Reviews
This machine is great! I love the Player mode as feels like I am playing a real player. I am really trying to improve my game and this is just the ticket!
The Tennis Twist gives a reliable toss much as a coach would. It is a short toss but excellent for working on certain stroke issues. Very reliable. Batteries last about 5 hours. I like the machine. I would recommend it. Naturally a full power ball machine would be more effective but way more expensive.
I really love this machine. Do me a favor, hit 50 forehands cross court and down the line, do the same with your backhand. Do the same on a slice, then hit a 100 volleys (split between your backhand a forehand) and you will notice a difference in your game the next time you play. This will help your timing on balls, making sure you are getting good extension on your swing, and repetition is a great thing!
Great machine — very portable, and gives you a good workout of all strokes. The company, Sports Tutor, is great too. After two and a half years, a part broke and I called for help. Though my warranty had expired, they sent me the part and instructions for installing it — at no charge.
I am brand-new to tennis, and wanted a machine that would let me practice by myself. The Prolite/Battery has been everything I hoped for. This machine has been completely reliable, and shooting accuracy has been consistent even when using inexpensive balls. I dont really know enough about tennis to know what features a more advanced player may need, but I would highly recommend this machine for beginners like me. You wont be disappointed.
Great purchase! I have used a ball machine at my club many times but needed the convenience to hit on my own schedule. I did weeks of research and ended up buying this machine based on overall value. I have now owned it for over a month and it is the best investment in the sport of tennis I have made. I have used it for over 15 hours and have not had one problem or jam. Great machine. You can’t go wrong with this one!
I got the Tennis Tutor Plus Ball Machine a couple weeks ago and it is working great! The ball speed is right at my playing level, and the spin is great. I can practice lobs or very low shots wiith the escallation and oscillator helps when practicing my forehand and my backhand together. The only thing I dont like about the oscillator is that if you dont stop the machine while it is facing the center, then it is hard to get it to turn back to the center. The result of this is the ball going way to far left and barely to the right, or vice versa. But if you keep it straight, it will always be the same distance left as it goes to the right. Other than that, I had no problems with the machine. I would definitely recommend this to anyone at any playing level to practice. The practice is worth the price!
I had got my ball machine with-in a week. Great response time! For the price this model is ideal. I teach tennis so this model is not only practical, because of its light weight but also very affordable for an on the move teaching pro.For learning basic strokes and for teaching, this is perfect. If I purchase another ball machine however I will probably get the next model up that includes the spin option. Very satisfied with this product. Highly recommend!
Have been using this on weekdays whenever courts are empty. Very easy to carry. I have made a lot of progress with my forehand and backhand over the past 4 months. You can experiment with different grips/strokes until you find what works.The machine helps your footwork and stamina also. I am a 66year old senior. At slower ball speeds3-3.5you have to put the box close to the service line and adjust elevation. The oscillator feature is a must. You also need fresh balls with a consistent bounce. Just ordered some Tretorn Micro-X pressureless balls for my machine. This is a valuable tool to prepare you for joining a tennis league.
Quality machine and great customer support. Owned for 4 years and I use it about 1-2times a week. Had several minor cosmetic service issues which were resolved is one phone call and parts sent without charge even after warranty expired. Only maintenance required is internal cleaning and throwing wheel sanding about 2-3 times a year. Still have the original battery and never had a problem with the controls or machine functionality. A little bit on the heavy side if you have to carry it up steps to the court if not the handle and wheels work well on flat surfaces.
I bought the Sports Tutor Plus Player model without the remote about 4 weeks ago and have used the machine over ten times. My family of five have all used the various features on the machine and I am glad to have paid the extra dollars to get all of the features. I still need to tweak the settings while on player mode to get the desired results. The battery life is great and will easily provide at least 5 hours of use before it gets too low. The size and weight of the unit is manageable, but it is a bit heavy and will not fit into the trunk of my Toyota Camry. I bought a small fold-up cart to to move the ball machine along with my bag of balls and racquet bag as one unit.
