Tourna Mini BALLPORT Tennis Ball Pick Up Hopper

Because of its light weight and large ball capacity, I decided to purchase this hopper. I'm a casual recreational tennis player who was looking for something to help me practice on my own in the comfort of my own home. Drills and matches are sandwiched between each other. For practice, I also bought 36 Penn pressureless tennis balls, which worked fine with both the pressureless and regular pressurized tennis balls. When other balls in the hopper become wedged against one another, it can be difficult to pick them up. If you pack the hopper tightly enough, it can hold 36 pressureless tennis balls. To get all of the balls to fit, you may need to make some minor adjustments to the balls. br>br>I like the design of this product, but it's poorly made. It's clear that this is a product that's been mass-produced as cheaply as possible, with little regard for quality. The handles, for example, are designed to lock into two positions, one for standing the hopper up and the other for picking up balls. The handles are not securely locked into place due to poor manufacturing. The handles become less stable as a result, and the hopper can topple over in strong winds. The low- The hopper's quality was also evident during the assembly process. The instructions that come with the package are extremely basic and insufficient - With a little extra effort, it could be a lot easier to put together. In addition, while putting it together, my hands were irritated by fiberglass micro-particles. In them are shards. To get the fiberglass shards off the parts, I had to wipe them down with a damp cloth. br>br>Overall, because of its convenient size and light weight, I continue to recommend this product. I wish there was a higher-ranking position in the organization. a product of high quality and similarity - It's something for which I'd gladly pay a little more.

Legacy BROWNE

| May 24, 2021

Two summers ago, I bought one of these small ball hoppers for my then 52-inch-tall daughter to use in place of our larger all-purpose ball hopper. 72-hour steel She couldn't handle the weight of a Wilson hopper ball. Although the design is excellent, the quality is so poor that it is no longer usable. it is useful I was able to fix it, however, with only a few household items. My Mini Ballport is now fully functional again, thanks to my handyman skills and minimal effort. br>br>DESCRIPTION: br>br>DESCRIPTION: br>br>DESCRIPTION br>br>Assembling the Tourna Mini Ballport hopper is simple and takes only about 5 minutes. Simply screw the sides and one end together, insert the legs/handles, insert the top and bottom rods into the slots on the bottom and grooves on the top, and then screw the second end together to secure the entire hopper. The hopper is about 3-pounds when completely assembled. It weighs 4 pounds and stands 30 inches tall. 5" tall. I didn't count the balls, but I believe it holds around 36. br>br>The legs easily rotate up to form handles for carrying or picking up balls, then rotate down to serve as legs. Balls are picked up by raising the handle, positioning the hopper bottom over the ball, and then forcing the hopper bottom, which is hollow with two rods running across it slightly narrower than the width of a ball, over the ball, which, when compressed, will fit in between the rods when squeezed, and then entering the hopper bottom. Under normal circumstances, a non-verbal nonverbal nonverbal nonverbal nonverbal non The compressed tennis ball will be slightly larger than the gap between the rods, preventing it from falling out the bottom. PROS: br>br>

- Lightweight and easy to carry and handle for childrenbr>br>- Holds approximately the right number of balls for a quick warmup before practicing servingbr>br>- br>br>- It's simple to usebr>br>- Tourna provided outstanding service. I called to ask for an extra bottom rod (see below), but instead received an entire new Mini Ballport a few days later.

- It performs admirably when everything is in order. CONS: br>br>

- The plastic sides of the hopper are of poor overall quality. Most of the flat black plastic panels that are screwed together to form the hopper box are warped and bend outward, whether due to a materials defect or a manufacturing defect (and unfortunately, they cannot be swapped 180 degrees - see below). They are one and the same. sided). As a result, the gap between the sides is wider than it needs to be. The two sets of rods (the bottom ones are fixed in place, the top ones fit in a groove and can slide open and closed to keep balls from rolling out) are supposed to be held in place by friction and pressure from the box sides fitting tightly together. Because of the warped plastic, the space between the sides is too large to securely hold the rods in place. As I walked to the court on my first Mini Ballport, I noticed a ball hitting my leg as it fell out of the bottom of the hopper, and when I looked closer, I noticed one of the rods had fallen out because the warped sides were too far apart to keep it secure. I was unable to locate that rod and was forced to contact the manufacturer for assistance. br>br>The sides of the second, replacement hopper were also warped, but not as badly as the first. I didn't trust the bottom rods to stay in place, so I glued them in, and they've been fine for two years. However, I couldn't glue in the top retaining rods, which need to slide in the groove from open to closed, and the distance between the rods was too wide, so one of the rods would come loose every now and then. This spring, I began to notice this problem more frequently, and upon closer inspection, I discovered that the plastic on one side of the corners where the sides are screwed together had broken off. I'll have to put this back together with glue.

