How many balls do you need for an evening?

One tube of three covers two to three hours. For a tournament across several courts, reckon one tube per court per half-day.

Can old balls be revived?

Partly. A pressure tube does rebuild pressure over a few days — the chamber sits at a higher pressure than the ball, so gas migrates back in. What it cannot bring back is the felt: once that is worn, nothing helps.

Why are some balls much more expensive?

Differences lie in felt quality and pressure consistency. Tournament balls are more uniform but lose pace faster — they're designed for playing feel, not durability.

Are padel balls standardised?

Yes, the international federation sets limits for diameter, weight and bounce height. Within that range models still differ noticeably.

Padel Balls: Speed, Durability and Cold

Padel balls are not tennis balls

They look almost identical but are not. Padel balls have lower internal pressure and usually a slightly smaller diameter. The result: they bounce lower and are easier to control — necessary on a court with walls.

A tennis ball on a padel court bounces too high and comes off the wall too far. It is playable, but it becomes a different game — and in clubs or tournaments tennis balls are not permitted.

Speed: the main distinction

Pace helps you chooseThe arrows represent slow, medium and fast pace; they are not measured flight distances. Choose for your group and conditions.

Speed	Behaviour	Suits
Slow	Less pressure, longer rallies	Beginners, training, warm indoor halls
Medium	The standard	Most situations
Fast	More pressure, quicker play	Tournaments, advanced players

For a padel evening in a mixed group, medium balls are almost always right. Fast balls make it harder for beginners because there is less time to get into position.

Cold changes everything

The most underrated point: in cold conditions a ball noticeably loses its bounce. Playing outdoors in winter you feel it clearly below about ten degrees — the ball seems dead and rallies turn sluggish.

Some manufacturers offer balls tuned for cool conditions. Six of the seventeen models in our database are marked accordingly.

Durability and when to change

Tournament balls: noticeably slower after two to three hours of intense play
Training balls: last longer but are less lively from the start
Rule of thumb: when the bounce sounds dull rather than bright, the ball is done

What our database covers

The ball finder holds 17 models:

Attribute	Split
Speed	9 medium, 7 fast, 1 slow
Use	12 tournament, 5 training
Conditions	11 normal, 6 for cool conditions
Durability	9 high, 8 medium

Storage: the pressure tube

Opened tubes lose pressure. Playing regularly, a pressure tube extends ball life noticeably — the balls are held under pressure and stay lively longer.

Whether a pressure tube pays for itself depends on its price, your ball costs and how you use it. What matters is how many ball purchases you actually avoid. There is no universal payback period.

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Frequently asked

How many balls do you need for an evening?: One tube of three covers two to three hours. For a tournament across several courts, reckon one tube per court per half-day.
Can old balls be revived?: Partly. A pressure tube does rebuild pressure over a few days — the chamber sits at a higher pressure than the ball, so gas migrates back in. What it cannot bring back is the felt: once that is worn, nothing helps.
Why are some balls much more expensive?: Differences lie in felt quality and pressure consistency. Tournament balls are more uniform but lose pace faster — they're designed for playing feel, not durability.
Are padel balls standardised?: Yes, the international federation sets limits for diameter, weight and bounce height. Within that range models still differ noticeably.