elite two

I ordered this item and it arrived in two days though I did not expect it for 5-7 days from shipping. It was on the court within 1 hour and working with regular used tennis balls that I use for serving practice. I ordered the Tretorn pressureless balls but they haven't arrived yet. Pressureless tennis balls are recommended. There has been a small problem with charging using the basic charger. However, tech support has been great and we are working it out. I am not concerned as I might have been because the machine can provide a great workout in about 1 hour. With 72 pressureless balls at a time, that is about 3-4 loads if you hustle. Normal battery charge is supposed to be 2-4 hours. My only regret is that I did not get this machine several years ago. It is well worth the investment into your development in tennis. Consider getting the Elite 3 machine that adds a nice feature that the Elite 2 does not have. (The Elite 2 can be upgraded to an Elite 3 by the manufacturer.) The remote is nice but the machine gives you twenty seconds to get into position before the first ball. After that, there is no need to stop until you finish the load. If getting instruction while using the machine, then the remote makes sense. Definitely get the premium charger. It goes much, much faster than the basic charger and doesn't need to be watched (the basic charger requires user to watch light progression and stop when charged). The premium charger is wired into panel differently and bypasses the basic charger circuit. I gave this a 5 star rating because it has performed very well other than the minor problem with basic charger. And I have learned that tech support for the machine is excellent and I look forward to being able to maintain this machine indefinitely!

I bought this August 2024. It is now April 2025 and it finally needed a charge in the battery. That is fantastic. The full charge is 24 hours. I am pleased with this ball machine. Will keep you posted as I continue to use it.

The extra couple hundred dollars for the 2 line feature (elite 3) is worth it. Makes working on both forehand and backhand from the baseline efficient. The narrow setting for just lots of hits, wide is a lot of work or two people can practice a single shot each without getting in each other's way. Can use 2 line to practice volleys as well. Great way to work on technique.

I am very happy with my Elite 3. Since the first usage it was very easy to use it, from the handling to put it into my car's trunk to the court setting up speed, elevation and spin. I use it along with my 9 and 16 years old daughters, and each one uses a different configuration. They learned to use it easily and we enjoy a lot practicing. For me, I do 6 rounds of 150 balls each, and after a shoulder surgery I am getting back my timing and swing very fast. We spend 4 hours in the morning and batteries keep up, its impressive. What I love the most is that it keeps sending you balls perfectly, no hesitation, no errors, no tired complaints from the other side. Quality of the machine is very high.

Two items stand out for those interested in this product. One, with less than seven hours’ use, the elevation mechanism broke; specifically, one of the bolts that controls the elevation arm fell out. With the manufacturer’s suggestion and help, I tried to find the missing bolt in the cavity of the machine and was successful. However, due to the angle of the insertion, I was unable to thread it back into the arm. The alternative was to ship it back to Lobster. And that ties in with item number two. This machine is extremely unwieldy. It weighs 47 pounds and it’s very difficult to lift. It’s not just the weight; it’s the awkwardness of being unable to grab the machine to do so. And then to place it in a car or the back of an SUV means raising it to waist level or higher. Well, I can do this without much difficulty since I’ve been training with weights for decades. However, there is virtually no chance the average woman could lift this into a vehicle—or at least not without great difficulty. Therefore, with the breakdown of equipment and the awkwardness of using this machine, transporting it back-and-forth, I would recommend one be careful about purchasing it. As far as the performance of the machine otherwise, it was up to specs.