Slinger tennis ball machine

[ichaseballs]

they were trying to create a product to fill a void in the market. there is no other product that competes with it. if slinger were to create a better machine i am sure they would call it something like "the elite" and double the price. and i believe tagurit's main point is that it is good value. and over time many products do see improvements or updated versions. seems like slinger tried to make up for the delays and gave everyone their money back who asked for it. i am just hoping the price stays low when it hits retail.

 

[TorontoTennis]

Would Slinger have raised the kind of money that they did if they had been honest and not flogged a fake prototype that they knew could not do anywhere close to what they claimed and does not even look like the same product? Not at all.

People are just relieved they at least got something after waiting for so long as many KS campaigns yield nothing. That soft bag and multiple zippers will never withstand the test of time, not to mention it's hardly tried and proven like some of the other stellar brands out there that have been around for more than a decade, e.g. Lobster, Spinfire, Tennis Tutor with machines that easily last more than a decade. Will you be using that fabric bag with a zillion zippers in 10 years? Hardly.

 

[Thiem's 1HB]

got mine last Monday 2/24.
and did an hour or so testing on Thursday.
I had mostly decent used Pro-Penn Balls..

1 machine carries all, 100 balls, 3 racquets, water bottles, ball pick-up tube. etc.
the machine is huge..but it takes up less space comparted to hauling my Silent Partner, Nike racquet Bag, and Gamma ball bag/Hopper.
Looks a lot better than the original Prototype. Build quality is very good.

the machine is really quiet compared to my Silent Partner Edge.

the Ball Boy Feature is pretty nice to have...
you can just stand there at the service line and have the ball tossed to you everytime.. and not stuff your pockets
with half dozen balls.

yes its heavy on the top-spin.. but at advanced level 45mph top speed.. I was pleasantly suprised that it had plenty of pace...
more than enough for basic ball drills.

Oscillating base is works well.. and will gets your heart pumping all over the court.

basic on/off remote for ball feed and Oscillator. No loss of signal from over 2 courts away.
but machine lacked manual controls.

More advance players on the court saw the machine and were very impressed. especially after they heard what I paid for it.
and wanted to get one... sorry to tell them.. Kickstarter was all sold out. One offered to buy my machine for more than what
I paid.! I will probably sell this when I get the Hydrogen Proton Smart machine later this summer.

for under $250.. this was worth the wait. no complaints. very happy with it.

You paid $250 for it? Wow, that's an bargain;

 

[TorontoTennis]

they were trying to create a product to fill a void in the market. there is no other product that competes with it. if slinger were to create a better machine i am sure they would call it something like "the elite" and double the price. and i believe tagurit's main point is that it is good value. and over time many products do see improvements or updated versions. seems like slinger tried to make up for the delays and gave everyone their money back who asked for it. i am just hoping the price stays low when it hits retail.

Slinger did a reverse take-over of an over-the-counter penny stock. Their recent SEC public company filing available here discloses that they have 'substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern'.

They also disclosed massive losses and have had to borrow almost $2M to stay in business, all at insanely high interest rates of 12%-24% (mostly the latter), the majority due to be repaid in only 4 months from now. So, massive losses, massive borrowings, ridiculous interest rates, massive monthly burn rate and the product hasn't even been released into the market place beyond a crowdfunded product.

This does not sound like a promising business. Perhaps that's why no one has filled the hole in the market. You just can't make any money selling ball machines for $399. I hope they prove me wrong but I very much doubt they will be in business very long at this rate.

 

[topspn]

So you guys who have a slinger bag and have been using it, still happy with it overall? You think it’s worth the retail price when its available for sale?

 

[jangotango]

happy with it overall?

I'm not upset.

worth the retail price when its available for sale?

He11 no.

 

[topspn]

I'm not upset.


He11 no.

Seriously? No details whatsoever? Come on man, I am trying to get good feedback

 

[TagUrIt]

Seriously? No details whatsoever? Come on man, I am trying to get good feedback

My overall assessment of Slinger.

Pros: the price/portable/delivers a heavy topspin ball/comes with a remote/ball boy setting (tosses you balls for serve practice)

Came with an oscillator, a remote and a ball tube. The oscillator works well and makes hitting more challenging.

