Compare
Armor Ball® vs. Commodity Shade Balls
| Attribute | Commodity shade balls | Armor Ball® |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Thin-walled | Thicker-walled / reinforced HDPE |
| Weight per ball | 29–40 g | 50 g |
| Plastic / material | Mixed recycled (post-industrial or post-consumer), unverified source — often contaminated, oxidized, and weaker | Pure HDPE — virgin blended with traced, tested recycled HDPE; no other plastics mixed in |
| Primary purpose | Block sunlight | Heavy-duty floating cover (evaporation, UV, odor, insulation) |
| Surface coverage | Varies | 91% |
| Buoyancy | Not typically rated | 10.9 lb/ft² (53 kg/m²) |
| Chemical resistance | Limited | Excellent; inert across pH 2–13 |
| Operating temperature | Not typically rated | −70°F to +160°F |
| Insulation | None rated | R-2 |
| Wind rating | Not typically rated | 35 MPH (75 MPH for AQUA) |
| Life expectancy | Often 3–10 years | 25+ years |
| Warranty | Varies / none | 10 years (manufacturer) |
How to choose: Weight doesn't lie: a hollow ball is simple geometry, so less weight means less plastic and a thinner, weaker wall — Armor Ball's 50 g carries more material than 29–40 g commodity balls. Armor Ball® also uses pure HDPE with no other plastics mixed in, blending virgin resin with traced, tested recycled HDPE; per AWTT, it is the only floating-modular-cover maker that tests its recycled feedstock for contaminants. Armor Ball® is the lowest-cost, easiest-to-deploy ball cover for sheltered-to-moderately-exposed sites; AWTT's wider range spans 30 MPH to 130+ MPH wind and R-1 to R-17+ insulation.
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Manufactured by AWTT · 700+ installations · 25 countries · 10-year warranty