Few months ago we decided to buy a tennis ball machine for our 8-year-old to better her groundstrokes. We decided to choose from the best tennis ball machines from 3 famous brands: Slinger Bag, Lobster and Spinshot.
Read on to find out what we finally chose and how to decide on the best ball machine for your tennis game.
I am a firm believer in getting top-of-the-line merchandise, so we looked at the most expensive and “premium” options from these ball machines. Which means the searched was narrowed down to:
- Slinger Launcher
- Spinshot Plus-2
- Lobster Elite Grand V LE (recently launched).
We’ll prepare a table to compare these 3 tennis ball machines and then show you what we decided to buy and, of course, where you can purchase yours as well.
Tennis Ball Machines Comparison Table
| Slinger Launcher | Spinshot Plus-2 | Lobster Elite Grand V LE | Specifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| – |  | | Custom Drills |
| Up to 40 mph | Up to 68 mph | Up to 80 mph | Max. Ball Speed |
| 144 balls | 120 balls | 150 balls | Ball Capacity |
| Up to 5 hours | 2 – 3 hours | 4-8 hours | Battery Life |
| 33 lbs (15 kg) | 46 lbs (21 kg) | 44 lbs (20 kg) | Weight |
| From $699.99 | From $ 2,199 | From $2,699 | Price |
Slinger Bag Tennis Ball Machine Specifications
- Ball Feed Speed: 10 to 40 mph (15 to 53 km)
- Ball Feed Interval: 2 to 7 seconds
- Ball Capacity: 144 balls
- Elevation: 10 to 40 degrees (manual)
- Programmable Drills: none
- Phone Compatibility: none
- Battery life: up to 5 hours
- Battery charging: 4 hours for a fully charged battery
- Weight: 33 lbs (15 kg)
- Dimensions: Height: 33 in (83 cm) Length: 20 in (51 cm) Width: 18 in (45 cm)
- Case Construction: Durable plastic & textile body
Spinshot Plus-2 Tennis Ball Machine Specifications
- Ball Feed Speed: 30 to 110 kmph [18 to 68 mph]
- Ball Feed Interval: 2 seconds to 10 seconds
- Ball Capacity: 120 balls
- Programmable Drills: Yes
- Phone Compatibility: Android or iPhone, connection via Wi-Fi
- Battery life: 2 – 3 hours (depending on the chosen drill, higher speed and faster feed rate needs more power and dry batter sooner)
- Battery charging: 8 to 15 hours for a fully charged battery
- Weight: 19 kg [42 lbs]for the AC model, 21 kg [46 lbs]for the battery model
- Dimensions: Height: 50 cm [21 in] Length: 50 cm [21 in] Width: 35 cm [14 in]
- Case Construction: Powder-coated metal
Lobster Grand Elite V LE Tennis Ball Machine Specifications
- Ball Feed Speed: 35 to 80 mph (56 to 129 kmph)
- Ball Feed Interval: 2 seconds to 9 seconds
- Ball Capacity: 150 balls
- Programmable Drills: 12 preloaded drills
- Custom Drills: 12 custom drills (6 shots each), 18 shot locations
- Phone Compatibility: yes, for an additional fee
- Battery life: 4 – 8 hours
- Battery charging: 3 to 9 hours for a fully charged battery
- Weight: 44 lbs (20 kg)
- Dimensions: Height: 29 in (73 cm) Length: 21 in (53 cm) Width: 15.5 in (39 cm) when folded down
- Case Construction: Durable plastic body