Ball catcher net - your experience?

[PhoenixTT]

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a ball catcher net and would like to get experience-based advise from others who have used them before.
I have never used them before.

I want to use it for service practice and other things I can practice when alone, like flicks.

1) Is it fun to use these things? I like watching the ball arc off the table (eg from a loop, or a serve). If the net abruptly stops the ball's flight as soon as it leaves the perimeter of the table, it feels like some of the joy is taken away. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Another overthink: I get mandatory exercise picking up the balls from the ground. This will be taken away too.

2) What features should I look for hen buying one of these things?

Sanwei's version seems to be a standalone. I like that I don't have to attach it to my table (I think), and can easily wheel it away when switching to play with someone else. However, it's about 4x more expensive than the generics i can buy off ebay.

Also, it seems it will only catch balls that exit the far side of the table, not the ones that exit the sides (like sidewinding serves), since its net only covers the back.

Sanwei Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net

Welcome to the future of table tennis convenience with SANWEI's Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net. Designed with your ease in mind, this innovative accessory brings a new level of functionality to your game.

sanweisport.com

Thanks

 

[plunder]

i recently bought the PONGORI catch net standalone, traded by Decathlon France. (...)

 

[PhoenixTT]

i recently bought the PONGORI catch net standalone, traded by Decathlon France. (...)

Do you have a link to the product? All I could find with PONGORI is a net.
Also, any good or negative things you can say about the product and using such a product?

 

[plunder]

Do you have a link to the product?

Do de forum rulez allow us to post/share seller's linx? This is where i had ordered it from, and you can even identify my customer review of it:

https://www.decathlon.de/r/tischtennis-auffangnetz-fuer-baelle-auf-rollen/_/R-p-346499

In that review i want to add that the balls do not roll automatically down to the center/middle of the "basket", that's where the hole/flap is for emptying the basket. There's not enough inclincation of the basket bottom (black fabric) which would make the balls roll to the hole on their own. And even if the bottom were formed more like a pit (funnel), the balls would not roll much because of the rolling resistance of the black fabric, i guess.

Other than that the Pongori is imho a great product fwiw, with impressive build quality (for home use). I had also commented on it on the geman folum.

re 1): If used in conjunction with my returnboards (2 boards) setup, only 30% of the balls would land in the Pongori. The other 70%, i still need to exercise my legs to pick them up manually off the floor. Since the boards basically 'cover' the catch net from the front face, it is obvious that only few balls land in there. When i hit smash balls during returnboard training, it's good to have the catch net in the background nonetheless, otherwise the balls would crack when hitting the concrete wall instead.
Joy taken away from the caught flight path? oic 🤔 Well the basket bottom's level is below the table's level. Your serve ball bounces twice, and on its way down, below the table's level, it lands in the basket. A wide serve ball would be on its way down, before it lands in the net (above the basket). Plenty to enjoy/see, no overthink there!
I enjoy using the Pongori for serve practice. Some serves to the side exit would also land in there, not all, sure. About 90% of my practiced serves land in the catch net, only 10% are other balls (side exits).
For serve practice, i highly recommend such a standalone catch net. In clubs, I've seen people doing serve practice with a ball bucket on their side but with no catch net of any kind on the opponent's side; insane. I work out my legs on other days (on leg day), no need to interrupt the flow of serve practice!
For returnboard practice ("rbpon"), i still use the Pongori and appreciate the 30% which it catches but i would not necessarily recommend it.
For desktop robot practice ("robopon"), a catch net is a must-have, and i'd like such a standalone catch net more than a fixed one, as a matter of personal preference/taste [some like pam anderson, some prefer denise milani, there's no one right choice on ebay for posters].

re 2): With coupon i paid 90€ shipped, and that's as much as one would pay for a similar product ordered from AliX including overseas shipping. Yes that's more expensive than a fixed catch net but it's a fair price for the product quality and build quality you get. The net fabric's quality is nothing to sneeze at, and notably higher than what i've seen with premium robots like Amicus. Re quality, nothing to worry about with the Pongori product! However i wouldn't recommend it for club use, since it's too easy to misuse/abuse the frame and basket by standing or sitting on it, bending the thick tubes, wrecking the basket, etc. It can and should(?) be used in clubs but it's a matter of how carefully one treats the article. I didn't look deeper into the SANWEI-branded product because i am sure that the Pongori is the least expensive standalone catch net in the West and it has succeeded my expectations re product quality and build quality already. Functionality is great too, as expected. It leaves nothing to be desired, there's no need to look any further (other than for cheaper prices). Just the aforementioned issue: if you leave an empty box underneath the opened flap (hole) and start practicing serves, you'll find those 90% in the basket and not automatically in your box! Maybe there are ways/ideas to mod the basket with a higher inclination towards the hole but it's nothing to worry about.

