The Little Prince Tennis Ball Machine AKA I-SAM Tennis Ball Machine
Want a partner to practice your shots, a partner that will never get tired, always listen to you and send the balls just the way you want, GET a tennis ball machine. Every tennis enthusiast can benefit from a tennis ball machine.
And Little Prince Tennis Ball Machine can be the one for you. This handy sports tool is manufactured by one of the pioneers of sports accessories companies “Master Sports” which in 2006, renamed it as I-SAM Tennis Ball Machine while the features and functions remain the same. For the last 15 years, it has become the most widely used sports tool preferred by many famous tennis players because of its lucrative features, light weight, portability and ease of use.
Physical properties of Prince Portable Tennis Ball machine
The Little prince Tennis Ball Machine is a light weight machine with a weight of 29 lbs (excluding hopper) and a height of 19 inch. The weight may vary with its additional accessories like hopper, battery etc. It contains a stand below to keep it stationary and a carrying strap to carry it anywhere, but no wheels. The power system may be direct AC power or rechargeable battery or both, it depends on your preference. It is recommended that if your tennis ground is built in with AC power outlets, you should choose the direct AC power system that will reduce the weight of the machine as well as the price. AC power allows you to play for unlimited time while the rechargeable batteries provides 2 to 4 hours full runtime which is suitable for people who love to play tennis in different places or where AC connection is not available. You can also spend a little more money to get both the power systems (by using a converter). The machine can hold more than 100 balls in every load that will offer you at least 30 minutes play in a single run.
Control Panel
The most lucrative feature of the little Prince Tennis Ball Machine is that it contains a well designed control panel that offers you variation in shot selection and performance. There are 2 dials, a switch and 2 indicator LED lights. The dial titled with BALL SPEED and marked with a scale of 1 to 10 indicates the ball delivery speed that is adjustable within 15 mph to 60 mph. The second dial is titled as FEED RATE and functions as the control of time interval of delivering balls. It has a wide range of timing from 2 seconds to 7 seconds between 2 consecutive deliveries. And the switch is used to turn on the machine and set the machine into a random oscillation mood. One of the 2 LED light indicates if there is any error in operation and another become on when the battery power is low. You can also use a remote control device to switch it on and off. This device is an accessory of The “Little Prince Tennis Ball Machine” and will cost you additional $140 for it.
The design of the Little Prince Tennis Ball Machine is so simple that anyone can operate it and carry it anywhere when required. Most of the tennis players like it very much for its portability and easy operational system.
Performance
The Little Prince Tennis Ball Machine could be your ultimate tennis partner for whom you were always waiting. It offers you variation and diversion in shot selection. You can set the speed in different levels, set the feed rate for different intervals and also you can use the benefits from random oscillation that will make you feel as you are playing against an expert tennis player. This is the most intelligent tennis ball machine in the market that will work as you desire from it.
The machine has a smart shape with reasonable dimension so that you can set it up anywhere and pack it up within a minute. It is highly durable and can serve you for many years to come. Even you can gift this tennis machine to your child to practice with. This machine is effective in all types of courts.
The Negative Side of Little Prince Tennis ball machine
Though the machine is so smartly designed that it has almost no disadvantage for investing such an amount of money on it. But you may face some problems in carrying it from one place to another as no wheel is available. You may have to lift the whole mass by yourself or carry it in a tennis cart or luggage cart, but it doesn’t seem so hard as the machine is light weight and you can remove the hopper instantly to reduce its weight. Another point is that the battery attached with it is not easily removable. So to recharge the battery you may have to carry the whole machine near to the AC connection port. But these things hardly affect the buyer’s choice as it offers so many useful features that are not available in other tennis ball machines in the market.
At a glance
The standard features of Little Prince Tennis Ball Machine (also known as I-SAM Tennis Ball Machine) are-
- Dimension : 19 inch x 17.5 inch x 18 inch
- Weight : 29 lbs (without hopper)
- Ball capacity : 100+ balls per load (up to 250)
- Power option : Direct AC connection/Rechargeable battery
- (Or both by using a convertor)
- Rechargeable battery back up : 2 – 4 hours
- Speed control : 15 mph to 60 mph
- Feed rate control : 2 – 7 seconds
- Random oscillation control : Yes
- Remote control facilities : Yes
- Price : $700 or less (machine only, accessories will cost additional charges)
So get ready to be surprised and bring your Little Prince tennis machine home now. You can find it in your nearest sports shops or order it online. The price of the machine is around $700 and you should buy tennis balls and a ball hopper with it. And something to pick up the balls is very much necessary to make it easier for you to collect all the balls. Picking up the balls one by one can become tedious and after picking 100 balls once, you might lose the appetite for practicing.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert in tennis, the Little Prince or I-SAM Tennis Ball Machine whatever you call it can bring great surprises for you at the tennis court with its performance and quality. You won't find any other tennis ball machine with so many features in this price. It will help you grow your tennis skills by offering you to play tough shots in the field like back hand, fore hand, top spin and many more. You will feel like you are playing against a partner who never gets tired to ask you “want some more?”