Wilson NBA Forge Pro 29.5" Basketball - Brown

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Very solid ball that is built well. The only bad thing is that the bar code on the ball has no grip and is therefore kind of slick. Otherwise, this ball makes for a superb outdoor/indoor ball and I definitely recommend it.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The ball overall is really well made. However there are a few small details that leave it in the dust as compared to fellow competitors such as the Wilson evolution. One of these being that the actual seams in the ball didn’t have the best grip and kept slipping. Along with this the ball also had an artificial feeling bounce which made it awkward to dribble sometimes. That being said the ball rolled off the fingers very well for shots and the actual texture allowed for very nice grip.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Wilson Forge PRO is the best mid-price range composite leather ball I have ever tried. I give it a 10 out of 10 score in Grip and Control (both the channel construction and the grippy feel of the cover are almost on par with a broken-in professional leather ball) and a 9 out of 10 score in Bounce, which is very true and predictable but seemed to be slightly less responsive on a wooden indoor surface. I tried this ball indoors under very hot and humid conditions and found that it really helped my passing and shooting, and also outdoors on a well maintained asphalt court which produced zero erosion to the cover. I intend to do another long term review mainly to update readers on the durability of the cover, but I suspect that it will be at least an 8 out 10 score in line with other comparable composite balls from Wilson. I switched to the Wilson Forge PRO from a Wilson NCAA composite replica ball and have to say that the Forge PRO edges out the NCAA on every relevant attribute. My only small gripe design-wise is that the UPC code that Wilson uses to identify their balls could have gone near the inflation valve instead of by the logo. Kudos to Wilson for delivering the Forge PRO precisely inflated and ready for play out of the box.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This ball has a grip that feels tacky enough for outdoor play. This rating is strictly based on the fact that this is an outdoor ball and would not be used for indoor purposes. The ball seemed to keep its tacky feeling after several uses on pavement surfaces.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The ball has been used on our outdoor basketball hoop by my two teenage sons. The grip of the ball is outstanding. It enhances both dribbling and shooting. The material is high quality and the ball still looks brand new despite daily use on concrete. Highly recommend!