Lobster Sports Elite One Tennis Ball Machine – Auto Portable Launcher, Adjustable Ball Speed, Spin Control, Lob Electronic Switch, Horizontal Sweep, Lightweight, Holds 150 Balls, with 2-Button Remote

In the interest of being clear and helpful, I recommend that everyone who contributes a review cover as a minimum all the numbered information below. (My answers are in parenthesis.) Tennis level (I am 46 and played Division 1 tennis) Balls used (I tried Gamma Pressureless, and was very disappointed. I moved to regular pressured balls, and so far have been happy with their performance) Length of time used (I've used it now for about 4 weeks, at least 2x/week) Machine Type (Elite 1) Battery Care (Did you overcharge your battery, by charging it overnight/more than 24 hours? If so, you ruined your battery's life. I did not.) How I am using it (I am not traveling with it, so no picking up and loading into car. I would not want to do that with this machine, and thankfully I roll it out and down to the court.) Type of court (Red Clay) So far, I am very pleased with this machine. I will update this review if anything I write in it changes. It has proven to be reliable, and arrived fully charged and ready to use. The wheels work well and seem sturdy, although even bigger ones would be nice. I did not get the remote, and while it would be nice, it is certainly not essential for use (and I have no plans to buy one). I have found one setting with speed and distance and spin that I have been hitting cross court ground strokes with only. It delivers a consistent ball. While it can hold 150 balls,, but if you are going to roll with it and tilt it at the appropriate angle to get it moving, I am only able to keep about 40 balls in the basin (the others are in the hopper), otherwise they are going to spill out of the basin. I have found that using an air compressor after 4 weeks of use was helpful to remove the dirt and accumulation of fuzz from the balls. I will continue to use that every few weeks. As I mentioned in the intro. I bought Gamma Pressureless balls because Lobster recommends using pressureless. The Gamma batch of balls I received was poor and I sent them back. In their place, I put all the balls I've played with since the start of 2017, and had a much more consistent bounce and delivery. I called Lobster to inquire deeper into the pressureless recommendation: it's NOT for the well being of the machine, but rather for the consumer. In other words, Lobster believes that pressured balls will go dead within 1-3 months time, and they don't want consumers to be annoyed that they have to replace the balls so often. They reported that pressureless might last up to 6 months. I'm going to go with the used pressured balls and see how it goes, as it's going well so far. With about 85 balls, I estimate the machine can go about 10-12 times before the battery dies. That's not very impressive for me, as I'm turning it off during the ball collection period. The charge time can be anywhere from 3-8 hours, depending on how dead the battery is. That seems good to me. Overall, I'm happy with it. To be able to practice tennis strokes, and have a reliable machine to do it with, is a luxury. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

Before I purchased the Lobster I called their customer service number with some questions regarding the different models. No voice mail at Lobster, just a representative who knows the machines inside out and can answer even the most specific questions. Motor type? Battery Life? Machine Features and options? Shipping Method? Maintenance requirements? All of these questions, (and more), are answered with a single phone call. The Lobster arrived 3 days after we ordered it. Assembly takes about 30 seconds! Charge the battery for a few hours and head out to the courts. We bought the elite one because it is simple to operate and does everything we need. It has the larger battery and the larger internal motors. We have used the machine for up to 3 hours straight without depleting the battery. We use the small charger that came with the unit and it works fine. It takes about 4 or 5 hours to charge the battery which we do after every use. We have probably hit 10,000 balls with the machine so far and the consistency and accuracy is amazing. The machine works perfectly! I know this sounds like I work for the company but I don't. I am just a guy who likes hitting tennis balls, likes high quality equipment, and likes fantastic customer service.

Compact design - can transport in car, probably weighs 40 pounds with internal battery. Good battery life - lasts for around 8 one hour practice sessions on a single charge. Wide range of outputs for speed and spin on the ball as well as intervals between feeds. However, the lob angle doesn't go as high as one might like. The ball feeds are quite consistent, usually the use on the ball is to blame for something erratic. Should buy balls of one type in bulk if you are expecting consistency in the feed. The handle for the ball machine comes folded over (bend in the middle) out of the package. When rolling the machine around, you can unfold the handle where it is then supposed to lock out. There are plastic pieces that lock the handle (in the middle) in place once extended. These pieces are much too flimsy, and after some use, they broke and the handle no longer locks out when extended. Disappointing for something that is in the $1300 - $2300 price range. Remote control for ball machine has good range, ball machine usually responds from opposite side of court at baseline. Battery for remote control is easily replaceable.

