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[smilley792]

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Construct the first home-fabricated bowling machine umbrella holder attachment, to stop the electrics getting wet, and you've got all weather at-home batting practice!

You mean an umbrella and duck tape?

[Akewstick]

You mean an umbrella and duck tape?

Well, not as marketable as how I named it but I suppose so, yes.

[bkenzie12]

Hi there I have a small yard that's fairly open but I have an Ultra Sports Net with a pace,an original bowling machine. It's a fantastic setup and all easy to pack away!

[The Palmist]

I have a long driveway with wall on both sides and garage at one end. Thinking  of getting a stinger  machine and just a pop up net for other side.

Not the same experience as bola but still good to practice  shots.

[Biggie Smalls]

I got a Stinger Pro . I live in a unit so have no backyard etc . Plus i dont drive . But the bowling machine , auto feeder , battery ,balls , etc all fit easily into my kit bag . I wheel my kit bag for a 15min walk down to the local nets . I get a few looks from people but i dont care . Its good practice and essential for someone like me who doesn't have much chance to do non club training with any pace bowlers or people who can use a sidearm properly .

[Biggie Smalls]

Reading these replies got me thinking . I had planned on buying a pop up net to place in front of the bowling machine . I think now i will buy chicken or baseball practice  netting . I can get some bungee cord and feed it through the top holes of the net and attach clips/ carabiners to the  ends of the cord . Then clip it to the side posts/wire netting of the  actual cricket nets . It would create something like a shower curtain effect . I could just move the curtain across when going in to collect balls . 5ft high x width of the nets seems good to me .

[Harry L]

Anyone got any pictures of their set-ups? Would be quite interesting to see.

[iand123]

Slightly off topic but which bowling machines are best (other than Bola which are a bit too much for me)?

[Biggie Smalls]

Slightly off topic but which bowling machines are best (other than Bola which are a bit too much for me)?

Um , depends .
Paceman original : uses light balls( or junior balls) , fires them at aprox 60mph . Not sure on weight , but I'm guessing pretty light (maybe 6-8kg ?)as its mostly plastic.From memory has a twelve ball auto feeder .
Paceman ltd : i think is pretty similar to original but can also fire ltd balls which fire a tad quicker than the light balls ( so maybe 65mph ?).I think these have a twenty four ball auto feeder . They look around a similar weight to the original .

Both these machines are capable of swing (i think) , but not sure about spin .

Paceman strike : heavier than above 2 as its metal , so sturdier as well . Doesn't do swing or spin as far as i know . Fires the light balls at 74.5mph . Also can fire reg /normal machine balls at 62mph . I think its auto feeder is sold separately and looks like its for twelve balls .

Paceman pro : as per strike model but can do swing and spin . Same speeds as strike too .

Ive seen theres a new 'kph'/velocity ball released recently by paceman which could be used on the strike and pro . Its a hard ball and apparently can be fired at 20% greater speed than a reg ball .

Im not sure how compact or easy any of the paceman models are re fitting in a kit bag etc . But they all look easy to pick up and move /pack into a car etc .
All the paceman models run on mains power . As far as i know there's still no power packs available . If you want to use them with a battery you need a car/12v battery and a pure sine wave inverter capable of 600w or better .

Theres also red coloured machines that look really similar to the original paceman . I think they are for American baseball market and are called Slider .

Swinger pro : a bit more compact than the ones mentioned above . Weighs 7kg . Only fires junior size balls that are slightly soft . Fires stinger balls and paceman junior balls at 80mph (but you cant use these balls with the 10 ball auto feeder) . It fires standard tennis balls at 80mph, heavy (cricket style) tennis balls at 65mph , and swing kings(half rubber half tennis ball) at around 70mph . Its ball feeder can come with a remote . It can do swing and spin .It runs off 12v battery .
 It does suck a bit that you cant use hard balls with this machine , but i got it because it fits in my kit bag , doesn't require mains power , and is capable of faster speeds (albeit with softer , junior sized balls) .

I guess for a home / backyard setup with available mains power , assuming bola/jugs machines are not a possibility,  I'd probably go for a paceman pro (especially if the kph balls do what is stated) .
If i was using the machine at outdoor nets via car transportation , id still probably go for the paceman pro . ( Getting a pure sinewave inverter is extra money that would be needed though ).
If someone is in my position ( no car , using it at outdoor nets ) id obviously suggest they get a stinger pro like I did .



Please feel free to correct me on any wrong guesstimates i may have made .

[iand123]

Thanks mate, really helpful. Are the paceman balls all hard/pimpled style?

[Biggie Smalls]

All the paceman balls are dimpled . The light balls and the ltd balls are hard but light (hollow ?) , the junior balls are dimpled ,  light and slightly squeezable. The reg(ulation) balls are stock standard machine balls ( like bola/jugs) . The new kph balls are hard, dimpled balls like the reg balls ... not sure what makes them higher velocity , but perhaps its some kind of enhanced dimple structure .

[LEACHY48]

Am I the only one that finds the Paceman really unreaslistic? The ball floats out almost in an arc, and is nothing like what a real cricket ball does? its because of its one wheeled construction, well i presume it is, i havent tried the pro but Ive tried the standard paceman and thought it was a waste of money for any senior cricketer personally...

[Vitas Cricket]

Am I the only one that finds the Paceman really unreaslistic? The ball floats out almost in an arc, and is nothing like what a real cricket ball does? its because of its one wheeled construction, well i presume it is, i havent tried the pro but Ive tried the standard paceman and thought it was a waste of money for any senior cricketer personally...

If you've only used the original machine the ball will float because it weighs 2 ounces. I agree it has limited use beyond helping young kids and beginners

[LEACHY48]

@Vitas Cricket yeah agreed it was partially due to the balls but ive watched the paceman videos from dimension sport and the ball still seems to do the same thing, i suppose it isnt too bad for just grooving shots...

[InternalTraining]

 I recently got Bola Junior and it is worth every penny!!!! For a club cricketer who can live with a max 65 mph speed, it is a great training tool.