GS 40 Pickleball Balls - 4, 12, or 36 Pack of Regulation USAPA Pickleballs

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Excelente calidad

Despite being a relatively new product to the market, the GoSports GS40 may well be the “best bang for your buck” pickleball for competitive recreational play. During Prime Day this year, I found the GS40 multipack being offered for a mere $1/ball. With few reviews to attest to the ball’s quality, you can guess why I was wary: There are way too many poorly manufactured pickleball products being sold at deep discount these days at the expense of quality. However, after confirming that the ball is indeed USAPA approved (PRO-TIP: Always confirm a product’s USAPA approval on the official website), there were two things that convinced me to give this product a try: (1) GoSports’ other products on Amazon are well-reviewed – Take a look at GoSports’ store page, and you’ll see that they are an established Amazon vendor that sells a wide variety of sports gear, ranging from backyard games to competition sports training equipment. What’s more, GoSports’ products come highly rated, many with thousands of reviews averaging above 4.6 stars. This gave me confidence that GoSports is interested in producing quality equipment. (2) GoSports’ promotional video shows people ACTUALLY playing pickleball – Many pickleball products on Amazon feature photoshopped tennis pros and/or videos of people “playing” pickleball in ways that don’t actually look like the sport. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the GS40 promo video featured REAL people playing a REAL game of pickleball with GoSports’ products (ball and paddles). This impressed me and made me confident that GoSports actually understands the sport and the products that go into it. So, how did the GS40 balls perform? I decided to solicit multiple opinions. I organize a recreational pickleball group of young adults, all who play at the sub-3.5 level (novice to intermediate). My group usually plays with the Franklin X-40s (our primary ball), so I enlisted my members to do a head-to-head comparison between the GS40 and the X-40. The test: Have 12 people each play at least 2 games with a brand new X-40 and 2 games with a brand new GS40 (in partly cloudy weather, 85-90 F temperatures, before and just after dusk, at lit courts). The results: 6 of the 12 -- particularly those who play a harder and faster game –- strongly preferred the GS40s. Initial reactions were that the ball felt "more solid" than the X-40s, with a more consistent bounce, better responsiveness off the paddle, and less dissipation of energy after the hit (more pop). Given the greater responsiveness, power had to be more intentionally exerted or withheld to make effective plays. People also noted that the GS40s tended to "sail" less than the X-40s, allowing for faster drops when the ball was hit with topspin (especially when aimed at the back line). Other observations: The ball appeared more vibrant and "shiny" than the X-40s (easier to see), no bubbles in the ball resin (a quality control problem present in other pickleball brands), and no color staining from the balls on darker paddles (another problem found in other brands). Only 2 of the 12 preferred the X-40s (the remaining 4 didn't have a preference), who felt they were easier to control for novice players. However, the more hard-hitting players insisted that the GS40s were easier to control for more advanced, strategic plays (spins, serves, and smashes). In all, the GS40 balls are an incredible value for the price, and I'm happy to have them on hand for recreational play. I'm curious to test their durability over time vs. the X-40s, and to also compare them to a Dura Fast 40 (the most prolific tournament ball), if I get the chance.

Good balls