insum POP DURA,POP FAST 4Pack & 12 Pack Pickleballs Balls, High Performance Outdoor Pickleballs | USAPA Approved Tournament Play | Rotational Molded Durable Tech

Insum is high on my list of favorite pickleball companies. I own (and have reviewed here on Amazon) several Insum paddles, including their flagship T-Titanium. They consistently produce premium pickleball equipment (much of which I've already bought), including: edge protection tape, replacement grips, full length paddle covers, etc., all at reasonable prices. I'm also a big fan of the Insum wrist bands, paddle erasers, and overgrips that were bundled with gift boxes for paddles I've purchased. So, it comes as no surprise that their latest venture into the pickleball peripheral market has caught my attention. I am now the proud owner of 3 dozen Insum balls, in all three colors: optic yellow, neon green, and neon orange.Each set of 12 came well-packed inside a secure cardboard box. However, the labeling and descriptions on the 3 boxes left me somewhat confused, and I wrote to Insum Customer Service about it. As usual, they were quick to respond and very helpful; but more about that later.My preliminary visual inspection of the contents did not reveal any obvious flaws or quality control issues. Just for fun I weighed several balls from all 3 boxes, and was happy to see they were pretty consistent...26 grams each (as advertised), with a plus/minus variance of ~.5 grams. They also bounced pretty evenly when I dropped several of them at once from the same height. If I'm being extremely nitpicky, I did spot a tiny plastic burr or two dangle from some drilled holes; but these did not effect bounce, and in fact, fell off on their own after a few minutes of hitting.For the past three weeks I've been playing with and testing the Insum balls on "outdoor" courts. I have access to a private HOA outside court, but will wait for October when the 110 degree Arizona weather cools down. Fortunately, I have a membership to LifeTime Athletic, which is where I play doubles rec games 4 to 5 times per week. The courts are inside their air-conditioned facility, but are considered "outdoor" courts because all the surfaces have been laminated (with a blend of asphalt, concrete, and rubber, I'm assuming) to simulate outdoor play.The Pop Fast yellow balls I've been using at the club have been enthusiastically accepted by the dozens of people I've played with. My fellow picklers probably didn't even realize they were hitting an Insum ball because it looks and plays very much like the Franklin X-40 they are all used to. The colors are very similar, and the surface texture of both balls, once they get scuffed up a bit from hard-hitting play, are almost identical. Bounce of both brands is very similar too, with Insum taking a slight edge when it comes to spin potential (especially when the ball becomes "gritty"). Also, the Insum ball is less mushy (it passed my "squeeze test"), more durable, better playing, and a better-priced version of the beloved Franklin X-40.THE COMPETITION:PIckelball's spherical marketplace has been dominated for years by two brands: Franklin (with the Franklin X-40) and Dura (with its Dura Fast 40). Due to the sport's recent explosive growth ("it's the fastest growing sport in America" by a margin of 52%) several other ball manufacturers have developed their own lines of outdoor balls, including: Selkirk Pro S1, Diadem; Gearbox; JOOLA; Volair; Onix Pure (and Fuse), Engage Tour; Gamma Chuck; Head Pro Penn; and PICKL.Honestly, I haven't tested most of those brands. But I've played with enough of them to understand the potential hazards that all balls are subject to. These include: cracking; going "out of round" (i.e. distortion, warping); lack of durability; inconsistent weight or bounce; holes not drilled thoroughly, precisely, or evenly; surface wear; and inability to withstand extreme heat or cold.Franklin's have a reputation of being soft and squooshy, and therefore play slower. I happen to favor the Franklin X-40, and so do the majority of people at the Beginner through Intermediate levels. That's because the rapid advancements in paddle technology have caused the game to really speed up. Some say it is now too fast, and therefore becoming too dangerous. A slower ball somewhat mitigates the risk, and makes the game much more enjoyable for the average enthusiast.Dura Fast 40, by contrast, plays faster, and is therefore the preference of more Advanced players. But the Dura is brittle, has a seam that can split open, and is prone to cracking every 3 or 4 games.Despite the fact that our club is closely associated with JOOLA (electronic billboard photos of Ben Johns are omnipresent), the Franklin X-40, not the JOOLA, remains the ball of choice for clinics, exhibitions, lessons, and even rec play.  Another brand of ball many players like is Selkirk Pro S1. For me, Selkirks are kind of weird with their 38 holes (instead of the standard 40) of varying sizes. Additionally, they have a tendency to get soft and go "out of round." BTW, beware of their 1-year no-crack warranty. Selkirk will charge you a $6 shipping fee to get a new ball worth 3 bucks!Oddly, I've never seen anyone at the club play with the Vulcan VPRO FLIGHT, which since January 2024 is designated by PPA as the official tournament ball of the pros. I guess at $5 a pop, few rec players are interested. Plus, Vulcan's don't enjoy a good reputation, even among the pros who are forced to compete with them!A NOTE ABOUT BALL COLORS:By far, the predominant color for outdoor balls is yellow. In fact, it is rare to see any other color used at my club, be it for recreational play, league matches, or tournaments.I've seen Beginners bring in balls colored orange, green, and even blue, and insist on using them for rec play. However, unless everyone in the foursome mutually agrees to use them, the official default color is always yellow. I would say this is true, not just at our club, but universally throughout the pickleball community. Even at sanctioned tournaments played on outside courts, the default color is always yellow.But here is the ironic part. Playing outside when the sun is bright (especially in Florida, or Arizona, where I live), many recreational players find it easier to see the ball if it is NOT yellow. That's because it is harder to distinguish a yellow ball against a sunny background. Hence, the popularity of neon green and neon orange balls, like the ones from Insum. Therefore, I look forward to testing the green and orange Insum balls on my outside private court once the summer temperatures drop, and I will then update this review, if necessary. I did test the green and orange Insum balls extensively in wall drills, and they play just as well (and are equally as durable) as the yellow ones.CLEARING UP THE CONFUSION:As I mentioned earlier, the labeling and descriptions on the boxes left me somewhat baffled. Fortunately, the always helpful and responsive Customer Service stepped in to clarify everything, to my satisfaction. Here are the questions I asked Customer Service, with their replies:1. Why are the yellow balls called POP FAST-GRN? Unlike the POP DURA-GRN, the Pop Fast are yellow colored, not green. Therefore, shouldn't it be called POP FAST-YLW?---The intention was to make POP-FAST GRN in lemon green. But after manufacturing several prototypes, we decided on the current shade of yellow instead. So that's why you see the current 3 colors of balls.2. Since Pop Fast and Pop Dura balls seem to be the same size, weigh the same, bounce the same, play the same and have the same 40 holes drilled in, is there actually a difference in the way they are manufactured? In other words, what makes one box of balls "Speed Promoted" while the other 2 boxes are "Durability Promoted?" And why does it say on the boxes "20% up" for the Pop Fast, and "60% up" for the Pop Dura?----The original intention when we produced the packaging was to make POP DURA for recreational players, and POP FAST for Advanced/Pros. But alas, reality set in and the plan changed midstream. Currently, there is no discernable difference between the balls except for the color. So, we plan to remove POP FAST from our sales plan, maintain the POP DURA series, and continue to optimize it.3. What does "one-piece rotational molded" mean? Is it just a single piece of plastic that is sculpted into a ball? If so, why is there a seam running down the center?---"Actually, you can scrape off the seam with a knife, and you will find that the ball shell is not spliced ​​together, but molded in one step. The seam is formed by the gap between the two hemispherical molds."Yes, folks, it's true. I was able to scrape off the seam with a blunt knife. Better yet, once the ball is used for a couple of games, the seam disappears on its own. The reason for my initial concern is that one of the complaints I hear about Dura Fast 40 balls is that they have a pronounced seam, and are therefore prone to splitting open. So, I am glad this won't be a similar issue for Insum balls.CONCLUSION:Thus far, all the Insum balls I've played with have maintained their shape and bounce, and are crack-free. I've used them not only for games with hard-hitting opponents and partners; but also for self-drills, with me banging them back and forth against the wall of a racquetball court. Based on what I've observed, the Insum balls earn high marks for bounce, spin, consistency, and durability. From every standpoint, they are worthy of my strong recommendation.Therefore, I am rating the Insum balls 5 stars. Normally, I would have deducted a star for the confusing labeling. But Insum earned back my faith and trust with excellent Customer Service, supplying answers and clarifying everything for me. The rep also said once their newly corrected packaging is finished and released they will be pursuing USAP approval. Excellent!In sum, if you are looking for balls that offer great "bounce for your buck," the Insum brand is a surefire hit.

