Tourna Ballport Deluxe Tennis Ball Hopper with Wheels

This is a great ball hopper. Many features make it better than the traditional ball hopper which I've been using. It is light and versatile with a very ingenious design. The handles in particular are fixed to the sides and won't fall apart like my old ball hopper frequently did. They also click together easily and separate easily if you want to invert it to set up as a ball basket. The wheels make it especially easy to maneuver without having to do too much lifting. But in any case, it is a lot lighter than the metal hoppers. And picking up balls is a snap. The bottom slots are just wide enough to ease the balls in but just narrow enough to keep them in once they're in. The top slider bars is an ingenious alternative to the swinging top on other hoppers, sliding them apart to access the balls, sliding together to keep them from falling out. Let me address criticisms from other users: 1) It is not flimsy. Once put together, it is quite sturdy. Screws keep the sides together reliably. My old hopper, the screws would somehow come undone and the sides would fall apart. No problem here. 2) Handles are not too short. I am an average size male and it is just the right height. If the handles were any taller then it wouldn't fit in my SUV as well, the hatch would hit them when it closes. I don't stoop when I roll it as one user who is 5'4" has commented. 3) Assembly is not too difficult. It took me about 40 minutes to put together. Instructions are adequate and pretty straight forward if you have a little common sense. The hardest part was attaching both sides while keeping the top and bottom rods in place. It takes a few tries to keep everything aligned to snap together with the rods in place. I made the mistake of screwing on the wheels last but I was able to attach them anyways. It will be easier if you attach them before putting the sides together. 4) Balls can get hung up when emptying into a ball machine but this is the case with any ball hopper. You certainly have to do a little shaking to completely empty the hopper but this is very minor and would be a issue with any ball hopper.

Ballport is an incredibly well-designed precision product well worth ~$30. Normally I pass off the hype printed on the box as just fluff, but that is not the case here. "So unique that multiple patents were granted" has to be true because all the features noted on the box function incredibly well. The "bars on the bottom turn as you pick up balls" makes ball pick-up very easily--although I have only had about 35 balls maximum in the hopper so I can't vouch for picking up the 80th ball when you are up to 79. The handles lock into place nicely in both the up and down positions. The parts are made in Taiwan, so you aren't really buying a product made in China, so to speak. It took me more than 10 minutes to assemble (as stated on the instruction sheet) mainly due to attaching the wheels (which I would highly recommend getting--the hopper gets a little heavy with so many balls in it). The hex nuts are seated into the molded plastic which keeps you from having to hold the nut to keep it from turning, but it's a little tricky holding the washer on the screw, keeping the wheel in place, and keeping the hex nut from falling out of the molded area all at the same time when inserting the first of four screws. For such a well-thought out design this is a minor detraction. The only additional feature I would add would be to have the ball hopper give me a critique after every serve (or not!). I rarely write reviews on products, but this product is rare and deserved a good one, and I definitely don't get compensated for writing one.

Yes, it was time - I got more than 10 years out of that old metal one! NOTE - I did NOT get the wheels that were supposed to come with the ball hopper, but that's fine since it's not too heavy to carry. I just needed a mid-size hopper to carry my Gamma Green training balls and this fit the bill perfectly. It's very easy to assemble and it's sturdy enough to take the bumps and bangs of home-to-tennis transport. I think they should have added some hard rubber/plastic to the handles so that when they're on the ground (flipped down to stand the ball hopper up higher) you're not scraping through the paint, but I guess I can remedy that with some protection of my own. Otherwise, they pick up ball easily and hold just enough for a good practice session.

works well for picking up pickleballs. assembles easy. clever design. HOWEVER, i will be returning and purchasing the pickleball specific variant of the ballport. i confirmed with Tourna's support that the pickleball version does indeed have "different rods" on the bottom. from the looks of pictures it seems that the pickeball version has thinner, bendier rods, and since you jam this thing down on balls bending the rods out of the way to let the ball in, i do believe that this regular version is wearing down my balls quicker than it needs to. but it does work and function exactly as advertised. just hoping i can elongate the lifespan of my pickleballs by switching to the other model. was wondering about this before i bought so hopefully this helps someone else.

high quality caddy. ended up using this for pickleball drilling instead of tennis. perfect to teach old grannies how to smash.

Very difficult to assemble- pieces did not lineup. Took much longer to put together than expected. Wheels are flimsy . The price of this item it’s not in line with the quality.. if it wasn’t such a hassle, I could return it. Extremely disappointed.. I would not recommend it.

Instructions were Ok. The wheels were most challenging (4 small screws /nuts each wheel), my wife held the end panel upright while I put in the bolts. I read that these screws come loose, so I just used a little blue Loctite on the screw threads. Unit is very lightweight @ 4 lb 9 oz, read that the metal one is heavier but haven't seen any data. All materials and how they operate are very good...smart design. You could break the plastic box, but you would have to be stupid or clumsy. Picks up balls good. A top bar will slide to one side for access (only need to slide one bar of the two). Carrying handles easy to changeover from transporting to practicing. So highly recommend. I chose the red, which is a nice cherry color, because it so much lower cost than black. Everyone else's comments convinced me, thanks. Jim

I bought this because my gamma ball basket is too heavy. I coach tennis at a tennis club - but this is my "day off" basket for times when I play with my own kids at the park. PROS: 1. This ball basket is much lighter than the gamma basket because it is lightweight plastic instead of metal. 2. The wheels are a pleasure to use and make ball pick up easier. 3. Although it doesn't give a sturdy impression, I think the basket will live a long time if handled with some care. 4. Although some reviewers found the handle too short, I think it's fine. I am 5'10". 5. It is easier for children to use than the gamma basket because it has a smaller frame (rectangular instead of square) and is lighter. 6. It looks nice. CONS: 1. The instructions are not perfect because they never mention the wheels. It's best to put the wheels on first. 2. The metal bars at the top are a little bit stiff and do not function optimally. I am thinking I might not use them if I buy a second basket. Luckily the bars at the bottom of the basket do function well, allowing ball pick up without dropping balls. Overall I am very happy with this basket and especially happy I got the one with wheels.