At Last – Ball Machine advice please !

J

jools

New User
I feel like somone who has been washed up on land after drifting for months in the sea !
Seriously I have been looking for advice & reviews on ball machines for many months but have only just turned up this site. I live in the UK where the same ball machines are priced much higher than in the US so doing one’s homework is even more important !
For example a Tennis Tutor 4 plus comes in at £1,700 = that’s approx $3150 !! and a similar price for the Lobster Elite 2. As well as high prices the UK oulets also throw in poor levels of customer service / advice (nothing new there then !).

I want a battery powered machine which is relatively easy to lug around in a car - at 43 I should be young enough to lift most of them around ok. I am a reasonable club player and want to push myself to the next level esp. to get more power in my ground strokes. I wouldn’t coach with it but I want to use it to get my two kids going so a play time of 2-3 hrs is probably adequate

The choices seem to be between (due to availability in the UK):-

Tennis Tutor – probably 4 or 4 plus.
Lobster – Elite 1, 2 (model 3 not available in UK until 2006 I'm told)
Wilson.

I have read all I can find on the site about the Tennis Tutor machines – key questions about TT models are:-
1. Is the spin function really worthwhile.
2. Does it lob high enough to practise overhead smashes when you are on the service line or closer to the net


Ref the Elite range:- They look good with a higher elevation angle than the TT (but only the Elite 3 has the two line function which I have assumed will be pretty useful) - but can’t find much information on the Elite’s at all.

Ref the Wilson:- The top of the range has two line, remote and spin & is the lightest (because it uses 1 battery I think) but also has smallest ball capacity and also seems to be less popular. The one review I found posted on this site stated they wouldn’t buy another one.

I would be very grateful to anyone kind enough to give me any feedback esp. on the Lobster Elite V Tennis Tutor to help me make that rather expensive decision.

Thanks

jools
 
Hi jools,

Welcome to the forum. I have a Tennis Tutor Model 2 Plus and the spin feature. I haven't had the chance to completely test it out, but I've played with it and the spin feature does make a difference in my opinion. The ball speed setting goes up to 10, but the ball sails long out of the court on flat shots. The flat shots also knuckle which is pretty cool. :p

I haven't had the chance to test out the lob feature or how high it shoots up, but I can do so tomorrow and maybe this evening to see. My biggest problem with the Tennis Tutor Plus is that it's bigger than I thought it would be. It won't fit in my sedan's trunk, but it fits in the backseat just fine. It's a pain to lug around because there are obstacles in my messy house that I have to lift the machine over. I mean it's only approximately 46 lbs, but just the size of it is cumbersome to deal with. Rolling it to the court is okay until there are acorns littered on the sidewalk and then I gotta carry the machine over the pile of acorns because I don't want to mess up the machine. But that's the park's fault.

Oh another thing, while playing if you accidently hit a ball that hits the white flap that holds the balls in and knock the flap closed, it may block balls from going into the dispenser of the machine. Then you gotta run across to the other side of the court and open up the flap again.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I went through a lot of posts before deciding to buy the Tennis Tutor, and I'm still questioning whether or not it was a wise decision.
 
i just bought a tennis tutor 4 plus.
a part of me still thinks i should've gotten the lobster elite 3 (or at least waited for it to be released). the lobster looks like it'd be easier to move around. plus, it has the triple oscillation feature, which i suppose isn't critical, but it's a nice extra.
 
I just bought 120 tretorn plus balls from http://www.garrisonsportsgroup.com/.
I want to break them in first before I start using them, per the ball machine instructions. They say if you don't, the black wax could rub off on the wheels and mess up the machine's aim. Who would've known? :neutral:
 
I think that happened to me. My machine shoots to the left and I didn't understand why. Maybe I should call customer support and get this looked at. It's still under warranty.
 
shinta said:
I just bought 120 tretorn plus balls from http://www.garrisonsportsgroup.com/.
I want to break them in first before I start using them, per the ball machine instructions. They say if you don't, the black wax could rub off on the wheels and mess up the machine's aim. Who would've known? :neutral:
Click to expand...

I just checked out garrisonsportsgroup.. Wow that place is expensive compared to TW.. I think your link is about to get blocked btw.
 