Cons: limited speed 40 mph max/ limited settings (you can only adjust the interval feed and speed of the ball) no manual use settings, you have to use the remote control.

Honestly speaking, I got in on the ground floor when they initiated the project, so I only paid about half of the retail price. There are other and more efficient ball machines, but they cost twice/three times as much as Slinger. For what you’re getting at this price point I would say yes bIt’s worth it. This a good machine to have when you don’t have someone to hit with or don’t want hit balls against a wall.

 

[topspn]

My overall assessment of Slinger.

Pros: the price/portable/delivers a heavy topspin ball/comes with a remote/ball boy setting (tosses you balls for serve practice)

Came with an oscillator, a remote and a ball tube. The oscillator works well and makes hitting more challenging.

Cons: limited speed 40 mph max/ limited settings (you can only adjust the interval feed and speed of the ball) no manual use settings, you have to use the remote control.

Honestly speaking, I got in on the ground floor when they initiated the project, so I only paid about half of the retail price. There are other and more efficient ball machines, but they cost twice/three times as much as Slinger. For what you’re getting at this price point I would say yes bIt’s worth it. This a good machine to have when you don’t have someone to hit with or don’t want hit balls against a wall.

So let’s say you have at top speed from the baseline across the other side of the net. What kind of a ball are you getting? I ask since you mentioned topspin is good but speed isn’t.

 

[TagUrIt]

So let’s say you have at top speed from the baseline across the other side of the net. What kind of a ball are you getting? I ask since you mentioned topspin is good but speed isn’t.

You'll get a heavy ball with lots of topspin. The pace won't be more than 40mph, but when it hits the ground it kicks thereby making it a challenge to hit. Slinger doesn't deliver flat shots, ALL of the balls have some varying degree of topspin on them. I had a guy watching me hit balls last week and offered for him to hit a few. He said he was a teaching pro (isn't everyone) and he said the amount of topspin Slinger produces is unrealistic. His words "no one could produce that amount of topspin on a shot, unless they're Nadal". He kept comparing it to other machines and insisted that it should have some way of controlling the amount of topspin. I told him how much it costs and he said yeah that makes sense.lol So no there isn't a lot of pace offered, but you do get topspin and consistent feed. Slinger is whisper quiet btw, it does jam sometimes, so that can be annoying. I use Wilson Triniti balls with it. I threw in a old set of 3 Wilson Triniti balls from when they first came out, I think they are the culprit of the ball jams. The other balls are new.

 

[topspn]

You'll get a heavy ball with lots of topspin. The pace won't be more than 40mph, but when it hits the ground it kicks thereby making it a challenge to hit. Slinger doesn't deliver flat shots, ALL of the balls have some varying degree of topspin on them. I had a guy watching me hit balls last week and offered for him to hit a few. He said he was a teaching pro (isn't everyone) and he said the amount of topspin Slinger produces is unrealistic. His words "no one could produce that amount of topspin on a shot, unless they're Nadal". He kept comparing it to other machines and insisted that it should have some way of controlling the amount of topspin. I told him how much it costs and he said yeah that makes sense.lol So no there isn't a lot of pace offered, but you do get topspin and consistent feed. Slinger is whisper quiet btw, it does jam sometimes, so that can be annoying. I use Wilson Triniti balls with it. I threw in a old set of 3 Wilson Triniti balls from when they first came out, I think they are the culprit of the ball jams. The other balls are new.

Ok, I am glad to hear about the heavier topspin. One last question, have you every tried it with any other ball? Like Propenn for instance? I did try a can once of trinity balls and they are decent for practice balls but a bit slower then a regular tennis ball

 

[TagUrIt]

One last question, have you every tried it with any other ball?

No, Slinger recommended the Wilson Triniti balls for optimum performance, so used those. I suppose you could use any ball you choose, but I wanted to go with what they recommended.

 

[topspn]

No, Slinger recommended the Wilson Triniti balls for optimum performance, so used those. I suppose you could use any ball you choose, but I wanted to go with what they recommended.

Ok, thanks man, you were very helpful!

