Silent Partner LITE

[shyamsk]

Hi,
I'm thinking of buying Silent Partner LITE for my children. I've a camry car and live in 3rd floor.

I'm looking for feedback/ pros/ cons on this machine.

- Can it fit in a car trunk of a Camry?
- Is it easy to carry on stairs?
- Battery life? The spec says up to 2hours!
- I'm thinking many times to buy or not to due to the price tag; but is it a worth buying for kids interested in tennis and practice

Thank you in advance and appreciate your feedback.

-Shyam

 

[COPEY]

There's plenty of info about SP machines on these boards - all you need do is use the search button. However...

1. The Lite is a pretty compact machine, so I'd be surprised if it didn't fit in the trunk of a car like the Camry.

2. I believe a few posters who own this machine have 2-hour batteries, so maybe you'll hear from them. I do recall a few people stating that if they had to do it over again they'd upgrade to the 6-hour battery.

3. Here's the real issue in my opinion. If your kids (or yourself) are avid tennis players, aspire to play competitively in high school (or are already doing so) or leagues, etc., then yes, a ball machine could improve their game. If this is just a passing interest or if you're not sure if they're tennis players for the long haul, my opinion is to forgo the purchase of a machine.

 

[shyamsk]

Thanks Copey for the information.

My kids are 8 (twins) and they occasionally play tennis. They are interested to play more. Instead of putting them in a costly coaching, I thought with my help and ball machine, will help them to learn better. Do you see a problem in the long run?

 

[Jonahan]

A ball machine isn't going to coach them. It's going to feed them balls. You could feed them balls instead. Then you'd be spending time with them, getting some exercise yourself, and you wouldn't have to spend the money on a ball machine. Besides, if they're only 8, then you're going to have to be there to take the machine, set it up, fill it, start it, stop it, collect the balls, and repeat.

If you're going to do all that, you might as well just stand on the other side of the net and feed them balls.

 

[Chas Tennis]

I have had a SP Lite with remote for about 3 months. I like it.

I carry the machine in my van with the ball hopper mounted on the machine. In a Camry, because the hopper has a hole in the bottom, you would be transferring the balls into the ball pick-up hopper or other box for transport. I believe my Lite weights 31 lb. That weight is OK for me with the smaller battery. I would not want to carry it up 3 flights of stairs but could. I would never get the bigger battery with the stairs.

I don't know how long the battery lasts as I have not run it out or that far down. I have not practiced for more than about 50 minutes at moderate pace. I was told that the battery duration depends on pace and operation mode.

The higher velocities are much too much for kids. There are some safety considerations for children as the balls automatically fire on start up and the pace adjustment is very sensitive.

I like mine and highly recommend the remote to make the secession more effective and enjoyable.

You can probably find the user's manual on the web.

A good thing is that if you don't find yourself using it enough I believe that there is a good market for lightly used ball machines in very good condition. You could probably sell it for maybe $200 less than you paid after trying it a year. Give it a try..........

 

[Chotobaka]

I have the Star and have been very happy with it over the past few years. For your intended purpose, the Lite should work out fine. Storage in your trunk will not be an issue. SP machines are rock solid. If price were not a consideration in my purchase, I would prefer the Playmate Half-Volley -- IMO this is the sweetest portable on the market.

 

[COPEY]

Thanks Copey for the information.

My kids are 8 (twins) and they occasionally play tennis. They are interested to play more. Instead of putting them in a costly coaching, I thought with my help and ball machine, will help them to learn better. Do you see a problem in the long run?

I wouldn't say I see it as a problem, but as someone who teaches myself (I own a Playmate Volley, and its primary use is for instruction), kids that age definitely don't need a ball machine. There are quite a few other basic essentials they need to be learning before they start hitting with a machine. If you'd rather not spend money on lessons, then I suggest doing a little research and find a few books on teaching kids tennis.

Essentially, when working with kids that age you want to keep it fun, don't force anything, don't worry too much about technique/footwork, mechanics, etc. A book for teaching kids will have games to develop hand/eye coordination, balance, agility, and the like. I would recommend purchasing a ladder for footwork drills as it can be used regardless of what sport they choose as they grow older. Additionally, purchase a few targets, some cones - basic training aids. I assure you, if they're having fun (an 8-year-olds primary objective in life lol), they'll want to keep playing.

With an an investment of about $120 you could be well on your way to helping them learn a sport they can play for a lifetime, and as one other poster put it, you'd have the built-in bonus of being able to spend "priceless" time with them while they enjoy their child hood. Believe me, as a parent that time goes buy much too quickly. I know it's a much used cliche, but it seems like it was only a few years ago when my son was 8. Now he's 18...and yes, I taught him how to play (without a machine - didn't have one when he was that age).

 

[tennis_ocd]

Hi,
I'm thinking of buying Silent Partner LITE for my children. I've a camry car and live in 3rd floor.

I'm looking for feedback/ pros/ cons on this machine.

- Can it fit in a car trunk of a Camry?
- Is it easy to carry on stairs?
- Battery life? The spec says up to 2hours!
- I'm thinking many times to buy or not to due to the price tag; but is it a worth buying for kids interested in tennis and practice

Thank you in advance and appreciate your feedback.

-Shyam

I have the sport and camry. I put the machine in the back seat; balls and pick-up rack in trunk. Not certain it would fit in trunk.

The sport is about 10 lbs. heavier (battery) and at 46 lbs would be quite a workout 3 flights up and down each time! Then back down for 200 balls, rack, racket bag, whew.

My recommendation for two interested 8 yo would be to get them a few lessons together (or clinics), get a $20 hopper and hand feed balls to them for a few months. The machine can wait.

(Then there is the whole issue of ball machines - you need a quiet, unused court which likely means either off hours or in the peak mid day heat; neither ideal for 8 yo kids.)