Tennis Tutor +(player) vs Lobster Elite 3 vs Playmate Protable

[Pro_Tour_630]

Below are my three choices for battle of the best portable ball machines. I am going to buy one of them though I do not know which one yet. I know I will be spending $1600-$1900. There are some positives and negatives in all three. I would like to hear your comments regarding the pros and cons of each and if you have used any of the three machines mentioned. Thanks

Tennis Tutor plus player model with remote:

Ball capacity 150 Balls
Trajectories Groundstroke to Lob
Ball ejection speed 10-85 MPH
Ball feed rate 1 1/2 to 12 seconds (+)
Playing Time
w/heavy duty battery 4 to 6 hours typical
Recharge Time 12 hours, typical standard (-)
Tennis Tutor Plus 20"H x 19.5"L x 20"W
Weight
Tennis Tutor Plus 46lbs
$1750 plus $65 shipping one year warranty, they have a demo for $1600 plus $65 shipping
3 Player mode (+) Fast charger (1-3hours) $75 Total $1890
two function remote (+)

Lobster Elite 3:

speed10 to 80 mph
Ball capacity: 150
Feed rate: 2-10 seconds
Court time: 4-8 hours (6)
Elevation: electronic
0-50 degrees (+) lobs
Weight: 44 lbs. (+)
Warranty: (+)2 years
$1550, Remote $199 two function (+)compact/light easy to store with big wheels to push
$1890 includes premium charger (1-3hours) plus remote, shipping $48 (they might waive)

Playmate Portable:

Holds 200 Balls (+)
Battery standard life 6hours
Variable Oscillation to 1, 2, or 3 Lines
Pitches any Type of Tennis Ball (flat) (+)
*Best pitching wheels commercial (+)
ON/OFF Remote Control (-)
Standard 6 Hour SMART Charger (+)
1 Year Limited Parts Warranty
MSRP $1,695.00 USD
(-) Heavy, (+)but durable commercial wheels, (-)no 2 function remote.

My observations:

The main thing about a ball machine is the consistency in pitching so all else are just bells and whistles. Which is why I am leaning towards the playmate portable even though it is heavy and only has on/off remote.

But I do like the players mode and the two function remote and the premium charger found on the tennis tutor+ even though it is still a bit bulky

Last but not least is the Lobster elite 3 with its compactness, also with premium charger and two function remote.

In conclusion:

1. Playmate Portable for durability and reliability
2. Tennis Tutor for its features
3. Lobster for it compactness.

Why don't they have a machine that is compact, loaded with features yet built like a tank. I guess you cant have it all. Any observation and comments welcome. Most important I would like to know about the durability of the pitching wheels of all three if there are any updates or issues since I have had bad experiences in the past. I have had one of the first tennis tutors jr. (20 years ago) which had bad wheels and battery that needed replacement. In the past, Lobster were not so great in the quality as well. I have used playmate before and these thing just do not jam nor break.

Thanks

[Jack & Coke]

Most important features from my experience:

HIGH PRIORITY

• Portability - does it fit in the trunk of my car?? How easy is it to get from your garage, into your car, out of your car, carried (wheeled) through the parking lot and onto the tennis courts.
• Battery life
• Build quality / durability
• Power - how hard can it throw the ball?
• Ease of repair / customer service

LOWER PRIORITY

• remote control
• topspin
• oscillation (random or 2-line features)
• "player modes" (i.e. simulation programming)

That being said, I bought a model that has everything... the Silent Partner Pro Programmable. lol!

But! If I were on a budget, and WANTED a ball machine, I would not hesitate to purchase a Tennis Tutor. Yes, the normal model with horizontally opposed throwing wheels. I think that's a great basic model for developing, grooving, and improving your strokes.


Tennis Tutor


Silent Partner

[volusiano]

I read somewhere that the Lobster Elite 3 is the ONLY machine that offers 2 line drill WITH vertical oscillation. I also hear that the Lobster Elite 2 and 3 offers horizontal and vertical oscillation that's usually only found on higher end commercial machines.

I wonder if the Tennis Tutor Plus Player model does a good job in simulating player mode or not. I think this feature kinda gives it similar capability that the triple oscillation the Lobster Elite 2 and 3 have. I haven't seen any comparison between these 2 brands w.r.t. this aspect.

I personally have a Tennis Tutor Plus (not the Player, just the plain Plus) and it seems pretty durable. I got it for free from my brother. But if I were to buy one on my own, I might have picked the Lobster Elite 3, unless there are reviews favoring the TT+ Player mode over the Lobster triple oscillation mode.

[Pro_Tour_630]

Originally Posted by volusiano

I wonder if the Tennis Tutor Plus Player model does a good job in simulating player mode or not. I think this feature kinda gives it similar capability that the triple oscillation the Lobster Elite 2 and 3 have.

