Top 5 Tennis Ball Machines

March 10, 2010 – 3:39 pm

1

Franklin Sports MLB Crossfire Pro Baseball Batting Trainer No. 14947
Top 5 Tennis Ball Machines
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Crossfire Pitching machine allows young players to practice outside a batting cage! Helps teach tracking and focusing on the ball from release to impact zone!
Height adjustment for pitch angle.

2

Lobster Sports Elite Freedom Battery Powered Tennis Ball Machine
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BEWARE OF ADVERTISED SPECS, THEY ARE NOT ACCURATE (READ BELOW)

Misleading manufacturer web page as well (around november 2007):

- claims 10-70mph, the machine is MARKED WITH and allows fixed steps of 30,40,50 and 60mph only

- claims a 50 degree elevation, but the MARKING shows 0-40 degrees with the knob allowing fixed steps of about 10 degrees from around 0 degrees to 30 degrees.

- the nice looking chrome plated removable handle replaced with a flimsy looking fold able aluminum handle, which I care about because the fold able handle still sticks out and makes it harder to fit in the boot

- an email to the company replied with: “I can tell you with complete certainty that when having the machine set at the 60 MPH position the actual ball speed will reach 70 MPH” and

“it is correct that the Elite Freedom can through balls up to an elevation of 50 degrees”. Yeah right!! At $800, I do not expect this from any company for any product.

What I like about the machine:

- Well built and is pretty decent for even the intermediate player.

- oscillation works well

What I do not like about the machine:

- Funny shape, too bulky to fit in my 95 civic boot.

- difficult to adjust the machine to throw to a particular spot, especially for overheads, because of the discrete steps for all controls

- considering all this, it is expensive at $800, the price I paid for it

- the fold able aluminum handle seems to be too flimsy compared to the fairly heavy and solid machine it is connected to, I feel it will bend eventually

- the wheels are probably a couple of millimeters from the body and scrape against the body

- strains the back to lift it because the molded handles are close to ground level under the machine

Recommended:

No

Bottom Line:

I would recommend spending a couple more hundred dollars to get a machine with a higher max speed and spin capability and avoid this machine

3

Master I-SAM Model 1 Court Equipment Ball Throwing Machines
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I would like to give this product 4.5 stars, maybe 4.7. The good points are many. It does everything the manufacturer promises. Very easy to set up and adjust (fast trial and error adjustments) so you can practice the shots you want; huge ball hopper; PLENTY of speed for developing players; easy to charge, holds a charge well; you can buy an A/C power pack for just over $100; unit packs down to nice storage and transport size; if patient you can buy a “discolored” perfectly operating iSam from MasterSports (the manufacturer) on eBay for a nice discount.

Why I don’t give it 5 stars: Claimed weight is 30 lbs, but I weighed it at 40 (bathroom scale went from my 180 to 220 when holding the iSam), and although it does have carry straps, it is awkward to carry more than just a few feet. Would be nice if item were designed with 2 wheels on one side and had some kind of extensible handle so that you could tilt and roll it like a luggage carrier. After only a small amount of use, I decided to buy a luggage hand cart to make it easier to move to/from the car, etc. Strong / young adults will not give the weight a second thought. Some women and especially older individuals (like me) would apppreciate a built-in easier way to transport the unit. For a hopper, I recommend the basic Gamma pro 85 ball hopper (not the more expensive and heavier “gold” model). Good combo of capacity, durability, weight, and overall utility

4

Tennis Tutor Pro Lite AC-powered Tennis Ball Machine
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The Tennis Tutor® ProLite™ AC-powered tennis ball machine is a great training tool for beginners and pros alike. You can adjust the speed, trajectory and feed for a well-rounded practice. Ball speed is variable from a gentle toss that’s ideal for kids just beginning tennis, to hard-hitting groundstrokes that will challenge even top amateur players.

5

Lobster Sports Elite 3 Battery Ball Machine
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Very nice, feature-packed machine. Quick shipping — we ordered ours directly from Lobster Sports and they delivered it the next day. It was nice that they also included the fast charger instead of the regular charger along with it. After one complete season with it, we think this machine is great. You set it up on the opposite baseline, select height, sweep, speed and spin choices and you’re good on the other side for singles or doubles drills. It oscillates in narrow mode in the single-player lines, and in wide mode in the doubles lines, and you have a good 15 minutes with a full hopper. We used to have a Tennis Tutor2 and the Lobster is much more portable and easier to handle than that brand, and more reliable — at least in our first season of use — too. The battery charge has stayed strong for about a week at a time with an hour of use per day — it holds its charge a lot longer than I expected it to, pleasantly surprised with that aspect of it. Also the Lobster is quite durable — we’ve left it on our outdoor court mistakenly during several rainstorms and the dampness (soaking actually) has never bothered it, although usually we do use the nice red nylon cover it came with (slightly extra, I forget the amount but do recommend it) and keep it under an open-air gazebo most nights. You can also set it on a static mode which is great if you want to work specific aspects of your game, such as returning lobs. I found this feature was a blast to work with our 9 year-old son on for baseball batting practice, using tennis balls of course, but it can turn your court into an amazing batting cage too. The one thing I’d wish for on a future model might be a hopper bump or vibration feature, once it gets down to the last half-dozen balls, sometimes they don’t drop down into the feeder. We keep it on our own court so don’t tend to travel with it much, but it folds down into a very compact size that would be very portable. If you had to put it into a car trunk or backseat to get to a public court, it seems like you could do that daily with this without a problem. The controls are simple and our young children can use it easily without supervision. All in all I’d recommend the Lobster Elite to anyone who is considering a quality ball machine.
By Arrun Donald | Posted in Reviews | Comments (0)

