Furlihong 3802PBH Pickleball Machine, Adjustable Speed & Angles, Pickleball Launcher with Auto Swing Base, Powered by Power Bank/Batteries/AC Power, for All-Level Training

First, I believe there are three versions of this Furlihong pickleball machine. This one, the 3802 has the most power. There are also medium and a slower speed versions. These Furlihong machines have a high return rate meaning customers send them back a lot. I still took the chance to buy it for two reasons. First, it's very inexpensive for the functionality you get. Second, in the reviews I saw a pattern of great customer service; the company replaces machines that don't work. So I wasn't too surprised when I received the machine and the oscillating base didn't work. I contacted Amazon, went through their steps to see if they could help me to get it working, and after that didn't work they put me in direct touch with Furlihong customer support. They asked me to send them a video of the machine and what was working and not working. I made a quick video with my phone, and sent it to them. Then Whitney, a great customer service rep, thanked me for the video, confirmed my shipping address, and sent me a new one. It took about two weeks which was a minor pain, but I got the new machine and it works great. Regarding my impressions of the pickleball machine, I really am surprised how well it works. First, I mounted it to a solid, strong tripod that I've used for video work. I also made an adapter plate for the bottom so that it distributes the weight and stress more evenly. The tripod is heavy enough that the machine doesn't move around as it shoots pickleballs. There are two speeds; high and low. The difference in speed is not that significant, but you can have one motor on low and the other on high and it creates a more challenging spinning pickleball to return. I haven't used the oscillator base yet, but it has two speeds and moves rather quickly so it's less predictable. A good thing. While the speed and power doesn't compete with the $1200 to $2400 machines (and no one should really expect it to), but it still has plenty of power to send a good shot over the net. Great practice for returning serves. One compromise is the limited amount of pickleballs you can load. I can get 19 loaded. You can also buy an extended spiral loading system, but I think it would be awkward and less stable (too tall) so I'm fine with 19 as the pickleball capacity. With a tripod, you can also get it about net high at the kitchen line and for hand volley shots. Or step back to the baseline and you'll get a good strong serve. It's very effective with a tripod. It's really a fantastic little device. I also connected a $9 power strip that has an on/off remote control. This allows me to load the machine, walk around to the other side of the court, and turn the machine on remotely. Otherwise, you have to turn the machine on and run as quickly as possible to the other side of the court. It shoots a ball about every four seconds so you have to hustle. This simple remote power strip solves that problem. That said, let's talk about build quality. I don't expect this machine to last a long time. The power cord is very thin wire so I'm being cautious with it. It's cheap plastic so I handle it gently. I will not be leaving it outside overnight, or get it wet in the rain. I will treat it with care and hope I can get as much mileage out of it as possible. Overall, and so far, I'm really impressed. For me, there's very little compromise in practical use. With the tripod setup and oscillating base, I get a huge variety of uses. I give it two thumbs up, but with caution in build quality.

I got this machine to practice pickleball and keep up with my friends, who are mostly at intermediate to advanced levels. My first machine worked well for about two months; there were occasional ball jams, but nothing that really interrupted practice. The swing base feature was great, helping me learn to hit the ball consistently, so I felt like I was progressing quickly. Around 1.5 months in, though, I noticed that balls were having trouble dropping correctly—up to 7 balls would sometimes get stuck on the track, which was frustrating, especially since the machine holds only 19 balls. By then, I had missed the Amazon return window, so I thought I might be out of luck. Thankfully, I reread the instructions and found a 12-month warranty. I emailed the seller, and they got back to me promptly, troubleshooting the issue with me before quickly agreeing to send a replacement. Within a week, I had my new machine and took it for a spin today. It works even better than the first, especially in swing mode! I've been extra careful with this one, making sure my balls are clean and free from debris, and handling it with care. The customer service was exceptional, and it’s rare to find companies that truly stand by their product. Even with my initial hiccup, I feel confident in this brand and will happily try any future gadgets they release to help my pickleball game.

