Regarding the balls: I was on the fence about which type of balls to get, but I’m very pleased with the pressureless ones. Yes, they’ve lost a little oomph over the past few months, but the loss is less than what occurs with “real” balls. Horizontal random is one of my favorite drills for practicing groundstrokes, which fires tennis balls randomly along the baseline. It’s the same as the two-line drill, but balls are fired at varied locations that are unpredictable. Third, the hopper that holds the balls or covers the machine when not in use needs to be better secured to the machine in either position. The connection is solely by friction, but the grasp of that friction is insufficient to prevent the hopper from coming off if (i) when the machine is tilted up to tow with the carrying handle the front of the hopper hits the ground with any force more than a light tap (necessitating lowering the machine, reattaching the hopper, and tilting it up again), or (ii) when loading the hopper with balls from a basket (e.g. on a mower), the basket hits the side of the hopper, even slightly. Spinfire needs to make that connection more secure (perhaps with a clip of some kind) so the hopper remains firmly attached in place in either situation. Spinfire has upgraded every single electronic component of the ball machine and added metallic cabling and a battery brace to improve its reliability and durability.

At a high level, quality pressureless tennis balls are considerably more durable and long-lasting than their pressurized counterparts. Although they tend to appear slightly heavier and have a mildly different feel and sound, they work exceptionally well with ball machines. As far as wear goes, you’ll notice the felt starts to compact on pressureless tennis balls after a while, which means they don’t have as much bite for generating topspin as they age, but for practice, I never have found it to be a big deal. However, if you are in any way well versed in using ball machines, then the Spinfire Pro 2 is a really attractive option. Overall, the Spinfire Pro 2 tennis ball machine offers a great alternative to the more popular Lobster and Spinshot options.With this, you can adjust all functions of the machine from anywhere on the court, making this a great tool for coaching multiple players at once.

As with any mechanical device, there has been a couple of minor issues that required repair. Leon with Spinfire USA has been incredibly responsive and helpful in guiding me through the simple repairs and providing videos to illustrate what to do. The service that I’ve received from him has been outstanding. When I did the diligence to compare it to other products, I called the major companies to ask about the product, and was instantly sold on Spinfire because of the knowledge, and confidence in, the product that Spinfire’s team conveyed. My calls made me conclude that Spinfire was more modern and better built, and would support the product better. Being left uncharged does not cause battery issues vs need to keep charged with the SLA, which degrades rapidly if left uncharged. As far as the machine’s operating battery is concerned, I bought the sealed lead acid battery. I have yet to run it low on charge. I plug it in to charge every night, and it is ready by the morning. I needed my own machine. There are a number of machines out there but they seemed to be oriented to the intermediate player and even though I fell into that category, no way was I going to be satisfied remaining so. I wanted a machine that could grow with me, was reliable and would go the distance in terms of build quality.

The Spinfire Pro 2 Ball Machine

Tennis ball machines are an excellent way to practice and improve your game, regardless of skill level. The Spinfire Pro 2 makes it easy to practice a wide range of shots, test yourself with a variety of pace, spin and elevation, plus extend your mobility and fitness with ample practice drills. It will also hold up to 250 balls at any one time, a very impressive figure that is unmatched on the ball machine market. If you’re looking for extra drills and programable options, then the Silent Partner Scoop Series Smart has an edge, but I didn’t feel like those were necessary for the kind of practice I wanted. Spinfire Pro 2 vs. Spinshot Plus-2 High Spin again), or (ii) when loading the hopper with balls from a basket (e.g. on a mower), the basket hits

You can also use an 18AH and 22AH SLA battery with your Spinfire machine, with the former being roughly a pound lighter and the latter being one pound heavier than the 20AH. Standard & Fast Battery Chargers But Spinfire machines are notoriously well put together and simply offer a lower entry point into the high quality tennis ball machine market.This drill is perfect for practicing a groundstroke followed by an approach shot or a volley. When I use this drill to follow up with a volley, I usually increase the feed rate to replicate the faster reaction time required in a live match scenario. Horizontal & Vertical Random THE MACHINE – This thing is unbelievable. I have a weird schedule so I have a harder time finding players in my local area. With the Spinfire, this is no longer a concern. I have a constant on call partner that does not complain or get tired. It has really helped me take my game to the next level. The myriad of options and drills helps both my strokes and my conditioning on the court. I’m not using it to teach my wife and kids the love of the game as well. If your a tennis teaching professional this is a great tool to have in your arsenal, as you can have your students hit balls while you coach/film/record and debrief them on mechanics and technique. The high-quality Australian brand has really come into its own with the Pro 2, with a 150 ball carrying capacity and options for internal or external batteries (along with an AC adaptor). Although Spinfire changed a lot, and I appreciate the enhancements, I think most people would find it hard to justify upgrading because the prior model is functionally very similar. So, not only is the Spinfire Pro 2 portable, adjustable, and capable of top performance, but it also offers incredible value.

If you are looking to move this machine around a lot and use it on multiple courts throughout a session, you may want to consider a smaller, lighter weight, portable tennis ball machine. New! Just upgraded from 23Ah to 25Ah (Ah = Amp hours). That's 25% more running time than the SLA battery and provides 3-9+ hours running time depending on your settings. The highest battery capacity of any ball machine on the market. The Spinfire Pro 2’s weight varies depending on your selected power option. Here are the measurements to keep in mind: Remote control works behind the baseline now! Neither my V1 or V2 machine has ever jammed (25,000 total V1 balls). Smaller carousel and second grab handle are nice improvements, as is the slot to store the remote control. V1 machine was very heavy with an internal SLA battery. External lithium battery is a huge improvement. Spinfire has invested their money where it matters with this second generation, making it one of the most well rounded machines out there.

FEATURES

You can also control this ball machine using the iPhone or Android app, or the remote control, giving you true flexibility! If you opt for the SLA battery, the standard charger is plenty sufficient as long as you plug the battery in when you get home, as it will charge with plenty of time to spare overnight. However, if you teach or buy the machine for a club, you may find that the fast charger is beneficial for speedier charging between uses. Remote I love it, love it. Yes, it is pricey but the health benefits, the game improvement that it will ultimately make and the friends you make by their curiosity is well worth it. And knowing that if it breaks down in a year or more, if it does, I can probably fix it myself. One of the main reasons I opted for the Spinfire Pro 2 is that its internal oscillation is incredibly quiet. I often play at public tennis courts where there is more than one court, and the last thing I needed was my ball machine to make all sorts of noise while others were trying to enjoy playing tennis on adjacent courts.