Best Tennis Ball Machine of 2022: A Complete Guide
Best Tennis Ball Machine: A Complete Guide 2022
Seeing as you’ve landed on this page, you must be looking for advice on the best tennis ball machine, right? Well, tennis ball machines are not cheap, so it’s important that you do the proper research on them as ball machines come in all kinds of variations, some that may or may not fit your needs. The best tennis ball machine will be one that fits your budget and play level, has the ball capacity you need, and has all the features you’ll need to fling a ball cross court. To help ease the hardships of finding a tennis ball machine, we’ve thrown together this article to refine the choosing process for you. So let’s get started, here is how to choose the best tennis ball machine for you!How to Choose the Best Tennis Ball Machine
Factors to Consider
Ball Capacity
How many balls would you like your machine to carry at once? Will this machine mostly be used by yourself or will a large group of players be using it simultaneously? Most ball machines carry anywhere from 50 to 300 balls, with the average being around 150 balls.
A machine with a smaller ball capacity should be more than enough if you intend to use it by yourself or for a single student. However, the general mentality is that more balls is ultimately better. Of course, machines with larger capacities are often larger, harder to move, and more expensive. In the end, it’s up to you to decide what’s the right amount that will meet your needs.
Weight
This might not seem like something you’d care about that much but don’t be fooled! While lighter machines can be re-positioned like a breeze, heavier machines will be harder to move around. So if you’re constantly in need of using a tennis ball machine, you wouldn’t want to have to lug around a gargantuan thing all the time. But if you’re able to store the machine somewhere relatively close to the courts, you’ll be able to confidently use a larger machine without fear of moving it back and forth all the time.
Power Type
Most tennis ball machines come in two categories: AC power or battery operated.
Battery operated machines are often smaller, easier to move around, but may lack advanced features such as a large ball capacity, oscillation, etc. These are best if you don’t have an outlet nearby.
AC powered machines often come will a ton of features although you will need to have a power source to plug your machine into. They are often larger and and more robust.
Oscillation
Can you guess what oscillation is? It basically refers to a tennis ball machine’s ability to feed balls in more than one direction. Types of oscillation include random and programmable, where the former feeds balls in an unpredictable pattern while the latter allows you to choose how the balls will be fed and some allow you to choose the number of shots programmed. A machine that offers a variety of oscillation can help to make drills a lot more complex, which is a good thing for improving in tennis.
Elevation
Elevation refers to how low or high the machine can feed balls. This is important if you want a more dynamic feed. Being able to improve your shots on lobs, overheads, and low shots is vital for producing a well-rounded player.
Feed Rate
How fast can the machine feed balls? The faster the feed rate, the more you’ll improve at reacting to incoming balls as well as being able to hit more shots in a set amount of time. A faster feed rate can also allow you to serve more players at once, say, a group of players using the same machine.
Propulsion
Propulsion refers to how the ball is fed. There are two types of propulsion: spinning wheel propulsion where two spinning wheels feed the ball, or air pressure propulsion where the ball is fed through a tube using air pressure. The type of propulsion is important for two things, top speed and allowing for spins. These are very important factors to consider when choosing the best tennis ball machine.
Top Speed
How fast can the machine feed a ball? Usually you won’t need the top MPH to be the absolute highest, although you may never know when you might want to feed a baseball as well. Only joking, but many intermediate/advanced players will want to practice hitting balls with pace.
Topspin and Backspin
Tennis is anything but a static sport. The most common way of stepping the game up is by adding spin to your shots, as well as learning how to return them. Thus, there are tennis ball machines out there that can feed both topspin and backspin shots.
Dimensions
How large does your tennis ball machine have to be? Are you into more portable ones or large towers? Take into consideration where you are going to store your tennis ball machine as well.
Price
The price of a tennis ball machine can vary anywhere from $500 to more than $5000 (like this bad boy). More expensive machines will naturally have more features although budget machines are often more portable.
If your intention is to have a tennis ball machine that can help you improve on an individual level, a cost-friendly machine will be your best bet. But of course, if you’re a tennis instructor, you will want a machine with more features that can allow you to feed balls to a lot more players at once.
Best Tennis Ball Machine – Battery Powered
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| Oscillation | Random vert. | Random vert. Fully random horizontal & vertical | 1 line 2 line | Random horiz. 2 line |
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| Key Features | - Extremely portable and lightweight - One of the more affordable tennis ball machines | - Triple oscillation to feed either short or deep shots | - Pre-loaded and customizable drills - Random oscillation for a simulation of match play | - Heavy duty aircraft aluminum - Removable battery for convenient charging | - Very portable and compact - Other models include remote / 2 line function |
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Best Tennis Ball Machine – AC Powered
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| Model |  |  |  |  |  |
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| Oscillation | Random vert. 2 line | Programmable oscillation | Random vert. | Random vert. 2 line Fully random | Random vert. Programmable |
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| Topspin/backspin? | |||||
| Feed Rate (seconds) | | | |||
| Range of Speed (MPH) | | | |||
| Key Features | - Player mode to simulate real play - Multiple models to meet your needs | - High impact plastic and aluminum - Multiple models to meet your needs | - Great for home court use - Multiple models to meet your needs | - Pre-loaded and customizable drills - 18 shot locations | - Electronic direction to 7 lines - Aircraft aluminum construction |
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