Ball Machine Recommendations

[AYone]

Hi,

My coop has three har-tru tennis courts. We're considering buying a ball machine for the upcoming season. With so many options, it's hard to choose. Does anyone have any recommendations for a solid machine for under $2,000 (the cheaper the better)? How do the battery operated ones work, because I'm not sure if there is an accessible A/C plug to power it?

Thanks much,
Andrew

[WileyCoyote]

I have a two year old Silent Partner Star. It has been an outstanding value for me.

A Star would likely be about $1K or so delivered. It has a remote and the heavy duty battery that outlasts me a long time. It also has remote control of feed and sweep, but otherwise all settings are manual, including topspin, backspin, speed, feed frequency, and launch angle.

SP service is the best there is.

For the money, for me it is the best value available.

Harry

[dman72]

Originally Posted by AYone

Hi,

My coop has three har-tru tennis courts. We're considering buying a ball machine for the upcoming season. With so many options, it's hard to choose. Does anyone have any recommendations for a solid machine for under $2,000 (the cheaper the better)? How do the battery operated ones work, because I'm not sure if there is an accessible A/C plug to power it?

Thanks much,
Andrew

From most of the feedback on this board, tennis tutor is the way to go.

[beernutz]

I am very happy with my Silent Partner Star but in your situation where you'll likely have many different users, some of whom may not know what the heck they are doing or who don't treat other people's property the way it should be treated, I might consider one of the Playmate models, like the Volley which is under $2k. Playmates seem to be favored by many instructors who use their machines constantly and by clubs which rent out their machines.

I paid less than half your budget for my machine and I'd do it again in a heartbeat but I know that I'm going to be the only one using it and that I will treat it right. Tennis Tutor (and Wilson which I believe are manufactured by Tennis Tutor) and Lobster also make good machines imo but in your situation I'd lean toward a Playmate.

[AYone]

Thank you. That's a great point (beernutz, ha). The machine will probably get a lot of wear and some abuse, so on one hand we want a durable machine and on the other we don't want to pay hand over fist for something that might break down over time. I'll research these suggestions.

[AYone]

Unfortunately I don't see playermate on TW's site.

[Chotobaka]

Originally Posted by beernutz

I am very happy with my Silent Partner Star but in your situation where you'll likely have many different users, some of whom may not know what the heck they are doing or who don't treat other people's property the way it should be treated, I might consider one of the Playmate models, like the Volley which is under $2k. Playmates seem to be favored by many instructors who use their machines constantly and by clubs which rent out their machines.

I paid less than half your budget for my machine and I'd do it again in a heartbeat but I know that I'm going to be the only one using it and that I will treat it right. Tennis Tutor (and Wilson which I believe are manufactured by Tennis Tutor) and Lobster also make good machines imo but in your situation I'd lean toward a Playmate.

This. Balancing features and build quality, you'd be hard pressed to find anything better than the Volley. The only downside for me is the fact that it will not fit into the trunk of my car like my SP Edge Star. The other machine I would seriously take a close look at is the SP Smart, which is fully loaded feature-wise. The Volley is literally built like a tank, though. The way the hopper pops up and the externally mounted battery also pluses IMO.

[AYone]

Wow, so you actually have a ball machine you take around with you? Never even considered that because I figured they'd be too heavy and cumbersome to transport. I should totally do that because I can never find a partner. Where do I find this SP Edge Star.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by AYone

Unfortunately I don't see playermate on TW's site.

It is playmate as in www.playmatetennis.com. You might try googling playmate ball machines and you'll find several online retailers that carry them.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by AYone

Wow, so you actually have a ball machine you take around with you? Never even considered that because I figured they'd be too heavy and cumbersome to transport. I should totally do that because I can never find a partner. Where do I find this SP Edge Star.

Silent partner's ball machines like the Star can be found at www.sptennis.com/ballmachines.asp .

My Star is pretty portable and weighs about 40 pounds IIRC so you can carry it up and down stairs. It won't fit in my Miata obviously but I have neighborhood courts that I can walk to where I use it so I almost never drive it anywhere.

[Chotobaka]

Originally Posted by AYone

Wow, so you actually have a ball machine you take around with you? Never even considered that because I figured they'd be too heavy and cumbersome to transport. I should totally do that because I can never find a partner. Where do I find this SP Edge Star.

If you want to buy at TW there are lots of portable, battery operated machines available. Personally, I think the SP Star is a great basic machine for grooving strokes. If you are not already familiar with all the things you can do with a basic ball machine you might check out some of Playmate's DVD's. I think all of the major ball machine companies have a good track record for customer service, so no worries there. Good luck.

[AYone]

I watched the SP videos on their website. They look pretty good. I am still smacking myself for not thinking of this over the winter season. Screw my coop, I'm going to get a personal machine.

What about the Lobster Elite 1 version? That seems even more portable. I wonder if it's loud though.

The playmate looks the least portable to me, but probably good for my coop.

[2ndServe]

tennis tutor is pretty awesome. If you ever have issues with your machine they are very knowledgeable and helpful. This is mostly for the portable machines. I think the big ones used at clubs are the playmate.

[AYone]

But only the plus does topspin and it looks pretty big, no?

[AYone]

Will the silent partner fit in a large sedan trunk? Can you turn it on its side? I have a short drive to the courts I play at in the winter.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by AYone

Will the silent partner fit in a large sedan trunk? Can you turn it on its side? I have a short drive to the courts I play at in the winter.

I used my SUV the few times I have driven my Star to the courts. I don't think it would hurt it to lay it on its side and I expect that on its side it would fit in most trunks. It might even fit in some of them upright as its dimensions are 20"L X 16"W X 24"H.

However, if it was me I think I would use the back seat and just put it on top of a folded blanket or something similar to protect the seat. Even though it only weighs 46 lbs I would be a little paranoid about damaging the seat.

[Chotobaka]

Originally Posted by AYone

Will the silent partner fit in a large sedan trunk? Can you turn it on its side? I have a short drive to the courts I play at in the winter.

Fits in the trunk of my Alfa 164 Super with a large Hoag hopper and a good sized bag fully of cones and other goodies. Ditto for our Subaru wagon (fits easily in the smallest, rear-most area). Large sedan should be a piece of cake.

[AYone]

This is a random question, but do you think it should also fit in a revolving door? The courts I play at have this for their entrance door. I guess its an average size or small revolving glass door.