Btw, if you're serious about serve practice, then I would recommend getting a returnboard too. And typically, once one uses a (universal) returnboard, one doesn't/wouldn't use a fixed catch net anyway!

Negative things about a standalone catch net:
Nothing in particular re the Pongori product. Just in general, the standalone catch nets are a bit massive in dimensions: wide, tall, deep. Nobody stores them away or disassembles them. They are always there, erect, fully deployed. Once you're done with serve practice, you roll the product to the wall and that's it. Not even to the room next door. I was fully aware of this circumstance and accepted it, so it's nothing i am bothered about. I kept the large shipping box (retail box), just in case i doht need the product anymore in future and want to disassemble it neatly (for re-sale, for transport, for minimized storage, etc).

Btw Black Friday Deals have started in the community, so i bought a premium robot which comes with its own catch net. Time will tell if i like robopon so much more than rbpon. If that is so, i would retire my returnboards for rbpon sessions but still need them and the Pongori for serve practice sessions.

 

[Jslick89]

It’s more fun if there is a nice robot inside of it…like the PONGBOT Omni S pro!

 

[PhoenixTT]

Btw, if you're serious about serve practice, then I would recommend getting a returnboard too. And typically, once one uses a (universal) returnboard, one doesn't/wouldn't use a fixed catch net anyway!



Btw Black Friday Deals have started in the community, so i bought a premium robot which comes with its own catch net. Time will tell if i like robopon so much more than rbpon. If that is so, i would retire my returnboards for rbpon sessions but still need them and the Pongori for serve practice sessions.

Danke very much for the thorough explanation. I also worry about the balls hitting the brick wall too often and too hard.

Can I ask a couple of things:
1) If I wanted to practice short services that exit the side of the table, near the front half of the table, can the catcher be positioned by the side of the table (rather than at the back). The side is where 99% of the practice serve balls will exit. Have you tried it this way?

2) What did you mean by "if you're serious about serve practice, then I would recommend getting a return board too" I don't get how return boards are useful for serve practice.

Thanks

 

[plunder]

1) I never thought of such an idea. I've just tried it out for you. The answer is a resounding yes! It works great at the side of the table, with no shortcomings. So i like this positioning a lot, for serves which exits anywhere to the side. Great idea, thanks for it! Full success. The catcher has plenty of space to get in any suitable (or even perfect) working position at the side of the table.

2) For serve practice, the best position of the returnboard is right where the table ends, with the board itself being totally straight (erect), perpendicular to the table surface. One can then adjust the orientation of the board face, whether the face should be parallel to the table end (line) or oriented head on towards the line of the incoming serve (if the ball came in in a straight path). The manner how the rebound ball bounces away from the returnboard (how fast? in which direction?) gives you an indication of much "quality" the ball had (speed & amount of spin & actual direction). This applies to long serves:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Okay, when you practice short serves, then the returnboard must be placed on the table, near the table-bounce point. I've got a desktop holder and a tripod stand for the returnboard, so I can place the board either on the table, right at the table, or away from the table.

Yah you doht need a returnboard for serious serve practice. But seeing the effect from the rebound is very motivating to keep improving the quality of the ball.

 

[PhoenixTT]

2) For serve practice, the best position of the returnboard is right where the table ends, with the board itself being totally straight (erect), perpendicular to the table surface. One can then adjust the orientation of the board face, whether the face should be parallel to the table end (line) or oriented head on towards the line of the incoming serve (if the ball came in in a straight path). The manner how the rebound ball bounces away from the returnboard (how fast? in which direction?) gives you an indication of much "quality" the ball had (speed & amount of spin & actual direction). This applies to long serves:

Got it! Yeah the return board would give a great feedback of the serve's spin quality. Looks like I know what to get for Christmas.

Thanks very much for all these info.

 

[Lazer]

1) I never thought of such an idea. I've just tried it out for you. The answer is a resounding yes! It works great at the side of the table, with no shortcomings. So i like this positioning a lot, for serves which exist anywhere to the side. Great idea, thanks for it! Full success. The catcher has plenty of space to get in any suitable (or even perfect) working position at the side of the table.

2) For serve practice, the best position of the returnboard is right where the table ends, with the board itself being totally straight (erect), perpendicular to the table surface. One can then adjust the orientation of the board face, whether the face should be parallel to the table end (line) or oriented head on towards the line of the incoming serve (if the ball came in in a straight path). The manner how the rebound ball bounces away from the returnboard (how fast? in which direction?) gives you an indication of much "quality" the ball had (speed & amount of spin & actual direction). This applies to long serves:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Okay, when you practice short serves, then the returnboard must be placed on the table, near the table-bounce point. I've got a desktop holder and a tripod stand for the returnboard, so I can place the board either on the table, right at the table, or away from the table.

