the pickle

The machine works well. Help a lot to improve pickleball skills. It is worth to invest.

I think this is a good pickleball machine. I have their base level machine and it has all the adjustability I need. Do know that even with all new Core balls i get some ball flight height variance . I don’t know if it is from the balls or the machine. I don’t see this as a problem because it is slight and makes its use more like play with a human drill partner. Do not use mixed brand or mixed age balls of the same brand in the machine as the variation in ball flight will become annoying. The machine has a height adjustment mechanism incorporating 12 notches. These aren’t marked so I used a Sharpie to mark on the case each one and numbered them so that after setting up the machine for a certain drill I recorded all the settings. It takes a while to fine tune those settings to get what you want and it’s easier not to have to repeat the process each time you hit the court. I can’t trust my memory. I can’t speak to the machine’s longterm durability as I’ve had it for just a month. Finally the hopper flips upside down and handle folds up so it packs up into a nice compact unit to load into your car for travel to you local court.

I went out on a limb and spent way more than I should have for a pb machine in hopes in improving my game. The machine was delivered to my SC home in about a week which I thought was great since I was anxious to receive it. Unpacking / setup was easy and headed straight to the courts. First impression was favorable. Seems to throw reliably and remote works well and a "must have" in my opinion. I have used the machine for a week and so far, so good. However, the plastic buildup on the throwing wheels is substantial and I am sure a problem over time. I estimate that I have "thrown" about 2,000 balls (Franklin X40) with it and there is/was about an 8th of an inch of yellow plastic on the bottom wheel. So as Lobster recommends, I obtained 100 grit sandpaper and attempted to clean the wheels through the opening in the shell. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE! The sandpaper hardly removed any of the material and access is very awkward. So, I tried to remove the shell by removing the 6 screws that fasten it to the machine. No big deal but apparently during assembly one of the screws was crossed threaded into the brass insert in the chassis which was an absolute bear to remove. The brass insert had been twisted out of the housing and was spinning freely. I am proficient at dealing with issues like this and finally got the screw out. With the shell off the machine, I had much better access to the wheels but the 100 grit sandpaper was not up to the task. I am going to call Lobster tomorrow to see if there is an updated approach to removing the residue. Overall I still think this a great machine but periodic maintenance will be required. UPDATE 04/17/22: Used the machine for 3 sessions after getting the residue off the wheels. Machine performs well with only an occasional mis throw. Residue build up does not seem to be happening as rapidly now that the balls are broken in a bit. Already playing better after about 8-10 sessions on the machine. UPDATE 04/29/22: Build up on roller persists requiring cleaning the wheels again. Called Tech Support two days ago. No call back so I called again and was advised that problem is normal and will need periodic cleaning due to friction and heat. After cleaning worked flawlessly during session with a few hundred balls thrown. I think I will clean the wheels lightly after each use and hoping this will abate future problems. Be prepared.

Just got it today, look nice, have not used it yet, but some quick observations. 1. There is really no owner manaul. Just a two pages general Instructions. 2. The elevation in front is marked from 0 to 40 degrees trajectiry. But I can only adjust it from 10 to about 30 degrees. Not sure it will hamper my ability to practice overhead shots. And the handle to adjust the elevation, you have to pull hard and turn while pulling. It sounds cheaps as you are adjusting. More to come as I begin to use it. Dec 19 I used it for about four days and very impress with the purchase. The battery last an easy four hours. And that is working the machine very hard. I can practice dinks, overheads, thrid shots, drives, backhand forehand easy and consistent. This machine can really make you work up a sweat. Well worth the price. Change my rating to 5 star, but the handle to control elevation could use some improvement.

Easy to use. I’m an intermediate player and it provides me the ability to do most drills without needing a partner. A little on the heavy side. Have a ford escape and it easily fits in the back with the bench seat upright.

Purchased mine in October of 2025. It has only been used by myself and stored inside. The battery only last an hour. However, as of this weekend it won’t charge nor will it work plugged in. It says battery depleted and won’t charge at all. When it worked, it was lots of fun. However, right now, it’s a 35pound, $1k plus paperweight.

