It has not been very long since the introduction of the first ping pong ball machine. The first machine probably came out in the 1980s. Regardless of that, it has been making its way ahead and rapidly growing in popularity.
The machine throws the ping pong balls so that a player can have a solo practice session. Beforehand the player can set the command. During the execution process, the machine works exactly according to the commands set by the player.
The machine fires ping pong balls at infrequent intervals at the opposing player. It covers the following three main functions.
- The ping pong ball machine takes the lead and fires the balls in succession
- The player beforehand can set the controls in the control box
- The machine also has a net in the opposite direction for catching the returning balls.
Each ping pong ball machine has a different mechanism, but the principles of operation remain the same.
The required number of balls are loaded into the ping pong ball machine before they are fired. After this, the machine can be controlled with a remote.
It can be loaded with different programs so as to enable the ball delivery according to your very own preference. This would include topspin, backspin, right sidespin, and left sidespin among others.
Table of Contents
The main benefits of ping pong ball machines are:
- Being fully programmable, it can serve as a guide when you don’t have a coach
- It comes in very handy when you do not have a partner to play with
- There is no limit to the time you can spend, playing with the machine
- The machine is compact and therefore highly portable
- It does not occupy a very large space
- The machine can be used for perfecting a particular style of pitch over and over again
I have gathered some of the best ping pong ball machines available today. Use this as your buying guide if you want to purchase one in the future.
Product Name | Image | Rating | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Pong 3000 Professional |  | 5 out of 5 | $$$$$$ |
| Paddle Palace H2W Touch Pro Table Tennis Robot |  | 5 out of 5 | $$$$$$$ |
| Butterfly Amicus Advance Robot |  | 4 out of 5 | $$$$$$ |
| Newgy Robo-Pong 2050 Digital Table Tennis Robot |  | 3.9 out of 5 | $$$$$ |
| Newgy Robo-Pong 1040 Ping-Pong Robot |  | 3.8 out of 5 | $$$$ |
| iPong Pro Table Tennis Training Robot |  | 3.3 out of 5 | $$$ |
| iPong Topspin Table Tennis Trainer Robot |  | 3.2 out of 5 | $$ |
1. Power Pong 3000 Professional
The Power Pong 3000 professional
If the customers are not satisfied with the product, there is even scope for returning it back to the manufacturer for a full refund.
However, there is little chance that you will not like the product. It has a highly advanced and impressive set of features.
Hence, the settings can be made exactly as the player wants the practice to commence. You can even program the machine to fireballs in accordance with your opponent’s playing style for a more fruitful practice session.
The remote control has buttons that allow you to adjust the speed, spin, side spin, and also frequency of the balls. This ensures that you do not always have to walk to the machine to set the new adjustments.
The balls are loaded all at once. So until and unless the machine does not run out of balls, it will keep on firing pitches randomly toward the player.
If you do not want to keep up till the balls run out, you could also set the minimum number of balls so that the machine stops all by itself after it has fired out the required number of balls.
The machine also has a separate memory bank. This will keep track of your selections so that you can see where you need to put in more practice and make adjustments accordingly.
With the Power Pong 3000, you will never feel that you are playing against a robot. You will feel like you are in a real game with a real opponent.
Since the robot can very well play with the speed and dynamics of a real player, you can confidently rely on the robot for practicing for any upcoming events.
The machine also has other attractive features, like cluster memory. This feature allows users to save 33 different drill combinations in one cluster.
You could play the combinations one after the other or randomly to simulate a real-time gaming experience. Therefore, the machine can benefit novices and professionals alike.
The machine is highly advanced but also very easy to operate. Further, it comes with a free setup guide and instructions. All the components used in the machinery are of premium quality and, therefore, highly durable. It may be a bit expensive, but it is every bit worth the money. The manufacturers also provide instant and helpful support for the product.
The key features of the product are
- 3 wheels that offer different spin and speed combinations
- 8 programmable buttons, each of which can produce a different kind of shot
- 24-hour fix or replace service combined with the best warranty in the industry
- Cluster memory, which is very rare in ping pong ball machine
- The cluster memory can hold up to 33 different drill combinations, thus allowing the players to have a real-time gaming experience
2. Paddle Palace H2W Touch Pro Table Tennis Robot
This robot includes a touch screen and is one of the easiest and most user-friendly models. The touchscreen can be used to choose the settings and make the necessary adjustments without requiring a remote control.
