When looking for a new basketball do you go insane? Too many to choose from? How do you know if it is really any good? How do you even determine what makes it any good?
You wouldn’t want to throw your hard-earned money down the drain now, would you?
Well, that is exactly what we did. Literally! In today’s basketball review article, we show you precisely what happened when we threw our Wilson Authentic Series outdoor basketballs down the drain.
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OUTDOOR BASKETBALLS
The word ‘outdoors’ suggests this ball should be able to last right? I mean you wouldn’t choose an all-rubber ball by choice, would you? We go along with the all rubber ball because it is the toughest. Made to last. Created with the harsh outdoor elements in mind. When hooping outdoors in harsh weather condition the outdoor ball is your safest option.
Done this before?
If you have bought an outdoor basketball in the budget range before I can understand why you wouldn’t want to repeat that mistake again. But what if I told you things are different from the last time you bought an all-rubber basketball?
TACKSKIN THE ULTIMATE UPGRADE
Have you ever heard of Tackskin before? Even if you have heard of it, did you understand what it is? I do not think anyone really knows what it is. The explanations we get online go as far as to say, “ultimate durability” Thanks guys, this explains nothing.
But what we did find out was it is an extra layer. An extra cushion layer I might add. What can this extra layer provide your outdoor basketball buying experience this time?
It gives you one extra layer of protection. This Tacksin layer is thicker, softer, slightly squishy and above all it’s sticky! But wait! That is a good thing I promise!
This softer, sticky feel provides incredible grip! It makes you understand how Spiderman holds onto the walls of a building.
This Tackskin is an awesome additional feature to Wilsons outdoor basketball range that we think changes the game of buying outdoor basketballs.
WHAT SERIES ARE THESE BASKETBALLS?
Wilson Authentic series. What does that exactly mean and why would you care?
Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links. This means I will be credited a part of the commission of the sale you make through it for no extra cost for you. But I actually use the products mentioned here, and I honestly recommend them.
Both are replicas of the Game Ball. Replicas in this sense they “look” like the game ball. The size 7 NBA ball has the same outward appearance the current players in the NBA are using in 2022. The WNBA ball has the same outward appearance as the current players in the WNBA are using in 2022.
That’s pretty cool hey.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A BASKETBALL IS ANY GOOD?
We provide 3 things when reviewing a basketball.
1, we take a chance on a purchase, so you don’t too.
2, we review the basketball’s features and first impressions.
3, we wear test the thing until it proves itself worthy of a recommendation.
We have two outdoor basketballs in the Wilson Authentic series range.
The first one, the NBA size 7 all rubber outdoor basketball.
The second one, the WNBA size 6 all rubber outdoor basketball.
Did these basketball's pass our test?
THE TEST
Now to the fun part!
We kept one basketball in the best possible condition. We cared for this basketball and tried our best to maintain it’s worth as long as possible. By that we both mean we let the owner wash it and we did not bounce it to death.
The second ball we hammer so badly we gave up all hope of its survival.
NBA Size 7 Basketball:
Played with this basketball up to 6 times
Washed with soap in the shower twice
Playing time, a possible 3 hours total
Courts visited, 4
Types of playing surfaces it has seen. Concrete & asphalt
What was the worst thing it went through? It bounced on some glass, bounced into a bush, landed in sand, played in the heat & got stuck between the rim and the backboard.
WNBA Size 6 Basketball:
Played with this basketball well over 100 times!
Never washed and never maintained
Playing time, unknown but let’s double the number of times it’s been used and give it a modest possible 200 hours
Courts its played on, well over 70
Types of playing surfaces. Every type available. Concrete, asphalt, gravel, sand, grass, mud, 40-degree heat, freezing cold storm weather, hot sticky humid weather. Baked in the sun, left in flood waters, slammed into mud puddles, roll down a drain and lost in a river!
Yes, you couldn’t do much more to it over the course of a year without setting it on fire or throwing it under a car tyre. But that would not be replicating the game. This is the game ball replica after all.
RESULTS
The first thing that we noticed on both basketball’s was the difference in feel and grip once we wore the Tackskin down and or completely off.
NBA Ball
On basketball 1, the Tackskin is still present but it’s not as sticky as it once was. Even after a few hoop sessions the stickiness did not last too long. However, if you give the ball a shower you can maintain this for a little bit longer.
The cushion feel has lasted, and the grip is good. The Tackskin still remains but now with less of that nice grippy Spiderman type stick.
WNBA Ball
On Basketball 2, we completely shredded that Tackskin off. It has well and truly left the building! Spiderman will have to take the stairs! We think it should be gone by now after you see what it went through in our wear test video.
It would not be reasonable to think the Tackskin would last longer than it did.
The great news about your outdoor basketball having Tackskin, even if it fades away, you are now down to the next layer. This layer still has it’s grip pebbles and feels better than your standard outdoor basketball’s that don’t mention anything about a Tackskin.
The result:
Your Tackskin layer will last for awhile and then you will be down to the next layer which is like a new ball.
After 1 year of fully testing out the WNBA Wilson Authentic Outdoor Basketball it still has at least another year of play left it in.
The ball is now a lot smoother in feel, but the grip remains somewhat. Considering what we did to it I would have to say this basketball is impressive!
Made to last and to withstand harsh outdoor elements in all weather conditions is no joke! It delivered a lot more than we ever thought a cheaper budget all rubber outdoor basketball could offer.
Well done Wilson, your Authentic series is great and the invention of Tackskin is next level! I wouldn’t ever want to buy an outdoor basketball without it.
CONCLUSION
Yes, we both recommend the Wilson Authentic Series Outdoor Basketballs. If you choose the orange NBA size 7 or the fire & white WNBA size 6 they are both tough and made to last with an all-round amazing hooping feel.
If you are interested to hooping with either of these basketballs, we have made them available to find here:
NBA Wilson Authentic Series Outdoor Basketball available in sizes 5, 6 & 7
If you want to learn more about the NBA size 7 ball you can read the next article here:
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