Ball machine - Playmate or Silent Partner or Lobster...

kailash

Hall of Fame
After reading several posts about the ball machines, narrowed down to these brands.

Looking for a portable and durable machine, with all court oscillation. Playmate half-volley seems to fit the bill, but is it portable? How does it compare to Silent Partner Quest or Lobster Elite 3? They cost in the 1400-1600 range.

Please share your experiences and recommendations. Or any other machines in the 1000 or below price range?
 
have never owned the others but my Silent Partner is still going strong.

Highly recommended.
 
If you have an SUV or a truck the Playmate is portable. They're not meant to be stuffed in the back seat of a car like Lobsters and SPs.

All are good machines, however, I bought a Playmate 5 years ago because of the build quality (I teach with it, so high usage). If, however, you're looking for a machine to serve as a practice partner, then maybe you're better off with one that has lots of bells and whistles.
 
If you have an SUV or a truck the Playmate is portable. They're not meant to be stuffed in the back seat of a car like Lobsters and SPs.

All are good machines, however, I bought a Playmate 5 years ago because of the build quality (I teach with it, so high usage). If, however, you're looking for a machine to serve as a practice partner, then maybe you're better off with one that has lots of bells and whistles.

Thank you. After reading some more reviews online and the following and few more threads: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=189150

narrowed down to Playmate Volley, Silent Partner Quest or Silent Partner Lite. SP seems to portable and less expensive; Playmate is more durable, but needs bigger space as you have mentioned.
 
Thank you. After reading some more reviews online and the following and few more threads: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=189150

narrowed down to Playmate Volley, Silent Partner Quest or Silent Partner Lite. SP seems to portable and less expensive; Playmate is more durable, but needs bigger space as you have mentioned.

Silent parter lite will be the best for $$$ so if you don't want to spend too much money on ball machine and need basic function, it will serve very well.

if you need more advanced function, Playmate might be the better option because of oscillation.

I have earlier version of Silent partner and only used a few months then I always hit with regular partner for 5 years. unfortunately, He moved to other state then I pulled the machine. I thought the battery might need to be replace since I have not used the machine for 5 years but surprisingly the battery is still running strong and machine still works well.

anyway ball machine can't be replaced by real person so if you need basic ball machine, go with silent partner. if you need more options, go with playmate.
 
Silent parter lite will be the best for $$$ so if you don't want to spend too much money on ball machine and need basic function, it will serve very well.

if you need more advanced function, Playmate might be the better option because of oscillation.

I have earlier version of Silent partner and only used a few months then I always hit with regular partner for 5 years. unfortunately, He moved to other state then I pulled the machine. I thought the battery might need to be replace since I have not used the machine for 5 years but surprisingly the battery is still running strong and machine still works well.

anyway ball machine can't be replaced by real person so if you need basic ball machine, go with silent partner. if you need more options, go with playmate.

Thanks for the input. After some more research, narrowed down to the following two machines:
1. Silent Partner Rival - has the 16-button remote, plus electronic controls compared to Lite/Star models; plus the price has gone down with the sale, $1149 as of today.
2. Spinfire Pro 2 - Has pretty much all the features that I am looking for; plus has the internal oscillation; only minus is $750 more than SP Rival.

Playmate Volley is excellent in durability and has solid construction, but with the battery it weighs around 64 lbs; and missing few bells/whistles for the same price range. Lobster has the better form factor and the most portable of all. But the cost seems to be higher compared to the above machines for similar features. So, pushing these down the list for now.
 
Yep, the Playmate isn't chock full of bells/whistles, but price of the Playmate is justified (I mean, in terms of marketing, not what it's actually worth) by it's build quality, the included remote, and in part due to the convenience of how the battery is attached. It's not for everyone, but as I've told others, all the brands are good; it's just a matter of what you're looking for.
 
No one's mentioned Tennis Tutor for its portability - backseat of car, etc. does Silent partner fit pretty well in a car?
 
No one's mentioned Tennis Tutor for its portability - backseat of car, etc. does Silent partner fit pretty well in a car?

For Silent Partner, it will not fit in the trunk of most modern compact or sedan's because the height of the trunk's opening is roughly 20 inches. It will however fit on the backseat, but it can be a bit of a hassle. Silent Partner is easier to transport in an SUV or a decent hatchback.
 
Ball Machines have come a long ways since I was a junior player. They are no longer a "novelty" for the rich and certainly no "toy". As mentioned - the well known major brands "work" (work horses!). They are consistent and reliable. You can't really make a mistake and will not get "stuck" with a machine that sits in your garage collecting dust. Ball machines seem to be "coming of age" and are becoming more accepted as a serious tool for conditioning, stroke/shot refinement and game develpment - even amongst teaching pros.

Therefore - I'm glad I somewhat "splurged" and went with a feature rich machine that can "throw" as many options, choices, nuances, challenges as possible at me. Always wanting to improve my game - I look for and always opt to play and hit against better players. I was'nt sure (certain) or "did'nt really know" at the time I purchased my Lobster Grand Elite V that it would turn out to be "the long term investment and/or valuable tool (partner)" that it is or has in fact become!

For those that can........irregardless of the brand, I encourage you to "spring" or invest the additional $$ for more features, options, etc. The additional "features, options, speed, spin, location, oscillation, programmability, remote, etc. etc." are NOT simply something described on a webpage, owner's manual that just "cost more $$$"..........and these options/abilities are not just located or imbedded within the machine, software or control panel. These features/options/capabilities are REAL and are seen, felt, noticed and realized "across the net - on the other (your) side of the court - beneath and in front of your feet"!!!

My budget is somewhat tight at the moment, however, nothing brings me more joy, happiness, health and fullfillment like playing the best tennis I can. I thus can't wait to send my control panel/board to Lobster for their latest new software "upgrades", programs, drills, etc.

Whether Budget Basic or Feature Rich........don't get bogged down and/or delay too long. Ball Machines are for real.
 
For Silent Partner, it will not fit in the trunk of most modern compact or sedan's because the height of the trunk's opening is roughly 20 inches. It will however fit on the backseat, but it can be a bit of a hassle. Silent Partner is easier to transport in an SUV or a decent hatchback.

My SP Smart easily fits in my acura tl. I put it in the front seat - two baby seats are in the back. So I think it will easily fit in any 4 door/2 door car. There was tons of room so it wasn't an issue - no SUV or hatchback is needed. I just put a blanket on the seat under the ball machine. The balls machine has smooth flat edges so there's very little that would harm a cars interior if it somehow moved in the car.
 
Thank you. After reading some more reviews online and the following and few more threads: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=189150

narrowed down to Playmate Volley, Silent Partner Quest or Silent Partner Lite. SP seems to portable and less expensive; Playmate is more durable, but needs bigger space as you have mentioned.

The Silent Partner Lite is a good, durable machine for the money. At that price point I like Silent Partner much more than Tennis Tutor. However, battery removal is tough. They say you can remove the battery without disassembling the machine but it's hard. This machine may be ship with a 7.2 ah battery. When it goes dead you can replace it with a 9 ah deep cycle battery for longer run time. The 9 ah batteries are the same size. On mine, I cut a hole in the side, glued in a larger holder (wood box), and installed an 18ah battery.
 
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