What is a tennis ball machine and why even use it in the first place?
You’ve probably encountered a cannon-like machine in your local tennis club that just dishes out tennis balls at a very high pace. That would be a tennis ball machine.
They are designed for players of all levels to practice their shots. As we all know, coaches are amazing, and they can feed you with all sorts of shots when practicing. However, when it comes to consistency this is where tennis ball machines thrive.
They are designed to launch tennis balls at varying paces, spins, and trajectories. Once set up, the machine can consistently propel tennis balls at the same spot with the same amount of spin. This allows the players to work on various aspects of their game, such as timing, follow-through with the racket, footwork, shot consistency, and precision.
Aren’t they all the same? What is the difference between one machine and the other? What is the best tennis ball machine? You might be asking yourself these types of questions. If so, keep reading and we’ll clear it up and also reveal the best tennis ball machines in 2024.
If you are short on time, here are our top picks;
- Lobster Sports Elite 2 – Top pick for advanced players
- Spinshot Player – Top pick for overall best tennis ball machine
- Sports Tutor Tennis Cube – Top pick for beginners
- Spinshot Pro – Top pick for the best value tennis ball machine
- Nisplay N1 – Top pick for the best tennis ball machine under $1000
The Top 5 Best Tennis Ball Machines on the Market
The best tennis ball machine isn’t necessarily the most expensive one. Everything depends on why you, as a player, need one.
We’ve created a list of the best budget tennis ball machines on the current market based on affordability, ball capacity, and your overall tennis experience.
Lobster Sports Elite 2
The Lobster Sports Elite 2 is an excellent choice for players of all levels. This is due to its wide speed range. From just 16 km/h, all the way up to 129km/h. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, you will find this machine to be suitable for your needs.
If you’re looking to challenge yourself, this machine will give you a run for the money.
With superb adaptiveness, both vertically and horizontally, as well as random shot oscillations, you’ll find yourself struggling to catch your breath during practice.
In addition to this amazing feature, you can, of course, work on static shot repetition by turning off the random shot mode.
Another key feature is the ball capacity, as you certainly don’t want to run out of tennis balls during an intense practice session.
This machine holds up to 150 tennis balls, which surely enables for an amazing workout. The slowest feed frequency can be set at 12 seconds, but for those looking for a „killer“ session, the frequency can be set at one tennis ball every two seconds.
Key features:
- Speed: 16-129 km/h (10-80 mph)
- Spin: Topspin and Backspin
- Ball Capacity: 150
- Feed Frequency: 2-12 seconds
My thoughts
As a competitive player myself, I’d rate this machine as 10/10. It is an amazing choice for advanced players who simply need to practice hitting shots at a very high pace with lots of spin.
The fact that this machine doesn’t have custom preset drills isn’t a deal-breaker. You’re much better off performing complex drills with a coach, rather than a machine. I’ve personally tested this machine and found it great.
I tested all of its features, but I’ve found it most useful for practicing the same shot from the same place over and over again.
The battery life was also great, averaging between 4-8 hours. All in all, one of the best, if not the best, tennis ball machines out there currently.
Spinshot Player
If you’re in the market for the most high-tech, and fully customizable machine, look no further than the Spinshot Player.
Rated as one of the best overall tennis ball machines, it’s packed with all sorts of modern features.
With a capacity of 120 tennis balls and a feed frequency range from 2 to 10 seconds, the Spinshot Player propels the tennis balls all the way up to 110 km/h.
On the other end, if you’re just looking to practice your touch and feel, it can also feed tennis balls as slow as 30 km/h. It’s simply got all the best features that a tennis ball machine should have.
The biggest thing that this machine has going for it, is its mobile app which allows for a fully customizable experience. You are able to preset a wide variety of custom drills just by clicking on your mobile phone. Isn’t that great? It offers the user with a maximum of 12 drills, and 6 shots per each drill.
Key features:
- Speed: 30-110 km/h (19-68 mph)
- Spin: Topspin and Backspin
- Ball Capacity: 120
- Feed Frequency: 2-10 seconds
My thoughts
Despite the underlying technology that allows for some amazing features of the Spinshot Player, I would not recommend it to more advanced players. As we all know, a couple of extra grams added to the head or the base of the racket can make a world of difference in how the racket behaves.
The same logic applies here, the extra km/h that a machine such as Lobster Sports Elite 2 can generate in comparison to Spinshot Player, can have a tremendous impact on the quality of your practice session.
However, it is an excellent choice for all players looking for a good workout. Let’s say that you are aware that your movement in and out of the court is much slower than your movement from side to side, which is very often the case.
This machine with the custom preset drills, allows you to be your own coach and create drills that you find most useful. An incredible feature certainly, but I’d advise you to get a real coach if you’re taking your tennis journey seriously.
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Sports Tutor Tennis Cube
The main reason that this machine finds its way on the list is due to its simplicity. It is an excellent choice for beginners and younger juniors.
