For any player looking for a ball machine with the most popular advanced features, the Lobster Elite 3 Tennis Ball Machine and the Spinfire Pro 2 Tennis Ball Machine should easily meet your needs.
Both machines provide basic features such as topspin, backspin, horizontal oscillation, vertical oscillation and triple oscillation, but set themselves apart from the rest of the market with a two-line drill which can also be performed with vertical oscillation to give the best players a challenging workout.
So, how do they differ?
The major difference is the Spinfire offers a Smart Phone app with programmability and an AI drill maker. It also uses internal movement which means it is more difficult to tell which direction the next ball will be shot compared to Lobster’s external movement which is always signaling the direction of the next ball (although it is difficult to focus on the machine when you're busy hitting balls).
Spinfire includes a remote control, LCD display and the convenience of three different optional power sources, compared to Lobster’s single choice of an internal battery. This makes the Spinfire difficult to pass up.
 Lobster Elite 3 $3,999.00 Buy now |  Spinfire Pro 2 $3,295.00 Buy now | |
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| Top Speed Top speed possible when there is no spin. | 130 km/h | 130 km/h |
| Slowest Speed Slowest speed possible. | 32 km/h | 32 km/h |
| Interval The min and max time possible between balls being fired. | 2-10 seconds | 2-15 seconds |
| Spin Whether the machine is capable of producing topspin and slice. | ||
| Electronic Elevation Ability to raise and lower the vertical angle of the delivery. | ||
| Lobs Ability to offer smashing practice. | ||
| Horizontal Oscillation Ability to fire balls randomly anywhere within the horizontal span of the court (no variation in depth). | ||
| Vertical Oscillation Ability to offer random variation in depth to allow for practicing of short and deep balls. | ||
| Triple Oscillation Ability to turn both horizontal oscillation and vertical oscillation on at the same time, to allow for random width and depth balls. | ||
| Internal Oscillation Internal oscillation provides more disguised deliveries as the mechanical movements happen inside the machine making them harder to see by the player. Machines with external oscillation telegraph where the delivery will be made, making them more predictable. | ||
| LCD Display A screen on the control panel to allow easy adjustments to the settings. | ||
| Electric Option Can the machine be run directly from an AC power point, rather than via a battery? Running off AC can eliminate the headaches associated with batteries, charging them and replacing them when necessary. | ||
| Battery Can the machine be run off a battery? | ||
| Battery Life The min and max play time possible when using the battery. | 4-8 hours | 3-8 hours |
| Battery size | 18 A/h | 20 A/h |
| Charge Time Amount of time required to charge a flat battery using the standard charger. | 18 hours | 11 hours |
| Fast Charger Can a fast charger be purchased to reduce the charging time? | ||
| Ball Capacity The total number of balls that can fit into the hopper. As a general rule, we feel 150 is the minimum we would recommend. | 150 | 150 |
| Portable Has wheels and a handle to allow easy movement to and from the tennis courts (from the back of a car). | ||
| Weight The weight of the machine without tennis balls installed. Note, the Spinfire Pro 2 can be purchased with an external battery, so 18 kg represents the weight of the machine only without a battery inside. | 20 kg | 18 kg (24 kg internal battery) |
| Remote Does the machine offer a remote control to allow easy settings adjustments from the other end of the court? Note, all remotes are different, including the number of buttons and functions each can supply, so look for a photo of the remote you are considering to understand its features. Also, Tennis Tutor in Australia does not offer a remote control, but this may be possible to purchase in other parts of the world. | Optional - $399 | |
| 2 Line Drill This is a drill which shoots one ball to the forehand, followed by a ball to the backhand, and it repeats endlessly. It will keep you running from side to side until you can take it no longer. Some machines offer this in just WIDE and NARROW, while others offer WIDE, MEDIUM and NARROW for a bit more flexibility. It's also a great drill to use when two players are practising together with a ball machine, as it will alternate firing a ball between each player. | ||
| Pre-loaded Drills Practice drills designed to represent real match situations | ||
| Optional Spare Battery A spare battery is great for coaches or those heavy users who don't always have time to charge their battery between sessions, or may want even more play time than the standard minimum that each machine can provide. | ||
| Heavy Duty Battery | ||
| Optional Storage Cover These are great for protecting your machine from dust and debris, but we do not recommend you leave them out on court. | ||
| Warranty This is the standard manufacturer's warranty. Some machines do have the option to upgrade their warranty to up to 5 years for an additional fee. | 3 Years | 2 Years (Optional 5 years) |
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| Price | $3,999.00 Buy now | $3,295.00 Buy now |