Just received today 12/1/2025 and tried playing with it for a while. The one that I received, the right-side white wheel is damaged - looks like used but it works. I bought it for using indoor practice. Noticed some reviews mentioned that it is too hard for indoor use, but I really wanted to see if I can make use of it. Tried both AC and power bank, the power has no difference. Tried turning on the swing base, no idea how far side to side, a ball went to shot down my flower base which was set at the corner and it was broken. So be careful when the swing base is ON. All the shots are very hard and minimum arch. I attached (hold on to it with an elastic band) part of the men's old sock cuff as a damper to softer and shorter the distance. I also bought a remote AC controller, it is very convenience, thanks to one of the reviewers for this idea. For the price, it provides some functionality, not all but I am happy with it. Better wear safety glasses when use this machine. Edit 12/4/2025: Practiced more with the attached damper, and set one wheel at H speed & angle, the other L speed & and opposite angle to generate spin. This way, it can launch balls with spin, more arch path and land not too far. I was able to practice dink/roll/drop volley, overhead, two-handed backhand, as well as after bounce dinks, mid-court half-hop, reset and drop shots, etc. I prepared a few short videos but found out only 1 is allowed per review. The attached video, swing base is ON, you can see the balls go to different directions. If you prefer repeated shots, turn off the swing base. The distance between the machine and the landing spot in my setting is about 21 feet or within the range of 19-23 feet. With the amount of power using AC or power bank, I am sure it will be great practice outdoor. The price definitely worth it, less than what I paid of 1-hour coach fee. I upgrade my rate to 5 stars even though the wheel has some damage. I ever tried Franklin initial version machine 2 years ago, and the wheels scratch the balls, but this one doesn't. Highly recommended this. Hope my self-designed damper can help you or inspire you have more ideas to accommodate it to use indoor, which is convenient, easy to pick up balls, not worried about weather. Have fun with it!

Great machine for price. Its works great when you cn use with electricity. D batteries work but not enogh power. Will be testing w power bank see if can work at courts. The button on the base fell inside and now cannot change setting. I ve been trying to reset the button where it goes but cannot. Would be great if company sent replacement base.

It is important to keep the price of this machine in mind when evaluating its quality. You can spend over $2,000 for a pickleball pitching machine so you need to keep expectations realistic for $150. UPDATE (30 days): I still agree with this statement now 1 month later. My initial quality impression is overall good with my only concerns being that the plastic ball feed pieces seem a little thin and the arc adjustment knob was a bit shaky. After setting it up and using it once I am no longer concerned about either. The light weight of pickleballs do not require anything more substantial for the ball feed pieces. I had 17 balls in the feed at a time and it handle it fine. Once the arc adjustment knob was set it did not move and was fine throughout the session. UPDATE: (30 days) I purchased additional plastic extendable spiral ball tunnels and with this extra weight (including the balls) the arc adjustment knob doesn't hold the machine arc correctly. I think that this is a design flaw, but I used 2 pieces of duct tape to hold the angle and it actually improved the overall stability of the machine. I am using a "camcorder" tripod and the slight bit of instability it adds is also solved by the duct tape. This adds about 1 minute to the set up process. Again, the plastic spirals at first touch are flimsy but they are fully functional without a hitch. I think that one of the keys to my liking the machine so much on my first use is that I used a fairly heavy duty camera tripod (left over from the camcorder era) to set the machine up at net height (on the other side of the net). I set it at one of the lower trajectories and felt it delivered consistent shots. I only used the high speed setting with no spin and it was fast enough (again from very near the net) to challenge me on a backhand drill. UPDATE: (30 days) I still haven't toyed with the slow speed or spin because I have been working on my 2 hand back hand. I will add my thoughts about the slower speed (thinking about a dinking drill). I still like the fast speed which is close to an average recreational volley. I checked out the variety of power options at home. I measured the power by the vibrations emanating from the empty machine. The AC adapter was clearly the most powerful and consistent rhythm. 4 brand new Alkaline D batteries were a close second (and remained consistent over the first 1 hour session). When I hooked up my 2 amp Anker battery the speed was a little slower and inconsistent. Because I was training at a public park I couldn't use the adapter and used the D batteries. The 4 pack of D batteries was $5. You can get them more cheaply in bulk. I'll re-evaluate my power options after seeing how long the batteries last. UPDATE: (30 days): I used the AC power at home and the speed is improved over the D batteries. I continue to use D batteries (Alkaline, not dollar store) and they last solidly for two 1 hour sessions. The machine does not have a remote. With balls firing every 4 seconds you will miss the chance to hit the first one or two unless you create something like I did. I put a long thin screwdriver across the bottom of the ball feeder and tied a piece of twine to the screwdriver. I ran the twine around the net post all the way over to where I planned to stand. I turned the machine on and walked calmly over and got into a ready position before pulling the string to launch the first ball. One of the side benefits of this "remote control" was that it allowed the launch spinning wheels to reach top speed before launching the first ball which seemed to allow for more speed and consistency throughout the session. I have not tested the spin adjustments or the rotating base. Neither is a priority for me right now but I will eventually add to this review at a later time. I will try to get back here again to give a final update.

