LOBSTER Elite Model 2- Battery Machine

I have used a Lobster portable ball machine and a Playmate ball machine for 2 and 5 years, respectively, both personally and with a school tennis team. The Lobster has complicated touch button controls instead of dials, knobs, and switches located on the back red part of the machine. Absent a remote control, you have to get on your hands and knees to access the controls. And worse, its difficult to get the machine to produce the desired result from the touch controls: 1 the big problem is that you must pause the machine, 2 then you hit the menu button, then hit up/down keys, 3 you turn it back on to see if you get the result you want. Often not. For example, add some spin/speed and balls may shoot off the court. So you have to start the whole process over again trial and error until you get a useable result. Contrast this with the Playmates simple dials, knobs, and switches which you can adjust as it shoots balls. It may not sound flashy, but its much easier to get a desired re

The instruction booklet is very brief. I felt that the directions could have been more explicit especially for adding the remote package and for operating the machine. There should be instruction for setting up different programs to work out with the ball machine.

The machine performs as advertized. The design should be improved to ease rolling down steps and for lifting in and out of the car. The electronic controls are 1960's technology and are in serious need of updating, e.g. fully-programmable touchpad controls. It should not be necessary to ship the 44 lb machine back to the mfg to add a simple control function when all the mechanical requirements for that function are already built into the machine.