up.
As the best tennis ball roller, you can pick up tennis balls on any type of court, including clay, hard, grass, and carpet. This is a great tool for any tennis player, coach, or pro. While this is a two-in-one tennis ball roller that can be used as a ball hopper, you can release the tennis balls by removing the safety clip.
Best Tennis Ball Tube
I always love tennis classes that have a few of these on hand. It makes picking up the balls fun and effective during tennis class or when working with the ball machine. A cost effective solution that is very kid friendly.
Check Today's PriceThe Tourna Tenn Tube is the best tennis ball tube to use. It is affordable and easy to use for a quick pickup with a capacity of 20 tennis balls.
Any tennis player, coach, or pro can use this lightweight tennis ball tube out on the courts, including your little ones! To use, simply place the ball tube over a tennis ball and press down to force it in the tube. When the ball tube is full you can use the shoulder strap to carry it over to the ball hopper or teaching cart and flip it over to dispense the tennis balls.
An effective way to release the tennis balls into the ball hopper is to hang the ball tube on a chain-link fence with the rubber band end facing the ground. Simply slide the rubber band away from the center to allow the tennis balls to release from the opening.
Best Tennis Ball Hopper
The most traditional option, the Gamma Sports Ballhopper is a sturdy option which will last a very long time. If all you need is a way to transport your balls and pick them up a few at a time, this is a good option.
Check Today's PriceThe best tennis ball hoppers are the Gamma Sports Tennis Ballhoppers. They are popular to use amongst coaches, instructors, and individual players. It has a large tennis ball capacity to keep up a constant feed without having to constantly pick up balls. The various models hold different numbers of balls ranging from 50 to 140.
This is made for durability to last for years and comes at an affordable price. It is made out of carbon steel wire with premium Diamond Clad weather resistant coating to maintain its quality.
To use, simply use the handles to carry it around, place on top of tennis balls, and press down. It can be used as a ball collector and feeder. The two in one feature is effective to flip the handles over, allowing it to stand.
When you are collecting tennis balls and not using it as a stand, the attached lid will keep the balls secure without flying out.
Types of Tennis Ball Picker Uppers
There are various types of tennis ball picker-uppers to consider depending on your needs. If you are a coach or tennis pro, you will most likely be searching for the best tennis ball collector to fit your needs. Tennis ball picker-uppers with more features can maximize playing time for any tennis player looking to improve their skills. Listed below are different variations of tennis ball collectors.
Tennis Ball Mowers
If you’re looking to hit hundreds of balls in a row for serves or drills, then this would be the most effective type of tennis ball picker-upper to look into.
Tennis ball mowers are the quickest way to pick up tennis balls on any type of court, especially when there are large amounts of tennis balls scattered all over the court.
A tennis ball mower is easy to move because it is on wheels. When you roll it over the tennis balls it will drop them into a basket. You will not have to bend down, stretch, or pick up any tennis balls in the process.
Tennis Ball Rollers
Tennis ball rollers are another effective way to pick up copious amounts of tennis balls that are lying on the court. They most likely will not come with wheels attached but will have a handle to roll over tennis balls to pick them up.
Rollers are more lightweight and easy to use, making it an effective tool for teams, coaches, pros, and individual players.
To use, simply roll the tennis ball collector over the tennis balls for pick up. Some rollers listed below are built to use as a hopper as well. This limits having to dump the tennis balls into a separate hopper or container.
Tennis Ball Tubes
The tennis ball tube collectors are the perfect tennis ball picker-uppers for kids! They are lightweight, weighing about two to five pounds, and fun to use.
These are perfect for group tennis lessons of all ages to quickly collect all of the tennis balls on the court. Simply press the tube down onto a tennis ball to collect and once filled, dump into a hopper.
Factors to Consider
Consider the following factors when choosing a tennis ball picker-upper. Are you on a budget? Do you want a tennis ball collector to work as a hopper as well? Check out the various factors listed below.
Price
The prices of tennis ball picker-uppers vary on the size, quality, and if they can be used to feed too. Mower’s tend to be more expensive because of their ability to collect an abundance of tennis balls quickly, while tennis tubes are less expensive.
Portability
Tennis ball collectors can be portable to and from your car and different types of courts. Lighter tennis ball collectors will generally be easier for younger players to use to pick up balls. However, ball collectors with wheels are easy to move around.
Amateur vs Pro
The list above of the best tennis ball collectors will point out what one is best for pro tennis instructors or amateur players. The best tennis ball collectors that have a large ball capacity are generally used by pro tennis instructors or coaches. Instructors should search for ones that will maximize their tennis players’ playing time.
Ball Capacity
The ball capacity refers to how many balls the tennis ball collector can hold.
Ease of Use / Pickup Speed
All tennis ball collectors are easy to use and will lessen your pickup speed. However, some tennis ball picker-uppers have smoother functions when rolling over tennis balls for collection.
In Summary
We suggest using a tennis ball picker-upper if you haven’t invested in one yet. Pro players and amateur or individual players can benefit from one.
The best tennis ball collectors will increase your practice time by accelerating the time it takes to pick up all of the tennis balls on the court. So no more constant bending over to pick up all of the balls scattered around. The advantages of collecting all of your balls with ease outweigh any disadvantages.
You will be sure to find the best tennis ball collector to fit your needs in the list above. Spend more time playing, and less time chasing around tennis balls!