Ultimate Ball Machine Guide (2024) Comparing the RESULTS of 5 Top Machines.

[@EdNichols-qj4xk]

Glad to see a video comparing all of these.

[@skrueger78]

Just got my Slinger and it's great. I really wanted the Titan but had a tough time justifying all the extra money. The all-in-one factor is really important to me. You don't want to have to be carrying a bag of balls, your pickleball bag, and the machine. Time will tell if the simplicity and lack of drill building will annoy me.

[@FredAllenBurge]

Any update?

[@jeffkoeppen401]

We have the Simon X at our club for the members to use. It gets a lot of use and still going strong after almost 2 years.

[@PickleballJourney]

Simon X is so solid! I could see it lasting for a long long time.

[@daareanm3276]

Which should I get? SimonX or Titan?

[@stratelyze2095]

Their is now a Simon X Facebook club. in addition their are some great accessories coming out shortly

[@giagenae]

This was actually really helpful! Thanks so much.

[@cwarner5909]

I really thought that I needed a ball machine until I bought one. Spent another $150.00 on balls. I used most of my drilling time un-loading and setting up the machine then chasing down all the balls and re-loading it in my car. Mine now sits in the garage while I do my lone drilling against a wall. Wall drills take only one ball and is a much better use of time. I think that if I wasn't having to transport it back and forth to the courts my experience would be much better.

[@kento1957]

Then you must have only drilled for a few minutes and used some lame method of collecting the balls. Takes me at most 5 minutes to set the machine up and 2-3 minutes collecting each batch of balls. I usually drill for 3 hours. Great use of time.

[@clintbouck9161]

Sell it to me please ,lol

[@DavidHust]

Which machine?

[@tejanoroo]

I totally agree with @kento1957 you aren't doing it right if it takes you that long. I modified my hopper to hold 300 balls and with my setup it takes me between 4 and 6 mintues to pick up all those balls and load them.

[@adamquimby2694]

I watched a couple guys the other day. One was hitting shots while the other was just picking up balls with a tennis ball collector and reloading. Tons of non stop drilling got done taking turns. Even without a partner the collector would be a must.

[@starscoach7896]

Hi, I spent $900 on the Slinger last month (Mar 2024, including tax) and am having a go round with Slinger support. Could you confirm from your testing that when you charge the Slinger, that there is/is not a light displayed on the panel indicating that it is charging or did you solely rely on the charger's light? Much appreciated.

[@mattm2625]

Mine is the same - i.e. the light on the charger goes from red to green, but nothing lights up on the panel. I'm guessing that's by design? Overall, pretty happy with the machine - I've only used it a few times thus far.

[@Mr.DJones]

Thank you for your time and posting. I'm waiting for a ball machine with AI. :) Also, I was using the Slinger before it actually came out. Legacy in Mesa AZ had a prototype. I used it for a few months, I agree with the panel on the front, but it was a great machine. Easy to set up, and roll around. Too bad Legacy didn't charge the machine much of the time so when I got there, the machine was dead.

[@PickleballJourney]

Thank you as always! Haha yes that’ll be the next machine!

[@bzbea1]

How would you stack the Tutor plus and Tutor Spin against those? I think they’re both not so costly. Can hold 100 balls or more. Spin version is lighter and easy to transport but - ironically- does not have top spin or slice features. 3 modes only: same location, alternating sides, or random.

[@PickleballJourney]

Hey- unfortunately haven’t been able to get our hands on a Tutorial before so I can’t speak to that. Have heard it’s a good machine though!

[@froknowsphoto]

nice job on the video

[@amok00]

the fro knows pickleball too!

[@tristanwilhelm9600]

Great video, and might I add I appreciate you just talk normal and not try to make every word dramatic like some pickle tubers do

[@PickleballJourney]

Thanks for that feedback! 👍

[@mtcdnp]

Great video! One that I think is best for me is the Titan Ace (same features like Titan One but smaller body like the Lobster and Ernie)

[@Swenser]

What anti hopper ball jam features are you seeing in These? Stirrers and stronger motors help i guess.