Tennis Tower, By Sports Tutor is what we have... Note.. TW needs to carry these
 
Hey TheGreatBernie, Try checking the alignment on the two feeding wheels. They should be veritically aligned. Also the ball needs to be fed through the center of space between the two wheels. One visible sign is if you're getting small black stripes on the balls. This would indicate that the ball is feeding against the outer edge of a wheel. The adjustment is very simple. There's a one alley key for each wheel. Simply loosen it (but don't remove it completely) and move the wheel to the left or right then retighten. The wheels can be adjusted without removing the cover. If that's all it is, it will save you lots of time.
 
tennis_frk said:
those tretorn balls are very expensive, buying balls by cans would be cheaper..
Click to expand...
those tretorns are more expenssive because they're decent pressureless balls, meaning they don't lose their bounce like regular pressurized balls. They're more economical than regular pressureized balls by the can if you're using a ball machine, because you won't have to keep replacing the balls all the time.
 
Thanks - Lobster elite experience ?

Thanks to thegreatbernie & shinta

sounds like you both think the Tennis Tutor plus is a bit of a heavy old beast to lug around but that the spin is a must to practise returning harder shots else they just shoot out (just like my old fashioned fore-hand !).

I agree that the Lobster Elite (with it's big wheels) looks easier to manoeuvre plus the ball hopper looks more robust and less likely to get damaged or displaced during play and it has more features (at a cost) and higher elevation angle.

It's a shame no-one on the site seems to have any experience of the Elite models to confirm our suspicions.
 
Tennis Tutor Model Plus NICE!

My tennis tutor plus is fine no problems what so ever the doors that hold the balls have a lifetime guarantee as does the towing wheels too. Even if I own machine 10 more years the doors and wheels will still be free! Overall size is no big deal unless you drive a small 2 seater car. I use 75 balls only which is plenty to carry. 100 or more is pain in the but and take too long to pick up. Elite looks good but I'm very happy with my tutor and glad I made a choice with a very freindly company that will always stand behind thier product.
 
I bought an Elite model 2 six months ago and think it is great. I can't believe how much it feels like playing a live opponent -- the spin, speed and random left to right/short to deep shots provide such a challenging workout.

It is really easy to move from my house to the court. It fits in the trunk of my Honda Civic. I have had no problems wheeling it around. The big wheels make it really stable, even over grass, steps, etc.

I have not played with a model 3 but have heard good things about it from another player at my club. I can imagine that the two-line option would be especially great for kids. My overall experience with Lobster customer service was excellent. You may want to just call them...maybe you could buy the model 3 from them directly or they can send you to someone in the UK.
 
I was lucky enough to get one of the first Lobster Elite Model 3 last week. However, when I put the machine on the court the 2 line function didn't work (at all). The rest of the E3 worked fairly well but without the 2 line function it's the same as the E2. Also the remote was weak and didn't work well from the opposite baseline. The E3 machine came with E2 instructions only, and the customer service rep had no idea how the 2 line operates. (she gave be directions on the pneumatic version instead)

The E3 is surely an eye-chacher, but in my opinion needs a bit more tweaking.
 
Elite 3 - NBG !

USCimberly

At last - someone with an Elite 3 - the 3 was the model I also wanted as it has the two-line.


I would have been pretty fed up if I'd have bought one and had your experinece - Did Lobster say what the cause was - did they rectify it ok ?

did they say if this was a common problem ?

any feedback appreciated

ta

Jools
 
My Tutor 2Line works great!

My Model 4 PLUS 2line works great! I get a pretty good work-out and I can adjust the feed rate speed between shots. And if you have a mix batch new and old balls, you can get a mix of ball throws coming at you short and deep which to me is the same as the elite oscillator fancy function.
 
Leccz -- I can't believe that was your experience. I just bought an Elite 3 with the two line drills, played with it all through the holiday weekend, and think it is the greatest. I love all of the oscillation options -- it totally seems like I am playing against a real person. I have received great service from Lobster, and the reps there were so helpful. A friend of mine did have an issue with an earlier model a few months ago, but they took care of it right away and she is very happy with her Lobster.

Bolivian10s -- you should play with an Elite...that "fancy function" is really cool. I prefer to have a machine that sets it up automatically, without my having to mess with making sure I have different aged balls in my hopper. To each her own, I guess.
 
Lobster indicated to me that my machine was damaged by UPS so they sent a pre-paid packing slip to mail it back to them for a replacement. However I decided to switch to the TT4P anyway. (played it last night) To be honest I was pretty bummed about the situation and the thought of spending the summer waiting for UPS to arrive rather then playing tennis helped me make a decision to switch. Also, dealers aren't stocking the Lobster because of their cost. But I order the TT4P on Tuesday and it arrived Wednesday fully charged.

TT4+ doesn't have triple Os but the random and 2 line functions are great. It's a solid machine, great controls, light-weight, easy to manage, and doen't require any dismanteling to travel with. (E3 handle bars have to come off) Plus no sharp edges for the young ones to get cut on (E3 has cut me twice going in and out of the truck, Why do those sharp pieces protrude out the bottom like that?). Anyway, I used the $470 difference to pick up a roller hopper and a case of Tretorn Plus ball (got enough left to think about a racquet.)

