Help with recommendation for a Tennis ball machine

[fnd0001]

Hello

I have been doing a fair of bit of reading on the forum, and appreciate all the helpful info that everyone provides.

I am looking for a first Tennis Ball machine, and based on a lot of the reviews that I have read. I think I am going to get a Tennis Tutor machine.

I am a beginner, and looking for a machine that both and my girls can use ( 8, and 15).

My budget is $1000 or thereabout. my requirements are:
- Reliability
- not too heavy - as I have to log it to a public court
- good battery life. ( enough for me and both girls to get sometime playing)
- spin capability (would be nice - only based on reviews , I have read)
- Remote (would be nice - again only based on reviews , I have read)
I think I have narrowed it down to these.

1. If I want Spin + good battery life – I have to save up for TT Plus. ( It is beyond my budget)
2. If I want Spin on my current budget – Prolite Plus
3. If I want good battery life + remote without the spin - choice is TENNIS TUTOR BATTERY w/WIRELESS REMOTE

It looks like option 3 might be the best option - its close to my budget, and has everything I need except spin.

I have no experience with any tennis machine. Any words of advice from the experts, before I shell out my money.

Thanks.

FD.

 

[tennis_ocd]

Hello

I have been doing a fair of bit of reading on the forum, and appreciate all the helpful info that everyone provides.

I am looking for a first Tennis Ball machine, and based on a lot of the reviews that I have read. I think I am going to get a Tennis Tutor machine.

I am a beginner, and looking for a machine that both and my girls can use ( 8, and 15).

My budget is $1000 or thereabout. my requirements are:
- Reliability
- not too heavy - as I have to log it to a public court
- good battery life. ( enough for me and both girls to get sometime playing)
- spin capability (would be nice - only based on reviews , I have read)
- Remote (would be nice - again only based on reviews , I have read)
I think I have narrowed it down to these.

1. If I want Spin + good battery life – I have to save up for TT Plus. ( It is beyond my budget)
2. If I want Spin on my current budget – Prolite Plus
3. If I want good battery life + remote without the spin - choice is TENNIS TUTOR BATTERY w/WIRELESS REMOTE

It looks like option 3 might be the best option - its close to my budget, and has everything I need except spin.

I have no experience with any tennis machine. Any words of advice from the experts, before I shell out my money.

Thanks.

FD.

fwiw I have a silent partner. I would NEVER trade spin for a remote. Spin is a necessity; a remote simply nice (and really not needed at all unless by yourself.)

 

[frank52]

Within your budget of $1000 you can get a Silent Partner with long life battery (21 ah) and 2-button remote. I'd go with that over the Tennis Tutor. The old Tennis Tutor I had was louder than my Silent Partner. Topspin control is a feature I like.

 

[gmatheis]

I had a Silent Partner Star, was very happy with it. The only thing I didn't like was not having a power elevation (and a corresponding control on the remote for it).

I have been borrowing a Wilson ball machine (made by Tennis Tutor) and it is nowhere near as good. It is also not as easy to roll (half the time I pick it up and carry it because the wheels are so bad) Additionally the flaps that fold out to create the ball hopper area are flimsy and have broken at the plastic hinge area.

The SP can throw a faster ball (both can throw slower balls fine) and was much sturdier in the hopper area, and was much easier to wheel around.

Battery life was very good on my SP, I would use it several times before even charging it and never had a problem.

Also, if you'd like to save a few bucks on a SP look on the bay and SP auctions off machines that they pull off for testing every so often. They come with a full warranty and have only been used for like 10 hours for quality control testing I believe.

 

[unclenimrod]

I also have Silent Partner machine. Gotta say it is the best durability-wise and battery length is amazing. I've only ever run out once, and it's not too tough to replace the battery yourself after a few years (i replaced mine 3 years in, but it had sat uncharged over a long winter). If you plan to up the pace and difficulty, SP machines are the way to go hands down on your budget. I would guess it weighs a bit more than you'll like, but once you begin rolling, it's the easiest machine to move.

 

[BMC9670]

I'm about three weeks into owning a SP Star and loving it. I did tons of research and this machine gives more features for the money that others. Also, SP customer service has been great. I'm really glad I opted for the remote and bigger battery. Longest session was nearly 4 hours (with several people) and not a sign of slowing down.

See the last few pages of this thread for more:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=498433

Also, remember to budget for balls. I've used Tretorn Micro X for a couple years feeding from a basket and bought 144 of them for the machine. Perfect. They will cost more up front, but you'll get consistent performance for a few years without replacing balls all the time.

 

[fnd0001]

Thank you for the recommendations.
It does sound like given my budget, the Silent Partner Star is probably the best value for money.

Thanks again.

FD

 

[West Coast Ace]

Interesting how SP gets overlooked in these debates. I've had mine for 2 yrs and am very happy. Only issue I've had is with the 'antenna' that slosh the balls around - 1 doesn't want to stay in the angled up position and sometimes gets stuck down and will jam.