GRAND SLAM
A $1m campaign
with 2650 orders
made this the
most popular
sport-based
Kickstarter ever.SHOCK RESULT
A nylon bag, fluffy
tennis balls and
a spinning motor
mean you will get
static shocks
aplenty.What’s the story?
As the name suggests, it’s a
gadget that slings things, and
in this case that’s tennis balls
at speeds of between 10 and
45mph. A tennis partner that
never cancels once the court
has been booked, never gets
injured and never throws a
strop or queries your line calls?
You cannot be serious!
The soft-sided wheelie-bag
looks a bit of a monster; but
given that it can hide 144 balls
plus a telescopic ball collector,
motorised launcher, battery,
oscillating base and half your
kit, it’s a fully featured tennis
Tardis. We wouldn’t want to
drag it very far – from the car
park to the court is probably
just about acceptable – but
treat that as a warm-up and
you’ll be fine.
It has a battery life of five
hours, which is impressive,
and the balls can be set to fire
at between two-second and
10-second intervals, with
10-40° of elevation. Control
is via a couple of simple dials,
and the more you crank up
the speed, the more top-spin
you’ll experience.Is it any good?
If it could go and collect the
balls as well as firing them, this
would be the greatest gadget
in the history of tennis. It’s
endlessly good fun even for
beginners, and if you crank
up the speed the dip from
the top spin gets seriously
challenging.
Position the bag behind the
service box, assume a position
on the other side of the net
and press the remote control.
You’ll hear the motor kicking
in, a beep, and then it’s game
on. The standard pack includesa Slinger Oscillator base, which
varies the angle of delivery
to get you running around the
court and make sure you’re
testing both your forehand
and your backhand.
It’s relentless, and a great
way to practise specific shots
without boring your partner;
and while 45mph isn’t exactly
pro-quick, it’s more than
enough for some enthusiastic
racket-flailing.Price £780 / stuff.tv/Slinger
O 45mph O Up to 5 hours
O 510x450x330mm, 15kgSlinger
STUFF SAYS Finally, a tennis practice partner that genuinely wants you to get better +++++
BEST FOR
FUTURE
PROS