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Product Description
Equipped with all of the standard Elite One battery-operated features, the Elite Two's advanced triple oscillation takes match play to the next level at a minimal cost increase over the Elite One. While almost all machines sweep randomly left to right horizontally, the Elite Two also oscillates vertically, giving you short and deep shots in a random pattern to provide a better physical workout. Or choose your shot placement vertically only and horizontally only. Want more action? Simulate match play by combining both vertical and horizontal oscillation functions to throw balls throughout the entire court-left, right, short, and deep. This tennis ball machine will challenge all of your strokes, not just your forehand and backhand. You'll also improve your reaction time while you advance your foot speed agility. In addition to triple oscillation, the Elite Two will confront you with up to 50 degree lobs to practice your overheads - a feature not available on any other ball machine, speeds of up to 80 miles per hour to challenge your ability to react with thinking, and heavy top and back spin choices to perfect your ability to return whatever comes your way.Elevation: electronic 0-50 degrees Weight: 44 lbs. Spin: top, back Remote: optional Fast charger: optional Warranty: 2 years
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
So I've owned the Lobster Elite 2 for about two and a half years and I'm a better player for it. But I imagine nearly any $1300 ball machine would have made me a better tennis player.
The Lobster does its job. It spits balls at me with different speed, spin and elevation. I've never done any maintenance on the feed mechanism and it reliably shoots balls that have varying degrees of dirt and fuzz on them. I've never come close to exhausting the battery. I can't last more than 2-3 hours on the court and the Lobster has always had more than enough juice. In these ways, it's a real trooper.
But it does have numerous flaws. Don't expect this thing to place 100 balls in the same 6"x6" square to practice your forehand. In fact, you'll be lucky if it places them in a 2'x2' square. It's frustrating that it can't be more precise. Sometimes you just want to practice on the mechanics of a swing and you don't want any variability. The Lobster can't help you with this. Of course once you get your swing just the way you want, you'll appreciate the kinda random placement. Still it'd be nice if the machine were capable of precision placement.
Also the dials are more like estimations than precise controls. Five degrees elevation, 75 mph and 2.5 topspin will make balls land near the baseline on one day but send them a meter past on the next. For some reason, it now has to be set at 3 degrees and 2.7 topspin. Varying battery strength perhaps? Because the controls are so finicky, it would be nice if the dials had discrete clicks to let you know if you're at 70 mph or 71. Instead, they spin freely. On this machine 1 or 2 mph makes a huge difference.
The Lobster Elite 2 is LOUD. Specifically, the motor that moves the machine left and right makes a huge, whiny racket. It's so loud that I always expect people in the adjacent court to complain. Luckily, this has never happened but if it did I could hardly complain. It's that loud.
Still with all of the above faults I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. I'm taking off a star because the wheels suck. It's a well known problem that people have been complaining about for years. I knew about it ahead of time and I still bought the machine. If you ONLY use the wheel to transport the machine on a court or other equally smooth surface you'll probably be fine. But sidewalk bumps or uneven grass will eventually destroy the cheap plastic wheels. This thing is heavy and Lobster has chosen the flimsiest wheels possible. Specifically, the metal axle will warp, bend and crack the plastic hubs of the wheel. The good news is that Lobster will sell you a new wheel for $9. Of course the least expensive shipping is also $9 so each new wheel will cost you $18. Not a huge price, but it sure is annoying to have to deal with this. Couldn't they just put a $20 wheel with a metal hub on the thing to begin with?
I'd be less annoyed if it weren't so expensive. $1300 isn't an unreasonable price for a precise, predictable, quiet and sturdy machine. But it's too expensive for what I received.
2.5 stars from me. 3.5 if they finally fix the wheels and I'd give it four if they improved the controls.
UPDATE 2010-05-25
I received the new wheels today. They appear to be MUCH stronger than the wheels that originally came with my machine. Like the picture, they're black with a gray hub. They're still plastic, but they seem much heavier and more durable. My original wheels were all black and made from a much lighter plastic. If my machine had come with these wheels, I suspect that my major complaint might have been preempted. Three stars.
The Lobster does its job. It spits balls at me with different speed, spin and elevation. I've never done any maintenance on the feed mechanism and it reliably shoots balls that have varying degrees of dirt and fuzz on them. I've never come close to exhausting the battery. I can't last more than 2-3 hours on the court and the Lobster has always had more than enough juice. In these ways, it's a real trooper.
But it does have numerous flaws. Don't expect this thing to place 100 balls in the same 6"x6" square to practice your forehand. In fact, you'll be lucky if it places them in a 2'x2' square. It's frustrating that it can't be more precise. Sometimes you just want to practice on the mechanics of a swing and you don't want any variability. The Lobster can't help you with this. Of course once you get your swing just the way you want, you'll appreciate the kinda random placement. Still it'd be nice if the machine were capable of precision placement.