Yah you doht need a returnboard for serious serve practice. But seeing the effect from the rebound is very motivating to keep improving the quality of the ball.

Agreed I , routinely checks the on the ball on the floor to get an Idea when I train serves alone. This is more handy indeed.

Cheers
K-zr

 

[plunder]

This video for example demonstrates the use of a desktop returnboard (i know this one IRL and doht recommend it), and they should have used rolling catch net too! Also demonstrates serve practice with a desktop returnboard, without catch net. So silly.

 

[Andrea Jiang]

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a ball catcher net and would like to get experience-based advise from others who have used them before.
I have never used them before.

I want to use it for service practice and other things I can practice when alone, like flicks.

1) Is it fun to use these things? I like watching the ball arc off the table (eg from a loop, or a serve). If the net abruptly stops the ball's flight as soon as it leaves the perimeter of the table, it feels like some of the joy is taken away. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Another overthink: I get mandatory exercise picking up the balls from the ground. This will be taken away too.

2) What features should I look for hen buying one of these things?

Sanwei's version seems to be a standalone. I like that I don't have to attach it to my table (I think), and can easily wheel it away when switching to play with someone else. However, it's about 4x more expensive than the generics i can buy off ebay.

Also, it seems it will only catch balls that exit the far side of the table, not the ones that exit the sides (like sidewinding serves), since its net only covers the back.

Sanwei Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net

Welcome to the future of table tennis convenience with SANWEI's Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net. Designed with your ease in mind, this innovative accessory brings a new level of functionality to your game.

sanweisport.com

Thanks

Hi bro,

I admit it's a bit expensive, but that's mainly due to shipping costs. Because we use the best steel frames and pulleys, which will cause it to be heavy during transportation.

Also, in fact since it looks like it covers more area on the table than in the photo, the ball on the side is not easy to fly out.

For installation and actual effects, you can refer to this video.

Finally, I admit that it is indeed a bit expensive, mainly because of transportation. You may get cheaper prices from our distributors in the future.

 

[igorponger]

Living in a small apartament? It is the very product to satisfy every need of yours.
-------------------
Be happy

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I use ball catch net every time I do multiball feeds.

for service training - yes, that is perfect, as most of your balls will go into the net and reduce your time picking up balls, and allow for more training time.

you can push the net into the corner, so it covers some side and middle of the table.
or you can DIY net extensions to bring it out from the backline into the net area, to catch those balls that goes off the side. I did this extension when I was a kid, I used to serve 1 hours a day, 7 days a week for many years and the sides helped a lot of days of picking up balls

 

[plunder]

I had a look at the SANWEI product on the website/webshop. From the photos i'd say that yes it is even better built than the Pongori product, and most importantly, it is more functional since the balls do roll automatically to the collecting bucket (a huge plus!). In China, one would pay around 35US$ for something like the Pongori (build/quality), looking at AliX offers. In China, one must pay around 130US$ for the Sanwei. If i had a chance to check out the Sanwei quality and were convinced, i wouldn't mind paying up to 130€ shipped for something superior to the Pongori since i am so pleased with it fwiw and find its 90€ fair. The non-automatic ball rolling on the black fabric could become annoying in the long run!, if someone used the catch net massively, i.e. frequently and for long hours. ((Again, i could probably devise a simple mod so that the Pongori has automatic ball rolling too, like the Sanwei has))

However the Sanwei costs more like 220€ shipped mas import trouble (duties, fees, taxes, customs, headaches), which makes the acquisition less convincing since all you need is a working catch net of decent quality/build. The shipping cost w/ import duties ruin it for the Sanwei imho, no matter how much better and more functional it is, compared wiv something like de Pongori. And Decathlon, who owns the Pongori brand, has local stores and after-sale service in person; that should prove helpful in case of fire ❤️‍🔥

If i ever manage to mod the Pongori for automatic ball rolling, i'll update this thread with photos and details you're welcome!

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

without rolling down, one can always use a smaller bucket or container to scoop balls up.

 

[Egon]

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a ball catcher net and would like to get experience-based advise from others who have used them before.
I have never used them before.

I want to use it for service practice and other things I can practice when alone, like flicks.

1) Is it fun to use these things? I like watching the ball arc off the table (eg from a loop, or a serve). If the net abruptly stops the ball's flight as soon as it leaves the perimeter of the table, it feels like some of the joy is taken away. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Another overthink: I get mandatory exercise picking up the balls from the ground. This will be taken away too.

2) What features should I look for hen buying one of these things?

Sanwei's version seems to be a standalone. I like that I don't have to attach it to my table (I think), and can easily wheel it away when switching to play with someone else. However, it's about 4x more expensive than the generics i can buy off ebay.

