Thanks to shirazi_r ( http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?t=125294 ) for posting details about his experience with the bowling machine, I decided to look around as well.
After doing a bit of research online, I decided to stop by at Sports Authority along with a friend. We looked at several machines but there was one machine that really caught our attention. The price was $399 and we were willing to invest around $150 for machine plus feeder and balls. So we had a budget or around $200-225 in mind.
Anyhow the machine was Mattingly Sports Hit Man Machine. The machine was assembled and was on display on a top shelf so we asked one of the sales people to let us look at it. He brought it down for us. While helping us, he informed us that the machine was on sale for $299 and then there was a $50 coupon for in-store purchase. So basically the machine would cost $250 + tax. Okay, so far so good.
Here are some things which really stood out for us.
- Machine is very practical. Meaning that we plan to use it at remote locations so we needed something where not a lot of disassembly was required to transport. This seemed perfect for us. Basically the head unit separates from the legs.
- Utilizing a baseball machine for cricket can be tough. We need angle and height. In terms of angle, it's very easy. There are 2 adjustable handles which can easily be adjusted to whatever angle you want. Height still remains and issue. The most immediate solution is to keep the machine on top of something but it has to be something very wide because the 3 legs take up quite a bit of space.
- Power option - Because we plan to use the machine in remote locations such as a tennis court or in the middle of a field, accessing power source isn't easy. Good thing is, this machine has an option for 12v car battery. The clamps for the battery is included but we have to buy the battery as it's not included.
- Speed Control - Normally 40-60mph is more than enough but this machine goes up to 80mph. So we figured why not!?
- The machine has 2 individual wheels which basically generates the speed for the ball. Each wheel has individual speed setting. So basically if you want to swing or even spin the ball it's doable!
- Auto-Feeder - The machine comes with 24 ball auto feeder. There are 6 slots and each slot can hold 4 balls. The good thing is that the slots have removable PVC pipes which insert into the slots. So if you wanted to add the ability to hold more balls, you basically need to get longer PVC pipes.
- Balls - The machine comes with 12 (1 dozen) TechFoam balls. The balls are very light. I weighed it and each ball is 1.8oz. Cricket balls weigh around 5.5oz so there is a big difference.
__________________________
REVIEW:
__________________________
So we purchased the machine on Sunday evening but didn't really have much time until today. Assembling the machine took no more than 5 minutes.
3 Legs plugged into a center piece and there is a pipe which attaches to the center piece on one end and on the other end the head unit plugs in. There is one bolt which needs to be tightened and that's it! Viola!
The machine can be angled in any way! For fastball (pace) it has to be straight and for swings / spin it has to be sideways.
So we started with 40mph at a distance of roughly 35-40 feet. At this time we had the machine on angle for swing so we were getting inswinging yorkers.
The pace was there for 40mph. We didn't have time to try higher settings but I would say that at 60mph this would be awesome!
The machine can be used for fielding practice and fast catches and high catches. We tried fielding at 60mph and the ball was zooming!
In conclusion, this machine isn't just for batting practice. Fielding, fast catching (for slip and gully) and high catches are amazing on this.
My only regret is the use of balls. There was not much bounce when we used the balls on concrete area. Once we can figure out the height issue (at this time the machine's height is probably 4ft 9inches) we will still need a ball which can bounce.
I am looking at some options and this weekend I will stop by at some sporting goods stores to see what can be done about that.
Lastly, the machine will improve footwork and also improve technical shortcomings. For example, my weak spots are waist height ball on middle or leg stump. The thing is that the machine is so accurate that you will always know where the ball is being pitched. So in that sense, you will be playing pre-meditated shots.
All in all, for $250+tax this machine is a bargain!
After doing a bit of research online, I decided to stop by at Sports Authority along with a friend. We looked at several machines but there was one machine that really caught our attention. The price was $399 and we were willing to invest around $150 for machine plus feeder and balls. So we had a budget or around $200-225 in mind.
Anyhow the machine was Mattingly Sports Hit Man Machine. The machine was assembled and was on display on a top shelf so we asked one of the sales people to let us look at it. He brought it down for us. While helping us, he informed us that the machine was on sale for $299 and then there was a $50 coupon for in-store purchase. So basically the machine would cost $250 + tax. Okay, so far so good.
Here are some things which really stood out for us.
- Machine is very practical. Meaning that we plan to use it at remote locations so we needed something where not a lot of disassembly was required to transport. This seemed perfect for us. Basically the head unit separates from the legs.
- Utilizing a baseball machine for cricket can be tough. We need angle and height. In terms of angle, it's very easy. There are 2 adjustable handles which can easily be adjusted to whatever angle you want. Height still remains and issue. The most immediate solution is to keep the machine on top of something but it has to be something very wide because the 3 legs take up quite a bit of space.
- Power option - Because we plan to use the machine in remote locations such as a tennis court or in the middle of a field, accessing power source isn't easy. Good thing is, this machine has an option for 12v car battery. The clamps for the battery is included but we have to buy the battery as it's not included.
- Speed Control - Normally 40-60mph is more than enough but this machine goes up to 80mph. So we figured why not!?
- The machine has 2 individual wheels which basically generates the speed for the ball. Each wheel has individual speed setting. So basically if you want to swing or even spin the ball it's doable!
- Auto-Feeder - The machine comes with 24 ball auto feeder. There are 6 slots and each slot can hold 4 balls. The good thing is that the slots have removable PVC pipes which insert into the slots. So if you wanted to add the ability to hold more balls, you basically need to get longer PVC pipes.
- Balls - The machine comes with 12 (1 dozen) TechFoam balls. The balls are very light. I weighed it and each ball is 1.8oz. Cricket balls weigh around 5.5oz so there is a big difference.
__________________________
REVIEW:
__________________________
So we purchased the machine on Sunday evening but didn't really have much time until today. Assembling the machine took no more than 5 minutes.
3 Legs plugged into a center piece and there is a pipe which attaches to the center piece on one end and on the other end the head unit plugs in. There is one bolt which needs to be tightened and that's it! Viola!
The machine can be angled in any way! For fastball (pace) it has to be straight and for swings / spin it has to be sideways.
So we started with 40mph at a distance of roughly 35-40 feet. At this time we had the machine on angle for swing so we were getting inswinging yorkers.
The pace was there for 40mph. We didn't have time to try higher settings but I would say that at 60mph this would be awesome!
The machine can be used for fielding practice and fast catches and high catches. We tried fielding at 60mph and the ball was zooming!
In conclusion, this machine isn't just for batting practice. Fielding, fast catching (for slip and gully) and high catches are amazing on this.
My only regret is the use of balls. There was not much bounce when we used the balls on concrete area. Once we can figure out the height issue (at this time the machine's height is probably 4ft 9inches) we will still need a ball which can bounce.
I am looking at some options and this weekend I will stop by at some sporting goods stores to see what can be done about that.
Lastly, the machine will improve footwork and also improve technical shortcomings. For example, my weak spots are waist height ball on middle or leg stump. The thing is that the machine is so accurate that you will always know where the ball is being pitched. So in that sense, you will be playing pre-meditated shots.
All in all, for $250+tax this machine is a bargain!