Also the dials are more like estimations than precise controls. Five degrees elevation, 75 mph and 2.5 topspin will make balls land near the baseline on one day but send them a meter past on the next. For some reason, it now has to be set at 3 degrees and 2.7 topspin. Varying battery strength perhaps? Because the controls are so finicky, it would be nice if the dials had discrete clicks to let you know if you're at 70 mph or 71. Instead, they spin freely. On this machine 1 or 2 mph makes a huge difference.
The Lobster Elite 2 is LOUD. Specifically, the motor that moves the machine left and right makes a huge, whiny racket. It's so loud that I always expect people in the adjacent court to complain. Luckily, this has never happened but if it did I could hardly complain. It's that loud.
Still with all of the above faults I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. I'm taking off a star because the wheels suck. It's a well known problem that people have been complaining about for years. I knew about it ahead of time and I still bought the machine. If you ONLY use the wheel to transport the machine on a court or other equally smooth surface you'll probably be fine. But sidewalk bumps or uneven grass will eventually destroy the cheap plastic wheels. This thing is heavy and Lobster has chosen the flimsiest wheels possible. Specifically, the metal axle will warp, bend and crack the plastic hubs of the wheel. The good news is that Lobster will sell you a new wheel for $9. Of course the least expensive shipping is also $9 so each new wheel will cost you $18. Not a huge price, but it sure is annoying to have to deal with this. Couldn't they just put a $20 wheel with a metal hub on the thing to begin with?
I'd be less annoyed if it weren't so expensive. $1300 isn't an unreasonable price for a precise, predictable, quiet and sturdy machine. But it's too expensive for what I received.
2.5 stars from me. 3.5 if they finally fix the wheels and I'd give it four if they improved the controls.
UPDATE 2010-05-25
I received the new wheels today. They appear to be MUCH stronger than the wheels that originally came with my machine. Like the picture, they're black with a gray hub. They're still plastic, but they seem much heavier and more durable. My original wheels were all black and made from a much lighter plastic. If my machine had come with these wheels, I suspect that my major complaint might have been preempted. Three stars.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
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Have never had another ball machine to compare to, but is one of the most compact visually when compared to other machines. I have just received and started using it. So far very impressive design. Hardest thing is getting it in and out of the car as the handles for the device are on the very bottom of the machine and along the greatest length of the machine. You end up, lifting the machine with your back, rather than your legs. 44 lbs is not too bad, but its awkward lift arrangement makes it feel heavier than it should be. However the machine easily rolls where ever you need it. Also, I am able to easily balance two boxes of Gamma balls on top of the machine, resting on the handle in the tipped position. So I can get my balls, machine, and tennis bag to the court in one trip.
The machine does require some fiddling of the adjustments to achieve the type of balls you want to hit and still keep it in the court and over the net. I assume you get better at this with time, but I usually waste about 10 balls fiddling with adjustments until I get it right. Once I get it right, I usually power down the machine and restart it so I can get the 25 second delay to get across the court. I wish they had a delay button you can push once you get it right, but not really that important, as the power button works pretty well at creating this delay.
I was surprised that I would be using much of the top ranges of the speed of the balls, ie 50 to 70 mph. I think this is b/c that when you put in top spin or bottom spin, you actually slow down the ball somewhat. I was also surprised that I tended to use the lower range of the feed rate, ie around 10 to 12 seconds, but I really think the feed rate is much faster than what is on the dial. If you have the vertical and horizontal controls to on, you are really running around the court and I find it hard to get back to center unless you have the rate turned fairly low.....I guess really making it feel that you are in a fast paced match. Full out vertical and horizontal controls will keep you worn out.
I found it reasonably consistent at reproducing a single shot, but you can tell that even with using the same type of balls (gamma balls), you had some significant enough variation, that you were needing to make some adjustments of where you were going to hit that ball. To some extent I liked that variation, as it forced me to rethink my footwork and swing on the fly with each shot to make the subtle changes necessary, while still practicing a similar shot over and over.
The one think that I find particularly irritating, is that on a machine of this expense, that their is no automatic shutoff for recharging, so you can damage the device by overcharging it. I think on one of the upgrades, you can have that fixed, but they do charge you a small fortune for that feature. I decided to just buy a countdown timer electrical outlet device to limit charge time. Much cheaper than the upgrades for the charger.
I really believe that this device helps improve consistency and confidence with certain shots and in particular power serves that seem some what overwhelming can be somewhat reproduced by this device. If they just created better handles for the device, it would be a 5 star device.
