Print

[BD]

First off I must say thanks to ProCricketer1982 who I have been firing a number PM's re: his BOLA machine.  Now I would like opinions from other's who may own or use BOLA machines on a regular basis as to their pros and cons on the machine, whether they believe they are a good unit and can offer me a lot more in comparison to my current Paceman Pro.

My situation is that I recently purchased a Paceman Pro with 36 x Reg Hard Balls and set up a cricket net with astro turf @ home on a concrete base under my high set house. A mate and I along with guys from our team drop in when they have an hour or so free and face down a few buckets of balls.  Everyone has thoroughly enjoyed it (probably all of us being over 40 and too old & broken to bowl much has something to do with it) and keen to keep at it.  I've made it clear to everyone that it's not there for a half-volley slog-fest but to practice balls or shots that you are struggling with out in the middle, or would like to learn how to play a specific shot in a more controlled environment rather than at the nets with some clown bowling bouncers at you. For myself, I like to test myself and technique against both spinning options then change it up a bit to firing down those awful fast short chest high ball's, swinging both in or away. 

I am keen to use the machine by myself but with the Paceman only having a 12 Ball feeder and lack of variation without a 2nd operator it doesn't really provide much incentive to use on your own.

To cut a long story short the PaceMan Pro is good portable unit, but IMO I can see some drawbacks now having using it regularly.  I am thinking that a step up to the BOLA with 28 ball feeder & 240V power pack could be the way to go. 

1. Speed - I would like the option of having more speed as we use the max speed level 80 - 90% of the time and it doesn't really provide too much trouble, particularly with fuller pitched balls. I'm certainly not the best batsman around but I bat ok and keen to be challenged to improve.  There are times now when I would like balls to be sent down a bit sharper. 

2. Variation per delivery.  Apart from adjusting the speed of the ball per delivery it's very difficult with the Paceman on the fly to make line and length adjustments. The unit also has a tendency to shift about sometime, which throws out your set up.  I understand the BOLA has the 'Random Delivery Mode Option'? plus the operator can push or lift up on the metal bar on the unit to enable them vary line and length of a individual ball, in addition to there being two adjustment knobs. 

3.  The Paceman Pro is solely a 240V mains powered unit.  The BOLA has both the 12V and 240V options in the one unit. 

4.  Auto ball feeder.  Paceman Pro = 12 balls vs BOLA = 28 ball feeder with 'Random Delivery Mode' option.   

5. I have concerns over time the Paceman may not be able to stand up to the large number of balls that we put through it. Even with only 2 of us using it @ 10 buckets of 36 balls per batsman x 2 batters = 720 balls per session. 

6. Better quality of delivery per ball.  Given that the Paceman Pro is a single wheel until and BOLA's are dual, I'm assuming the delivery of the ball is more consistent and stable with more options incl back spin, top spin + leg spin and off spin. 


Any opinions on the BOLA machine, particularly those with experience using the 'Random Delivery' mode would be appreciated. 

[potzy248]

If you can afford it get it.

Only problem I have found (Very picky) is that its is very large and heavy. We have to store ours about 50m away in a container and it is a mission to set up. I would love to be able to leave it up full time but its not possible. It definitely makes me think twice about using it because of the set up and take down time.

If thats not an issue get it, they're an awesome piece of gear.

[BD]

If you can afford it get it.

Only problem I have found (Very picky) is that its is very large and heavy. We have to store ours about 50m away in a container and it is a mission to set up. I would love to be able to leave it up full time but its not possible. It definitely makes me think twice about using it because of the set up and take down time.

If thats not an issue get it, they're an awesome piece of gear.

Thanks for kicking the replies off mate......Once it's set up I will only have to move it about 5 metres from out of my garage to direct it under the house.  There will be times when I will take it down to the public nets at our local cricket ground, however even then the car parking there is great and we will only have to lug it about 15 metres from the car to the nets.

[InternalTraining]

I own Bola Pro bowling machine with auto-feeder. For a home net systems, it was a nightmare to assemble and disassemble. It is too heavy and bulky to pull out of its trunk case and setup. If I had a dedicated space (basement or a garage) where I could just leave the set up machine without worrying about inclement weather or thieves, I would definitely favor this machine. This machine is realistically meant for a professional/club setup where a net is dedicated for this machine. In terms of functionality, the machine is great - you can set it up for different variations of fast and slow bowling. By the same token, it is also a dangerous piece of equipment if used irresponsibly. I know of two cases of broken toes and I personally ended up in an ER after mis-timing a pull shot at 76 mph.

