Bought this last year for two reasons--training my daughter (11) to hit fastpitch softball and teaching my son (8) to play machine pitch baseball. It works great for both when set up properly. The first key to this machine for training is that it pitches consistently (left/right) where it is pointed. Once aligned across the plate (very easy to do), it doesn't throw inside or outside, so you don't have to worry about hitting your kid standing there at the plate. That in and of itself is worth the purchase price. The second is that the machine throws the same speed every time. This also is good since it is very tough to both get the ball across the plate and throw at the same speed again and again and again. The third key to this machine is that it requires NO POWER. The importance of that is hard to overstate. Most fields don't have power or a power cord set up for pitching. Also, you may not be allowed to play on the diamond, but rather in the outfield or some other part of the park. With this machine, that is no worry whatsoever. It's just a simple catapult with two cleats that anchor it to the ground. I have found that the height of the pitches varies a bit from pitch to pitch-(probably from the knees to the middle of the chest) you have to put the ball in the machine the same way each time, and use the same kind of balls, otherwise it moves around. The way you pull the release (slow or fast) also has an effect. Once you fling 5-10 balls, you should easily get the hang of it Adjusting the height can take a little work (5-10 min). There are three adjustments for the height and one for power. I usually dial in the amount of power I want, then muck with the two main height adjustments. The micro height adjustment seems not to do anything. Also, the two height adjustment screw knobs all have lock nuts. This is good, but it also is easy for these to fall on the ground and get lost. Once set, it is pretty good to go for a while. How does this compare with a $500-1000 machine (two wheels spinning, electric, etc...). Much better in my opinion. In the boys coach pitch league we were in, it seemed the "machine" could never be adjusted properly. Too high, too fast, too low, whatever. Usually, setting up the machine burned the first 15 minutes of each game. I think that we made it through one game without replacing the expensive machine with coaches by the end. We used the UPM 45 for one game and it went surprisingly smoothly. I know that some leagues elsewhere use only these machines. I also like the machine because you can see the mechanism as it throws, rather than having to eye a hole for the ball to poot out of as in a spinning wheel type machine. Also, it throws basically anything. Baseballs, softballs, even soccer balls. If you set the height way up, it can throw decent fly balls-good for those of us without 100s of softball throws in our arms each practice! With regards to speed, if you are considering the faster model I would say don't bother unless you are headed to high school. For baseballs, this thing can throw as hard or harder than 90% of the 10-11 year old boys out there. With regards to softball, I would say the speed on max is faster than 95% of the middle school girls fastpitch pitchers.
