PICKLEBALL PITCHING MACHINES, THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

Pickleball Pitching Machines ONGOING SERIES OF INFORMATION ABOUT PICKLEBALL PITCHING MACHINES THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

I had the opportunity to demo the Lobster Pickleball Pitching Machine for a week.  The unit is extremely compact and portable with its extension handle and wells. The weight is manageable for one person providing you do not have lifting issues. The oscillation mode is controlled by the remote.  I did find the remote unit non-responsive at times.  The best manner of performance was to preset the machine on the court facing cross court and testing various speeds and feeds and points of impacts..  I suggest keeping a small pocket note pad to record locations and settings for specific ball flight.  I did not test the dinking capabilities.  You need to start with feed and speed at lowest settings when turning machine on and allow it 10-20 seconds to warm up, Listen for the increase in motor speed..  Once warmed up start testing ball flight, height and landing location.  Adjust as needed.  And judge for yourself if this machine is for you. I own a Simon2. I have also demo'ed the Lobster for over a week of everyday usage. I have also used the Tutor on several occasions. However this does not make me any authority on the subject. What information I can provide is "consumer based." 

Construction wise (external & internal) the Simon2 is a Sherman Tank (SS exterior and machined motorized gears and linkage.  The belting is also heavy duty.  If you get the chance, make sure the machines are turned off, then look  inside each machine from outside the ball dispensing chute with a flashlight. You can see the difference in quality from machined hardware versus stamped hardware.

Look down inside the carousel area that holds the balls.  The Simon2 carousel is heavier and the ball alignment hardware is part of the interior of the cabinet and not part of the carousel like the others.  The Simon2 remote control is more sturdier and much more responsive than other remotes.  Another positive feature of Simon2 is the loud "beep" sound the machine makes when you activate the carousel with the remote control.  Other remotes lacked that feature. 

The Tutor reminds me of a cardboard box with the top flaps left open. Style & Fashion wise it gets a "0". \Of the three machines, the Tutor gets the Ugly award for visual and construction. But it does work. Operation of Tutor, it does what it is advertised to do. Sometimes it does it well and other times, not so well. So intermittent jamming of balls inside the carousel. This is an each fix by immediately turning the machine off and clearing all the balls out of the hopper. The you will see the one ball that is jamming the carousel. Just carefully remove that ball and test run the machine before loading any balls. Drop one or two balls into the hopper and verify your feed, speed and distance of ball travel, before dispensing any more balls. The Lobster is "cute and compact." Easily transported with a built in hand dolly with wheels, that collapses out of view. Weight is lighter than Simon and more easy to transport The Simon2 has its own fixed wheels attached that allows you to roll the machine to and from the court. However I purchased a large heavy duty wheeled collapsible "garden wagon" from Costo Wholesale Online. for under $50. Fantastic investment to store the Simon in my outdoor garden shed, always at the ready to transport in back of my pickup, loaded with a bagged net, balls, ball retriever and pickleball teaching aids. I also have electric in my shed and after each use I recharge the Simon's smart battery. The shed keeps it dry, easily accessible for transport and under locked storage. If I transport Simon in wet or damp weather I cover it with a waterproof outdoor barbecue cover to keep it dry. You also want to keep the balls dry during transporting. Wet and damp weather can create internal problems in most any ot the pickleball pitching machines. When I transport the machine from the truck to the court, it is an easy job with the wagon carrying all of my court gear and the machine. The storage shed is at the end of my driveway, and I can back in with tailgate down and use a homemade plywood ramp to wheel the wagon into the back of the pickup. I use the cinch style straps to secure it inside the bed. Five minutes is all it takes to load and go.

The Simon 2 remote controls the stop and start of the ball dispensing operation. It does not control the turning on or off of the machine, the feed lapse of the balls or the speed of the balls.  These are hand set controls before dispensing balls. of the net and set the machine to dispense ball to you standing behind the baseline of the opposite side of court .

The Simon 2 remote controls the stop and start of the ball dispensing operation. It does not control the turning on or off of the machine, the feed lapse of the balls or the speed of the balls.  These are hand set controls before dispensing balls.

The Simon 2 does not oscillate.  Changing direction of the balls is done by hand positioning. 

I thought the non-oscillating of the Simon2 would be a significant disadvantage.  Now I prefer to change ball direction by hand position the machine as opposed to an oscillating side to side. 

Since we primarily play double pickleball, and prefer hand positioning for more precise ball dispensing.  I prefer to make my students to move to the ball instead of having the machine send the ball directly to the players. 

I use this to my advantage as a teaching exercise to stress the importance of the student anticipating the delivery location of the ball, keeping the ball in front  of their body, and returning to the ready position immediately after returning the ball. I start this drill with the student standing just behind the baseline at the center line to make them more right or left to return the ball and then return to the center line baseline position, ready for the next ball. From back court positions, I also emphasize the forehand return as opposed to the backhand return.  Even many experience players have not developed a strong backhand from the back court. Even if they clear the net the ball is not well placed and usually provides the opponents with a put-away opportunity.

The note book recording the pitching machine feed, speed and elevation settings for different shots is an excellent reference to save time on the court setting up the machines for specific ball feeding sequences.