Furlihong 3802PBH Pickleball Machine, Adjustable Speed & Angles, Pickleball Launcher with Auto Swing Base, Powered by Power Bank/Batteries/AC Power, for All-Level Training

First, I believe there are three versions of this Furlihong pickleball machine. This one, the 3802 has the most power. There are also medium and a slower speed versions. These Furlihong machines have a high return rate meaning customers send them back a lot. I still took the chance to buy it for two reasons. First, it's very inexpensive for the functionality you get. Second, in the reviews I saw a pattern of great customer service; the company replaces machines that don't work. So I wasn't too surprised when I received the machine and the oscillating base didn't work. I contacted Amazon, went through their steps to see if they could help me to get it working, and after that didn't work they put me in direct touch with Furlihong customer support. They asked me to send them a video of the machine and what was working and not working. I made a quick video with my phone, and sent it to them. Then Whitney, a great customer service rep, thanked me for the video, confirmed my shipping address, and sent me a new one. It took about two weeks which was a minor pain, but I got the new machine and it works great. Regarding my impressions of the pickleball machine, I really am surprised how well it works. First, I mounted it to a solid, strong tripod that I've used for video work. I also made an adapter plate for the bottom so that it distributes the weight and stress more evenly. The tripod is heavy enough that the machine doesn't move around as it shoots pickleballs. There are two speeds; high and low. The difference in speed is not that significant, but you can have one motor on low and the other on high and it creates a more challenging spinning pickleball to return. I haven't used the oscillator base yet, but it has two speeds and moves rather quickly so it's less predictable. A good thing. While the speed and power doesn't compete with the $1200 to $2400 machines (and no one should really expect it to), but it still has plenty of power to send a good shot over the net. Great practice for returning serves. One compromise is the limited amount of pickleballs you can load. I can get 19 loaded. You can also buy an extended spiral loading system, but I think it would be awkward and less stable (too tall) so I'm fine with 19 as the pickleball capacity. With a tripod, you can also get it about net high at the kitchen line and for hand volley shots. Or step back to the baseline and you'll get a good strong serve. It's very effective with a tripod. It's really a fantastic little device. I also connected a $9 power strip that has an on/off remote control. This allows me to load the machine, walk around to the other side of the court, and turn the machine on remotely. Otherwise, you have to turn the machine on and run as quickly as possible to the other side of the court. It shoots a ball about every four seconds so you have to hustle. This simple remote power strip solves that problem. That said, let's talk about build quality. I don't expect this machine to last a long time. The power cord is very thin wire so I'm being cautious with it. It's cheap plastic so I handle it gently. I will not be leaving it outside overnight, or get it wet in the rain. I will treat it with care and hope I can get as much mileage out of it as possible. Overall, and so far, I'm really impressed. For me, there's very little compromise in practical use. With the tripod setup and oscillating base, I get a huge variety of uses. I give it two thumbs up, but with caution in build quality.

I am intermediate. I am surprised how good it is. I am using a special set up - collecting net, balls fall into this machine, and it's shooting them through a hole in net. Works like a charm - I can play half an hour having just 20 balls. At the place where I play pickleball, they have an expensive machine, which is very inconsistent and unreliable. Ok one thing is not great - the spin doesn't work well. But the speed is great.