 

[TorontoTennis]

It makes zero sense that Slinger advises Triniti balls, except for the fact they are trying to promote the ball because of their co-marketing deal so it is in their interest to try to push sales of it. The machine should work with any ball (except the children's red dot ball as it is too large). as the defining factor is the space between the throwing wheel and, in Slinger's case because they only have one throwing wheel, the flat stationary surface (which is why Slinger has permanent high topspin). You cannot make a throwing wheel that is customized for a type of ball. That defies physics and friction science.

As balls go, because of the frequency of hitting the ball, which is far more frequent with a ball machine than if you played tennis with someone else for the same period of time, the ball that will last the longest without deteriorating, ie going flat (they'll all lose ball fuzz at relatively the same rate), is a pressureless ball as they do not have any pressurized air in them. Triniti doesn't come anywhere near the longevity of a pressureless ball but a bit longer than regular pressurized balls. Note you can buy the really cheap pressureless balls that fall apart in a few months, don't bounce realistically or premium quality ones that bounce just like a pressurized ball and last over a year.

You are going to spend a fortune replacing Triniti balls as you use your ball machine, unless you like the fact that they jam the machine when they go flat or their bounce starts really deteriorating. You really need to use a pressureless ball to have consistency and save $$$.

 

[TagUrIt]

It makes zero sense that Slinger advises Triniti balls, except for the fact they are trying to promote the ball because of their co-marketing deal so it is in their interest to try to push sales of it.

I don’t doubt for two seconds that Slinger and Wilson have a collaboration going. I don’t believe just because they recommended it, that it’s the only ball you should use. I chose the Wilson Triniti because I played with them when they were first released. I felt it was a good heavy ball, but not good for match play. I thought it would be better suited for a ball machine and low and behold they partner up with Slinger. With the exception of the machine jamming at times, I actually like the Wilson Triniti balls and I think they will last a long time.

 

[JSeba11]

I have a Slinger. Also am very satisfied with it. It launches a heavy ball with a lot of spin, and if you adjust it to the right power and angle, it’s a good simulation of a ball you would get in a match. I’ve also had some fun putting it at the highest launch angle and chasing down moon balls. Mine has an oscillator that turns the machine as it fires. Very useful for doing drills with 2 people, or with 1 person moving along the baseline. I agree with a previous poster that the ball boy feature for serves is awesome. The ball compartment can unzip and hold at least 100 balls, which is impressive considering it’s size.

Sure, it doesn’t have as many features as a top tier machine. But you can’t beat its convenience and portability. You plug it in for a few hours and it fits in the trunk of my car. It’s light and is easy to get out and wheel around. It’s made from a soft material and it feels like you’re wheeling a bag of luggage, not a tennis ball machine. In fact, I bet at first sight most people think I’m carrying a big tennis bag into the court.

 

[JSeba11]

And to answer another question I saw in the thread, I use it without Triniti balls. When my machine shipped to my house it came without the balls. They were on backorder. Not a big deal to me since it was sold without the promise of tennis balls. It will be a nice bonus when the balls are shipped to me. I use Slinger with Penn Championship balls and it works just fine

 

[Crazy Finn]

I think many of us would like to have a portable ball machine for the next few weeks, regardless of it's limitations....

I know I would.

 

[smboogie]

I think the Slinger looks to be a decent first attempt with very limited investment. I was thinking of funding through kickstarter but the many changes scared me off and the ball speed dropping to 45mph was a bummer, however, the design and vision is solid and hopefully they can improve and create the product they set out to or at least get the other big ones to take notice of what the market wants.

 

[TorontoTennis]

I think the Slinger looks to be a decent first attempt with very limited investment. I was thinking of funding through kickstarter but the many changes scared me off and the ball speed dropping to 45mph was a bummer, however, the design and vision is solid and hopefully they can improve and create the product they set out to or at least get the other big ones to take notice of what the market wants.

Unfortunately you can't have it both ways. The speed and ability to do backspin and topspin can only happen with 2 motors and 2 throwing wheels. Vertical oscillation requires yet another motor. An outer shell has to be made of something more durable than what Slinger is using to withstand the test of time. A fully functional remote also increases complexity. So does having a display screen that shows feedback and error messages. Slinger is lacking in all of these features, plus much more, that more expensive machines have because to include them would mean a huge increase in price.