The touchscreen can either be left along with the robot or detached and used from a distance.
This model is quite different from the ones reviewed earlier, mainly because it does not have to be placed on top of a table. This ping pong ball machine has wheels and a very long power cord.
The height can also be adjusted to mimic a real player. Hence, the machine does not take up a very large space, can be moved around conveniently, and can be adjusted to give a real game experience.
The key features of the machine include
- LCD touchscreen for easy programming
- Great flexibility in delivering different kinds of serving
- Different shots can be clustered in a sequence
- Net collecting system for ball recycling
- Quick and easy installation
3. Butterfly Amicus Advance Robot
The Butterfly Amicus Advance Robot
Being very lightweight, it is also very easy to transport. The robot comes with a big case for storage and travel and weighs only 6 kg. Investing your money in Butterfly Amicus means that you will also be getting a good value for the price.
As compared to its earlier versions, this robot has many upgrades; the most notable one is the increase in the number of balls per exercise from 6 to 8. Although 6 balls are sufficient for most drills, Butterfly Amicus makes sure that you can also go beyond that.
It also has an additional memory space which allows you to program it for 99 exercises instead of 22.
The robot also has a cluster feature that allows you to save the exercises in a sequence. This makes it possible to save up to 10 exercises in one slot with eight different shot types. You can also adjust the IFC or the Individual Frequency Control to receive the shots at exactly the frequency that you want.
This machine works perfectly well with both the old celluloid 40 mm balls and the new plastic 40+ balls. The players do not have to worry about the increased size of the balls while using the Amicus.
This ping pong ball machine covers almost all the functionalities of a table tennis robot and is suitable for both professional as well as amateur players. You will frequently get to see these machines in table tennis centers and even during tournaments.
It does look a bit complicated at first glance, but it is very easy to use once you understand the mechanism and working processes.
The machine also comes with a very large remote control featuring buttons and knobs so that you can make the necessary controls with the least effort.
The remote can be used to change the trajectory, spin, and speed of the ball. Therefore, you could adjust these factors to practice your swings based exactly on your opponent’s playing style.
Key features of the product
- Offers up to 10 savable sequences
- Features AFC or Automatic Frequency Control, which adjusts the short interval, spin, and speed of the balls
- The robot can be upgraded from the Amicus Advance to the Amicus Professional model
- Offers a sample setting so as to test the setting of each ball delivery
4. Newgy Robo Pong 2050 Digital Table Tennis Robot
The Newgy Robo Pong 2050 features a lot of analog controls. It basically has two setting options – the ball speed and the frequency. The adjustments can be done by simply turning the knobs to the left to increase and towards the right to decrease the settings.
There is a reservoir attached at the bottom which feeds the robot attached to the top.
The shot selections include serve, chop, and other motions. You could play around with these to replicate the playing style of your opponent and also to have a real game-playing experience.
Key Features
- Digital Table Tennis Machine features digital controls
- Available spins: topspin, backspin, left sidespin, right sidespin, combination spin
- Available shot selection: push, chop, serve, counter, lob, fast loop
- Fits all standard ping-pong tables and is easy to set up, use, take down, store, and transport
5. Newgy Robo Pong 1040 Ping Pong Robot
The Newgy Robo Pong 1040
This ensures that you will not be required to frequently run to and fro, feeding balls to the machine. As long as the feeder basket is filled with balls, the machine itself will pull them up through the feeder tube and keep firing them toward the player.
The basic control of this machine involves a digital screen with a few buttons, which are used to set and adjust the settings. The players can choose from five different types of spins, including the right, left, back, top, and combination spins.
The button at the center leads you to the menu, whereas the arrow buttons at the side allow you to browse through the different options given on the menu.
The players can also choose from six different types of shots. This feature allows the machine to fireball exactly in a fashion that would happen during a real game.
However, the machine does not have a net and a recycling system which means that it will not be able to collect the balls returned by the player. Other than that, the machine is perfectly fine.
You could use it for solo sessions or while playing with friends. It is very easy to set up and pull down, and the process will take no more than 5 minutes.
The machine is great for improving fitness and increasing the fun of the game. The analog controls can be used to control everything from the ball speed to frequency to oscillation.
The machines offer different shot selections including push, chop, counter, serve, lob, and fast loop.