- There aren't enough balls in the bag for a typical practice session - I notice that when I use this hopper instead of my larger Wilson hopper, I pick up twice as many balls. However, fitting one's intended use to the item's stated specifications is a function of fitting one's intended use to the item's stated specifications, so to be fair, this is more of a user preference issue than a flaw with the product itself. br>br>FINAL REMARKS: br>br> br>br>I cannot recommend this product for use as intended by the manufacturer due to the poor quality of the hopper's component sides. However, if you're willing to forego the ability to disassemble the hopper for storage and instead glue it all together permanently, I can give it a qualified recommendation. It works well for picking up and storing balls if the rods are securely held in place.

. APPENDIX APPENDIX APPENDIX APPENDIX APPENDIX APPENDIX APPENDIX APP MANUFACTURING FLAWS AND HOW TO FIX AND OVERCOME THEMbr>br>- To begin, put the hopper together with only the provided screws to see how it fits. Perhaps you can come up with a better solution. It's a better-made unit than the two I received, and everything fits snugly. If that's the case, I'd use Gorilla Glue to secure the two bottom rods in place and prevent them from falling out.

- If your hopper side and end panels are warped in any way, I'd glue them together as well, right before screwing the box together. As a result, the overall structure will be stronger, and you will be less likely to experience the broken corner piece where the screw hole is located, as I did.

- Take one of the other rods out of your hopper, take it to your local hardware store, and buy a length of brass pipe the same diameter as the rod to make a replacement rod (a wooden dowel may not be strong enough in that diameter). I believe I paid around $2-$3 for it. I measured a length of pipe that was slightly longer than the stock rod for added security, cut it with a hacksaw, and glued it into the bottom of my first Mini Ballport, giving me two fully functional Mini Ballport hoppers. If you've lost a top rod or the rods aren't long enough and are falling out due to warped side panels, consider adding a 4mm - 6mm extension. The longer replacement rod should not fall out of the groove if you add 3/16" or more to the length of the replacement rod you're cutting.

Jamari Calderon

| Aug 24, 2021

Almost immediately, most metal ball baskets were ruled out of the running. The Mini Ballport appeared to be a good match for the job. Despite some of the less-than-stellar results, than- Despite the positive Amazon reviews, I decided to give it a try because it wasn't too expensive. br>br>Upon unpacking, the unit appeared to be in good working order. Although the plastic appears to be sturdy, it isn't of high quality. It's made of low-grade ABS plastic, which isn't good. I would gladly pay a little more for something made of higher-quality materials. The assembly instructions are a farce. It does, after all, provide step-by-step instructions. The accompanying picture, on the other hand, confuses and contradicts the instructions. intuitive to the task at hand. Please have this re-done! The sides are a little warped when they arrive, and it takes some coaxing to line up the screw holes, as other reviewers have mentioned. I was able to complete it on my own, but it would be much easier if two people worked together, one holding the sides in place while the other screwed them in. br>br>I've played with it a few times on the court and have to say that it's a fantastic little hopper. The top design has sliding bars that snap into a locked position to keep the balls from rolling around in your trunk, while the handles inverse and lock into place to become a stand. You can pick up balls without bending over thanks to the "rolling bar" design on the bottom. This thing pops into the basket from below when you bounce it on a ball. And the bars are just close enough together to keep the balls from falling through the cracks at the bottom. Fantastic! It's worth noting that this container only holds about 32 ounces. If you're serious about closing it properly, you'll need 33 balls. I tried 36 balls, but those top bars would not close. Despite this, 32-year-old There are 33 balls in total, which is plenty for practicing serves or feeding balls to your children. br>br>Overall, a great buy that I would recommend to anyone looking for a convenient way to store their belongings. a proper ball basket size!.

Tristan Choi

| Mar 13, 2021