Customer Reviews

Wilson F1100 Official NFL Game Football

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the official football used by the NFL and you'll be paying for it. If you want an affordable, durable, all-weather football, there are great balls by Spaulding, Nike, even Wilson, in the $20-$40 range.

Now that doesn't mean the Wilson F1100 official football is a rip-off, just realize what you're buying. It's a great ball, with a great feel, that is pretty durable. If you've played basketball with a leather ball, you'll recognize that a leather ball is not as sticky as the high tact, composite-leather balls we're mostly used to playing with. That's not to say it's slippery as a wet fish either, but the slight difference in material is worth noting.

A football that costs upwards of $70 is mostly for the fact that you're getting the official ball used by the NFL. If you want the authentic football that you see your favorite players using, then this is the football for you. If you're looking for a good ol' fashioned ball that you won't mind getting scuffed and dirty (as all footballs get, this one included) then there are lots of much cheaper footballs out there that perform just as effectively.

This is the best football. Period. Yes, it can be more slippery than a composite. But, look at it this way, if you can learn to thrown and catch with these, you are going to be better overall. My son is a QB who has played youth, HS, and semi-pro and we go outside and play catch regularly and have literally worked with hundred of footballs. This is our favorite. It is the right size, and it just has such a great feel and perfect flight trajectory. You CAN definitely tell the difference. Also, both my son and I have just normal sized hands and we have no problem throwing. Anyone who has trouble throwing and believes it is hand size related just needs to put in more time on the throwing. Heck my son used to throw full NFL size balls when he was 10 with no problem. Technique is a huge part of it. When I bought this last (we buy 1 to 2 a year because we use and abuse the balls) I bought this one and the best quality composite because we wanted to compare them directly. There is no comparison. This one rocks and we NEVER use the composite when we play catch. We saw a little bit of the coloring come off on our hands in the beginning, but nothing significant. There is one review on here that would make you believe these things bleed color... that is just not the case. We originally bought the two balls thinking we would use The Duke in good weather and the composite in crappy weather... but really, we just use the Duke all the time. Ours is now about 8 months old and it is extra slippery from all the use, so I am on here about to order another one. These balls make playing catch a pleasure and if you can get over the price (which is not all that bad here really) you will not regret going with this ball. From the moment you unpack this ball, you know you are playing with the best equipment available. Love it.

When I bought this football, I already had an NFL-sized composite football that I loved to throw around. I liked the idea, though, of having a leather football--just like the ones used in the games--that I could keep for years.

After receiving the ball, I was surprised how slick and hard the ball was compared to the composite ball. I have reasonably large hands, and it is sufficiently more difficult to grip the ball. It is also a little tough on the hands when catching it. I hope it breaks in a little.

Nevertheless, I am still glad that I bought the ball. Owning it is almost like owning a piece of sporting history.

I bought this football about 6 months ago, and it has held up pretty good. I agree, you must have medium-large hands to throw this. It is easy to catch, and you will not drop as many passes. It is somewhate hard to run with though. It holds up very nice, it has no real signs of wear. I recommend it. It takes a while to get used to, but what you do it will be worth it. If you throw right, it will launch a perfect spiral. You can usually hit at least 35 yards, and more if you are stronger. It stays pumped well, and is easy to put air into. However, it is next to impossible to throw if the ball is wet or your hands are sweaty {I was playing a game where it started to rain, I could barely throw it}

Still a good buy.

The moment I opened the box, the leather smell that hit my nose, I instantly knew this ball was made for champions. It has a great grip, feels amazingly sturdy and durable. You haven't played with a football until you play with this one. The box also comes with care instructions on how to bring back the tackiness, if lost. This football is so high quality, that feels like a collectible, instead of an item you play with. Every football fan, collector and enthusiast should get this football, and at $58 it's a steal! And yes, the football feels kinda "hard", but what do you expect? This is no child's toy, this is a 100% Professional level football. And once again, you haven't played with a football until you try this one!

Beautiful ball! As a lot of reviews mention, the ball is very "hard". It's hard to imagine pros catching these balls when they're fired out of Favre's or Cutler's cannon. I would recommend buying receivers gloves if you use this ball more than casually. Easy to grip and fun to throw. Not recommended for children for the obvious size of the ball and the chance of them ruining it on the pavement...

This football is the exact one the NFL League uses. It is of the highest quality. Thanks for a great product and excellent service.

As described, awesome football! Son is very happy to have a decent football to play with. Great feel, grip and quality!

Highly Recommend!

IT IS A GREAT FOOTBALL BUT IS HARD TO GRIP IF YOU DON'T HAVE REAL LARGE HANDS AND IS SLIPPERY.

I'm in charge of a weekly touch football game where we use an official NFL football from a previous year and I wanted to get another one for backup. I know 'The Duke' is supposed to be the official NFL ball from this year, but there seems to be something wrong with the balls Amazon is shipping.

The first ball I got from Amazon was hard as a rock, slick as all get out and had poor stitching in the laces. I got a second one and the stitching was a bit better, but it was still hard and slippery. And when it was exposed to rain, the ball stained the hands of everyone who touched it with red coloring. I have no clue if that's to be expected or not since it's all leather but it seems odd.

In any case, you can grip the ball with a good pair of sticky football gloves, which also help mitigate the pain of catching the ball. So, it is usable and throws a nice spiral but maybe I play ball with a bunch of wussies cuz no one else wants to get near that thing out of fear of breaking their hands (which is kind of annoying given how much i paid for the balls).

Maybe the footballs just need to be broken in, but I'm not really sure how to do that aside from playing with them, which no one seems to want to do. I've tried to let some air out to make the things more user-friendly, but it doesn't really help.

Anyway, I find it really hard to believe this is the ball the NFL played with this year. Something about them just seems cheaply made. In any case, I suggest you save some money and go with a decent composite leather ball.