I was able to find some 4" Polyurethane foam balls that are pretty much identical to the VEX Nothing But Net balls, except for the colour. If you are looking for some low cost or low quantity balls, I have listed some on eBay. Based on my measurements of a bunch of them, the balls are:
• Size: 4" +/- 1/8"
• Weight: 1.76oz/50 grams +/- 8% https://vexforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9291&stc=1&d=1430665691
A question for the community: Would there be any interest in larger quantities of low cost balls that are identical to the official game pieces, except for the printed logo (probably around $1 each)?The goal of selling these is to help VEX teams by offering a low cost option for game elements, and any money that is raised will be used to support a VEX team, the exact details are still being worked out.The balls will be shipped from the USA or Canada by USPS or Canada Post (Handling times for US orders may be a bit longer as we need to get the packages to the USA). I have more than are listed, so if you need more let me know.](4" Foam Polyurethane Ball for VEX Robotics Nothing But Net NBN Identical /10cm | eBay)
How fast would I get these if I’m located in Ontario, Canada? And how durable are they to things like potentially very rough intakes, shooters, and so on?
I know that the bonus balls and normal balls actually have different squishiness. (I compared them @ worlds.)
It would be nice if someone who already has access to real NBN balls could purchase one of the low-cost balls and compare the low cost to real balls.
I haven’t done too much testing with them, but they do seem quite durable. I actually cut one in half (because, why not :D), and it was quite difficult doing it with a knife so I ended up using a hacksaw. For Ontario (except for northern areas) shipping takes 1-2 business days by Expedited Parcel.
That’s interesting, I wouldn’t have thought the two colours would be different. From playing with the ones at worlds these seem pretty similar in squishiness. If anyone has the VEX balls and wants to do some tests to compare I can send some for free, PM me if interested.
We just got the balls this morning and we have discovered some differences. We have a few that are heavier (by at least 6 grams) and much denser. The really soft ones launch far, but the harder ones do not go far at all. I would say at least 1/4 of what we were sent were denser and heavier. My guys are testing them out now and one will report back later.
The differences are definitely randomly spread out. There is enough variation on some to alter flight. I have not noticed any major differences between the bonus balls and normal balls. The greater variation seems to be in the green ones. Then again we have more green ones than orange. Some of them weigh around 49-50 grams, while some have been up to 56 grams.
I was informed by an eBay member earlier today that there was an issue with the payment screen preventing it from being possible to place any orders. I don’t know how long this has been an issue, but it is fixed now. In case anybody was looking at the listing and experienced any problems, please try again, and if there is still a problem send me a message through eBay or PM.
I found it was not working also (PayPal would not complete the transaction) but it was fixed the next day and I was able to successfully place an order. Thanks for making these available.
The first round of them are all gone now, but we are going to have more and better low cost field/balls soon. As part of a fundraising initiative, we are planning to run a small store with parts and tools, such as Plastic sheets, in addition to the cheap balls. We are planning to launch this in the next 2 weeks or so, and if you want to get the latest information you can sign up for our email list here.
Just got these in the mail :o
They have a pretty consistent density, they are pretty hard to squish though. I dont have real ones to compare but thanks for helping us test our prototypes!
Yes, they are a bit firmer. I compared with some of the official ones, and I’d say they’re around average, maybe a bit firmer than them, but it’s really hard to tell because some of the VEX ones are much harder and some are much softer. The ones we’re getting now will (hopefully) be better, and I’ll do some proper tests then.
I’m getting new ones soon, and will have more information in around 2 weeks. If you are looking for some urgently, send me a PM and I’ll see what I can do.