Received the item on 3/14/24***I initially was satisfied with the machine. I needed one to practice my baseline drives, 3rd shot drops and volleys. THE GOOD: It would feed me a ball about every 4 seconds and I was able to adjust the angle to adjust the height of the ball feed. It could even adjust the spins. I have a big basement so I was able to plug the machine to an outlet. There is an option for battery use which I havent tested yet. The speed of the ball was not bad. I didn't expect it to send me the ball at a fast speed since the machine was light and small but the speed to me was just right for practice. I just moved the machine forward or backwards to make the ball land where I want it on the court. It kept about 19 balls so I bought an extra track to double the number of balls it can feed. THE BAD: there is a setting for fast speed but I did not find a difference with the speed at all. Again, I did not mind it because I liked the speed of the ball already. There is an option for changing of the spin but I could not find much difference. I was still satisfied with the regular spin it gave the ball when it came out of the machine. THE REALLY BAD: It worked for the 7 times I used it (used it for about 15 mins each time intermittently) and the 8th time it started to feed the balls every 30-45 secs from every 4 seconds then eventually it would stop feeding a ball. You could hear and see the wheels spinning in the machine but it would just stop feeding a ball. Today is Tuesday 3/19/24. I will order another machine today to see if it would work this time. Maybe the 1st one was just a dud. I will update my review after I try the new machine.

I bought this for my son for Christmas, I shop Early….the day after Christmas we opened it and let him use it. First, it’s really powerful and honestly slightly more than anticipated and the speed adjustment does nothing. It’s definitely a full court trainer and I was hoping he could use it in the garage on cold or rainy days with the ball return net I also bought him. Well 45 mins into him playing with it, it only spit the ball out about a foot at best. You could hear a change in the motor…so back to I shop early, of course the return window from Amazon closed - I still tried to see what they could do - which was nothing but get me to the company itself - which I already emailed but haven’t gotten a return email on…next step will be calling them next week. It also had difficult using with the same brand return net incase anyone was looking at the combo. The cross bar sits right where the ball launcher has to go to get it to feed the balls into the return so it’s kinda gotta be rigged - but I knew this before I bought it that it wasn’t a pickleball launcher. I plan on strapping the net up higher so the chute sits higher making it work better with the ball return. All in all I recommend this, my son had a blast with it while we used it. Update: I almost immediately got a reply from the company requesting a video of the problem. So I sent a video and the first couple balls didn’t come out right but then it started working. So I replied back and told them it seemed to be working correctly now. They are still sending a replacement. So, despite it not working properly 100% of the time, customer service is going to quickly remedy all problems. Very pleased.

I've been using it for over a week daily. It's absolutely fun to use. It's like having an endless amount of tokens for a carnival game. I put it in several positions for practice drills. Sometimes the ball would shoot out in an unexpected way, but I don't mind. It keeps me on my toes. I power it via AC with a battery pack for camping. The power is more than adequate. I did not give it 5 stars because I wish it held more balls. The optional ball expansion is pricey for plastic. The machine itself feels like toy-quality plastic. I hope it will last long.