The market wants a variety of machines with varying capabilities, not just a low end basic budget machine that doesn't do much. It's not the sweet spot of the market at all. The reason Slinger is the only one to satisfy that portion of the market is because there just isn't any money in it. Hi volume, very low profit, same shipping cost, same requirement for warehousing, logistics, customer service and support, etc. Check my post #154 to see how precarious Slinger's financial position is right now and you'll understand that. They admit that they don't even think they can remain in business!

You will not see the 'big ones' compete with Slinger because it makes for a very bad business case. Doing a crowdfunding campaign is one thing. Creating a successfuf and profitable long-term business is another. Don't get me wrong. I hope they are successful, but they are not going to make the big ones take notice of anything except that there is no money in the very low end.

 

[Thiem's 1HB]

Anyone able to interpret financial accounts? What's the gist of this:

Form 10-Q

 

[TorontoTennis]

Anyone able to interpret financial accounts? What's the gist of this:

Form 10-Q

See my post #154 for a partial summary.

 

[krisdrum]

Bottom of page 5 just about says it all, I think:

NOTE 2: GOING CONCERN

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes the Company will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business for the foreseeable future. The Company has an accumulated deficit of $716,334 as of January 31, 2020 and more losses are anticipated in the development of the business. Accordingly, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

 

[Thiem's 1HB]

Slinger did a reverse take-over of an over-the-counter penny stock. Their recent SEC public company filing available here discloses that they have 'substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern'.

They also disclosed massive losses and have had to borrow almost $2M to stay in business, all at insanely high interest rates of 12%-24% (mostly the latter), the majority due to be repaid in only 4 months from now. So, massive losses, massive borrowings, ridiculous interest rates, massive monthly burn rate and the product hasn't even been released into the market place beyond a crowdfunded product.

This does not sound like a promising business. Perhaps that's why no one has filled the hole in the market. You just can't make any money selling ball machines for $399. I hope they prove me wrong but I very much doubt they will be in business very long at this rate.

I wish I had bought one of the $250 ones now when it was Kickstarter!

It's a real shame that the coronavirus has made things even more difficult for them as I think this product is terrific.

I wonder what will happen to their stock of products now?

 

[TorontoTennis]

I wish I had bought one of the $250 ones now when it was Kickstarter!

It's a real shame that the coronavirus has made things even more difficult for them as I think this product is terrific.

I wonder what will happen to their stock of products now?

What are you talking about? Their financial problems were not created by the coronavirus. Except for a few weeks when China was basically on lock down, they have been and are shipping the already manufactured and paid for products to their crowdfunders.

They don't have any 'stock of products' except for what they manfuctured for the crowdfunding campaign. If they stay in business and make more they will start offering them to the general public.

 

[TagUrIt]

I’m gathering opinions on what a reasonable resale price would be for a brand new Slinger with accessories?

 

[Thiem's 1HB]

What are you talking about? Their financial problems were not created by the coronavirus. Except for a few weeks when China was basically on lock down, they have been and are shipping the already manufactured and paid for products to their crowdfunders.

They don't have any 'stock of products' except for what they manfuctured for the crowdfunding campaign. If they stay in business and make more they will start offering them to the general public.

What do you mean what am I talking about? Unless you've been living on the moon, coronavirus has basically shut down the economy. Demand for ball machines has fallen off a cliff and they desperately need sales.

 

[TorontoTennis]

What do you mean what am I talking about? Unless you've been living on the moon, coronavirus has basically shut down the economy. Demand for ball machines has fallen off a cliff and they desperately need sales.

They have no inventory to sell so they do not 'desperately need sales'. They are just shipping the crowdfunding orders. You could not buy one if you wanted to and that has nothing to do with the coronavirus.

Their financial situation is as a result of what happened in the past before the coronavirus was even around.

 

[Thiem's 1HB]

They have no inventory to sell so they do not 'desperately need sales'. They are just shipping the crowdfunding orders. You could not buy one if you wanted to and that has nothing to do with the coronavirus.

