Tennis Tutor Model 4+ vs Playmate Portable

[Tennisaurus]

I am in the market of buying a ball machine. I looked at the posts regarding the Tennis Tutor Model 4 Plus and am seriously considering it. However, I am hearing about an equivalent model made by Playmate.

Does anyone have any experience, thoughts, etc. pro or con regarding the performance, reliability, relative value of
Playmate Portable vs : Tutor Model 4+?

Much appreciated!

 

[mark rodgers]

At our local tennis center they have a Playmate machine. It's not the Portable but man this is one fantastic machine. The balls comes screaming at you and the programming choices are great. It is always in use and I can't recall it ever being broken down. So I know Playmate makes very hardy machines. On the Portable I really like the features that have carried over from the more expensive machines like the aluminum case as well as the 200 ball hopper and the placement of the controls. It looks like a more expensive machine. The way I see it, the Portable is the lowest end of higher end machines while the Tennis Tutor 4 plus is the top of lower end machines. I personally own a Tennis Tutor 4 plus but the reason I didn't opt for the Playmate was because of its perceived bulkiness. I just couldn't see myself lugging it around.

I can't compare the mechanics but I can say that just about anyone with a little mechanical aptitude can work on a Tennis Tutor machine. Parts are relatively inexpensive and easy to remove and replace. Parts such as hopper flaps and towing wheels are free and the customer support at Sports Tutor is excellent. My only gripe is that I wish the balls had more top end speed. I hope I've been helpful. Good Luck.

 

[TwistServe]

I have a Tutor Model4+ and have used the Platemate comercial machine (not portable).. they are about the same..

 

[mark rodgers]

Sorry, but the commercial line of Playmate machines are of higher quality and much more versatile than the Tennis Tutor machines. They're also two to four times more expensive.

 

[10usnut]

One major difference that I saw was the weight

Based on what I saw at this web site the thing that stood out was the weight at 87 pounds!!! Other than that it seemed like a good machine even with 3-line oscillation.

 

[Tennisaurus]

10usnut, I checked a few web sites. Most are mute on the weight. I did find two sites : one indicated 72lbs and another indicated 50lbs! Big difference. Guess I will need to call to find out which is right.

 

[rob61]

I've used both...

I have a TennisTutor 4+ that I own and enjoy for its performance and weight. I can easily lift it in and out of my vehicle myself when going to a public court. I will hit for a few hours, and never have used the battery up, so it can go for quite a while.

I belong to a club (indoor courts) that owns a commercial playmate. While I'm sure the quality is probably better, at least you wouldn't know it. As a matter of fact, the few times I've tried using the club machine (Playmate), I was frustrated as I was trying to have it only send me the same consistent ball. It was impossible. I set it to always give the same ball, but one would go into the net, the next a half foot above the net. I'm sure it must be in need of service, but after using my very consistent Tennis Tutor, I was surprised and frustrated that I couldn't get the more expensive Playmate to just give me a consistent feed.

Again, I'm sure there must be something wrong with the club's Playmate, but don't be thinking you have to get one of those. The Tennis Tutor 4+ has a lot of features in a portable, battery powered, fairly lightweight (I think 46 lbs) unit that has worked great for me since I bought it a couple years ago.