I love this tennis ball machine! It’s perfect for improving my tennis skills and practicing consistently. Highly recommended for players who want to take their game to the next level.

I am very happy for the great service provided by Lobster. When I received the ball machine, a small defect was found on the handle missing a lock switch. After I contact them, they immediately agreed to send me a new one for replacement. Since I am not confident on install the handle by myself, I ask if I could get a new machine for replacement and sen the initial one back free of charge. They immediately initiated the process by send me the pre-paid mailing label . I then received a new machine soon. Both my son and myself are very excited about the machine. I am very satisfied on the service I got and will write a review on the performance of the machine after using it soon. It has been more than a month now since we used the machine. It works great. Both my son and I enjoyed a Lott. It meets all aspects I expect. It last about 2-3 hour after each charge which allows plenty of time for practice. Very convenient and easy to use it.

Well, I enjoyed it while it lived, but now it is broken and won't work. Not happy.

This machine provides what we needed. My daughter is an aspiring high school tennis player and needed to hit more balls than we could consistently get to her. She's now hitting about a thousand every time she takes it out and her game is getting better every day. The Lobster Elite 1 does just what we needed it too. If I could have splurged for the next model up to get the vertical oscillating it would probably make it even better but we are still very happy with the product. Just a few improvements I would recommend. As other reviewers have mentioned, it is very hard to pick up with the hand grips on the bottom of the machine. This is especially hard for my daughter. The whole machine does move with the oscillation so it is somewhat easy to predict where the ball will go. Not a huge deal, but much different than the larger ball machine we were renting on the tennis park. Overall we love our purchase. For the price, you can't go wrong.

This should have been a five star. However, due to the "cons" below, I was forced to drop the rating. After 2 weeks, here is the feedback: Pros: - Received machine timely. It was packed very well. Good dibs to the Seller. - Have taken it out 5 times and it is AWESOME. The speed and power of the machine is exceptional - It does flats, topspin and underspin. In addition, it does horizontal - side to side placement. You will be running a lot. - We charged it for 24 hours prior to using. After 4 hours, it was still going strong! Great workout!! - We used 48 balls. More than efficient Cons: - Man, spent a grand on this and they screwed up the handle. The handle is cheap and flimsy - Very hard to collapse the handle. You have to press the button very hard to bend it over the machine. - Where the handle bends over, it is RAZOR sharp. If you do not watch out, you can easily cut your arms and shoulder (later on this below). Instead of building a collapsing handle bar (think elbow), why don't Lobster have a "sliding" bar instead to collapse the handle? - Picking this up and putting it in any car is a challenge!!! You have to put your arms in the front of the machine and back of the machine. You better have long arms!! Or two people lifting this. Couple issues with this. The machine is 40 pounds. Fortunately, I lift a lot and 40 pounds is not an issue esp if you use your legs; however, if you are lighter in stature, this might be a major issue. It is INDEED heavy. I wished they made it to allow the user to lift the sides instead! Second thing, when you lift it in the front and back, the "bend in the handle" cuts against your shoulders and arms. If you don't watch yourself, you can easily tear some skin. The design of the handles and the lift of the machine was done horribly! I would recommend Lobster to fix this. This could possibly lead to a major lawsuit. Note: I put this in my X5 SUV. The "sharp" bends in the handle has already scratched and torn off the plastic sides of my trunk. After the first two times that I transported in my trunk, I learned to put a TOWEL over the sharp handle bends. - Wheels are okay. Wish they installed firmer and larger wheels. Good idea would be to replace the existing wheels with "Rollerblade" wheels. Overall, the "tennis and hitting" machine itself is awesome. However, due to the handles and unorthodox way of transporting the machine, I downgraded the Lobster from a 5 to a 4.

Great machine but it does not come with a remote and that piece has to be ordered separately which was disappointing. Also, while charging, there is no indicator such as a flashing light to show it is in fact charging and then a solid light to show it is fully charged.

Should come with balls and ball hopper. It is too heavy. Needs to be slighly smaller and more portable so can throw in the car trunk. Charger cord is too short.

Sturdiness Easy to assemble and value for money.Good for Tennis .

Love it