There are also different head angle adjustments for low serves to high lobs. You only need to position the machine at a favorable angle so that it can fire balls at a variety of angles and trajectories.
Some attractive specifications of the machine include a ball thrower with oscillation, an analog control panel, a ball bucket with an extender cage, and four dozen 40mm Robo Balls. The machine comes with an instruction manual for the user.
The key features of the machine are
- Easy analog controls with a display screen
- Different spin selections
- Different shot selections
- It can easily fit into tight spaces
- Very easy to install, take down, and transport
6. iPong Pro Table Tennis Training Robot
If you are looking for a ping pong robot to help you during solo practice sessions without taking up a lot of space around the house, the iPong Pro could be your one-stop solution.
This machine is also very inexpensive thus allowing you to stay on budget. Its exterior case is made out of plastic. Hence, it is lightweight enough to be carried around without any inconveniences. This machine will definitely make your practice sessions a lot more fun while also providing the required results.
The iPong Pro
The large top portion stores the balls and the spaces are large enough to last you a good number of shots.
Since the machine is self-feeding, you will not have to run back to fill in the balls again and again. The remote control comes with a long cable that allows you to control the seeing from the side of the machine without the machine toppling over.
The remote looks very minimal and comes with just four buttons. However, these can cover a number of settings like turning the robot on and off and adjusting the shots and the frequency of the balls coming out of the machine.
The machine offers very good versatility, with a minimum speed of 12 balls per minute and a maximum speed of 70 balls in as little as 50 seconds.
This remote-controlled ping pong ball machine could, therefore, serve as a highly reliable and efficient ping pong partner for you wherever you go.
You could set the oscillations from a fast-paced blistering ball feed to slower ones where you will hardly be required to leave the side of your table.
With the help of the remote control, you can set the machine anywhere between backspin and topspin. Proper adjustment to the oscillation would further help in the preferred spin and ball placement.
With one loading, the machine can continuously shoot around 100 balls before the next loading. The machine also takes no more than 10 seconds to assemble.
There are only three separate pieces that need to be assembled, and this can be done without the help of any extra tools and equipment. You could just snap the pieces together and plug the machine into power before enjoying a fun session with the iPong Pro.
For best results, you should use 40mm balls with the machine. This is the correct size of the regulation table tennis balls. Before you start using the product, remember to test it first with no balls in the shooting part. If the machine is faulty, it can shoot out up to 3 or 4 balls all at once.
The key features of the machine include
- Improved motor and shooting wheel
- Strong ball launching with increased spin
- Highly enhanced accuracy and consistency
- Quieter operation
7. iPong Topspin Table Tennis Trainer Robot
This ping pong robot is specifically designed for players who have problems with balls that have topspin. This type of spin is used especially during serves when the ball drops from a height at a certain angle.
The iPong Topspin allows you to practice these types of serves until you are perfect at returning them. Practicing with the iPong Topspin could give you a lot of confidence during the actual game.
The outer case of the machine is made out of lightweight fluorescent green plastic and would easily catch the attention of the player. This ensures that the robot is easily visible during the heat of the game so that the players can have a better view of the balls that are being thrown out of it.
There is a wired remote at the back of the robot, which can be used to turn the power on and off and also to adjust the frequency of the ball coming out of the machine.
The machine is capable of delivering very high frequencies equal to 70 balls per minute and anywhere below that. For an average play, the robot can be adjusted to 12 balls per minute.
Playing at a lower frequency can actually be very helpful as it helps the players to have better concentration and also pay more attention to the ball. Six AA batteries power the model and can hold up to 110 balls.
The key features of the robot include
- Ideal for topspin feed along with practicing the basic forehand and backhand strokes
- The frequency can be adjusted anywhere between 12 to 70 balls per minute
- Quick assemblage
- Comes with more than forty 40mm balls, an iPong ball catch net, pick up the net, a tilt stand, and targets.
Conclusion
When you choose the best ping pong ball machine, you are assured of benefiting from better control over the spin and speed of the ball during the serves. Also, all of the machines reviewed above are programmable through remote controls, knobs, or digital displays.
You, therefore, customize these machines to replicate real playing styles so that you can perfect a particular type of shot used by your opponents. Without fail, these machines will provide you with a thrilling game experience, helping you stay fit while also sharpening your skills.
