In principle, every ball pump is suitable for every ball. Only the size of the needle is sometimes a little different. In principle, however, anyone can use a standard pump
- basketball
- Soccer
- Handball
- volleyball
- or football
- inflate. For other purposes, however, other pumps are more suitable. The different needle sizes are negligible, however, because there are only a few exceptions where the standard size does not fit.
Buy the right pump for the respective purpose
If you want to inflate big things, such as a sitting ball or an air mattress, you should look for air cushions or floor pumps. These have a higher volume, which makes inflating them much more comfortable.
Pumps with pressure gauges
Who e.g. If you need a pump for absolute professional sport, where the balls should meet certain guidelines, you have to use an air pump with a pressure gauge. These devices have a pressure gauge and indicate how much bar (air pressure) the ball currently has.
Quality pays off
Especially with basketball, a high pressure in the play equipment is necessary to ensure that the game runs properly. Not all pumps can achieve high pressure in the ball. Therefore, attention should be paid to quality here, because even small and handy devices from well-known manufacturers can achieve the necessary pressure for basketballs. Cheap products often fail to build up adequate pressure.
Order several valve needles as a replacement
Even with the best pumps, the fine needle valves break or are simply lost after a while. Therefore, it is advisable to order a needle set directly in order to always have enough supplies in stock.
How much bar / air pressure does a basketball need?
The German Basketball Federation recommends the following values:
For a size 7 ball with a circumference of 75 - 78 cm and a weight of 600 - 650 g, in short a standard ball, an air pressure of 0.7 to 0.9 bar is recommended.
However, the least pumps offer an air pressure meter, so you can use the following rule of thumb as a guide:
If you drop the basketball from a height of 1.80 meters, it should jump about 1.30 meters.
Important: the nominal pressure
In some offers, the nominal pressure of the air pump is specified. This is usually negligible for all ball pumps and is only of interest for pumps that are supposed to fill bicycle or car wheels with air. The recommended pressure for a basketball, between 0.7 and 0.9 bar, can be achieved relatively easily by any pump. The nominal pressure only becomes important when it is e.g. For example, it involves inflating tires on racing bikes. A pressure of approx. 6 bar is usually recommended here. This high pressure is not easy to achieve with a commercially available, inexpensive pump.
Important: NEWO Smart Ball Pump Series (AP1, AP1-L, AP1-P) make all things easy, they can detect the ball pressure inside and auto shut-off once the target pressure is reached. With a flexible hose, the ball needle extends its service life longer.