The Tennis Tutor Prolite has really step up our tennis practice time and improved our game. I wish I had one when I started to learn tennis. It would have save a few years of practice time. I highly recommend anybody to have this or other Tennis Tutor models to enhance their practice time and game playing. Between watching You Tube tennis videos and this machine, you can save many hours learning and improving your game without having to pay a lot of money for lessons. The cost of the machine is well worth it. Everybody loves the machine and encourages more excitement to play tennis. It is nice to hit a couple of hundred balls without having to wait. The time you save is well worth the price of the machine.
I’ve owned this model since 1992, used it extensively for group lesson/drills as well as a training machine for myself. It’s very portable and extremely sturdy and reliable. Customer service at Sports Tutor is second to none. As one other person posted, they will even send stuff to you free if possible. Great people and a great machine. I did upgrade to another machine back in 2006 that has the throwing wheels that are vertically stacked (thereby allowing you to achieve topspin/backspin) as opposed to horizontal side by side configuration that my $995 Sports Tutor machine features. Lastly, if you are a DIY’er, the case is easy to open and all internal components are easy to access, adjust, fix or replace. Great job Sports Tutor and thanks for actually caring about your customers. (unlike another well known ball machine company that I wont mention!)
I have owned three Tennis Tutor ball machines — a Model 2 Plus, a Model 3, and a Model 4. To me, the Model 3 is the best of them because it has what I want without costing more that necessary. The plus machines (with spin control) are simply too cumbersome. If I had a private court or could leave the machine wherever I played, I’d want one again, but lugging it in and out of my car is just too much hassle (since it doesn’t really fit in my car, I have to fold down the back seats). The two-line function of the Model 4 is great for what it’s advertised to do – feed balls to two lines of people. If I were a coach feeding balls all day, it would be great. But keep in mind that it doesn’t hurt to have the two-line feature, since you can have it randomly oscillate or turn off the oscillation altogether. Here’s what I like about the Model 3: 1) Heavy duty battery. Trust me, your arm will not outlast the battery, and it doesn’t matter if you’re 16 years old. Six hours is a long, long time. 2) Remote control. I cannot overemphasize how useful the remote is. I think it’s almost mandatory for any ball machine. It’s great to be able to stop the oscillation at any point to work on one stroke, or to stop the feed to change a setting (e.g., ball speed, feed rate, pitch elevation) or to pick up balls around you so you don’t step on one. Another “pro” (and this applies to all Tennis Tutor ball machines) is that the company is just fabulous to work with. Everyone I’ve dealt with (James, Ben, and Peter, so far) have been just the greatest people you could hope to work with. They’re honest, don’t try to sell you things you don’t need, super helpful, completely fair, just terrific in every way. Also worth noting, the machines are brilliant in their design, in part because they are so simple to work on. I think 90% of the machine can be disassembled with two allen wrenches, a Philips screwdriver, and two sockets. Smart.
I purchased the Tennis Tutor Plus Player back in May from Tennis Warehouse, and I am extremely pleased with it. I have tried other ball machines over the years, but this is by far the best one out there. I have wanted to try switching from a one-handed to two-handed backhand for a while now, and using this machine has made that possible. I now have a crisp two-handed backhand (with serious topspin!), and I have to give most of the credit to this machine. Seriously, this machine is great for any drill you want to practice (ground strokes, net volleys, lob smashes, whatever), and it is also great for an overall aerobic workout. (Actually, this thing can run your butt off if you want it to! The two-line wide mode is great for practicing running down wide balls and trying to crack them back cross court.) The simulated “player” modes are also fantastic, much better than I expected, and they really add variety and a real challenge–definitely worth the extra bucks. I was not sure that I really needed the 2-button remote, but it is also definitely worth the extra bucks. Lets you start and stop the ball feeds, and also allows you to stop the oscillation and “freeze” the machine wherever you want in the middle of a drill, like if you want/need extra forehands or backhands, etc. The remote is smaller and lighter than I expected, so it is okay in my short’s pocket during a workout. Of course, this machine is not a “perfect” machine (none of them are), and I would maybe like to see added precision in the elevation control, like if it had a number gauge like the speed control rather than the ten-step led display, but this is still hands-down better than the other machines out there. Great machine, well made, rugged construction, well designed. Very pleased!