[@sheris3960]

So I watched the video. You never mention about the battery for most of the machines. It is a Important feature me. I was set on the titan but the battery life sucks i would have to buy extra bateries and a remote. So I next went to the Simon x yes more money but I could be out on and off all day without charging it it also comes with a remote. So battery life is great. The ernie might be a possibility. I will be using this it a campground from may-october. No ac power would be near me. What is your thought avout the batteries. I would to have to go back to might campsite just to charge it

[@sheris3960]

Yes the features are important too

[@sheris3960]

Thanks for the video

[@jonmccauley6490]

The Titan comes with a 6AH battery, but Ryobi now makes a 12AH battery that will double the time. It's not cheap though. My biggest concern with this machine is the new company and that the machine is solely controlled by an app. Ever had an app update and brick itself? Well too bad, guess you can't use that $2500 machine. What happens if this new company goes out of business entirely? Apps don't stay active for very long due to security concerns. They really need to make a fully functioned remote option. I also don't want to carry my phone in my pocket.

[@lealyk5815]

Missing the tutor and the spinshot

[@PickleballJourney]

Yeah unfortunately couldn’t get our hands on those 2. Have used the spinshot and it’s a great machine as well!

[@grBetaBlogger]

I'm between the Erne which you have reviewed in this video and Pongbot Pace S Pro. Do you have any feedback on that one as well?

[@PickleballJourney]

Haven’t heard of that one sorry

[@td5272]

Solid roundup. Own a slinger and don't disagree with anything ya said. One thing that I'm curious about based on your experience: the slinger take a long time between pressing start and getting the first ball fed. How do the others compare on this? Viewing others in action at the club, it looks like most get you that first ball a heck of a lot faster than Slinger's lag. Thanks for a great video.

[@brianbanks3044]

i have the lesser 1600 dollar Simon and it works well...no oscillation but it is steady and it can take 100 balls per loaded bin....it doesn't have an app which is fine for me because if something happens to the phone, you are out of luck...the lifetime ball spinning wheels was a good selling point and it does load OK into the car...i usually set it up so all the return shots go towards the corner of the courts and are easier to pick up....every machine has its quirks but this one is solid and sturdy construction...some people won't like the bulk or price but it will not crack or bend or fall apart very easily

[@chrispenn6149]

What about Proton?

[@tyeodle]

Why was the spinshot not rated which seemed to be a really good machine also deserving a rating by you all?

[@sherrygoettler9747]

Why the heck did you use the low end of Lobster?

[@CollectingCarolina]

Bc most ppl can't justify spending a ton of money on their first machine. That's why the slinger is honestly the way to go.

[@cathykaufman392]

Why didn't you include the Tutor?

[@Andy-d5j]

Between the Erne and the Titan, for somebody that is looking to have a intermediate to pro level experience. Which machine do you think is better? Thanks!

[@PickleballJourney]

Both are great. Personally, I like the Erne better for the ease of use and the portability. Drills are great on both.

[@Zaskar113]

Great video - gracias.

[@gypsyjazzclass3077]

We bought the Erne for our club. Major drawback is the machine does not throw balls slow enough to dink with. You need to put the machine back from the kitchen line to get it to drop balls in the kitchen. It does not replicate a dink coming at you with respect to trajectory and speed. Major flaw.....

[@DanBlake3rd]

I’ve got one and would agree for straight on dinks it’s kind of a pain. More of a drop than a dink. But it does work pretty well for cross court dinks. It took me a while to figure out how to set it up, but it works really well for those.

[@CallMeHarris]

thanks!

[@Vypermike]

This was good to watch now to break it down what's best for me

[@kipptrummel2476]

spinshot is awesome

[@PickleballJourney]

It is! I’ve used it before but unfortunately wasn’t able to get ahold of one of this.

[@davegenet]

I have one. Very robust. The App is good enough to create advanced drills (but you have to create them). It doesn’t jam. The oscillation is external. I suppose the one the intrigues me most on this review is the Titan because of the ball storage within the machine. Plus the internal oscillation, the App and the easily replaceable battery.

[@tommyjenkins4107]

Do all the machines di the drop shot drill. The lobster is the only one shown to do that

[@dcweber1]

Like to see you test tennis ball machines.

[@vasilitriant5571]

The link to the Titan ball machine discount code does not work. Do you have a valid one?