In my opinion, there is a better substitute available now for the club cricketer: Bola JR. This machine is light weight and portable (fits in the back seat of my car) and easy to assemble and dissemble (easier than loader your dish washer). The owner Nye joked about the entire unit being lighter than the poles of the "Pro" machine. Jr machine goes only as high as 65 mph but coaches like Gary Palmer advocate using a Bola at 65 mph or lower to groove your shots. The machine uses lighter, smaller balls and I believe the smaller balls help with shot timing - it is like using a middle bat for practice. There are two type of balls available: 75 gram (soft ball - orange) and 90 gram (hard ball - white). In my earlier reviews, I wrote that you can't get a short-pitch ball but I have overcome that issue now: you can set the machine head at a steep angle to generate sufficient bounce. [Note: you can also purchase longer poles to create a steeper angle]. This machine has a packaged auto-feeder (12 balls) and you can purchase an extender (6 balls) for a maximum 18 ball session. The frequency can be set at 4, 6, and 10 second intervals. I set the machine at 18 yards to simulate quick bowling. Combined with high swing setting, the machine is (if not more) as effective as the Pro machine. All in all, this has been the best investment I have made for my game. For a club cricketer who wants to improve his game, this is the best Bola option out there.

[BD]

I own Bola Pro bowling machine with auto-feeder. For a home net systems, it was a nightmare to assemble and disassemble. It is too heavy and bulky to pull out of its trunk case and setup. If I had a dedicated space (basement or a garage) where I could just leave the set up machine without worrying about inclement weather or thieves, I would definitely favor this machine. This machine is realistically meant for a professional/club setup where a net is dedicated for this machine. In terms of functionality, the machine is great - you can set it up for different variations of fast and slow bowling. By the same token, it is also a dangerous piece of equipment if used irresponsibly. I know of two cases of broken toes and I personally ended up in an ER after mis-timing a pull shot at 76 mph.

In my opinion, there is a better substitute available now for the club cricketer: Bola JR. This machine is light weight and portable (fits in the back seat of my car) and easy to assemble and dissemble (easier than loader your dish washer). The owner Nye joked about the entire unit being lighter than the poles of the "Pro" machine. Jr machine goes only as high as 65 mph but coaches like Gary Palmer advocate using a Bola at 65 mph or lower to groove your shots. The machine uses lighter, smaller balls and I believe the smaller balls help with shot timing - it is like using a middle bat for practice. There are two type of balls available: 75 gram (soft ball - orange) and 90 gram (hard ball - white). In my earlier reviews, I wrote that you can't get a short-pitch ball but I have overcome that issue now: you can set the machine head at a steep angle to generate sufficient bounce. [Note: you can also purchase longer poles to create a steeper angle]. This machine has a packaged auto-feeder (12 balls) and you can purchase an extender (6 balls) for a maximum 18 ball session. The frequency can be set at 4, 6, and 10 second intervals. I set the machine at 18 yards to simulate quick bowling. Combined with high swing setting, the machine is (if not more) as effective as the Pro machine. All in all, this has been the best investment I have made for my game. For a club cricketer who wants to improve his game, this is the best Bola option out there.

That's food for thought and didn't really expect a BOLA Jr comparison to be thrown in there.......

[dougydee]

I agree that the bola jr is a good piece of equipment. There is however something about hitting light balls that just doesn't feel the same.

[InternalTraining]

^ Light balls make no difference when it comes to grooving. In fact, I have found them to be a much better tool for practicing timing of shots. The heavier balls are a good substitute if you don't like light balls, they travel thru the air faster than the lighter balls. When I load up the auto-feeder for my practice, I mix both types of balls in the feeder. This mixture of balls creates an amazing variation of speed and bounce just like a real-life good bowler.

[Biggie Smalls]

Ill second that re the light balls .
Im happy with my stinger pro ...for the price i payed it was the difference between being able to get a machine vs not . But id get a bola jnr in a heartbeat if i could afford it . If you are in doubt watch some youtube vids of it being used . Top kit .

[BD]

I do like the look of the BOLA Jr but my biggest concern is being restricted to only using light weight balls. I tried light balls on my Paceman and threw them back in the box after facing only 6 balls.

It's the wide array of variations possible from speed, swing, spin etc that has me focused on getting the Pro model.  It's clearly going to be overkill for our needs as I understand these machines are really designed for commercial and high end player use.  On the plus side it won't have the heavy usage and be better looked after/maintained than perhaps machines that get thrashed day in day out. I also see it as a good investment in comparison to buying other models. BOLA has a good rep in the cricket industry and I'm confident if I was to sell it down the track the resale value would be pretty reasonable unlike other Chinese made brands that have flooded the market.