The lobster Sports Elite Grand Four tennis ball machine is the starting model of the Lobster Grand model line. We looked into the details to find out the main differences between the Grand Four and the lower Elite model line. Is the Grand Four worth the investment?
Pros:
+ 6 preloaded drills (6 shots each)
+ Possibility to choose deepness (short, mid and deep) and width (narrow, medium and wide) of the shots
+ Clear hopper
+ Court time 4 to 8 hours, Short recharging period
+ Vertical and Random Oscillation
+ Ball capacity 150 balls
+ For intermediate and advanced players looking for game-like experience
Cons:
– Remote Control (20-functions or Grand remote or Phone remote) just for an additional fee
– Not programmable, just preloaded drills
– Just three levels of backspin and topspin
CHECK PRICE OF LOBSTER SPORTS ELITE GRAND FOUR ON AMAZON HERE or read the full review below.
Content:
Technical Specifications
Features
Available Drills
Remote Control
Battery life
Construction
Pricing & Our Verdict
or check our guide to all the important features and parameters the best tennis ball machines should have.
Lobster Sports Elite Grand Four Technical Specifications:
Ball Feed Speed: 35 to 80 mph (56 to 129 kmph)
Ball Feed Interval: 2 seconds to 9 seconds
Ball Capacity: 150 balls
Programmable Drills: 6 preloaded drills
Phone Compatibility: yes, for an additional fee
Battery life: 4 – 8 hours
Battery charging: 3 to 9 hours for a fully charged battery
Weight: 44 lbs (20 kg)
Dimensions: Height: 29 in (73 cm) Length: 21 in (53 cm) Width: 15.5 in (39 cm) when folded down
Case Construction: Durable plastic body
Features
The Lobster Elite Grand Four tennis ball machine belongs to the upper line of Lobster Sports models. Therefore it is stuffed with interesting features and possibilities.
Electronic elevation, 2 to 9 seconds feed interval and three levels of backspin and topspin are just the base you will find in cheaper models. However, the Lobster Elite Grand Four comes with much more.
It has a horizontal and vertical oscillation feature, which can be combined and mixed at preset parameters, or you can choose fully random oscillation. The horizontal oscillation has three different settings: narrow, medium and wide. So it is up to you to decide how much you want to run between your backhand and forehand shots when using the 2-line function.
You can also choose the deepness of the shots from three different settings: Short, Mid, and Deep.
These features will give you a game-style experience without any doubt. Lobster Elite Grand Four is really a fully equipped serious tennis opponent for any practice.
Available Drills
The Lobster Elite Grand Four tennis ball machine comes with 6 preloaded drills. Each drill consists of a different 6-shot sequence. The drills are called Grinder, Power Baseliner, All-Courter, Moon Baller, Slicer and Lefty. These drills can simulate the usual match exchanges and give you a game-style experience. They are set to practice the different combinations of shots and you can adjust the feed interval as you wish.
Grand Four ball machine does not offer the possibility to program your own drills, but in my opinion, preloaded drills will satisfy even the most demanding players.
Remote control
The usual weaker spot of Lobster tennis ball machines is the remote control. Lobster Elite Grand Four does not have a remote control in the basic setup. However, you have an opportunity to buy 20 functions remote control or remote control for Android and Apple phones for an additional fee (starting around $300). Unfortunately, there is no possibility to buy a popular two-button (play/stop) remote control. That makes me sad and took one star from our rating of Lobster Elite Grand Four. Two-button remote control would be a cheap and very convenient solution.
Battery life & recharging
In terms of court time, Lobster Elite Grand Four belongs to above-average tennis ball machines. 4 to 8 hours of battery life is enough for anyone. You can use Lobster Elite Grand Four for five or six following practices on courts without recharging.
Recharging of Lobster Elite Grand models is substantially faster than with cheaper tennis ball machines. Lobster Grand Four comes with a fast charger that can recharge your ball machine in 3 to 9 hours. It also has overcharge protection embedded, so there is no need to plug off the machine after the charging. That is a big advantage compared to cheaper Lobster Elite models.
Check reviews of other Lobster Sports tennis ball machines
Construction
All Lobster tennis ball machines are made of durable plastic. It saves on weight and makes them easily transportable. Lobster Elite Grand weighs around 44 pounds which makes it easy to pull or push by juniors or ladies. It also does not cause any problems when you need to lift it to the car for transport. It has even moulded handholds on the underside of the machine to ease the lifting.
The handle can be folded and the ball feeder can be inverted to cover the machine for storage or transport. These small but useful tweaks make me feel satisfied and I appreciate the work of the designers at Lobster Sports.
The cherry on the top is the clear ball hopper which lets you see from a distance how many balls are left in the feeder. Thumbs up guys.
Check other reviews of Lobster Sports Elite Grand Four tennis ball machine on Amazon here.
Lobster Sports Elite Grand Four Pricing & Our Verdict
Lobster Sports Elite Grand Four tennis ball machine is your entry ticket to professional tennis practice. Features and preloaded drills will fully satisfy even the most demanding tennis players. You will get a game-like experience. Intermediate and advanced players will appreciate the possibility of facing variable depth and width shots in random or preset order. Six preloaded drills cover the most usual setups for training forehand and backhand combinations.
Lobster Elite Grand Four combines the advantages of cheaper Elite models in terms of weight, storability, and transportability and adds also fast recharging with overcharge protection. The only drawback is the missing remote control. There is no chance to buy just a cheap two-button remote control and you need to invest in 20 functions or phone remote control. However, if you will dismiss this factor, you will get a perfect opponent for your court practice.
CHECK PRICE OF LOBSTER SPORTS ELITE GRAND FOUR ON AMAZON HERE