Lobster Sports Elite Grand Five LE Tennis Ball Machine – Full Digital, Adjustable Ball Speed, 12 Pre-Loaded & 12 Custom Drills, Match Play, Spin Control, Holds 150-Balls, with 20 Function Remote

Why it's worth it

The Elite Grand Five LE combines vertical and horizontal oscillation with 24 drills and a Match Play mode that varies speed and spin shot to shot. It's built for coaches and players who are on court four or more times a week.

Triple oscillation is the feature you can't get lower down the range. The machine moves the ball side to side and short-to-deep at the same time, so you're covering the whole court instead of one line. Combine that with Match Play mode, which changes speed and spin between shots, and you get something closer to rally variation than a drill feed.

The 12 preloaded drills are built around player archetypes — the moonballer, the slicer, the power baseliner, the lefty. If you're preparing for a specific opponent style before a tournament, you pick the profile and hit. Another 12 slots are yours to program. For a coach running a lesson, that means setting up a circuit once and stepping through it with the 20-function remote instead of walking back to the panel between drills.

From our review of 8 tennis ball machines, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +Triple oscillation is the feature you can't get lower down the range
• +The 12 preloaded drills are built around player archetypes — the moonballer, the slicer, the power baseliner, the lefty
• +The 150-ball hopper and long battery life are what make it work for teaching
• +Owner feedback backs the coaching use case in particular — parents and coaches describe sitting courtside with the remote while…

What to know

• –This is the machine with the most concerning owner feedback in the guide, and it's why it isn't our top pick despite having the…
• –At 42 pounds it's a real load, and the feature set is more than a recreational player who hits twice a week will ever use