The Best Tennis Ball Machines to Take Your Game to the Next Level (2020) – Tennis Ball Machine Reviews

I used the following important criteria to rank these ball machines.

Oscillation Features

This is a key feature when analyzing tennis ball machines and one of the major factors affecting the cost. I looked at which machines offer random, horizontal, and vertical oscillation. The tennis ball machines that best simulate the all over the court shots that a real opponent would make receive the best scores in my rating system. You can read more about oscillation in my How to Choose a Tennis Ball Machine article.

Spin Control

Can a particular tennis ball machine fireballs with topspin and backspin and can you control the degree of the spin? This is another factor that I consider essential in a tennis ball machine, again because it simulates a real opponent. The good tennis player is going to continually hit the same shot over and over again. It’s important that you are able to multiple types of shots.

Weight of the Machine

Is the ball machine easy to move and carry? If it’s designed to be portable, can the average person pick it up by themselves and put it into the trunk of a car? These factors are important because most people will choose a portable tennis ball machine.

Dimensions of the Tennis Ball Machine

I looked at the size measurements of each machine on the list. Is it easily storable in the trunk of your car? The more portable and compact a ball machine is, the more positive I weight that criteria. Most people will be moving these machines around on a daily basis.

Speed Range

How fast and slow can the ball machine fire tennis balls? If the lower speed range is not low enough, beginners will have a hard time handling balls shot out of the machine. If the upper-speed limit is not high enough, advanced level players will get bored quickly as the speed of the balls coming out of the machine will present little challenge to them. In general, beginners will start from 10 to 30 mph, intermediate players will be at 40 to 60 mph, and advanced players will want 80+ mph.

Ball Capacity

How many balls can the machine hold? If the capacity is not high enough then you’ll spend most of your practice time picking up tennis balls in a roller ball hopper, which is no fun at all.

Tennis Ball Feed Rate

How fast are the balls fired out of the machine? A very fast firing time lets you practice rapid-fire volleys at the net and a slower firing time allows beginners time to prepare and set up for the next shot or other players to change position on the court.

Warranty

The longer the warranty the better as tennis ball machines can be expensive to repair if you happen to get a lemon. Especially when the battery of your machine may not be reliable.

Overall Price

Of the roughly 40-50 ball machine brands and models for sale in the market today, prices range from $230 to over $7,000. There’s even a machine that is $28,500 which uses Terminator-style robotics technology. It’s a pretty amazing piece of technology if you can afford it. Just put it in your garage next to your Lamborghini. For this review, we only pick tennis ball machines that fall in the medium price range but have awesome features.

Customer Reviews and Ratings

I looked at all the reviews posted on a number of retail websites, blogs, and forums, where reviewers have purchased and used these tennis ball machines. By cross-referencing multiple sources I’ve been able to get a very good picture of overall general consumer opinion about the machines on this list.

Optional Extras

Many tennis ball machines will offer remote controls, additional power options, special battery chargers, and covers that you can pay extra for. Some of these can be very helpful and I’ve factored that into my ratings.