Isn’t it a bit boring when you have nobody around you to play against and practice your tennis drills, that’s when a tennis ball machine comes handy.
You might also be a beginner looking to improve your skills. Many tennis players have used these devices successfully to take the level of their tennis play by a wide margin. In addition, you can use it to practice as long as you want.
In this article, we will provide you with some important information regarding a tennis ball machine. I list and review a number of tennis ball machines to make it easy for you to choose the best tennis ball machine for the money in 2018. If you are in a hurry then you can check out our comparison table to view our top picks or you can go straight ahead to our reviews.
Best Tennis Ball Machine For The Money in 2018
1. Spinshot-Player Tennis Ball Machine with Phone Remote Supported – Best Tennis Ball Machine
The Spinshot-Player is my favorite portable tennis ball machine for the money. It can help you in a variety of areas as far as working on returning shot as you try to improve your tennis game. As you’d expect for a device of this price, you get a lot of advanced features. It features an amazing option which allows you to use the battery and alternatively AC features, all which is included in the cost of the machine.
The machine has an innovative design that allows you to customize the program of height, ball speed, ball spin and direction for each sequential shots. You can also save these programmed settings on the machine as your personalized drill. The features are outstanding such as its long battery life, full-court oscillation targeting and it can be controlled by using an app on your smartphone.
This machine is pretty easy to use, even the youngest players can operate it without having any difficulties. The dimension of the machine is 50cm in height, 45cm in length, 30cm in width and 19 kilograms in weight. That makes the Spinshot-Player one of the most compact and lightweight machine than most other ball machines on the market. If you want to check out the current price on Amazon here’s the link.
Pros
- Easily programmed
- Extremely lightweight
- Only tennis ball machine not made of plastic
- Lots of positive reviews
Cons
- Maybe too expensive for some users
2. SPINSHOT-PRO TENNIS BALL MACHINE * Tennis Ball Throwing Machines – Most Affordable
This is one of the most affordable model tennis ball machines that Spinshot company makes. Just because the price is affordable it doesn’t mean that this is not a well-made machine that is an excellent tennis practice partner. It is a high-quality product that will help both beginner and veteran players to improve their hitting and return techniques on the courts.
Even though it has an affordable price tag, it has all the necessary features like spin shot, full-court oscillation and a reasonable battery time with a very fast charging. The feed rate of this tennis ball machine is 2 to 10 seconds, the hopper is also capable of holding up to 120 balls with a ball speed of 10 kmph to 120 kmph. It is a battery powered machine that can last up to 2 to 3 hours.
This machine is not as versatile as #1 on our list but it will save you a few hundreds of dollars and it still performs extremely well. It has a pretty generic control system with no digital technology. If you are interested in checking out the reviews and current pricing you can find them over here on Amazon.
Pros
- Lightweight and portable
- Include a 2 button remote
- 1-year warranty
- Great for beginners and advanced players
Cons
- No digital controls
- Battery cost extra
3. Lobster Sports Elite One Tennis Ball Machine – Best High-End Tennis Ball Machine
Lobster Sports is a brand that has been manufacturing ball machines since 1971. They are a popular brand and are known for their quality products. So when it comes to choosing an advanced level tennis ball machine, you simply can’t neglect the Lobster Sports Elite One Ball Machine.
Its pack with a lot of features and is built for durability and ease of use for an affordable price range. Some of these features include a wide selection of shot arcs and speeds, the ability to add spin to a shot and full side to side oscillation. The Lobster Sports Elite One Tennis Ball Machine is also made of heavy plastic that offers some type of weather protection and has a solid aluminum frame as well.
The machine is pretty easy to store away in your garage or even in your closet. The unit weighs about 42 pounds and measures 29″ x 21″ x 15.5″ when folded down. The feed rate of the tennis ball ranges from 2 to 10 seconds, the hopper is capable of holding up to 150 balls and the battery can stay active for about 4 to 8 hours of court time.
Similar to most Lobster Sports products, there are accessories you can purchase separately if you wish. The product comes all included with a battery charger. If you are interested in checking out the reviews and current pricing you can find them over here on Amazon.
Pros
- 4 to 8 hours of battery capacity
- Compact and lightweight
- The unit has a capacity of 150 balls
- Has an ergonomic design and is extremely easy to handle
Cons
- Battery recharging takes a bit too long
- It has a manual elevation
How to Choose the Best Tennis Ball Machine
When you are looking for the best tennis ball machine for the money you don’t want to just buy any ball machine. These machines are quite expensive so you will need a reliable one that will last for a long time. The best tennis ball machine are usually one that fits your budget and play level, also has the ball capacity and features you need. So here are few factors you should consider when you are shopping for one.
Price:
This is considered to be the most important factor when shopping for a ball machine. On average tennis ball machines range from $500 to as much as $5000+ depending on the brand and their features. We do find that the higher the price a tennis ball machine costs the better the quality of that machine is. However, that does not mean you can’t find a good quality machine at an affordable price because there are some on the market but it takes a lot of patience to look.
Ball Capacity:
How many balls you would want your machine to carry at once? When choosing a ball machine you need to ensure that it is able to hold a minimum of 100 balls in its ball hooper. This will allow you to practice for a longer period without having to refill it often. Most ball machine carry anywhere from 50 to 300+ balls.
Power Type:
Msnority of tennis ball machine come in two categories: A/C power or battery operated. However, some expensive models comes with both battery and A/C options allowing you to charge and use the machine at the same time.
Remote Control Capability:
Most ball machine is packed with a lot of settings on them and this is great because it will really help you improve the necessary tennis skills. Unfortunately, It can be very hard to control the function of your machine when you are on the other side of the court, and you don’t want to waste your time back and forth to change the settings of the shots it shoots out at you. This is why the premium models come with their own remote controls, so you can adjust your shoot setting with having to walk over to it.
Portability of the Machine:
Since you have to repeatedly move the ball machine on and off the court, you will want to make sure its fairly portable. We do find that a smaller ball machine is much easier to transport between locations, which is very important for those planning on taking it to multiple locations.
Oscillation:
When you are playing tennis against an opponent they will hit the ball to every area of the tennis court so your ball machine will be able to do that as well. So basically oscillation is refer to a tennis ball machine’s ability to shoot balls in more than one direction. Commonly we have horizontal oscillation but the premium models also have vertical as well.
Conclusion
You’ve reached the end of our buyer’s guide! I truly hope that this article helps you in finding the best tennis ball machine. We have put in our maximum effort to ensure we have recommended the best on the market base on customer reviews and peoples personal opinions. So now all you need to do is take the considerations into account and you will be ready to choose the tennis ball machine that best suits your needs.
Thank you for taking the time out to read our article. You can also check out my other articles on the site. if you have any question feel free to let us know by leaving a comment in the comment section below. Thank you.
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I’m Alwayne, owner of Bestexpertguide.com. I love reviewing products and showcasing the very best in my lists. I want to enable people to buy products with confidence by reading up on the stuff they want to avoid the stuff they don’t want.