OOAK Table Tennis Forum

the bucket ones are great, but you have to stand above the balls so under the table or balls in a corner need to be moved first, I just buy cheap nets, some coaches will square the end up of the cheap nets to pick up balls around the barriers/ walls etc
Ive seen the badmington racket bent and pole added with a collecting chefs type hat connected, these can be good too especially arong cords etc
some other quick collection things to do is a have a floor fan/s going or use a blow vac to assemble the balls in one area for collecting

I am a World expert at using a cheap net to pickup tt balls I would estimate 2000+ pickups per week, my Grand daughter is a close 2nd but we are a step ahead of my students and customers who have to use their foot and golf putt the ball into the net or crawl around and place the ball into the net

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Hmmmm.. Or tape a bunch of 2 liter bottles together...

Reminds me of when I went to Texas - in a San Antonio 7-11 I found THREE liter bottles of Coke. Things really ARE bigger in Texas.



(This one's from Brazil, apparently...)

The drawback I see to nets is that you NEED a wall to push the balls up against. Either that or you need a broom to go with the net. I find with my picker-upper I can nudge balls out from under obstacles to where I can pick them up.

Iskandar

If you live in the US, 3 liter bottles of soda are available from http://bulk.dollartree.com/search#w=soda. They're a nationwide chain so you should be able to get them easily.


The nets like the ones posted previously work in a manner similar to the bucket. The net has strings mounted across the opening so when you push down on the ball, it pops into the net. You don't need a wall to push the balls up against.

One improvement to the soda bottle/bucket type of ball retriever would be to mount the broom handle at a 45 deg angle using something like this to allow retrieving balls under the table:



Unfortunately, I don't think this item can be easily found. Home Depot probably doesn't carry things like that.

I suppose if the bottom of the bottle was cut at a 45 deg angle, it would be effective at picking up balls under the table. Give it a try.

Ah.. I missed that. If you look closely at that bent badminton racket you can actually see the strings across the face. And the net probably has a hole at the other end so you can pour the balls out. Clever.

Iskandar

ROFL.. Quite patriotic. Wonder what it tastes like, most store brand generic colas I've tried don't taste very good. Don't live in the States any more, unfortunately.

Iskandar

No hole in the handle, the strings are replaced with fishing line.
tOD

No, I meant a hole at the end of the net so you could pour the balls back into the ball bowl.

Speaking of ball bowls - any interesting designs? Most I've seen are mounted on some sort of stand and stand by the side of the table. I've used a simple box that sits on the table but that's not quite satisfactory.

Iskandar

It is vegtable netting, like you might find in the produce department in a grocery store, here in the US

I have couple of huge bowls that I use, but would like to have a couple of the "gi-normous" ones like the ones I have seen a couple of Chinese videos on youtube
tOD

Hey folks, my first post in this forum.

Lucked out yesterday at the Restore and got the ingredients for a ball picker for a grand total of $1.50! Pictures below show the finished product, however the net (a potato bag from the farm I live on) is definitely its weakest link. Anyone know where to get that expanding type of mesh bag/tube that will hold the balls more firmly, like the Killerspin and mppp? The produce bags at the grocery were all too floppy

Thanks!




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Quite nice!

What is that - a retractable badminton racket? Most are longer.

Iskandar

I have no idea where there diminutive racket came from, but it works for my purposes. No it's not retractable, but the mop handle is!

Still looking for a better mesh bag, one that's sturdier and more elastic, but for now it's working great


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HUH! Whaddyaknow..

http://www.amazon.com/Mypingpongbuddy-M ... 23&sr=1-26



It's a commercial product. On Amazon, no less.

Iskandar

And...

http://www.amazon.com/Newgy-Pong-Pal-Pi ... t_cp_2_3_p



Pong Pal, huh?

Iskandar

Yeah one of my practice partners made his own pong pal out of a tube for a fluorescent light bulb. Works a treat except it only gets one ball at a time. Mine is now upgraded with stretch mesh, making it the best in the business. That mypingpongbuddy doesn't come apart for easy transport!


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I made one many years ago using a bucket as others have noted. Rubber bands in the bottom, so they can pick up the balls without letting them fall out.

Go to your local dollar store and pick up a children's bucket and spade set. Tape the spade to the bucket to use as a handle. Cut out the bottom of bucket, install rubber bands or other string at slightly less than 40mm apart. Walla, ball-picker-upperer!