It is important to keep the price of this machine in mind when evaluating its quality. You can spend over $2,000 for a pickleball pitching machine so you need to keep expectations realistic for $150. UPDATE (30 days): I still agree with this statement now 1 month later. My initial quality impression is overall good with my only concerns being that the plastic ball feed pieces seem a little thin and the arc adjustment knob was a bit shaky. After setting it up and using it once I am no longer concerned about either. The light weight of pickleballs do not require anything more substantial for the ball feed pieces. I had 17 balls in the feed at a time and it handle it fine. Once the arc adjustment knob was set it did not move and was fine throughout the session. UPDATE: (30 days) I purchased additional plastic extendable spiral ball tunnels and with this extra weight (including the balls) the arc adjustment knob doesn't hold the machine arc correctly. I think that this is a design flaw, but I used 2 pieces of duct tape to hold the angle and it actually improved the overall stability of the machine. I am using a "camcorder" tripod and the slight bit of instability it adds is also solved by the duct tape. This adds about 1 minute to the set up process. Again, the plastic spirals at first touch are flimsy but they are fully functional without a hitch. I think that one of the keys to my liking the machine so much on my first use is that I used a fairly heavy duty camera tripod (left over from the camcorder era) to set the machine up at net height (on the other side of the net). I set it at one of the lower trajectories and felt it delivered consistent shots. I only used the high speed setting with no spin and it was fast enough (again from very near the net) to challenge me on a backhand drill. UPDATE: (30 days) I still haven't toyed with the slow speed or spin because I have been working on my 2 hand back hand. I will add my thoughts about the slower speed (thinking about a dinking drill). I still like the fast speed which is close to an average recreational volley. I checked out the variety of power options at home. I measured the power by the vibrations emanating from the empty machine. The AC adapter was clearly the most powerful and consistent rhythm. 4 brand new Alkaline D batteries were a close second (and remained consistent over the first 1 hour session). When I hooked up my 2 amp Anker battery the speed was a little slower and inconsistent. Because I was training at a public park I couldn't use the adapter and used the D batteries. The 4 pack of D batteries was $5. You can get them more cheaply in bulk. I'll re-evaluate my power options after seeing how long the batteries last. UPDATE: (30 days): I used the AC power at home and the speed is improved over the D batteries. I continue to use D batteries (Alkaline, not dollar store) and they last solidly for two 1 hour sessions. The machine does not have a remote. With balls firing every 4 seconds you will miss the chance to hit the first one or two unless you create something like I did. I put a long thin screwdriver across the bottom of the ball feeder and tied a piece of twine to the screwdriver. I ran the twine around the net post all the way over to where I planned to stand. I turned the machine on and walked calmly over and got into a ready position before pulling the string to launch the first ball. One of the side benefits of this "remote control" was that it allowed the launch spinning wheels to reach top speed before launching the first ball which seemed to allow for more speed and consistency throughout the session. I have not tested the spin adjustments or the rotating base. Neither is a priority for me right now but I will eventually add to this review at a later time. I will try to get back here again to give a final update.

Great machine for price. Its works great when you cn use with electricity. D batteries work but not enogh power. Will be testing w power bank see if can work at courts. The button on the base fell inside and now cannot change setting. I ve been trying to reset the button where it goes but cannot. Would be great if company sent replacement base.

This works great. I have used it 50 times and shoot 90 balls a session. It's been excellent for practicing forehands, backhand and drop shots. Once you turn it on, there's enough delay to get into postion before the balls start feeding.I haven't any problems with it at all. It is lightweight, making it easy to transport to the counts. The battery I purchase has solar charging feature, so it is recharge white using it outside. Overall, I am happy with the machine and would definitely recommend ti to any one looking to improve their pickleball game.

Received the item on 3/14/24***I initially was satisfied with the machine. I needed one to practice my baseline drives, 3rd shot drops and volleys. THE GOOD: It would feed me a ball about every 4 seconds and I was able to adjust the angle to adjust the height of the ball feed. It could even adjust the spins. I have a big basement so I was able to plug the machine to an outlet. There is an option for battery use which I havent tested yet. The speed of the ball was not bad. I didn't expect it to send me the ball at a fast speed since the machine was light and small but the speed to me was just right for practice. I just moved the machine forward or backwards to make the ball land where I want it on the court. It kept about 19 balls so I bought an extra track to double the number of balls it can feed. THE BAD: there is a setting for fast speed but I did not find a difference with the speed at all. Again, I did not mind it because I liked the speed of the ball already. There is an option for changing of the spin but I could not find much difference. I was still satisfied with the regular spin it gave the ball when it came out of the machine. THE REALLY BAD: It worked for the 7 times I used it (used it for about 15 mins each time intermittently) and the 8th time it started to feed the balls every 30-45 secs from every 4 seconds then eventually it would stop feeding a ball. You could hear and see the wheels spinning in the machine but it would just stop feeding a ball. Today is Tuesday 3/19/24. I will order another machine today to see if it would work this time. Maybe the 1st one was just a dud. I will update my review after I try the new machine.