Also, it seems it will only catch balls that exit the far side of the table, not the ones that exit the sides (like sidewinding serves), since its net only covers the back.

Sanwei Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net

Welcome to the future of table tennis convenience with SANWEI's Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net. Designed with your ease in mind, this innovative accessory brings a new level of functionality to your game.

sanweisport.com

Thanks

Hi! I made this stand for myself very simply, quickly and for free. Three light thin-walled tubes like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chrome-Plated-Metal-Round-Tube/dp/B077NGTSD9 are assembled like a football goal, I used scraps of furniture chipboard as supports. You can screw wheels to them, or you can just carry them. Any fabric is attached to the top tube and the other part of the fabric is attached to the table with clothespins like these https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/17012035396. The result is a very light structure that does not take up much space and can also be used near a wall as protection to prevent balls from hitting the wall.

 

[kaisersoze]

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a ball catcher net and would like to get experience-based advise from others who have used them before.
I have never used them before.

I want to use it for service practice and other things I can practice when alone, like flicks.

1) Is it fun to use these things? I like watching the ball arc off the table (eg from a loop, or a serve). If the net abruptly stops the ball's flight as soon as it leaves the perimeter of the table, it feels like some of the joy is taken away. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Another overthink: I get mandatory exercise picking up the balls from the ground. This will be taken away too.

2) What features should I look for hen buying one of these things?

Sanwei's version seems to be a standalone. I like that I don't have to attach it to my table (I think), and can easily wheel it away when switching to play with someone else. However, it's about 4x more expensive than the generics i can buy off ebay.

Also, it seems it will only catch balls that exit the far side of the table, not the ones that exit the sides (like sidewinding serves), since its net only covers the back.

Sanwei Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net

Welcome to the future of table tennis convenience with SANWEI's Assemble Table Tennis Ball Catch Net. Designed with your ease in mind, this innovative accessory brings a new level of functionality to your game.

sanweisport.com

Thanks

there is ball net catcher who arent attach to the table so u can still watch the ball fall off, some will not end in the net when falling sideway ofc

 

[PhoenixTT]

Hi! I made this stand for myself very simply, quickly and for free. Three light thin-walled tubes like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chrome-Plated-Metal-Round-Tube/dp/B077NGTSD9 are assembled like a football goal, I used scraps of furniture chipboard as supports. You can screw wheels to them, or you can just carry them. Any fabric is attached to the top tube and the other part of the fabric is attached to the table with clothespins like these https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/17012035396. The result is a very light structure that does not take up much space and can also be used near a wall as protection to prevent balls from hitting the wall.

That's very interesting. I never thought about building one myself. I'll have a look into it.

Sometimes I enjoy the fun of building things myself even though the resulting quality is like version 0.5 only.

Currently I just use a few large empty cardboard boxes placed on the ground. Useful for catching services but not for loops and drives, which hit the brick wall and shorten the life of my beloved TSP training balls.

 

[PhoenixTT]

However the Sanwei costs more like 220€ shipped mas import trouble (duties, fees, taxes, customs, headaches), which makes the acquisition less convincing since all you need is a working catch net of decent quality/build. The shipping cost w/ import duties ruin it for the Sanwei imho, no matter how much better and more functional it is, compared wiv

If i ever manage to mod the Pongori for automatic ball rolling, i'll update this thread with photos and details you're welcome!

Sanwei's international website lists the product price at USD130, but shipping is only USD3 (three), meaning it costs less to ship it than a blade which costs USD7 to ship?!? Pretty sure that's wrong.

I'm not placing an order yet until maybe December (as a reward for a personal goal I'm trying to achieve). Or maybe I'll build one like Choosikick did for himself.

 

[plunder]

of my beloved TSP training balls.

(i dunno what TSP or their balls are, but your confession sounds too cute haha!)

The Sanwei shipping to gemani and Australia is shown correctly on my end (Win7 😋), about 96€ same same. Since Decathlon isn't in AUS, i'd be interested in the AliX offers at 35US$ mas shipping in yourstead. You'd end up with ~90$/90€, about the same as what i had locally paid. Fair price for what you get, shipped. No need to DIY build a catch net, i had thought about it too but where's da joy? A product like the Pongori and Sanwei have beautiful build quality, it's a joy to even touch/roll/operate them -- no regrets whatsoever. Simple product, beautiful build, in line with the rest of our pong hardware.

If you want to DIY build something for our pong hobby, then for the lerv of god do it with a returnboard. I spent quite some energy/efforts to build my two returnboards (abbr. "rb1" and "rb2"), and am super pleased and joyful about the result and effect but that's for another topique/thread. In near future though, i could be retiring them, if i grow more fond of robopon (which comes with automatic ball feeding anyway). I should get my shipment tomorrow and it'll take a few weeks to get the hang of it (configurations/settings, routine building).