[@PickleballJourney]

Will check and get back to you on this. Thanks

[@bluelighter8er]

@@PickleballJourney any luck on the code? unfortunately your referral link does not work

[@PickleballJourney]

@bluelighter8er hoping to hear back from Titan team soon. I’ll get back to you thanks

[@PickleballJourney]

@bluelighter8er okay I put a new link in. Let me know if it works or if you still have issues.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

You left out, in my opinion, the best machine out there. The Spin Shot. Just wondering why it wasn't included.

[@PickleballJourney]

Yes I agree, Spinshot is great. We’ve tested it in the past and done a full review on it. Unfortunately couldn’t get our hands on one again for this video. Made sure we didn’t say these are the “best 5 machines” as there are others that are great we couldn’t include.

[@tcurnyn1]

I can NOT agree with your conclusion on best machine. i have the Titan and its stands alone. The braking systems is the fastest of any machine. It has 18 volt motors. Many Pro's are now sharing QR codes for drills. There are so many features you didn't include about the Titan. Also where is the Spinshot and Tutor

[@PickleballJourney]

As mentioned, Titan is most advanced. It’s a great machine and these are just my opinions after comparing.

[@jonmccauley6490]

Where are you seeing a community sharing drills and discussing the Titan? I'm interested in the Titan, but have my reservations due to them being a new company.

[@omadscience7358]

Awesome video

[@PickleballJourney]

Thank you!

[@davegenet]

I’m lucky enough to put my machine in a wagon and roll it to the court in my community. If that wasn’t the case I might well agree with you. That being said the machine has been great for my game. Especially for drives and drops and for other shots like overheads, blocks, etc. I don’t have a tennis background so it really helped with my groundstroke. Also, when I am ready to drill so is it. I have a SpinShot which is not reviewed here. What I like about it is that is rarely jams. The app is good enough. The construction seems robust.

[@omadscience7358]

Im not sure what there is to agree with. I stated this was good video. You disagree? @@davegenet

[@davegenet]

I think I accidentally replied to the wrong thread. But I agree. Great video!

[@mlee9049]

Which one is your personal favorite?

[@PickleballJourney]

Erne is my personal favorite and best overall when taking into account price, portability, drilling and ease of use.

[@mlee9049]

@@PickleballJourney Thank you!

[@hh1036]

Do you make a commission if someone uses your code?

[@KyleKozlansky]

"You can use the battery from your drill" You know, a universal drill battery. You know how every drill manufacturer has the exact same battery?

[@skelthouser2730]

It looks like a Ryobi style battery.

[@samuelcourtney-sx2uw]

💪🏻👀

[@PickleballJourney]

👊

[@Pickleballlover-kf8qi]

I’ve seen the Titan action. There’s no way the Erne machine can compare. The breaking system on the Titans is probably three times faster than any 12 V brush motor. The speed is absolutely incredible. The 18 V motors are quicker and more powerful. The internal installation and design of the machine is incredible. I have had tremendous luck with consist ball shots.. please reevaluate. Kind of concerning that you can compare all five machines and not have the Titan stand out on his own. Disappointed to say the least. We all have our own opinions. I’m just a Titan fan. I go to a lot of events and here many of the top pro players starting to use the Titan machine. Please readjust your thoughts. I have heard 3 of 5 Top women in the world ranking use Titan - End of Story Thanks (nice videoing)

[@PickleballJourney]

This is why it received “most advanced” and makes sense why top pros would be using it. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best machine for the everyday player. There were things about the Erne (simplicity to use, portability, etc.), that for me, make it the best overall.

[@JulieZhu-p3h]

Hi, our company also have pickleball machine,we are the manufacturer directly for our machine since 2006.we can upgrade the machine according to your suggestion. Please send me message if you need sample for test.thanks a lot

[@porteyboy]

Also missing Simon X.

[@samuraistabber]

Did you even watch the video?

[@PickleballJourney]

It’s there!

[@hankb7725]

Pickleball was invented for senior citizens.... get real people

[@shookumm9759]

So you’ve never played huh

[@KenGaspari]

Our golf course put in 34 pickleball courts, average age around 30😊 The courts get a lot of play

[@CollectingCarolina]

It literally was not invented for senior citizens... where are ppl getting this info?