My only con for the TT4+ so far was that feeder had a little trouble turning at slow interval when the hopper was at capacity. However so did the E3. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the triple OS on E3 but the machine just didn't have the durability I was looking for.
 
Ball machine advice

Contact Adam on +44 (0)1473 744949 for advice on ball machines or visit www.fst.co.uk for datasheets on a large number of ball machines
 
SAM sp4 - 2 line drill, wide/narrow adjustment, 10 function wireless remote, tuff rugged exterior, 300 ball hopper, 85mph, I’d only trade it for a SAM robot.

;)
 
Turns out the Prince and Sam SP4 are one and the same. One U.S, one Asia and abroad. After much discussion in my head, and knocking down the TT4+ flap while hitting, spreading balls all over, I decided to switch. The SAM promises to end my search for the perfect portable pitcher. Now what to do with a new TT4 plus with 2 playing hours on it. ;)
 
Hold on to your Tutor!!!

You might want to hold on to your tutor before you decide with the prince.
Those doors on the tutor yes might break, but no big deal Sports Tutor will replace at no charge for the life of the machine as well the towing wheels, rubber feet and many other simple parts. I've had mine for over 3 years and not one major problem yet.
 
My tennis coach says Lobster and TT are the best

Leccz...I wouldn't switch to a Sam/Prince if I were you. You should have given the Elite a chance the first time around...things break in shipping all the time, which is UPS not Lobster. And, it sounds like they took care of you right away (as expected). Like I said before, that happened to my friend, her's was replaced within a few days, and she has had a great experience with her E2 ever since.

I talked to my tennis coach and he said that the Lobster Elite and the Tennis Tutor are the industry leaders for battery machines. He said that players should stick to those two. You sure jump around alot...All ball machines have their small issues. I highly doubt that the SAM will be “perfect”. Why don't you just give the machine you have a chance!
 
luvtennis05 said:
I talked to my tennis coach and he said that the Lobster Elite and the Tennis Tutor are the industry leaders for battery machines. He said that players should stick to those two. You sure jump around alot...All ball machines have their small issues. I highly doubt that the SAM will be “perfect”. Why don't you just give the machine you have a chance!
Click to expand...

Hey there luvtennis,
My coach has had his Sam machine for almost 3 years and uses it everyday weather permitted, and let me tell you...it rocks!
How can lobster be one of the best battery machines when they have only been making battery machines for a little over 12 months.
I take my hat off to them for a great looking machine... but the best machine... this theory still needs to be proven.

As for the best tennis machine in the world... it has to go to the Sam robot.
Have you had the chance to play against it? You would change your tune if you did, and yes before anyone says, i know its on the other end of the spectrum. I guess the best machine is what you’re happy with and what fits your requirements and budget. It also helps if the company offers unparallel service and quality. You shouldn't listen to coaches to much as they sometimes feel intimidated by ball machine, unless your coach uses a ball machine that different. You should speak to people who have experience machines first hand.

Secondly try testing these machines from friends or pro-shops, ask around for experiences and finally ask around for servicing, back up parts, turnaround and most of all... quality.

;)
 
Boy! Lots of feed back! Thanks to all... I'm holding on to the TT4P for now, but the Prince is on the way! Prince/SAM has been making these pitching devices for many years now. They've gone through all of the growing pains associated with developing a complicated piece of equipment and made constant inprovement to deliver what they offer today. SAM/Prince has been the number one seller oversea for a long time, with a prestine reputation.

Lobster is the newest player on the market and rightfully has growing to do. Just like a new car model, the first buyers get the worst equipment until they work the kinks out. I'm sure the Elite 3 will continue to get better over time.

All three of the these machine will help you with your game if you really work at it. SAM/Prince just seems to make that work a little easier. :mrgreen:
 
I got my Prince MOdel 4 and have been playing it. The P SP4 is a superior machine to bot the Lobster and the TT4plus. Definitely!
 
What is the "2 - line" feature? Is there an American website which has all these differnent models to browse through?
 
Hey LECCZ,

So which ball machine do you find to work out the best. It is nice to read about someone's unbiased opinion who has had experience with the 3 different type of manufacturers.

It seems to be some time since you last posted a comment on this topic. Any feedback would be appreciated. I realize in the other thread you mention concerns with the PP4. How did things work out?

I was contemplating on purchasing a machine for myself and to aid in teaching my kids.
 
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