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Saturday, January 14, 2023
Major League Pickleball rolls out a new more durable championship ball that is set to be available to the public for purchase in early 2023.
This DUPR ball which is built for professional and tournament level players is an outdoor ball which was designed to be a faster, anti-cracking more durable ball than any other ball on the market.
"Via Apex Technology, we've created a rotocast one-piece, anti-cracking design and with a proprietary hardness to weight ratio, we've produced the fastest ball in the game." Says representative from MLP.
There have been two other balls on the market that have been the cornerstone of what professionals and avid pickleball players alike have used for many years; the Onix Durafast 40 ball and the Franklin X-40 ball. Most high level players prefer the Durafast 40 ball because it stays firmer longer than any of its competition. It does not have a high bounce and plays very fast. The issue with this ball is that it cracks very quickly and doesn't keep its shape which can be problematic when the cost of one ball is minimally $3.50. MLP/DUPR claims their ball alleviates this issue as the ball is non-egging and keeps its round shape. Its anti-cracking qualities will make it suitable for warm and cold climates. They boast the ball has a consistent bounce and ideal flight because of these upgraded attributes. The Franklin X-40 ball loses it's firmness quite quickly and becomes a very soft pickleball that becomes challenging to speed up and ultimately put away. Although this ball lasts longer, the performance of this ball over the course of its life is minimal as most high level players like to play with a firmer, faster pace ball. MLP/DUPR claims their ball alleviates this issue as the firmest, fastest ball on the market to date. They have made a ball that fixes the issues of the balls on the current market.
The proof is in the pudding. Major League Pickleball is set to use this ball for their first event at the end of January in Mesa, Arizona. The best players in the world will be there, using THIS ball.
OUR THOUGHTS We had an opportunity to play with this ball which at first glance, looks and feels really good. Their claims of firmness are accurate and the ball plays very fast. We are interested to see how the ball holds up over the course of the week of play and what the professionals have to say about it after Mesa. Ultimately, we are excited to have a ball last longer and keep its high performance qualities over a longer period of time. One last thing, MLP is looking into recyclability and plastic technology to make it friendlier for the environment as well. We support this and can't wait to hear updates.
Happy playing.