A tennis ball machine can be a great addition to any serious player’s game. Having easy access to a portable ball machine, like the Lobster Elite Freedom, can eliminate the necessity of always having a playing partner on hand. This makes it easy to roll out any time you want to practice your forehand or just get a good workout. With a ball machine there’s no more relying on other peoples schedules when you want to get some tennis in.
Lobster Elite Freedom Ball Machine – Ball Machines
Depending on the level of control you want over the machine, the price and size of the product can vary. Most beginning players will be satisfied with the simplest models that perform basic directional shots. These models are often light and fairly inexpensive. More experienced players might desire complicated pre-programmed ball machine drills, or want to be able to effectively practice service returns. It’s important to first assess your tennis level while shopping for a ball machine.
Lobster’s Best Portable Tennis Ball Machines: Elite Freedom
After trying both the Playmate and Lobster brand machines I’ve found that the Lobster provides a great portable and affordable option for a quality tennis ball machine. The sale options offered at Lobster are great because you can choose a machine that is right for you.
Things to Consider about a Tennis Ball Machine
The important aspects to consider really depend on how you want to use the ball machine. If it’s for personal use then you need to worry most about portability and how it is powered. Machines with plenty of battery life are great when you’re at a local park with no access to an electric outlet.
Portability and Weight
Portability is also extremely important because you want to be able to easily move the machine on and off the court. Heavy machines will be a hassle to get in and out of a car, as well as requiring a lot of extra effort. You want to have a good workout playing tennis on the court, not lugging a big ball machine around.
How the Lobster Elite Freedom Sizes Up
My experience is with the Lobster Elite Freedom model, which is on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of cost. Even without a lot of complicated extra features the Elite Freedom can provide a great and focused tennis workout program for any player.
Here are some of the things I liked the most about this model. Tennis ball machine reviews and ratings can get complicated quickly with all of today’s advanced features, so I’ll keep it short and to the point.
- Great Adjustable Ball Speed – I didn’t have any problems getting the speed right where I wanted it. With a range of 10-70 mph there is plenty of room for adjustment depending on a player’s level
- Container Ball Capacity – The design on the Lobster Elite Freedom is great because it doesn’t use a large amount of space and still holds a lot of balls. The specifications say it holds 150 balls, but the space it uses to do it is much less than a lot of other competitors.
- Battery Life – The machine’s battery can last up to four hours. Unless you’re standing in one place (and not taking advantage of the machine’s targeting capabilities) four hours is plenty of time on court. The only time this might be a problem is for coaches with long back to back clinic sessions
- Weight and Portability – With the large wheels and compact design it’s really easy to move this Lobster around. This model weighs in at only 35 pounds and with the wheels it really is quite easy to roll it around. The only difficulty is loading it in and out of a vehicle, but that’s a problem shared by all ball machines
- Warranty – The model I used was at a local club, so the warranty didn’t really concern me. The Elite Freedom however, offers a 2 year warranty.
Bottom Line: Lobster Elite Freedom Tennis Ball Machine
Overall this is one of the best tennis ball machines for practice. It provides a nice wide variety of different power, spin, and horizontal angles. The more expensive models offer some extra features including remote control and also randomized vertical and horizontal changes to the flight of the ball.
Some more advanced players might need these features, but I didn’t feel like it was really necessary to get a good hit on the machine. Generally I like to use ball machines for repetitively working a problem shot or experimenting with something new. With some of the more advanced features it’s easy to see how a ball machine workout could be upped to an intense physical workout and training exercise.
If you’re on the lookout for a new tennis ball machine, I’d highly recommend the very portable Lobster Elite Freedom.