Pongbot Pace S Pro Review

I have tested many ball machines before, but never one that claims to have AI functionality. After a few weeks with the Pongbot Pace S Pro, here is my review.

Introduction

Before we move on to the Pongbot Pace S Pro review, we can touch on the general topic of ball machines. Do you need one? Need is a strong word, but I must say that since getting the Pongbot, I do find myself having extra motivation to do drills and train. And the upside of the machine is that I always have a practice partner. Sure, most of the time it is more fun to play with a human, but it usually does not allow you to work on your game in the same focused matter that you can with a good ball machine. The countless drills that the Pongbot provides through its pre-programmed, custom and user-generated drills, ensures that you always have fun on the court while improving.

So if you are ambitious about your tennis improvement or your kids’ tennis improvement, getting a ball machine to help out with practice and drills is a great idea.

Check our video review of the Pongbot Pace S Pro:

What makes the Pongbot S Pro different?

I have used many ball machines in the past. We have reviewed the Slinger bag and although that had some good features, the heavy top spin it provides on every ball makes it less than ideal. However, it is budget-friendly, to be fair.

The Pongbot Pace S Pro boasts numerous features and options, making it a more premium and advanced option than the Slinger and most other machines. Besides having an extensive library of drills, the possibility to create your own drills and sequences where you choose ball speed, depth, spin, trajectory and more, makes it more engaging than any other ball machine I have tried. It also comes with an AI-powered mode, where the Pongbot senses where you are on the court and adapts its feeding to you.

Thanks to using sensors and a tracking system, it can either create a match play mode against where the machine adjust its ball placement as if you were playing a match. This means hitting the ball to where you are not most of the time. But you can also use the sensors to detect if you have not yet returned to the center of the court, meaning that the Pongbot will hold off launching another ball until you are ready.

You can also choose drills based on your NTRP level, ranging from 1.0 for beginners to 7.0 for professionals. The machine will adjust its speed and difficulty to ensure you are constantly challenged at the appropriate level.

We will get more in-depth into the different features below.

Where can you purchase the Pongbot?

If you’re interested in purchasing the Pong bot ball machine, visit the website via this link to get a 5% discount or use the code TENNISNERD at checkout.

Pongbot features

You have some of the raw data of the Pongbot in the table below. Despite being able to hold up to 150 balls, it is pretty portable. Still, it is good to point out that the weight is around 17 kg, so it is not a lightweight machine. It comes with wheels, so it is easy to move around the court, but getting up and down stairs requires some muscle.

I have it in the boot of my car and have not had any issues getting it from the car to the court and back during all my training sessions, for example, but I just wanted to point that out.

The build quality feels really sturdy, and the battery life is excellent. I also like that you can use the remote or control the machine straight through their app. And the app is easy to use and there was no issues at all setting it up using Bluetooth to connect your phone and your Pongbot.

How to use the Pongbot Pace S Pro?

If this is your first ball machine, it can be good to talk about some scenarios for using it in the best possible way. Every practice should have a purpose. What do you want to improve? What did you struggle with in the last session you played?

Perhaps you would like to simulate hand-feeding to practice a specific stroke. Then you can set up the Pongbot to give you easy balls on your backhand. There are built-in drills for this. You can also choose drills made by the community of Pongbot users or you can make your own custom sequences.

Maybe your footwork and speed needs work? Then you choose specific movement drills where you get your heart rate up and get a good sweat trying to keep up with the machine. This is for example where the sensors and AI mode comes into play.

There are also plenty of volley and smash drills if you want to improve your net game.

You can let the machine feed balls from either the center of the baseline or the service box. For the AI features to work, you need to place the machine on the baseline. If you want a different feed placement or drill types, you can also put it in the center of the court. There are loads of possibilities to create your own training scenarios with the Pongbot.

Some machines on the market also move on the court. At this point, I am not quite sure I see the need for those as the Pongbot can hit any spot on the court anyway. Sure, you might be able to create more realistic angles with a moving ball machine, but with the added cost and complexity of having the machine move, I am not sure the upsides outweigh the downsides. The Pongbot easily covers all my training tennis needs and more at the moment.

Summary

After a few weeks of using the Pongbot Pace S Pro, I can easily say that I have been converted into a ball machine fan. I have brought it out to many practice sessions with friends and we all enjoy practising with it. Still, despite using it for many hours, I still have yet to scratch the surface of what it can offer with hundreds of drills, AI match mode and the ability to create your own sequences.

My dad is close to 70 years old and plays tennis three times a week. He had never used a ball machine before, but has really enjoyed what this machine can offer. When he cannot find a hitting partner for the day, the Pongbot will allow him to work on his game. And it is also a great way to warm up before you go play a match, for example.

If I had my own tennis court, this would be a dream scenario where I could do drills with the Pongbot every day, so if you do have easy access to a court, this could really take your game to the next level.

I can really recommend the Pongbot Pace S Pro. There is a cheaper machine called the Pace S that does most things well but lacks sensors and AI capabilities, and you can see the differences between the machines in the table above. I am working on the video review, so make sure to check out our YouTube channel when that is up.