The top model of the Tennis Tutor franchise is the Tennis Tutor Plus. Made by Sport Tutor, The Tennis Tutor tennis ball machine is one of the oldest and longest running models of tennis ball machines. Sports Tutor has been making these (with minor tweaks and modifications) for over 20 years which is a testament to their quality and reputation. If you’re looking for a quality portable tennis ball machine at an excellent value, you’ll want to check out this Tennis Tutor Plus review. Let’s take a look at some of the features.

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Tennis Tutor Plus Features

The Tennis Tutor Plus utilizes the patented box design that measures 20″H x 19.5″L x 20″W. This makes the machine very small and very portable. It easily fits into the trunk of any car and if necessary can sit on one of the car seats. The Tennis Tutor Plus weighs about 46 pounds of which about 12 pounds is due to the heavy duty battery. Speaking of which the heavy duty battery provides anywhere from four to six hours of playing time so there’s plenty of charge and can usually skip a round or two of charging. And when charging it takes about 12 hours to go from dead to full (just don’t let it overcharge!).

As far as performance features go, the Tennis Tutor Plus provides an electronic control panel that controls ball speed, the trajectory and the feed rate (or how often it throws a ball). The ball speeds range from 10 to 85 mph which covers everyone from little kids to professional athletes. The trajectory can be set to provide groundstrokes for some solid practice there or overhead lobs that are not only fun to smash but are embarrassing when you mess it up. The nice improvement on the Plus model has a 10 segment display that shows you how high your trajectory is set for so you can find your favorite setting easily. The feed rate ranges from a ball every 10 seconds so you can get some warm ups in or every second in a half to keep you on your toes. Another option that’s only available on the Tennis Tutor Plus model is a spin control knob that controls the degree of which topspin or backspin you want to practice.

The Tennis Tutor Plus can be set to one fixed position so that you get the continuous feed for practicing form or just warming up. Then it also has an oscillation function that will randomly distribute the ball anywhere on the court. And since the hopper can hold 150 balls, this can provide for some intense workouts. Some additional bells and whistles on the Plus include an anti-jamming mechanism that prevents jamming and the frustration of stopping in the middle of practice to fix it. This tennis machine also includes a 10 second delay that allows you to get setup on your side of the net before it begins firing balls.

Additional Tennis Tutor Plus Options

The basic Tennis Tutor Plus tennis ball machine is a great investment on its own. But if you want to spend the additional money for added convenience in features there are several additional options that can really make this a world class tennis ball machine. The first option is the installation of a 2 button remote ($200). While this may seem like a lot for just a remote, the cost quickly pays for itself. The 2 button remote controls the start and stop of a machine (handy for when you have to take a call) and the side to side sweeping motions.

The next feature offers a “player” function ($400). This function is basically a computer program that is set up to act like a real player and will throw balls that corresponds with how you should hit the previous ball. It comes with three different skill levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. This is as close to a real match as you can get with one of these machines. Any serious tennis player is going to want this feature and will not regret spending the extra cash.

If you want both the 2 button remote and the player function it will cost an extra $600. Depends on what you want, but it might be worth it.

Finally, if you’re flush with cash, the grand-daddy option is to have the player function with a multi-button remote. This remote control is like having the control panel right in your hand. You can control start/stop, speed, elevation, spin and all of the player functions.

Tennis Tutor Plus Review

The Tennis Tutor Plus is one of the best tennis ball machines money can buy. It has just about all the options you can want in a tennis ball machine and the additional add-ons make it customizable for an incredible tennis experience. What’s great about the Tennis Tutor Plus is that it’s so easy to use. All of the controls are intuitive and the little things, like the 10 second delay and the elevation indicator make it so easy to set it down, set it up and start playing in just seconds. The model is a little heavy and would be difficult for children or the elderly to lift in and out of the car. However, it does have a handle for wheeling the unit around. That being said the handle is a little on the short side for those who are taller.

The biggest plus about the Tennis Tutor Plus is that it comes with the smart charging option standard. This is nice because when you’re paying over a thousand dollars for a piece of equipment you want it to have all of the conveniences possible. This feature is essential because when charging a lead acid battery without a smart charger, if you don’t keep an eye on it, you can easily overcharge the battery. Not only is this dangerous but it also tends to ruin the battery shortening its lifespan. Another nice feature is the built in battery indicator that beeps to let you know when you’ve only got a half hour left.

Tags: Tennis Tutor Plus, Tennis Tutor Tennis Ball Machines