Table tennis robots

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which robot to buy ?

ahh im in australia so its kinda alot of shipping
l just bought a diff one with 3 wheels , for my self isolation ... life , how long who knows ?? so did some research .. ..l am happy with it . l know about about 2 others thou ..don't know about this practice partner one ...made in china goes under diff names .. the 80 has 2 heads it would do under and top spin in the same drill not much cost more than the 60 !! much better .. a friend has the donic 3050 xl he is wiz with computers but finds programming drills difficult , his app has problems ... personally l don't like apps all scrolling and clicking boxes ... just like a computer ! phew ! l bought the butterfly amicus expert/ its got button programming . great ! l am in the uk . sent from germany about the same price as your 80 model , 1.319 uk pounds ..l find it easy to programme . only drawback is .... the 3050xl has lights to show you if its top or underspin ... mine does not .. but in retrospect it helps anticipate and watch bounce and spin on the ball..with random top or under spin l can still hit the right bat angle ..good luck ..
 
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I bought the 3050xl for my son's xmas present last year... he uses it at least half an hour every day at the moment telling himself every ball he hits is a ball that most of his competitors won't ;) To be fair he uses it every day in the normal world when he's not playing or practicing with his club.
Yes, programming it is very painful but there are enough pre-programmed drills on there to keep anyone happy. The app is not great but does the job. Yes it's expensive but you get what you pay for. Half an hour practice on that is like 2 hours in a club (his words not mine).
I find the lights on the 3050xl mimic the ability to read whether a ball is topspin/backspin by the angle of the bat, i.e. you should get an idea before the ball bounces.
 
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Like others, I have been researching robots. I'm one of those guys who will read about the product, find and read as many reviews as possible, and want to know what are the features, that are unique for each individual buyer.

I've yet to pull the trigger on a purchase but I am very close. Here are some important points I have found out that may assist others considering a robot.

First, define what you want to use the robot for. One's use best determines which robots to consider. And if you have not asked yourself what do you want the robot to do, that's the most basic and elementary first question that needs to be asked?

Second, after determining a robots use, what is your budget? Robots range from under a $100 to $2,000+. Price will then provide you the robots to consider defined by your use.

Third, then compare the features and price of the applicable robots. Me, I want to practice drills and work on receiving serves. Receiving serves is the weakest part of my game. I also want to have a feature that allows the spin and oscillation (the movement of ball output) to be unpredictable. Or otherwise stated, I don't want to have to manually turn the ball output to a different spin. I want the output from the robot to resemble game play and be unpredictable. Several robots provide practice drills, and some also provide drills that can be customized.

The old Southern US expression, "I'm like a terrier with a rat", meaning that I will not let go until I have exhausted all available information. My DNA is if I am going to spend hundreds of dollars on a robot, I want to get the possible purchase match for me. I'm the opposite of an impulse buyer.

Forth point, I have been extremely tempted to purchase the models being imported from China, many available online and eBay. The Chaofan 36 comes with a basket, but no net retrieval system, with prices below $200, or step up to a similar model with the catch net and ball retrieval system for around $350. My concern here is that moving components are going to wear out. There a parts moving at high revolution and eventually wheels that spin the ball are need replacing, and electronic parts that control the mechanism are going to fail. What about getting replacement parts for these Chinese imported robots?

So I initially was drawn to the inexpensive iPong robots. For less than $200 I could have a robot with a catch net but no automatic ball loading. The iPong did not have features I wanted. Then an extensive search began online for other robots and I kept coming back to the future need of parts and service. Whose to say one day we are playing and a power surge happens or lightning strikes and components get frizzled?

At present, I feel most comfortable with Newgy. They are based in Tennessee and have a human voice to speak to and they state they offer support and repairs. And they have been around a long time. I am sure the robots offered by Paddle Palace and by Butterfly are equal or better, but they at present don't offer a model comparable in price to the one I am considering. Remember point number two above, budget and price.

Hopefully others reading this on a similar quest will find a point or two to help.
 
