Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

I bought the ball machine for my sons who play lots
of tennis. They use it when no one is around. My husband and I also use the ball machine. Love it.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

The machine was easy to use and a joy to have.
That's it.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

First of all, a ball machine, when used properly, is the only way to get extensive training to groove strokes. I'm a 4.5 player who has owned this machine for about 2 1/2 months. I will first address the few negatives. BTW, these minor negatives are the only reason why I couldn't 5 stars.

1. Tow handle: The handle used to pull the ball machine is ergonomically too short. But I will say, at 6'2" that this by no means is a deal breaker. The handle and wheel positions on the ball machine is similar to pulling a piece of luggage. With the ball machine in towing position, simply lift the machine with the handle at such an angle that prevents the need to stoop down. At my height, towing the ball machine is a non issue.

2.Towing wheels: Like reviewers before myself have mentioned, the small towing wheels make transport on sidewalks and pavement a bumpy and noisy ride. My guess for the wheel size being so small was probably to keep the overall size of the machine compact. Again, not a deal breaker.

3.Ball hopper: located at the top of the machine, has a capacity of 125 balls. The white plastic flaps are secured by a plastic corner hinge bolted to each corner of the machine. These plastic hinges can become cracked if a ball strikes the plastic flaps hard enough (when a ball repeatedly or with sufficient force strikes a plastic flap, depending on the angle of impact, the jarring movement of the plastic flap can impact stress on the plastic hinges; thus causing a crack). Sports Tutor will replace these plastic corner hinges while your machine is under warranty. Again, not a deal breaker.

3.Ball jamming: occurs when more than one tennis ball competes for a single well in the ball machine turret (located in the ball hopper area). Jamming incidents are reduced if you can shift the balls away from the turret (I stack my tennis balls like charcoal briquets towards the back and corners of my machine, away from the turret). I typically can load about 100 balls with only about 1-2 jamming incidents occurring. The more balls loaded, the increased risk of jamming. Jamming risk is decreased as you load less balls. You can mitigate jamming by stacking balls away from the ball turret. End of negatives

You'll have to play with the controls and fire a few balls to get the proper ball feed placement you desire. I always find that the first few balls always come out a bit short. I recommend using pressureless balls (Tretorn Micro X). The number of inconsistent feeds will greatly increase if you use inconsistent balls (flat pressure balls, new balls, etc. in the same hopper). If you're trying to groove strokes I would recommend placing the ball spin dial to almost a flat ball.

Remote control: should you get one? I ordered my machine w/o a remote and after 3 weeks of use I thought the remote would improve the overall efficiency of my court time. When you first power on the machine after loading the ball hopper, you get 10s before the first ball is fired. This wasn’t enough time for me. I usually had to run to the baseline before the first ball was fired. With a remote, I can power on the machine, pause the ball feed with the remote & walk back to the baseline & give myself time to prepare for the first feed. After I start the ball feed, I place the remote in my pocket. If there is an apparent ball jam, I can stop the ball feed with the remote, correct the problem, walk back to the baseline & then restart ball feed with remote. Without the remote, I would have to go the machine (while it’s still running), power off the machine, unjam the turret, power on the machine and then run back to baseline. If I was in the middle of a drill & began to struggle with my form, I can immediately stop ball feeds from my current position. The remote prevents wasted ball feeds when you’re traveling to the machine to power it off. The remote is a must if you also practice drills with a second person. If a remote doesn’t bust you budget, I recommend getting one. BTW, I order my remote kit from Sports Tutor. The manual was simple enough that I was easily able to install the remote kit myself.

HD battery: I recommend at least getting the smart charger for this battery to prolong the overall battery life. A fully charged HD battery has given me 3 1/2 hours of court time. Please note, the 3 ½ hours was only because I didn’t have anything left in my tank to go further. The battery or the machine didn’t show any signs of declining performance at this point. It could have gone longer.

After some trial and error with adjusting the feed rate, feed height, and ball speed this ball machine is a near flawless hitting partner. The key to a productive and enjoyable experience with this machine is knowing how to properly use a ball machine to improve strokes. There have been many, many positive reviews about the Tennis Tutor ball machines and now I’m a living witness that the Tennis Tutor is one of the, if not the, best machine brand on the market. The Sports Tutor customer service is top notch. If you have any issues, be sure to contact their customer service. They are very good at troubleshooting and problem solving because they know their machines very well.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

Great ball machine, only if the courts are closer from the parking lot. I wish it had larger wheels. If you have to haul this one, its very heavy and demotivates you from taking it. Helped me and my kids to perfect their strokes. Great work out !

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

I use the ball machine almost dailey to prepare me for my high school matches. It has really helped me to improve my game.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

This is great for practice hitting, the only problem is that I didn't get the remote start. By the time I get the settings adjusted for height, ball spin, and placement, then run to the other side of the net to hit, I waste 10 or more balls.
Definitely recommend getting the remote option!

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

I found this machine to be an excellent tool to help work on mechanics and to help expose swing flaws for correction. I like to use the machine with many different spin settings with oscillation on. I also like to practice with the ball moving at a fast pace. This being said, the battery has given out on me after only 2 years. I've actually needed a new battery (Heavy Duty)for about 10 months now as it is not a warranty item (purchased 4 year warranty). For the two years I used it, I used it mostly on high and the battery died. I was surprised and did contact Sports Tutor. They mentioned my usage was not normal and they referred to my use of the machine as excessive. Funny, but thats the way I enjoy my Tennis experience. I've played since I was a kid. Overall, its been amazing for my mechanics.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

I think there should be a couple items regarding the design that the manufacture could improve on.
1. The handle should be longer or telescoping so the unit can be rolled easier
2. The ball hopper side could be made of a more stiffer or thicker material so the balls won't spill out from the flexing of the panels
3. The ball feed mechanisism has a tentency to jam with the weight of the balls when the hopper is full. I reccomend a stronger motor with more torque.
4. The design of the ball feed disc has a tendency to jamb balls against the opening side. The higher torque motor would help this or slightly rounding the paddle fins that feeds the balls into the opening.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

I like the machine very much. It has been very reliable, and I received excellent phone assistance after it's arrival. It provides a high-quality workout which enables one to hone different stokes, and allows for innovative approaches to practice such as charging for volleys and dropping back to the baseline, etc. The oscillator also provides a very effective means of keeping one on the move---especially if timer is set at an accellerated pace.

I have enjoyed the Tennis Tutor tremendously, and have shared it with others who have also been delighted. While I have indicated that it would benefit from certain improvements, I recommend it highly.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

I am glad to own this tennis machine. The only disadvantage is the difficulty in transportation of the machine. It does not fit into standard car baggages. Besides from that, it is considerably professional and perfectly designed.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

Maneuverability is good, which is important to me. I put it in the backseat and take it across the street to the court in the park. It's easy to use and to change settings, but the settings themselves aren't always so precise. I'll set it on what looks to be the appropriate setting, run around to hit balls, then have to run back around to turn it off because it seems to gain power after the first few balls. The fact that it's so low to the ground makes practicing service returns impossible. Also, the ball feeder gets stuck fairly frequently, usually because balls get stuck at the entry point. Having made all those complaints, however, I'm very much pleased with my ball machine so far. It delivers what I was promised that it would deliver.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

My children love it and can use by themselves.

Comments about Sports Tutor Tennis Tutor Plus HD Operated Tennis Ball Machine:

The only problem I've had with the machine is the ball loading. If you put 150 balls (capacity) into the machine, it tends to jam and you need to reduce the number of balls used. Otherside, it is great!!