Wilson Portable Tennis Ball Machine is manufactured by Sports Tutor company under Wilson Sporting Goods license. This tennis ball machine with the name known to everyone in the tennis industry offers a lot of interesting features at a relatively good price.
Pros:
+ 8 different spin levels and 1 flat shot possibility
+ Electrical elevation
+ Standard charger has overcharge protection of the battery
+ Random horizontal oscillation
+ For beginners and intermediate players
Cons:
– Remote control (Two-button) just for an additional fee
– Two Line oscillation feature just for an additional fee
– No programmed drills available
– Ball Capacity 110 balls is lower than in comparable machines of other producers
CHECK PRICE OF WILSON PORTABLE BALL MACHINE ON AMAZON HERE or read the full review below.
Content:
Technical Specifications
Features
Available Drills
Remote Control
Battery life & Recharging
Pricing & Our Verdict
or check our guide to all important features and parameters the best tennis ball machines should have.
Technical Specifications:
Ball Speed: 10 to 75 mph
Programmable Drills: none
Ball Feed Interval: 1.5 seconds to 10 seconds
Ball Capacity: 110 balls
Phone Compatibility: No
Battery life: 3- 4 hours
Battery charging: 18 hours for a fully charged battery
Weight: 38 lbs (17 kg)
Dimensions: Height: 20 in (51 cm) Length: 22 in (56 cm) Width: 14 in (35 cm)
Features
Wilson Portable Tennis Ball Machine is very well known in tennis. Wilson’s name on anything always attracts a lot of attention. Wilson tennis ball machine is manufactured by Sports Tutor under the license.
Wilson Portable Tennis Ball Machine has a wide speed range from 10 to 75 mph. The feed interval can be set up from 1.5 to 10 seconds. Both parameters can be adjusted by a turning knob in 10 steps.
The ball capacity is set at 110 balls. That is slightly less than the Spinshot standard of 120 balls and the Lobster standard of 150 balls.
The elevation is electrical with easy to use button set up on the control panel.
There are four different backspin and four different topspin possibilities plus one basic flat shot option. That is quite good variability for any intermediate player.
Wilson Portable has a random oscillation feature. Two-line oscillation possibility can be added for an additional fee.
All features are easily set up via a control panel on the side of the machine.
Available Drills
You should not expect programmability or preloaded drills with machines under $1400.
Looking for a more advanced model with preprogrammed drills and a remote control? Check Spinshot Player – The #1 choice of our readers
Remote control
The two-button remote control is not part of the basic delivery package. It can be bought for an additional charge. You will be able to start/stop the machine and the oscillation with the remote control.
I prefer to have a remote control as it is much more comfortable during the start of the practice session. The standard delay of ball feed by 10 seconds is not always sufficient.
Battery life & recharging
Court time with Wilson Portable is the same as with the competitors. 3 to 4 hours depending on the practice sequence is the standard. The machine usually holds on more than any of the players. I do not see any reason to look for a machine with longer court time if you are a single player using the machine just for yourself. However, if you are looking for a tennis ball machine for your tennis club then you should consider machines with longer court time. Longer court time is much better when you need to use a machine for two or three following practices.
The battery can be recharged in 18 hours and the recharger includes overcharging protection. That is a feature not included in all of the other machines in this price category.
If 18 hours seems too long for you, you can buy a fast charger for an additional fee. The fast charger will decrease the recharging time to 6 hours.
Wilson Portable Pricing & Our Verdict
Wilson Portable Tennis Ball Machine offers good quality for a reasonable price. Its basic features are suitable for beginners and intermediate players. Starters will enjoy mainly the flat shot with different heights, the intermediate players will use the spin and oscillation feature.
It is worth considering buying also remote control and two-line oscillation feature for an additional fee. However, in that case, the price will be a little bit higher and I recommend comparing the features and pricing with Lobster Elite One model and Spinshot Pro tennis ball machine.
CHECK PRICE OF WILSON PORTABLE BALL MACHINE ON AMAZON HERE
Do Wilson tennis machines have to be charged all the time?
No, if you have battery-operated model, it will last 3 to 4 hours of playing. And then you need to recharge battery.
The machine will not shoot the ball out. Any suggestions? They pile up on the inside of machine
Would you consider this a “commercial grade” machine for a club, or purely for private use?