Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine
VS.
Franklin Sports MLB Kids Electronic Baseball Pitching Machine
Last updated September 2023
Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine
8.5
Franklin Sports MLB Kids Electronic Baseball Pitching Machine
7.2
Efficient, mostly consistent and worth the money
August 19, 2023
It was delivered today and we used it tonight. It was quick and simple to assemble. Got to the field and it took three test pitches to get it dialed in and on target. From there it was load and toss, load and toss, load and toss... We then switched easily to fly balls, and then ground balls. Again, load and toss in rapid succession. Overall, we were able to get in a ton of reps and practice in a short amount of time, much more than we would ever get with throwing the balls myself. This will also pay for itself after a few uses since we don't have to pay for batting cages anymore. The only minor issue is the slight inconsistency when pitching. I'm not sure if it's due to pulling the lever at different speeds (as mentioned in some other reviews) or if it's the softballs I'm using. I have a few different brands and types of softballs so it could be that (some have raised seams, etc). I might get a dozen rubber pitching machine balls to see if helps. Either way this shouldn't stop you from buying this machine.
Good, but not great
June 22, 2023
I bought this unit to help my 7 and 8 year old become better at tracking the ball. Dollar for dollar you cannot beat this machine, but there are some drawbacks. WHAT IT DOES WELL: • Serves balls from 20~ feet • Adjusts for pitch angle, can be propped up to toss pop flies • Develops reaction time from the 7 second pitch timer WHAT IT DOES POORLY: • DRINKS BATTERIES. I got a set of rechargeable D cell batteries and they have to be recharged after every session or there is a noticeable lack of power in the pitches • The balls wear quickly and fly unevenly with only about 100 reps. Balls also do not have red seams so it is hard to see any rotation on the ball • The feed mechanism is a little janky and does not always have enough gravity to feed the next ball Overall this is a great entry level training tool - by far the best one I have bought so far. If your kids are new to the game, or just need something to help them get over fear of the ball flying at them, this is a good unit. For what its worth, both my kids have been clocked in the face by this machine and shrugged it off after the initial shock, which is worth its weight in gold for a developing player
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