Posted by: siggy (john.sigler@gmail.com) on Thu Dec 16 19:38:39 2004

Can any one tell me about the bat action hitting trainer.Thinking about getting one for my son ,but I would like information on results from using it and durabilty. I believe Nedco sports sells this trainer. Any information about this training device would be appreciated.

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I purchased one about 3 years ago.

Durability has been pretty good. Mine sits outside all the time (in-ground style). The power bands wear out after a while (3-6 months) if used a lot or in left out in Texas heat, but they're reasonably cheap to replace. Had one impact head break, but Nedco replaced it promptly without any questions or cost.

Avoids chasing balls, so for that it's better than a tee for getting a lot of reps in. Doesn't take up too much room (8 or 9' circle to use, stores in 1/2 that).

Adjusting height and in/out location of pitches is difficult for my 13-yr old daughter as the knobs have to be tightened firmly to avoid them loosening over a number of hits.

We still use it some, but actually I have a 10'x10' net that I hang from garage ceiling and use much more often. If I was buying something like this now, I would purchase a SoloHitter ($189) or SwingAway ($399) instead as I think the feedback of seeing where the ball is actually being driven is very important. (Same reason I use the net when possible.)

On the other hand, the bataction allows you to hit a moving ball (albeit coming at you fairly slowly and in an arc).

John