Pop Dura 12 Pack at a reasonable price ($20)Liking and disliking of pickleballs is subjective at best. I used these balls in a foursome a couple of nights ago. Three out of four liked them and preferred suing them over the more expensive and little faster balls. I personally liked the. But had to make an adjustment to have to bounce them a little harder than usual because they are slower and don’t bounce as hard. The color and quality seem to be pretty good. We used them for 3 matches and they were looking new still. The appear to be durable and once I got used to the. They performed pretty well.I actually prefer them as I tend to over power the shots

It is a good set for playing for beginners. I started playing pickle ball last year so I am happy with these balls and they hit well and have a nice tap on the bat as well. I liked the orange color, its bright enough to see when we hit.

For a very, very beginner pickle ball player these fit the bill quite nicely. The 12-pack is certainly a good value, and gives me plenty of balls so I don't have to constantly run after the ones I miss, which is quite a few! Compared to another brand of outdoor balls my son has these seem a bit "softer", or maybe "thinner" plastic? I weighted 2 random balls to compare with my son's and they were close, although not exact. For complete novices, who are only doing this for the social aspect with family, it certainly isn't a problem. I just can't say how they might hold up down the road. Still highly recommended for the great value!

We just started playing pickleball so we have not used a lot of other brands. These pickleballs do seem lighter and the material is thinner than the orginal balls that came with our racket set. They do not seem to go the same distance, not as far. Again we are new to this sport so we don't have a lot of comparisons. Overall we are using and enjoying these additional pickeballs.