Engineered to perfection. The remote feature is great for controlled drills. The practice options cover all the shots necessary for a complete practice session. 🫡

The ball information follows this writing of wheel issues: There are two wheels that spin and toss the balls. They cost $60 EACH. If you need to replace them, with shipping, it will cost you $154, and you will need to do the repplacment work yourself. The toss wheel have a reputation of having cracks where they attach that can lead to the machine not working, or not working well. Those wheels are only warranted for 60 days. So, if you buy this machine, first thing you need to do is, check those wheels where they attach. Check and see if there are any cracks there. If so, get ahold of Lobster and you'll probably need to send then back for a free replacement up to 60 days. If you find them cracked after 60 days, then order and pay $154 and you'll have new ones. My machine losss accuracy in balls tosses after about a month of me having it. Ball issues were one cause and much later I found the thrower wheel crack issue was a factor. Another friend of mine had even worse issues with the toss wheels. I am not even going to begin to explain all his trouble here. Watch out for reviews of this machine if the person writing has only had their machine for a short time. I was happy at first too as was my friend who bought one. He is now even more disappointed than me. Issue TWO: Get the right balls: If you are a first time buyer, I would recommend a harder ball, like the Franklin 40 X's for this ball machine. Avoid a softer ball like the Onix Pure, which I like otherwise, just not for the Lobster ball machine. Had it six weeks now. It worked pretty good right out of the box. I ordered the remote later, as I found it would be helpful for me. THE BALLS - I ordered and used first were Onix Pure balls. They are known for their durability, so I thought they'd be perfect for a ball machine as they'd be getting a lot of use. However, the Onix Pure balls are made of a rather soft material over say the Franklin 40's and others. For that reason, I think, they did not come out of the spinning wheels as well as say the Franklin 40's, even from the start. Then, over time they began leaving a serious build-up on the wheels, so much so the wheels got covered and embedded and "hairy" with the softer yellow Onix material. This led to even MORE erratic action of the balls coming out of the machine, especially at distance throws - left and right. I mean the range went from forehand to back hand with the exact same settings and everything in between at distance. Closer to the net not as bad though, but still there to a lesser extent. My instructor has the same machine, but uses Franklin 40 balls in hers. They were more accurate from the get go, and the build up on the wheels was and is much much less. I emailed Lobster and they said for me to get a small metal brush for my machine, and use that on the spinning wheels while the machine was operating/spinning to clean off the yellow ball gunk. It took a while and I also ended up using vinyl siding cleaner to soften the gunk. I got 90% of the gunk off. The performance accuracy now is about what it was when I first got the machine which is/was almost acceptable, but still not nearly as good as the Franklin 40's that my instructor uses with hers. So I ordered some Franklin 40 X's and yes, they work much better in my machine than the Onix Pures. I noted too the Franklin 40's, beside being made of harder material, are very slightly larger than the Onix ones too. Just wonder a little if that makes a difference, but I doubt it, and think it is the softness and hardness that really makes the difference. I do like the touch that the Onix Pures have though, and oddly they do land further on the court than the Franklin 40's for some reason too - so more toss distance out of the machine, with the exact same settings . However, I prefer right and left accuracy for honing my returns, so I am switching over to the Franklin 40's for that reason. That and the hard to clean build up on the spinning wheels too. A build-up that only makes the accuracy more and more worse over time. By the way, the spinning wheels are fairly easy to replace (watched a video on that) and are $65 apiece. One top, one bottom one. So two needed for a full replacement. It seems the bottom one takes the brunt of the gunk build-up and probably wear too with a softer ball. Eventually, the spinning wheels, probably will, or may need replaced. They are THE most moving friction part and thus get the most wear, I am sure. If you are a first time buyer, I would recommend a harder ball like the Franklin 40 X's for your Pickle ball Lobster. If you really want a machine - this may be the one for you. Just know that the thrower wheels may need replacing and they are only warranted for 60 days - then you will spend $154 for new ones with shipping, and will need to install them yourself. If you are happy with that, you'll be good.

Pour pratiquer le pickleball