Their financial situation is as a result of what happened in the past before the coronavirus was even around.

They've got $1.52m of inventory according to their accounts. That can't be all initial crowd fund orders as people in this thread have said that they've received their ones. And even then, 3000 original Kickstarter backers x $200-$250 doesn't come to $1.52m.

 

[TorontoTennis]

They've got $1.52m of inventory according to their accounts. That can't be all initial crowd fund orders as people in this thread have said that they've received their ones. And even then, 3000 original Kickstarter backers x $200-$250 doesn't come to $1.52m.

You need to learn how to interpret financial statements. They are dated 2 months ago before they started shipping machines so they would show up on the balance sheet. Furthermore, the price range was $239-$699, not $200-$250. In addition they then sold accessories after the fact on top of that. Add to that is the many thousands of cases of Triniti balls they purchased. The list goes on and on. Given all that the inventory value shown makes total sense.

Finally, if they have all this extra inventory you seem to think is available, then why are they not offering it for sale if they are so 'desperate for sales' as you claim? You can't even buy one if you wanted to. Funny that.

 

[Thiem's 1HB]

[.

You need to learn how to interpret financial statements. They are dated 2 months ago before they started shipping machines so they would show up on the balance sheet. Furthermore, the price range was $239-$699, not $200-$250. In addition they then sold accessories after the fact on top of that. Add to that is the many thousands of cases of Triniti balls they purchased. The list goes on and on. Given all that the inventory value shown makes total sense.

Finally, if they have all this extra inventory you seem to think is available, then why are they not offering it for sale if they are so 'desperate for sales' as you claim? You can't even buy one if you wanted to. Funny that.

No idea what they're doing but those accounts are for the period up to Jan 31 2020 so they're very recent and per unit cost price to them will be lower than what they sell them for.

 

[TorontoTennis]

If one took a low estimate of $300 x 3,000, given the range is From $239-$699, that's already $900,000. Then add the accessories, balls, and inventory they can't sell due to mistakes, having to buy more parts than they need, etc. it's not hard to get to a figure a bit higher than $1.52M and then take off the meagre profit, if any, they would make at the discounts they were giving. It makes total sense. Since that inventory is spoken for by the crowdfunders there is nothing to sell, which is why they've never allowed any new orders since their crowdfunding ended almost 2 years ago.

 

[TorontoTennis]

I’m gathering opinions on what a reasonable resale price would be for a brand new Slinger with accessories?

Guy at my club sold one for what he paid. I asked him why and he said he couldn't stand the fact it had permanent high topspin and way over 20 lbs heavier than what was advertised. He's 80 years old though. You could probably get $400+ as there's nothing that matches it for that price.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

I’m gathering opinions on what a reasonable resale price would be for a brand new Slinger with accessories?

someone offered me $350..

 

[thanu]

Guy at my club sold one for what he paid. I asked him why and he said he couldn't stand the fact it had permanent high topspin and way over 20 lbs heavier than what was advertised. He's 80 years old though. You could probably get $400+ as there's nothing that matches it for that price.

The Slinger is huge... probably twice the size of my Spinfire Pro 2. I was debating if I wanted to take it out for a spin or just sell it. I think one of them has to go for sure. Have only used my Spinfire Pro 2 four times or so but I do enjoy it... what drills do you use for yours?

 

[mmk]

someone offered me $350..

Someone in the DC area has one up for sale for $600

 

[TorontoTennis]

The Slinger is huge... probably twice the size of my Spinfire Pro 2. I was debating if I wanted to take it out for a spin or just sell it. I think one of them has to go for sure. Have only used my Spinfire Pro 2 four times or so but I do enjoy it... what drills do you use for yours?

Yeah I was surprised the Slinger was so large when I finally saw the one the guy was selling at my club. Also, the marketing materials when they launched promoted the whole idea that it was supposed to be something you could sling on your back like a backpack, hence the name 'Slinger'. However, instead of the 13lb it was supposed to weight it's now 3 times as much and larger than every other machine on the market.