In the player model, it has three positions, beginner,intermediate and advanced.

The side-to-side position
and depth of each shot are not simply
changed in a random or sweeping motion (like the elite 2/3) but are computer programmed to simulate
the shot patterns of real players. This feature is found on their $5000 shot maker.

It is very easy to switch between modes than to fiddle around with settings.

[Pro_Tour_630]

Originally Posted by Jack & Coke

HIGH PRIORITY[list][*]Portability - does it fit in the trunk of my car?? How easy is it to get from your garage, into your car, out of your car, carried (wheeled) through the parking lot and onto the tennis courts.[*]Battery life[*]Build quality / durability[*]Power - how hard can it throw the ball?[*]Ease of repair / customer service

In that case you should have bought the Elite 2.

[mrw]

I am with Jack& Coke. The SP Pro does it all and is a great value.

[Pro_Tour_630]

I see the two who are praising SP both have bought SP machines.

To me SP=Eagnas, biggest bang for the buck may not be the right choice.

[Jack & Coke]

Yes, the Elite 2 is a very nice machine, and was one that I was considering:



However, this unit is around $1,300-$1,500.

I felt that compared to the Silent Partner and Tennis Tutor, it was overpriced a little bit for comparable features.

Given the Elite 2's basic functions, if it was for around $800-$900, I may very well would have purchased it!

[Pro_Tour_630]

I liked this post of yours, did you try out the elite?

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showp...8&postcount=19

they do have the lobster freedom for $799 which weighs only 35 lbs

http://lobsterinc.com/content/lobster-elite-freedom.asp


$$$ is not an issue, I want quality and reliability. And it seems that Playmate portable has the best commercial wheels ( I know that sucker weight 55lbs Do you know people who have had SP for a long time? are they reliable? you only had your machine for 6 months? how is the quality of the pitching wheels? any jamming? how long does battery last? how long does it take to recharge? I know from my tennis tutor Jr. days (20 years ago) the one you recommended earlier i had lots of issues with battery, pitching wheels and balls jamming. At my local club who has playmate for 15 years, It never jammed and the wheels are much better quality that last for a very long time. According to tennis ball machine dot com they rate the durability of elite higher than the tutorPlus?

[Jack & Coke]

wow a lot of questions

First, let me say that I'm not trying to push SP on you. That's just the machine that fit my needs - with portability (i.e. does it fit in the trunk of my car?) being the number one consideration.

After 5-6 months (using it an average of once every two weeks), I am very happy and 100% satisfied with the performance, quality, and reliability of my machine.

I know it is not one of your considerations. I just mentioned it as a point of reference so you know where I'm coming from.

Originally Posted by michael chaho

..did you try out the elite?

no. The floor room model they had did not have a charged battery. It was not the actual factory. It was more of an office/distribution building. I got the physically check out the Elite unit. "Kick the tires" so to speak. The unit was compact and heavy with a nice solid feel.

The only questionable "issues" were the handle and cheap plastic wheels. The wheel axle does not go through the base of the unit and can eventually wear down and malfunction over time (for reference).

The design (shape) of the unit is cool, but not practical as far as laying it on it's side for storage in my car trunk during transportation. A "rectangular" design like the TT or SP is much more practical.

$$$ is not an issue, I want quality and reliability.

You will find excellent "quality and reliability" in all of the major brands (i.e. TT, Lobster, SP, Playmate, etc.)

But if $$$ is not an issue, I say go for the MOST EXPENSIVE unit that you're willing to lug around. If you can deal with the size and weight of the Playmate, then go for it!

..how is the quality of the pitching wheels? any jamming? how long does battery last? how long does it take to recharge? I know from my tennis tutor Jr. days (20 years ago) the one you recommended earlier i had lots of issues with battery, pitching wheels and balls jamming. At my local club who has playmate for 15 years, It never jammed and the wheels are much better quality that last for a very long time. According to tennis ball machine dot com they rate the durability of elite higher than the tutorPlus?

• pitching wheels work great.. still too soon to tell how long they'll last.
• never jammed - I've even hit balls back into the ejection hole by accident. Two balls end up being blasted out back to back... kinda funny.
• I just plug in the recharger over night.. I don't have to worry because my SP comes with a "smart charger" that will not "over-charge" the battery. I can actually just leave it plugged in all the time if I wanted to.
• I have not seen the TT jr., just the TT, and TT+.
• So far, I have not had any issues whatsoever with batteries. I'm actually surprised at how long I can run the machine. Definately more than enough to wear me out during a long workout.

Good luck on your purchase for whichever model you choose.. if you train with it properly, it will be one of your favorite tennis investments.