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says Aging is a killer
You are missing one major point, warranty and after sales support. You will want to able to repair/overhaul the robot at some time in its life.
Since you are putting so much into your research, try to do a matrix/spreadsheet. Across the top put the features of the purchase. On the sides list the robots. Score each robot (1-10) on each feature. The result may surprise you.
I'd luv to see how and why you made your final choice.
 
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You are missing one major point, warranty and after sales support. You will want to able to repair/overhaul the robot at some time in its life.
Since you are putting so much into your research, try to do a matrix/spreadsheet. Across the top put the features of the purchase. On the sides list the robots. Score each robot (1-10) on each feature. The result may surprise you.
I'd luv to see how and why you made your final choice.
My post was a long one and I left out about the warranty. There was a generic mention about a live body at Newby and that they did repairs. As far as the spreadsheet, I already have created a simple one. And a search online will find several, mostly from vendors wanting to hawk their product or from merchants who carry several lines to show distinctions. From my priorities, with price being an important factor, I'll likely make a step or two below the top of the line models as it difficult for me to justify spending a $1,000+ on a robot. I'm likely in the $350-$600 range and would stretch beyond that if an offer too good to pass up was presented to me.
 
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l have used the newgy 2050 no under or topspin in same drill..like the much improved 3050xl over the 2050 its all plastic noisy plastic catch tray noisy wheels [run all the time ] non ajustable .wears needs replacing after 3 years [or speed is very slow] replaced most springs on the 2050 that broke and exit ring also . A friend has the 3050xl its difficult to programme , he only uses the already set drills . l like the butterfly AMICUS EXPERT [same price as the 3050xl ] !! its sturdy ALL METAL AJUSTABLE 3 WHEELS THAT DO NOT MOVE .its very quiet only the sound of ball on the table . easy to programme with buttons . spare deflector plates. The only minus drawback over the 3050xl which has lights to show if its under or topspin .you have to watch spin and speed carefully . you watch the white deflector plate to see if its going left or right .. l improved vision of the plate by sticking high vis tape on the end of the plate . the prime app version costs £300 more .[not a fan of apps] l am happy with amicus expert already programmed 55 new drills ... we all have months of no real play to endure , but 7 ball all diff type of ball drills are quite realistic ...
 
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Hello, take a look to Tennirobo as an alternative.
The price is much lower but functionality is the same or may be higher.
I own the robot for 7 months and I'm very glad with it.
 
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l have used the newgy 2050 no under or topspin in same drill..like the much improved 3050xl over the 2050 its all plastic noisy plastic catch tray noisy wheels [run all the time ] non ajustable .wears needs replacing after 3 years [or speed is very slow] replaced most springs on the 2050 that broke and exit ring also . A friend has the 3050xl its difficult to programme , he only uses the already set drills . l like the butterfly AMICUS EXPERT [same price as the 3050xl ] !! its sturdy ALL METAL AJUSTABLE 3 WHEELS THAT DO NOT MOVE .its very quiet only the sound of ball on the table . easy to programme with buttons . spare deflector plates. The only minus drawback over the 3050xl which has lights to show if its under or topspin .you have to watch spin and speed carefully . you watch the white deflector plate to see if its going left or right .. l improved vision of the plate by sticking high vis tape on the end of the plate . the prime app version costs £300 more .[not a fan of apps] l am happy with amicus expert already programmed 55 new drills ... we all have months of no real play to endure , but 7 ball all diff type of ball drills are quite realistic ...
Thanks for the personal report. Real usage from players are the best and most valid reviews. I too noticed the sound coming from the Newgy 1055 in watching videos. Your mention of the quality of parts and replacement of parts is valuable. Ideally, if others who have robots and have used them extensively could share their thoughts that would be the best for us ready to buy.
 
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Hello, take a look to Tennirobo as an alternative.
The price is much lower but functionality is the same or may be higher.
I own the robot for 7 months and I'm very glad with it.
This is a very interesting robot. 3 wheels with a simple design that seems a valid choice. As it is a table top unit, all one would need is to do is purchase a catch net. I find it interesting that their website does not include the list price which seems irregular. Why not put the price with inclusions that shipping and size of the ball tubs cost extra. One major benefit, the owner seems to be active on this board and reviews from those who have purchased have been favorable.
 
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