Powerful machine for the money. One thing to stress in operating the machine: You need at least a 40 foot path from the machine. Any less and the force, on low setting, is amazing and a missed shot will sting you. I know. Otherwise this is good for what it is intended for. This is not like an Erne machine with a remote. However Erne is $1,300.

I have used my Furlihong pickleball launcher 10 hours a week for 18 months. To be honest I didn't expect it to last this long at this price point. I have had to replace the USB adapter cable but now I know how to fix the problem. Furlihong generously provided another cable quickly when it failed. The fix is dead simple: Plug the USB plug into your portable power bank. Look at the gap between the plastic USB plug holder and the battery. Wrap masking tape around the metal USB plug and leave bare the same size gap. Apply a small amount of epoxy at the junction of the metal USB plug and the plastic USB plug holder. I used JB Weld Kwik. Let it set for 3-4 minutes, and remove the masking tape. Let the epoxy cure per product instructions. This will stiffen the USB plug so it doesn't wiggle and break the wire connecting it to the small circuit board inside the plastic USB plug holder. Otherwise, over about 3 months, it will fail. This launcher does about 95% of what you need for doing pickleball practice drills at an excellent price point. About the only thing it does not do is topspin. Recommendations: - get a camera tripod from a thrift store, this will greatly increase the versatility of this product - ditch the D battery holder... it creates too much wiggle when you have the ball hopper fully loaded - if you don't have one, get a battery brick (aka power bank) with USB ports.. mine runs the machine for 10-20 hours on a single charge

The Furlihong 3802PBH Pickleball Machine is a great little inexpensive ball thrower! It doesn't have features like changing the time between shots, remote control, or a large capacity ball hopper but at only a tenth the price of a machine that does it can still help you with drills. Since you should let the machine come up to speed before adding balls I've made a little plastic 'spike' (see white piece in photo) that will hold the balls away from the release. This allows me to fill the hopper and start the machine 'empty'. Once it is up to speed I grab my racket and pull the 'spike'. Since there is only 4 seconds between balls you will miss the first ball but this gives me enough time to get ready for the remaining balls that are launching at ful power. At high speed setting It can toss balls with a reasonably fast pace. Distance is good so it can be setup to practice serves. For practice on returning hard drives I use my camera tripod to raise the machine up level top the top of the net and angle the machine so that it can throw straight ahead. Setup like this on the kitchen line gives you some pretty good practice. You can also use different spins to add some variety. Throwing from the various areas of the court while sitting directly on the ground also works fine after you adjust the throwing angle. Haven't had a lot of experience yet with the machine but I've found that the oscillater fires balls at too wide of a spread for me. I'm older and can't keep up with the side to side running! This mode may be good for singles players or for a double team. Support is also top notch. I had an issue with the included USB power connector and had two resolution options provided to me within 24 hours (partial refund or full refund for a replacement machine). I went with the replacement and the process was quick and seamless! Overall this is a great option for beginner to intermediate players that want to drill on various types of returns!

Put it on a tripod and it can throw across the full court

the product performed exactly as described. it is perfect for beginners or recreation players to practice drills. had some questions about the product features and the customer service responded promptly to address the inquiry fully. good product and good seller.

I bought a Furlihong 3802PBH Pickleball Machine for Christmas last year, it was a decent machine but now the feeder mechanism no longer works and the balls just sit there after only 6 months of infrequent use. Before this issue it was working well.

Works great for a while until it didn't under heavy use. Seller accept return with no issue. I think it best suited for a low volume user