[MichaelChang]

I actually think topsin is pretty important. I been hitting with a low-end machine (SAM), it doesn't provide spin controls. The balls are pretty easy to hit. But when you play with real persons the balls will have different spins, or slice from bh, and in my mind these are important, if a ball machine could handle that, great, if not, why paying $1500+.

[Pro_Tour_630]

WOW thanks for the ref link on the elite JC, it was a shocker. That is the kind of problem I want to avoid at any cost.

As for the most expensive machine, it would be the TT+player with remote and premium charger $1900, it is more expensive than the Playmate which I can get for $1695 out the door.

How much did you pay for your SP pro programmable? they are now at $1389 not sure about shipping. Isn't it the same as the Elite 2 which is similar in price and similar in functionality less remote? what is so different from the SPpro Vs the Elite2 in terms of functionality? (not ball speed, capacity, weight)

Now you got me thinking SP?!?!

[Pro_Tour_630]

Originally Posted by MichaelChang

I actually think topsin is pretty important. I been hitting with a low-end machine (SAM), it doesn't provide spin controls. The balls are pretty easy to hit. But when you play with real persons the balls will have different spins, or slice from bh, and in my mind these are important, if a ball machine could handle that, great, if not, why paying $1500+.

All the machines we mentioned all have topspin and under spin backspin? am I missing something?

[MichaelChang]

Originally Posted by michael chaho

All the machines we mentioned all have topspin and under spin backspin? am I missing something?

because I saw JC listed spin in lower priority.

[Pro_Tour_630]

Originally Posted by MichaelChang

because I saw JC listed spin in lower priority.

Oh ok, missed that, his SPpro does have spin, though , how about side spin ha ha, kickers etc.... need that too

anyway check this out, pretty nice chart of all. One thing I noticed is that they do not talk about durability which I agree, one can only find out in the long run how the machine holds up? I did notice that they indicate amps as battery life where both the SP and the playmate where 15 vs elite and tutor as 18 amp, very interesting

http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com...elector_1.html

[volusiano]

[quote=michael chaho;1751825]WOW thanks for the ref link on the elite JC, it was a shocker. That is the kind of problem I want to avoid at any cost.QUOTE]

I've read many posts where people complained about the Lobster Elite wheels, too. However, I remember reading a post where the poster said he talked with Lobster support and he was told that Lobster was planning to redesign the wheel to fix the problem. I haven't seen anyone who said they bought an Elite with the redesigned wheel, though. But you might want to call Lobster support to see if they have done that yet.

[Pro_Tour_630]

thanks I will do that

[Pro_Tour_630]

OK update: the pitching wheels are superior (different type of soft rubber polyurethan) on the playmate portable than the rest of the pack TT, SP, lobster which are hard. The wheels will function using NEW balls or bold balls and will not interfere with the functionality of the machine in the long run. I recall having to scuff up my wheels on the tennis tutor and I believe nothing has changed since then

[mrw]

Originally Posted by michael chaho

WOW thanks for the ref link on the elite JC, it was a shocker. That is the kind of problem I want to avoid at any cost.

As for the most expensive machine, it would be the TT+player with remote and premium charger $1900, it is more expensive than the Playmate which I can get for $1695 out the door.

How much did you pay for your SP pro programmable? they are now at $1389 not sure about shipping. Isn't it the same as the Elite 2 which is similar in price and similar in functionality less remote? what is so different from the SPpro Vs the Elite2 in terms of functionality? (not ball speed, capacity, weight)

Now you got me thinking SP?!?!

there is a big on line auction site where SP sells demo units. I paid $925. for mine + shipping. There was zero wear on the throwing wheels leading me to believe it was a new machine.

I did not spend the $300. for the programmable option. I really was on the fence but having taken delivery, I find that I just move my self around the court for fh/bh practice and it works well.

I hardly use the random sweep at all but the spin adjustment is priceless.

Lobs are easy to set up and work very well.

As you run your pressureless balls through the machine, the felt wears producing a sort of random action to the balls that is really nice.

There is no way I would spring for the "player options" on any machine. $1500. to $1900. is too much $$$ for me + I use it to grove my shots. I am not looking for a electronic competitor

[Jack & Coke]

Originally Posted by michael chaho

How much did you pay for your SP pro programmable?

I won an auction at that really big auction site for US $1,177.00

Regular suggested retail price for this machine new is $1498.00

Although it was a demo unit, they said "it was used less than 10 Hours and runs great. The machine was fully tested by thier technicians."

Every now and then, search the big auction site for "silent partner machine", you can find demo units for hundreds less than retail.

Originally Posted by michael chaho

Isn't it the same as the Elite 2

SPPP has custom horizontal angle settings for oscillation. Where Lobster and Tennis Tutor + have "2-line" features (i.e. preset sweeping angle), the SPPP is the only one where you can adjust the angle to any spread you want: