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Best Silent Partner Tennis Ball Machines [2023 Buyer’s Guide]

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Silent Partner offers a line of affordable tennis ball machines that can be a great investment if you’re looking to work on your tennis skills. For this Silent Partner tennis ball machine review, we’re going over our top picks from their line of products to help you find the tennis ball machine that’s right for you.

The Best Silent Partner Tennis Ball Machines

Top Pick

Silent Partner Scoop Series – Rival

(9.3)

Versatile machine fit for intermediate players

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Budget Pick

Edge Lite and Lite-R

(8.6)

Silent Partner’s most basic offering for beginners

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Premium Pick

Silent Partner Scoop Series – Smart

(9.5)

Everything you can get from Silent Partner

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Why Silent Partner?

Silent Partner is a tennis ball machine manufacturing company based in Toronto, Canada and has been offering high-quality tennis ball machines for over two decades now.

Silent Partner founder John Bassili, a recreational tennis player himself, basically just wanted a tennis partner that was always reliable; never late, always agrees to line calls, never judgmental to ultimately improve his game play. As he couldn’t find someone to do this, he built a tennis ball machine for himself, which later on was also used by his son who was also a tennis player. 

Silent Partner remains to be a family-owned business and they sell straight from their factory, eliminating middle-men distributors that jack up prices. This also gives customers the opportunity to consult directly with their skilled in-house technicians to help you through technical problems you encounter. 

Silent Partner boasts great customer service and reasonable prices, which has made them one of the leading tennis ball machine manufacturers in the market today.

Silent Partner Tennis Ball Machines Review – Our Top Picks

Silent Partner boasts a great line-up of products for every budget point. They have managed to create great tennis ball machines with built-in settings that are useful for any serious tennis player. These are our top Silent Partner tennis ball machine picks:

Edge Lite and Lite-R

Silent Partner Edge Lite and Lite-R

  • (8.0) Feature Set
  • (9.5) Ease of Use
  • (9.7) Transportability
  • (9.6) Durability
  • (8.5) Reliability
  • (8.6) Overall
$
Ball Capacity 200 balls
Weight 17 kg (37.5 lbs) for the Lite; 17.5 kg (38.6 lbs) for the Lite-R
Size 24″ H x 20″ L x 16″ W
Battery Life ~2 hours
Speed 10-95 mph
Feed Rate 1.5-10 seconds
Spin Topspin and backspin
Oscillation Random horiz
Control Panel, remote control (on the Lite-R only)
Drills No
Pros
  • great budget option for beginners
  • 200 ball capacity more than most budget tennis ball machines
  • Includes a smart fast charger
Cons
  • Remote control compatibility comes with extra price
  • Offers only random horizonta (side-to-side) oscillation

The Edge Lite is Silent Partner’s entry level offering tennis ball machine. It offers topspin and backspin with random horizontal oscillation–something that a lot of entry level ball machines do not have–that’s great for beginners who are looking into being more serious with their game.

The Lite-R offers the same features as the Lite with the added benefit of a wireless remote control.

Scoop Series – Rival

Silent Partner Scoop Series – Rival

  • (9.2) Feature Set
  • (9.5) Ease of Use
  • (9.5) Transportability
  • (9.6) Durability
  • (8.9) Reliability
  • (9.1) Overall
$$$
Ball Capacity 300 balls
Weight 18 kg (40 lbs) for the AC variant; 24 kg (53 lbs) for the battery variant
Size 24″ H x 25″ L x 20″ W
Battery Life >2 hours, comes in AC and AC/DC+battery variants
Speed 10-95 mph
Feed Rate 1.5-10 seconds
Spin Topspin and backspin
Oscillation Random horiz
Control 13-button panel, 16-button remote
Drills No, but you can save 3 preferred settings in its memory
Pros
  • Versatile bang-for-the-buck option
  • Larger ball capacity than ball machines of this price point
  • Customizability in controls
Cons
  • Random horizontal oscillator only
  • Battery variant a bit heavy

The Silent Partner Scoop Series – Rival comes with an amazing 300 ball capacity. While it doesn’t have pre-programmed drills, you can save 3 customized settings within its memory which is a neat way to feel like it has drills. 

