In tennis, just like any other sport, you become better by practicing, and by playing better opponents. Whatever your skill level is, whether you’re a professional of a beginner, you still need to practice to hone your skills further.
Continuous training can be done without a partner by utilizing a tennis ball machine. Tennis ball machines can be expensive, but if you’re serious about improving your game, you should invest in one.
Lobster Sports offers an affordable solution for any passionate player, students, or a families who seeks a lightweight tennis ball machine.
Lobster Sports Elite Liberty is among the best tennis ball machines for beginners and mid-level players. It’s an easy-to-use ball launcher that offers maximum durability, ease of transport, with a significant number of features at an affordable price.
- ENHANCED FEATURES AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE: Lobster Sports has designed the elite liberty tennis ball machine to challenge beginner level players. It is a uniquely designed, easy-to-use product equipped with enhanced features at an affordable price.
- SPIN-CONTROL FEATURE INCLUDED: The elite liberty ball machine also offers unequalled spin control for a machine at this price point. The ball spin can be adjusted for both topspin and backspin and at different levels.
- LIGHTWEIGHT AND DURABLE: Designed for maximum durability, this tennis ball machine has been manufactured to hold up against constant use. The 35-pound ergonomic design makes it lightweight.
- EASY TO TRANSPORT: The elite liberty tennis ball machine is easy to transport in your car. Its oversized wheels and 3-foot ergonomic folding handle allow for easy transportation over grass, gravel, and curbs.
- VERSATILE TENNIS BALL MACHINE: This tennis ball machine offers manual oscillation, ball speed from 20 to 70 mph, an elevation from 0 to 50 degrees, while its small, lightweight battery is easy to transport, and can operate from two to four hours.
Features and specifications:
This machine is great for those seeking portability and simplicity of use. The entire Elite Liberty’s design has been engineered towards portability and durability. It’s one of the most efficient portable tennis machines in the market, at this price range. The red body is ergonomically designed, and it houses the entire machine. Assembled for transport, the machine looks like an oversized vacuum cleaner and weighing only 35 pounds; it’s more than easy to load it into your car.
When folded, measuring only 29″x21″x15.5″, this machine has an incredibly small footprint, making it easy to store into your closet or a garage.
The body has an ergonomic, 3-foot folding handle, and oversized wheels for more comfortable transport from your car to the court. These 8-inch all-terrain wheels allow you to easily push the machine over any surface, including grass, gravel, and curbs.
When on the court, the white hopper inverts and serves as a ball tank with a capacity of 150 balls. Elite Liberty offers features that suit the needs of beginner players, who seek advanced ball controls. And this tennis ball machine provides just that, offering unparalleled performance for a device of this price range. However, there are certain upgrades to this machine that enhance the performance, but they come at an extra price.
The Lobster Elite Liberty has five different settings, just enough to provide you with great practice sessions. Most of these setting can be accessed and modified on the panel located at the back of the machine.
The ball speed ranges from 20MPH to 70MPH. Though a ball shooting at 70MPH might be too much for beginner players, it will provide enough challenge for those with a bit more skill. Lower ball speeds are preferable for beginners, with 30-40MPH being just enough to challenge and improve their skills. When turned on, the machine waits for 15 seconds before firing the first ball. That provides you with just enough time to get to the opposite side of the court.
The spin feature is one of the best settings on Elite Liberty, and it makes it very versatile. The balls can be shot out completely flat, or with an underspin or topspin. Flat, or +1 topspin settings is ideal for beginners, and anything over +3 topspin is reserved for more skilled players. The underspin feature is rarely used by beginners, but rather by intermediate players, as they are an ideal setting for practicing against slices.
Feed interval represents the amount of time between ball feeds and ranges between 2 – 12 seconds. This is an approximate value, so setting up to 12 seconds may turn out to be a second or two shorter. Usually, the “10-12” rate set on the machine gives you a couple of seconds between balls. It may sound low, but when you’re on the court waiting for a shot, it’s all but slow.
Also, this machine sports a feature called “Horizontal.” The Horizontal feature allows the tennis ball machine to oscillate from side to side, shooting balls to both your forehand and backhand sides. This is an excellent feature since it simulates the real match.
The Horizontal feature would more beneficial if the machine came equipped with an automatic electronic elevation feature; however, the Elite Liberty only offers manual elevation. Other than that, this feature works wonderfully, shooting balls out at random. You’ll need to coordinate Horizontal function with the appropriate feed rate, though, to better suit your needs.
The Lobster Elite Liberty offers only manual elevation from 0° to 50°. You can change the degree of elevation by turning the small black turning knob found on the right side of the machine. The degrees are listed on the front of the device and use a gray plastic indicator to gauge them. 50° isn’t enough for a typical lob, but this can be solved by placing something under the machine to elevate it an additional 10°-20°.
To enhance portability, Lobster used a smaller battery on Elite Liberty. Lower battery capacity allows for only 2-4 hours of court time, which is significantly less than on other Lobster Elite models. However, the battery has been designed to operate more efficiently, allowing for improved play and practice quality. Lobster offers an external AC power supply, so if you have access to a power outlet, you can extend your playtime.
Overall, this is one of the better tennis ball machines, featuring a high level of portability, affordable price range, and top recommendations from many tennis instructors. There are several optional features, like a 2-button remote control, a 3-amp premium charger, for faster battery charging, and an external AC power supply.
The good:
- Portable and easy to store
- Requires no maintenance
- Reasonable programmability
- Affordable
The Bad:
- Only 2-4 hours of court time
- Manual elevation from 0° to 50°
- Remote control and a premium charger cost extra money
Final verdict:
The Lobster Elite Liberty offers decent features, which place it among the best tennis ball machines, given the price range. Although there are additional premium features that cost extra money, many tennis players will enjoy its default features.
It’s reliable, compact, and does a good job, with high recommendations from many tennis instructors, Lobster Elite Liberty is a purchase that won’t disappoint.
- ENHANCED FEATURES AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE: Lobster Sports has designed the elite liberty tennis ball machine to challenge beginner level players. It is a uniquely designed, easy-to-use product equipped with enhanced features at an affordable price.
- SPIN-CONTROL FEATURE INCLUDED: The elite liberty ball machine also offers unequalled spin control for a machine at this price point. The ball spin can be adjusted for both topspin and backspin and at different levels.
- LIGHTWEIGHT AND DURABLE: Designed for maximum durability, this tennis ball machine has been manufactured to hold up against constant use. The 35-pound ergonomic design makes it lightweight.
- EASY TO TRANSPORT: The elite liberty tennis ball machine is easy to transport in your car. Its oversized wheels and 3-foot ergonomic folding handle allow for easy transportation over grass, gravel, and curbs.
- VERSATILE TENNIS BALL MACHINE: This tennis ball machine offers manual oscillation, ball speed from 20 to 70 mph, an elevation from 0 to 50 degrees, while its small, lightweight battery is easy to transport, and can operate from two to four hours.
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