With a ball capacity of 70 tennis balls, and a maximum speed of 80 km/h, this machine launches tennis balls at a frequency range between 2-10 seconds.
Let’s say that you are a parent and you’re looking into coaching your kid without paying for tennis lessons. The Tennis Cube machine is the best option in that case, as it is very light and portable.
Another reason why this machine is suitable for beginners is because it doesn’t have spin control functions, which allows the players to simply try out tennis in the simplest of ways.
Despite all the advantageous features that this machine offers to beginners, advanced players should stay away from it.
Key Features:
- Speed: 16-80 km/h (10-50 mph)
- Spin: No Spin Controls
- Ball Capacity: 70
- Feed Frequency: 2-10 seconds
My thoughts
I would most definitely recommend the Tennis Cube for young juniors and players who are just starting off on their tennis journey.
It’s got all the necessary features for beginners to develop their game in the early stages. However, a shot without spin is very unrealistic in tennis, therefore I’d opt for a ball machine that has spin control features.
Additionally, advanced players should stay clear of this ball machine as it doesn’t have anything to offer them. Slow-paced shots and no spin controls are definitely a deal-breaker for an advanced player in my opinion.
Spinshot Pro Tennis Ball Machine
Labeled as one of the best value tennis ball machines on the market, the Spinshot Pro offers the user all the necessary features that make for a great workout.
With a ball capacity of over 120, a feed top speed of 110 km/h, and a feed frequency of 2-10 seconds, it certainly sounds great.
This machine is aimed at all player levels looking for a machine that will challenge their physicality. It is very compact which makes it portable, and has a great battery life. Sounds nice, right?
The only downside of this machine is the fact that it doesn’t have random oscillations in terms of court depth. But it does feature oscillations from side to side.
Additionally, it doesn’t possess the presets for customized drills, but as I already mentioned, that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker as you’re much better off doing those types of drills with a coach.
Key Features:
- Speed: 30-110 km/h (19-68mph)
- Spin: Topspin and Backspin
- Ball Capacity: 120+
- Feed Frequency: 2-10 seconds
My thoughts
I would recommend this machine to players of all levels that are looking for a tennis ball machine that simply has all the best features combined into a single machine. Great spins, good adjustability and a guaranteed workout.
The only downside of this machine is the lack of feed pace for advanced players, which is why I wouldn’t opt for this machine. But, the Spinshot Pro is an overall great machine for players of any level, except highly advanced players.
Nisplay N1 Tennis Ball Machine
With a maximum capacity of 80+ tennis balls, a feed frequency between 1-10 seconds, and a feed top speed of 110 km/h the Nisplay N1 is an amazing pick for players of any level.
In addition, it also features horizontal oscillations paired with a maximum launch angle of 55 degrees.
Sounds quite all right so far, doesn’t it? When you add in the fact that it also has remote controls for starting and stopping the feed, it makes this one of the best cheap tennis ball machines out there.
But wait until you hear its best feature. It costs less than $1000. Isn’t that amazing?
Key Features:
- Speed: 10-110 km/h (6-68 mph)
- Spin: Topsin and Backspin
- Ball Capacity: 80+
- Feed Frequency: 1-10 seconds
My thoughts
The Nisplay N1 is superb choice for parents and coaches working with beginners. The machine offers all the necessary features for the early stages of player development.
However, I’d recommend looking into other machines for this list later on during the player’s tennis journey.
This machine can also be a great pick for any player that is in the market for a machine that they’re going to use from time to time, as it isn’t as expensive as other tennis ball machines. All in all, a great value for the price.
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Final Thoughts
The above-listed machines are some of the top rated tennis ball machines on the current market. None is better than the other or vice versa, it is down to personal preference. The best tennis ball machine solely depends on what you need and what you’re looking to gain out of using it.
As seen above, each of these listed machines excels at a certain aspect of your desired tennis practice. Personally, I’d opt for the Lobster Sports Elite 2 as it offers the best features for the type of player I am.
The fact that it doesn’t have custom drill options is not a big deal for me, as I’d much rather work on custom drills with a coach over a machine setting. The high pace paired with lots of spin and trajectory adjustability is what makes this machine the best tennis ball machine in my opinion.
Tennis ball machines are an incredible way to work on all sorts of aspect of your game. From footwork, physicality, consistency and shot precision. When you’re dedicated enough you can fully utilize the potential that a tennis ball machine has to offer.
As a competitive player and a coach myself, I would advise players to use a tennis ball machine to practice their shot consistency and precision. However, when it comes to performing custom drills you should look for a real coach.
The reason behind this is that a coach will certainly have insight into aspects of your game that you might not be able to see clearly, and they can create drills based on your needs with necessary feedback and correction.
All in all, when choosing the best tennis ball machine, the choice is yours, so pick the one you deem to be the best for you as a player.
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