The machine does require some fiddling of the adjustments to achieve the type of balls you want to hit and still keep it in the court and over the net. I assume you get better at this with time, but I usually waste about 10 balls fiddling with adjustments until I get it right. Once I get it right, I usually power down the machine and restart it so I can get the 25 second delay to get across the court. I wish they had a delay button you can push once you get it right, but not really that important, as the power button works pretty well at creating this delay.
I was surprised that I would be using much of the top ranges of the speed of the balls, ie 50 to 70 mph. I think this is b/c that when you put in top spin or bottom spin, you actually slow down the ball somewhat. I was also surprised that I tended to use the lower range of the feed rate, ie around 10 to 12 seconds, but I really think the feed rate is much faster than what is on the dial. If you have the vertical and horizontal controls to on, you are really running around the court and I find it hard to get back to center unless you have the rate turned fairly low.....I guess really making it feel that you are in a fast paced match. Full out vertical and horizontal controls will keep you worn out.
I found it reasonably consistent at reproducing a single shot, but you can tell that even with using the same type of balls (gamma balls), you had some significant enough variation, that you were needing to make some adjustments of where you were going to hit that ball. To some extent I liked that variation, as it forced me to rethink my footwork and swing on the fly with each shot to make the subtle changes necessary, while still practicing a similar shot over and over.
The one think that I find particularly irritating, is that on a machine of this expense, that their is no automatic shutoff for recharging, so you can damage the device by overcharging it. I think on one of the upgrades, you can have that fixed, but they do charge you a small fortune for that feature. I decided to just buy a countdown timer electrical outlet device to limit charge time. Much cheaper than the upgrades for the charger.
I really believe that this device helps improve consistency and confidence with certain shots and in particular power serves that seem some what overwhelming can be somewhat reproduced by this device. If they just created better handles for the device, it would be a 5 star device.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I purchased the Elite 2 about 2 months ago, and have used it 3-4 times a week on average since. There is no doubt that it is making me a better tennis player as well as improving my overall fitness level significantly.
Set to a single position, the machine is useful for repetitive drills and fine tuning specific shots. Turn on the horizontal oscillation, and most people can't keep up with it. Turn on horizontal and vertical, and it's hard to finish a whole hopper of balls...an EXCELLENT workout.
I disagree with some of the other reviews that the machine is not helpful for repetitive drills. No machine or coach is going to place a ball within a 6 inch square over and over again. The Lobster, though, will place the balls REASONABLY close enough to practice a specific shot. The variability will be more prominent with windy conditions and the older the balls get. When the balls are new, there is very little variability.
The machine is a little cumbersome, and the placement of the handle under the back part of the machine is less than optimal, as it is recessed under the area where the controls are, and is a little bit of a stretch to reach past the frame and the hopper to get to the handle.
I agree that the horizontal oscillating motor is a little loud, though noone has complained yet.
I have had some issues with the breaker shutting the machine off just at startup about every third time I turn it on, but all I have to do is turn it off and back on. It hasn't yet shut off in the middle of a hopper of balls.
All in all, I love my Lobster, and believe that it is a great deal for the features.
Set to a single position, the machine is useful for repetitive drills and fine tuning specific shots. Turn on the horizontal oscillation, and most people can't keep up with it. Turn on horizontal and vertical, and it's hard to finish a whole hopper of balls...an EXCELLENT workout.
I disagree with some of the other reviews that the machine is not helpful for repetitive drills. No machine or coach is going to place a ball within a 6 inch square over and over again. The Lobster, though, will place the balls REASONABLY close enough to practice a specific shot. The variability will be more prominent with windy conditions and the older the balls get. When the balls are new, there is very little variability.
The machine is a little cumbersome, and the placement of the handle under the back part of the machine is less than optimal, as it is recessed under the area where the controls are, and is a little bit of a stretch to reach past the frame and the hopper to get to the handle.
I agree that the horizontal oscillating motor is a little loud, though noone has complained yet.
I have had some issues with the breaker shutting the machine off just at startup about every third time I turn it on, but all I have to do is turn it off and back on. It hasn't yet shut off in the middle of a hopper of balls.
All in all, I love my Lobster, and believe that it is a great deal for the features.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Lobster Tennis Ball Machine
The Lobster Sports Elite 2 was the perfect tennis ball machine for my family. It's extremely well constructed, easily portable, and light enough for my wife to lift in and out of... Read more
Published 18 days ago by hilla007
awesome
It exactly what I wanted. Absolutely love this. Would recommend to any tennis player. Will help take my game to another level for sure.
Published 6 months ago by Cowboys fan
Good Ball Machine
Machine came in about a week.
It is a little heavy.
Ball placement was fairly acurate.
Battery lasted quite long.
Great for practice.
I recommend it.
It is a little heavy.
Ball placement was fairly acurate.
Battery lasted quite long.
Great for practice.
I recommend it.
Published on May 6, 2009 by T. Nguyen
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