It comes with a battery-operated variant, AC plug-in variant and an AC/DC-battery variant–basically giving you the options depending on what you need in the court.

Scoop Series – Smart

Silent Partner Scoop Series – Smart

  • (9.7) Feature Set
  • (9.5) Ease of Use
  • (9.0) Transportability
  • (9.6) Durability
  • (9.3) Reliability
  • (9.5) Overall
$$$$
Ball Capacity 300 balls
Weight 18 kg (40 lbs) for the AC variant; 24 kg (53 lbs) for the battery variant
Size 24″ H x 25″ L x 20″ W
Battery Life >2 hours, comes in AC and AC/DC+battery variants
Speed 10-95 mph
Feed Rate 1.5-10 seconds
Spin Topspin and backspin
Oscillation Adaptive all-court sweep; random horiz and vert
Control Panel, 22-button remote control
Drills Full customization
Pros
  • Silent Partners premium option
  • Everything you get from a Silent Partner ball machine
  • Full customization of drills
Cons
  • A bit on the heavier side; might affect transportability

The Scoop Series – Smart is Silent Partner’s premium option and it definitely gives value to the price point. This tennis ball machine provides everything Silent Partner can offer; fully customizable settings, drills and presets that simulate actual game play rallies, a two-line and random horizontal and vertical oscillation. 

Silent Partner also set the Smart with their “Adaptive All-Court Sweep” that feed balls covering the whole court. The Smart will, well, smartly adapt oscillation settings with the set speed and spin that mimics actual game play, giving you a great opportunity to have high-yield practice sessions.

Alternatives To Silent Partner

While Silent Partner offers a great line up that is great for different player levels, there are also other great offerings from other tennis ball machine manufacturers as well.

Spinshot offers a great budget option with the Spinshot Lite. It’s very lightweight and is a reliable partner for beginners who want to build muscle memory and work on their basic strokes. 

Spinshot Lite

(9.1)
$$$
Feature Highlights
  • Very lightweight and portable
  • Easy to use
  • Long battery life

Sports Tutor is our mid-range pick with the  Sports Tutor ProLite Plus. They offer a no-frills option for intermediate to advanced players. It has an adjustable ground-stroke lobby great for kids and beginners alike. 

Feature Highlights
  • Great for intermediate to advanced players
  • Includes a smart battery charge that prevents overcharging
  • Start-up time delay allows you to get in position
Cons
  • Long 18-hours full charging time
  • Manual elevation adjustment
  • Remotes are optional buys

Another great bang-for-the-buck option is the Slinger Bag or Slinger Launcher that’s part of the Slinger Grand Slam Pack bundle (read our full review here) where you get the benefits of a tennis ball machine that doubles as a backpack.  

Slinger Launcher

(5.7)
$$$
Feature Highlights
  • Doubles as a bag to hold racquets and personal stuff
  • Has a USB port to charge phones and personal devices

Our top pick for all the tennis ball machines that are available in the market today is the Spinshot Plus-2. A tad bit more expensive than Spinshot’s best selling Spinshot Player, it offers an all-around benefit in the tennis court and definitely something that will help you improve your game for when you want to practice and play tennis alone. 

Spinshot Plus-2

(9.5)
$$$$
Feature Highlights
  • High level of programmability and customizability
  • Patented De-Jam Design prevents jamming
  • Lighter and more compact than machines with similar features

Check this article out to see more of our top tennis ball machine picks.

Summary and Recommendations

Silent Partner has become one of the top choices for tennis ball machines in the market today for their commitment to quality and customer service. They have a versatile product line-up for every player level. 

The Silent Partner Lite and Lite-R is a great no-nonsense option for beginners while the Scoop Series – Rival offers more flexibility. The Scoop Series – Smart is their premium option that gives everything Silent Partner can for this price point.

Post last updated on January 13, 2023

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