If you have a dog, then more than likely you have played fetch with a ball, and so you'll also know that picking up and carrying a slobbery ball is not a pleasant experience. 

Yes, there are cheap plastic ball chuckers out in the world that will save your delicate hands from such unpleasantness, but they aren't great for the environment, and honestly they are a pain in the bum to carry on long walks, as you can't exactly tuck them away. This British designed and made Kompact9 Ball Launcher solves both issues.

Better for the environment

The launcher is made from recycled plastic offcuts, the hygiene cover bag is made from recycled plastic bottles, and when you order both are sent to you in a recycled or FSC certified cardboard box, even the label sealing the box is recycled! They also have a supply chain that minimises their carbon footprint.

Easy to carry

This little invention is 70% smaller than most ball launchers on the market. It retracts to just 25cm, and extends to 62cm without compromising the distance it can throw a ball.  

When we tried it out, it fit nicely inside both our coat pockets, and when you put it away, if you keep the ball in the cup and cover with the hygiene cover, you will protect your pockets from being coated with sticky slobber.

How well does it chuck?

It actually releases the ball with less effort than the ones we've tried before, which is really useful if you have shoulder issues (like Muddy Madam does), and we couldn't see any difference in the distance the ball travels.

On first try I thought we may have an issue with ball size (Oooo madam), as it is made with standard tennis balls in mind.  At the time we only had smaller balls in the house, and initially the launcher couldn't grip them to pick them up, but we actually found that, because the cup has a sort of ice-cream scoop shape, we could actually scoop up the ball from the side, and throw it as normal.

It may seem a bit pricey when compared to the cheaper alternatives, but the ability to put it in your pocket, along with the bag and its eco-credentials, makes paying that little bit more so worth it. 

price:  RRP £20 - currently £15 (+ £2.75 P&P)

more at » kompact9.com
note - If you are an Amazon Prime customer you can save some pennies as they are available at amazon.co.uk for £16.50 delivered