I bought this machine after a few months of researching pitching machines. Sure, there are other, more powerful machines out there, but they cost at least twice as much as this one. I guess what I'm saying is that this is a fantastic "budget" machine in that you'll get what you want out of it without breaking the bank.
I use this machine for pop flys and for batting, and it's turned out great, particularly for pop flys. I angle the machine as much as it will go by turning the knob, and it lobs balls fit for outfielders to catch. The machine is a little less accurate for batting practice. This is understandable because pitchers will all vary their pitches anyway. A word of caution: after establishing where the strike zone was, one of my girls was hit in the stomach at around 35 MPH when the machine launched the ball a little to the right of where we expected it. She was fine afterward, but this incident makes me want to strap a pillow to her or invest in some under-the-jersey padding for our next practice.
A word about the balls. When you shop for softballs to use for this machine, make sure that they are "pitching machine" rated. This rating stipulates that the stitching on the balls is as smooth as possible, which is necessary so that the stitching doesn't get caught in the pitching machine's spinning wheel. The smooth stitching will also help ensure that it doesn't wear out the spinning wheel faster than it should. I found a 12-pack of Rawlings "pitching machine" balls for about $60 on Amazon (not sponsored), and these balls don't seem to give the machine any grief. The stitching on this particular set are, as best as I can describe it, basically "printed" on the balls, so the stitching is basically non-existent which allows the machine to launch them at high speeds with very little friction.
The particular model I bought came with the cannon-looking ball cradle. Because I'm using aftermarket balls, the claw mechanism that grabs a ball from the cradle and drops it into the chute sometimes isn't strong enough, so I have to nudge it a little so the ball drops into the chute. I realize this completely defeats the purpose of having the cradle, and it also puts me in harm's way since my girls are hitting the balls right at me as I sit behind the machine. The claw's lack of strength may be my fault for using aftermarket balls, but truth be told, I've seen the claw get stuck when trying to drop the one yellow dimpled ball that came with the pitching machine into the chute. This was the low point of the purchase, but I think the machine's benefits largely outweigh this inconvenience, even if it may be one of its selling points (a self-feeding pitching machine).
As per the owner's manual, make sure the pitching machine's tire is inflated to 32-36 PSI before using it. Also, there is a black marker line on both the wheel and another on its housing; make sure these two black marks line up because when they do, the wheel is considered "aligned," just like on a car. If it's not aligned, the loud vibration noise will let you know you need deflate the tire, line up the black marker markings, and then re-inflate it. This review has run very long already, but there is one last thing I'd like to mention: the pitching machine's wheel is made of rubber. You'll definitely be able to smell it, but it'll release little bits of rubber in the machine's housing; just make sure you clean these bits of rubber out so nothing gums up the spinning mechanism and your wheel lasts a little longer.
I paid $400 for this machine, and it was definitely worth it. I hope you'll encounter the same high quality I did and I earnestly hope that your kids will become better players.
