Let me start off with a quick bit about me. I have been playing tennis for 11 years now, and ive been teaching/assisting/coaching for 9 years. I have taught for three different programs, and would do anything from large group, to private lessons on both hard and clay courts. I played on my high school tennis team, as well as my universities, and have traveled accordingly. So in my time, I have seen, used, and owned a number of different ball hoppers. Without a doubt, this is the best wire frame ball hopper I have ever used. It is also the best below 100 ball hopper I have ever used. It is well worth the 10 or 15 bucks it costs to upgrade from the cheaper model. You will not be disappointed. I cannot speak to how much longer this one will last over the cheaper alternatives, but I can without a doubt say it will last the longest, for many years if not decades to come. Here are a few features and details you may like to know. Pros: 1. Great ball hopper, holds 75 which is more than I need for my current private needs. If you are giving serious lessons, it helps to have a larger basket, but for self practice, and hitting with friends, and fun lessons with friends. It works wonderfully. 2. Clearly well made with all the welds and is a lot more sturdy than any cheaper alternative, or any other wire ball basket ive encountered in my time. The coating on the wires shows no sign of wear after around a month of use. 3. The floating rails on the bottom are really neat, great ingenuity. Makes picking up balls that much easier and a little less impact on your arms. Cons: (If you can actually consider these that) 1. On one of the legs, there is a metal ball welded to it. I can only assume this is to make it so when the handles are up and touching, they secure. Great thought/feature! It was just poorly executed. The handles still stay up great, but they do not secure into each other as intended. If you are going to add a cool feature like that, you've got to do it well. 2. If you bring up the legs before you close the basket, the basket will hit, and possibly latch on to the crossbar of the leg. Is this a big deal, not at all, I've run into it only a few times, but its just a little gripe. All in all, great little basket. Sturdy, well made, will last a long time, and you will definitely be satisfied. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
