Question 1

the box I purchased have wobbly balls. What are doing for customers that bought from the bad batch of balls?

Accepted Answer

I’m done buying X-40s. Purchased a dozen 4 months ago and have had them replaced 3 times by the seller.  Every dozen has had 8 or more that wobble uncontrollably out of the box.

I would highly recommend anyone in the market for a pickleball to look elsewhere until Franklin acknowledges this problem and fixes it.

Question 2

I just received these balls and there is an obvious seam on the outside where the two halves meet. Is this what rotationlly molded should be?

Accepted Answer

I had the same question, but got the answer from one of their representatives:

“One-piece balls, like the X-40, are rotationally molded and will feature a mold mark where the two halves of the mold come together - similar to the edge of a waffle coming out of a waffle iron. We have this excess material removed so that it does not impact performance, but there is still a visible mark. You will notice the inside of the ball is smooth and does not feature the typical plastic weld you see on two-piece balls like our X-26.”

Question 3

What is the orange ball I see at outdoor venues? Is that the Franklin red ball turning to orange?

Accepted Answer

I see on Amazon FOUR (4) ball colors now (7/8/2021) for the outdoor Franklin 40's (F40's).  Yellow and Pink have both been around for at least fours years now.  However, they now have TWO Orange colored ones that they call 'EMBER' and 'LAVA' which look like two different shades of Orange to me.  I have not  tried the new colors.  They do look nice.
Finding the Orange or Lava and Ember in smaller quantities may take some looking around.  They do have them all on Amazon in bulk though (a hundred at a time) cheaper than than by the dozen for sure. 
 I see too, Ben Johns, #1 ranked men's player, is now advertising the F40's.
  
Seems most of the venues with the better 3.5 players and up, seem to prefer the F40's, I think because they play close to the Dura 40's, but don't break as quick and are much less expensive.

Some report some of these balls have a wobble problem.  I am going to explore that some more.  I thought it was an optical illusion, but now think maybe not.  
Still, I like these balls the best for the outdoors for the play and the money.  I'd play the dura 40's if I had money to burn. I do not.

Question 4

Will these last when not in use? Want to buy 100 and keep a fair amount stored until I need them - will they "go bad"?

Accepted Answer

Not a direct answer to your question but out of the 100 I bought 50% had imperfections/dimples/out of round.
I have not even gotten an reply or correspondence from Amazon or the manufacturer other a request to answer your question...LOL!

ASIN	B074P8MZW9
Age Range Description	Kid
Amazon Bestseller	#99,917 in Sports & Outdoors ( See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors ) #72 in Boomerangs
Ball Type	pickleball ball ball
Brand Name	Franklin Sports
Color	yellow
Construction Type	One piece
Customer Reviews	4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (10,898)
Global Trade Identification Number	00025725459896
Included Components	12 pickleballs
Item Diameter	2.91 Inches
Item Type Name	Franklin Sports X-40 Outdoor Pickleball - USA Pickleball (USAPA) Official Pickleball Balls - Regulation Size Outdoor Court Pickleball - Official Pickleball US Open - Optic Yellow - 12 Pack
Item Weight	500 g
League Name	USAPA
Manufacturer	Franklin Sports, Inc.
Manufacturer Part Number	52828X
Material Type	Plastic
Model Number	52828X
Number of Items	1
Number of Packs	1
Size	12 Count
Sport Type	Pickleball
UPC	025725459896
Unit Count	12.0 Count
Warranty Description	If the product is defective upon arrival, we will replace the product

Outdoor - X-40 Pickleball Balls - USA (USAPA) Approved - 12 Pack Exterior - Optic Yellow - US Open Ball

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