Tennis Ball Machine – An Amazing Teaching Tool

June 10, 2009 – 6:50 am

Whether you are an advanced player or a novice, a tennis ball machine can give you the best challenge one can ever get. With many variations from the trajectory of the ball to the speed at which the ball comes to you, it can give you a new perspective on the game of tennis.

A tennis ball machine is so much better than practicing with a real player. These machines are programmed to hit a sequence of various different types of balls; from flat to topspin and lob with each ball landing on different spots on the court. This virtual partner will give you many challenges and play the entire game instead of practicing with a player who returns the same ball type.

Like mentioned earlier, these machines are programmed to do various sequences of balls, but if you are not quite an expert in playing professional shots at random, then the machine can also be set to do simple repetitive routines so that you get a hang of the shots and play difficult shots in the future.

There are some basic models of tennis ball machines which offer a few different types of shots but if you want to have the ultimate challenge in the game of tennis, you should get one of the machines that have better features and capabilities. You can program these machines the way you want; select the ball type you want to receive, select its location on the court and choose the level of the game and you can repeat this programming for as many shots as you want.

Most machines can program up to 30 shots at a time. So once you’re done with the programming, you can select a play and start playing a challenging game with your “virtual” player. You can also save the game if you are satisfied with the outcome of your return shots. And if you don’t like some shots, you can always edit them before saving.

All these saved games can be recalled with the simple push of a button. The best part of it is that you can program the tennis ball machine with the sequence of shots from your favorite set in a grand slam tournament. Then you can play them in any level you choose. Now you can find out if you are better than Federer or Nadal!

You can modify your shots according to speed, height, spin, and timing between balls and so on until you are satisfied with the required characteristics. A tennis ball machine can be used by professional players to practice game strategies or it can be used as a coach in tennis academies. You can also play with the machine when there is no partner available making these machines a must for any avid tennis players.

By Arrun Donald | Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

How To Choose A Tennis Ball Machine

June 10, 2009 – 6:48 am

Today, tennis has become more than just a game. It’s no more waiting in the park or local tennis court for your turn to play a practice match. Now it’s all about displaying your finest strokes and playing a perfect set. All this can be achieved by just a machine. No it’s no magic machine that makes a novice into a professional tennis player overnight! It’s a tennis ball machine!

This machine helps you improve your shots by practicing them over and over again. You don’t get this liberty when you are playing with a teammate or other players. They are sure to get frustrated and bored after a certain point. But a tennis ball machine will let you play for as long as you want until you get perfect with your shots.

This machine also puts up quite a challenge to the player by feeding difficult balls. It can also be programmed to throw different shots one after the other. So now you can play as many shots as you want and keep learning from your mistakes and improve your strokes over time.

So if you want to invest in a ball machine there are certain factors that you need to consider before buying them:

  • Oscillation: This is an important parameter to consider before buying a tennis ball machine. Make sure that the ball swings well and covers the entire court by giving variations in shots. You should be able to practice all types of shots such as forehand, backhand, lob and various other shots with the help of the machine. Also check the highest speed of the ball so that you can practice your shots with accuracy. Elevation, speed, height and direction of the ball should be some of the factors that you need to consider before buying a ball machine.
  • Portability: This is another essential factor to consider while buying a ball machine. Most basic machines are made of plastic and are not more than 5 kg. But the advanced ones are quite heavy. But you can check if they have wheels and handles that make it easy to transport them from one place to another without any difficulty.
  • Warranty period: Make sure the ball machine has a valid warranty period. Most machines come with a warranty period of 2 years. Anything below that should be reconsidered as you are buying them not leasing them.
  • Battery life: A tennis ball machine can work on electricity or built in rechargeable battery. But the electricity-run machines are not quite convenient if you want them to be portable and play in a place where there is no source of electricity to plug in the machine; for example outdoor parks. Rechargeable batteries are much more convenient as you can charge them and carry them to different places. Usually a single overnight charge will let the machine operate for five hours.
By Arrun Donald | Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)