Lobster Sports Elite 1 Portable Tennis Ball Machine (21x14x 20- Inch)

In the interest of being clear and helpful, I recommend that everyone who contributes a review cover as a minimum all the numbered information below. (My answers are in parenthesis.)Tennis level (I am 46 and played Division 1 tennis)Balls used (I tried Gamma Pressureless, and was very disappointed. I moved to regular pressured balls, and so far have been happy with their performance)Length of time used (I've used it now for about 4 weeks, at least 2x/week)Machine Type (Elite 1)Battery Care (Did you overcharge your battery, by charging it overnight/more than 24 hours? If so, you ruined your battery's life. I did not.)How I am using it (I am not traveling with it, so no picking up and loading into car. I would not want to do that with this machine, and thankfully I roll it out and down to the court.)Type of court (Red Clay)So far, I am very pleased with this machine. I will update this review if anything I write in it changes. It has proven to be reliable, and arrived fully charged and ready to use. The wheels work well and seem sturdy, although even bigger ones would be nice. I did not get the remote, and while it would be nice, it is certainly not essential for use (and I have no plans to buy one).I have found one setting with speed and distance and spin that I have been hitting cross court ground strokes with only. It delivers a consistent ball. While it can hold 150 balls,, but if you are going to roll with it and tilt it at the appropriate angle to get it moving, I am only able to keep about 40 balls in the basin (the others are in the hopper), otherwise they are going to spill out of the basin.I have found that using an air compressor after 4 weeks of use was helpful to remove the dirt and accumulation of fuzz from the balls. I will continue to use that every few weeks.As I mentioned in the intro. I bought Gamma Pressureless balls because Lobster recommends using pressureless. The Gamma batch of balls I received was poor and I sent them back. In their place, I put all the balls I've played with since the start of 2017, and had a much more consistent bounce and delivery. I called Lobster to inquire deeper into the pressureless recommendation: it's NOT for the well being of the machine, but rather for the consumer. In other words, Lobster believes that pressured balls will go dead within 1-3 months time, and they don't want consumers to be annoyed that they have to replace the balls so often. They reported that pressureless might last up to 6 months. I'm going to go with the used pressured balls and see how it goes, as it's going well so far.With about 85 balls, I estimate the machine can go about 10-12 times before the battery dies. That's not very impressive for me, as I'm turning it off during the ball collection period. The charge time can be anywhere from 3-8 hours, depending on how dead the battery is. That seems good to me. Overall, I'm happy with it. To be able to practice tennis strokes, and have a reliable machine to do it with, is a luxury. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

Great machine but it does not come with a remote and that piece has to be ordered separately which was disappointing. Also, while charging, there is no indicator such as a flashing light to show it is in fact charging and then a solid light to show it is fully charged.

Before I purchased the Lobster I called their customer service number with some questions regarding the different models. No voice mail at Lobster, just a representative who knows the machines inside out and can answer even the most specific questions. Motor type? Battery Life? Machine Features and options? Shipping Method? Maintenance requirements? All of these questions, (and more), are answered with a single phone call.The Lobster arrived 3 days after we ordered it. Assembly takes about 30 seconds! Charge the battery for a few hours and head out to the courts.We bought the elite one because it is simple to operate and does everything we need. It has the larger battery and the larger internal motors. We have used the machine for up to 3 hours straight without depleting the battery. We use the small charger that came with the unit and it works fine. It takes about 4 or 5 hours to charge the battery which we do after every use.We have probably hit 10,000 balls with the machine so far and the consistency and accuracy is amazing. The machine works perfectly!I know this sounds like I work for the company but I don't. I am just a guy who likes hitting tennis balls, likes high quality equipment, and likes fantastic customer service.

Should come with balls and ball hopper. It is too heavy. Needs to be slighly smaller and more portable so can throw in the car trunk. Charger cord is too short.

Sturdiness Easy to assemble and value for money.Good for Tennis .