As for drills, to answer your question, there isn't a drill I don't use on my Spinfire Pro 2. My favorite one is the random drill wide mode as the balls fly all over the court and because the Pro 2 doesn't turn in the direction the ball is being shot like all other ball machines I never know where the ball is going to land. It's like playing with a real opponent. I also really like 2-Line Drill and typically use it on the wide mode. 200 balls running side-to-side to hit the forehand and backhand shots on that mode is a real aerobic exercise. I use horizontal drill a lot for drop shots, but sometimes I also turn on the vertical oscillation to practice both drop-shots overheads. When I want to groove a shot then of course I just have the ball land to the same location constantly.

A lot more expensive than the Slinger but the Spinfire is addressing a total different market than low-end budget with limited features. Regardless, Slinger at least allows people to practice a bit who can't afford something more expensive or don't want to spend the money.

 

[jangotango]

Finally got my Triniti balls. Also, the zipper to where you adjust the launch angle has broken off.

 

[Paul Webber]

Someone was using one of these on the court next to me the other day. The amount of topspin produced by the machine looked insane. Seeing it in action neither made me happy nor sad that I decided to get the refund instead of waiting the process out.

 

[TorontoTennis]

The guy at my court that had one sold it to someone else who couldn't stand the extreme topspin so he then sold it to someone else who told me he has already broken off the 2 of the many zippers. You get what you pay for.

 

[zinzan8]

The zippers broke, or the zipper pulls?

 

[RobertOPatel]

Now that I have had a chance to use my slinger about a dozen times I feel like I can finally make a comment.

Slinger may not be everything I hoped it could be, but it is surely everything that I need. I am a 3.5 level player and for my day to day uses I literally don't need a single thing more than this. The speed (coupled with the top spin) has proved to meet my needs. It did take some trial and error in terms of court placement but now a bit behind the T at a bit above intermediate settings I am perfect. Yesterday when I came back home my wife said I looked like I had played a full match when in reality I was hitting against the bag for about 90 minutes (with the frequency on advanced)!

 

[RobertOPatel]

I’m gathering opinions on what a reasonable resale price would be for a brand new Slinger with accessories?

My friend who's private court I used offered me $650. I said hell no.

 

[HBK4life]

Mine finally came. My gf and me ordered on same day. She got here awhile back (same address go figure). It is sitting in our garage in the box. I think I’ll probably sell it.

 

[TagUrIt]

My friend who's private court I used offered me $650. I said hell no.

I sold my extra one for $600 on CL.

Mine finally came. My gf and me ordered on same day. She got here awhile back (same address go figure). It is sitting in our garage in the box. I think I’ll probably sell it.

If it’s new and in the box, now is the time to sell it before they release them to the public. Also before people realize how limited it is. Overall if you absolutely no one else to hit with or just need some balls fed (with a ridiculous amount of topspin) it’s okay, but I would just invest in a quality ball machine that’s gives you more options with how the ball is delivered.

 

[thanu]

Want to give it a try but I don't want to hurt the resale value... if I can get $600+ for it then I probably should just sell it. Been using my Spinfire Pro 2, which I enjoy. Has anyone bought a ball machine with more features while waiting for their Slinger, decide to sell their other ball machine and keep the Slinger?

 

[JEDI MASTER]

Mine finally came. My gf and me ordered on same day. She got here awhile back (same address go figure). It is sitting in our garage in the box. I think I’ll probably sell it.

Slinger just listed the machines for sale in the US.

 

[topspn]

Slinger just listed the machines for sale in the US.

Wow super high from crowdfunding pricing.

 

[2ndServe]

Wow super high from crowdfunding pricing.

For something made out of canvas and can only do 40mph that's pretty expensive especially since we don't know if it can take the abuse of tennis balls hitting it for years on end. Lobster, Tennis Tutor, Silent Partner have been around for a long time and the outer casing is pretty sturdy on all of those.

 

[topspn]

For something made out of canvas and can only do 40mph that's pretty expensive especially since we don't know if it can take the abuse of tennis balls hitting it for years on end. Lobster, Tennis Tutor, Silent Partner have been around for a long time and the outer casing is pretty sturdy on all of those.

Yeah, I was hoping they’d be around $400 for it to make sense. However over $600 as you said i’d look at brands you mentioned.