Customer Reviews

Spalding 64-497 Official NBA Zi/O Excel Basketball (Official Size)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

this ball, like all other composite balls, will wear out faster if you're only going to use it outdoors(i've had two, and just bought a new one, of which I uploaded pics of). However, if you want a ball that feels great(the zio composite really does feel much different then a regular indoor/outdoor composite), and dribbles more "accurately"(theres no guesswork to where the ball will bounce when dribbling, you dont have to watch it while you dribble like other balls that will sometimes go a few mm to the left or right for no reason, which we all know sometimes causes turnovers), then this is the ball for you. If you play outdoors everyday, for long periods, you'll probably want to go with the cheaper $15-20 composites, as you will wear any composite out much faster outdoors. This ball is more suited for indoor play, with occasional outdoor blacktop usage.

In closing, this ball feels great in the hand(really does have deeper channels and better composite material), and is a more accurate handling ball then others.

I've been looking for a basketball for a little while now. I wanted one with a good grip and a nice feel to it. I'd come down to choosing the Zi/O Excel or the TF1000. I ended up going with the Zi/O because it was billed an indoor/outdoor ball, while the TF1000 was just for indoors.

I ordered the ball and got it quickly from Amazon. Right from the start, I loved the ball's feel. The number of pebbles on each panel really help with grip and the deeper chanes between panels really help you with handling and control. I used it on an indoor gym first and it was great. It felt natural and running with it was fun. I thought I'd had a winner on my hands.

The next week I brought it to the park and played outside in a street court. Again it felt great. Playing on the street court gave the ball a different feel, not altogether unpleasant. I was happy again, but a few minutes after getting home I discovered that the panels had started to come loose and were starting to peel. I was very disappointed with that.

I had read reviews about the eventual problems the ball had with outdoor play, but I never thought it'd start to unravel, so to speak, after an hour and a half of outdoor play. Needless to say, I exchanged the ball and got a replacement from Amazon within a few days. I still like the ball, but I'll be saving it for indoor use only now.

Maybe Spalding should not market the Zi/O Excels as indoor/outdoors. It's just unacceptable. I'll probably be looking for an outdoor ball now, too. Preferably something of a similar quality..if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very appreciative.

Bought an Excel back in october to replace one of our original zi/o's that were stolen. I was really hoping that they'd improve on the zi/o when they replaced it with the Excel model but we've been dissappointed. Its been sitting in the corner of our room half inflated since it won't hold air anymore, and a couple of the panels are already peeling. Now don't get me wrong this is the condition of some of our basketballs after about half a year's worth of outdoor play that we usually do (3-5 days of long outdoor play a week), but we didn't play nearly as much the past quarter and its already worse than any current basketball we've been using. If you're using this for heavy outdoor use look for something else, and if you're doing indoor always go with TF1000.

To me this is the ultimate basketball. Has real good grip and feels good to. After playing with it for months the ball still has good grip and still feels new. Although paint does come off of basketballs after outside play, this basketball manages to keep most of the paint on it making it look pretty descent. This ball unlike other balls also doesn't wear out as fast either and it still looks pretty good despite being worn out a little bit from outside play(key word: little bit). And just like the review below said everyone wants the TF1000 basketball from spalding but once the ball bust your going to be mad for just wasting 50$ bucks when you can just get the zi/o excel for a cheaper price of 30$ bucks. And if it does bust at least you want have to get as mad. So think about it and try the zi/o excel basketball it may surprise you and be just as good as the TF1000.

Got this ball last night. The grip felt very good. Took a couple of dribbles on the hardwood floor down in the basement, to my surprises, one of the panels started to tear, showing yellowish color from the edge. It's quite a disappointment given I'd been waiting for this ball for almost a week and was ready to get some play time with it this saturday. I am returning it now and going to my local store to find a wilson ball now... btw, I am not sure if it is an issue with spalding quality control. The spalding official street ball I bought more than 10 years ago still shows no sign of any tear.

i have used this basketball, the zi/o excel, for over 2 weeks, and about 2 hrs per day on a outdoor court and the ball is still in great shape. there are no rips or nothing. the first day i got the ball i had to pump some air into it. btw it does not come with a needle, so you will have to get one yourself.

hope this review helps!

I bought this as a Christmas gift for a teenager. He loved it, he plays with it constantly, it's a good alternative to video games.

After purchasing this for my 12 year old, I saw a few RECENT reviews discussing the poor quality. Most telling with another review which suggested that the great price was due to Amazon getting a good deal on some defective balls. There are a lot of good review on Amazon, but look how old they are. The ball may have the same model name, but I don't think it is made the same way it was years ago. When the ball arrived, I took it out of the box and gave it a good hard look. Definitely not the best quality, even for $24.99. It literally looked like someone printed the texture and glued it on a ball. That may be what it really is, but should it look that bad? Defects in the texture as well. It took me about 2 minutes to determine that this ball was going right back to Amazon. No way this thing was going to hold up for outside play for very long and forgive me, but I think products should last. I've bought 2 synthetic indoor/outdoor Spalding basketballs in the past 20 years and they were exceptional quality. Not sure why we have all these variations for basketballs nowadays, and would someone please explain why anyone uses or for that matter, makes a 28.5" ball? Regardless, I will go to a big sports outlet later today to check on the quality of the different balls. Then, I'll try to find that same ball on Amazon and pay less than I would at the overpriced "D***'s Sporting Goods" store. I'm just thankful for Amazon's free shipping and no hassle return policy.

I titled this review "Be forwarned" because you should be... I suspect that the batch of Spaldings that Amazon is getting from whatever supplier is a defective batch. Hence the price. You can't get an official size Spalding indoor outdoor ball this cheap anywhere that I have shopped so maybe I should of been a little suspicious...
I've a really good track record with Amazon and will continue to buy from them but they have dropped the ball on this product!!! Like other negative reviewers I recieved a ball that was flat which is not that big of a deal but poorly glued seams that can be found in several places and an obvious slow leak that makes the ball lose a couple pounds of every couple of days is more than dissapointing! I have never recieved such a poor product from Amazon! They really should look into where these balls are coming from because they have all of the tell tale signs of a defective batch thats being sold when they shouldn't be!!! Unfortunately I'm stuck with this ball since I wrote on it already!!! I would steer clear of this product unless your willing to take a gamble and send it back if you get a bad one... It appears some people have a good experience with this product but this is my worst experience of purchasing a product from Amazon!

Bought two of these for my son so they could play a game requiring two basketballs. Both are great quality and really good for outside on the driveway. I am satisfied and happy with these balls.