So, you want to master the art of hitting a baseball coming at you at breakneck speed? Get your fundamentals in check.
This means before you start practicing against a pitcher or a pitching machine,
you need to learn the proper strike zones on the ball and how to hit them efficiently.
But once you actually get out there, you’ll quickly realize it’s much easier said than done.
The pros make it look effortless, so what gives? The truth is, before they ever hit a pitch in a real game, they spent thousands of hours on a field practicing against a stationary ball on a baseball batting tee.
The good news is you can build that same level of precision and strike power by practicing regularly with a baseball tee.
The Backspin Tee is a hanging, upside-down batting tee that flips the traditional design on its head, literally. Instead of a ball sitting on top of a post, it hangs from an inverted cone so you see the whole ball, not just the top half.
I was skeptical the first time I set one up. But the more reps I put in, the more I realized this inverted batting tee could be a real gamechanger for hitters at almost any level.
Everybody has different tastes and preferences, and that’s perfectly fine. I’ve seen plenty of people knock the brand over its price.
Still, I believe the build quality and unique design justify the price tag. After going through this Backspin Tee review, you might be ready to make the jump yourself.
What Is the Backspin Tee?
I’ve noticed a lot of confusion around the name. People tend to use “Backspin Tee” as a catch-all term for any upside-down batting tee, but Backspin Tee isn’t a design category. It’s the name of a specific brand.
That brand specializes in building high-quality vertical, hanging batting tees with a few features you won’t find on cheaper knockoffs. There are other inverted tees on the market, but few match the build quality of a genuine Backspin hitting tee.
Their lineup has always been narrow. Historically the brand has offered just a couple of core models, the Pro and Pro Lite, each aimed at a different budget and skill level. Backspin has refreshed the Pro Model’s design more than once since I first tested it, so if you’re shopping today, double-check the current listing for the exact weight and materials before you buy. The core idea, an inverted design with a stable, adjustable base, has stayed the same.
3 Best Backspin Tee Reviews (Tested and Compared)
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the tees I tested, including a budget-friendly SKLZ alternative. You’ll get my first-hand experience with each one, the good and the bad.
1. Backspin Tee Pro Baseball with Elite Angle Attachment
When I first tried a Backspin Tee product, I had mixed feelings. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t feel that practical either. That changed once I got my hands on the Backspin Tee Pro model. This is the tee that completely turned around my opinion of the brand.
The Backspin Tee Pro features a classic design with a heavy steel base plate. Once it’s set up on the ground, it stays put, no walking, no wobble, even on strong strikes. The base and post on this vertical batting tee stay planted through repeated reps.
This tee also comes with a nifty Elite Angle Attachment that I think can boost your training efficiency significantly. With it, you can adjust the angle of the ball to practice different swing paths and pitch angles. You can get the Pro model without this attachment, but I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.
Height adjustment on this tee is also excellent, giving you a wide working range so you can practice striking the ball at different heights and dial in your swing plane. The top is made using double-wrapped flexible cones with a threaded connection that holds the ball securely.
Since this is the heavier Pro model, I expected it to be a hassle to move around. Fortunately, it was lighter than I expected, and I could break it down, toss it in a bag, and reassemble it at the field without much fuss. Portability wasn’t the issue I thought it would be.
Given the price of the unit, you might wonder if it’s worth it. But keep in mind the people buying these tees are usually chasing a pro career or trying to push their skills well past casual playing. Seen that way, the price starts to make a lot more sense.
Details:
- Base: Heavy steel base
- Height Adjustment 18 to 48 inches
- Top: Double wrapped flexible cones with threaded connection
- Weight: Around 18 pounds
2. SKLZ Elite Inverted Baseball Hitting Tee Elite
I’ve covered an expensive option and a moderately priced one if you want a genuine Backspin tee. But let’s be honest, even the Pro Lite might be out of reach for a kid saving up pocket money for baseball gear. In that case, it’s worth looking at another brand.
The SKLZ Elite Inverted Baseball Hitting Tee, sometimes listed as the Suspended Ball Tee Elite, might be the answer if budget is the only thing holding you back. Like the Backspin, this is an upside-down batting tee built to help you groove proper hitting mechanics for cleaner swings.
Keep in mind, this is a budget-friendly, entry-level option for anyone who wants a decent vertical tee. Manage your expectations a bit. Still, I’ve used it myself on occasion and had a solid experience. Mostly, though, I hand it to my students to train with.
Despite the lower price, the height adjustment on this unit is genuinely impressive. You can adjust from 23 to 45 inches, which feels more intuitive and efficient than the push-button system on the Pro Lite.
That said, I’m not a huge fan of the tee top that holds the ball. It has some flex and releases the ball fine on contact, but it doesn’t match the quality of what you get on a Backspin tee. Still, as a budget pick, it’s not a dealbreaker.
The base on the SKLZ Elite Inverted Tee, on the other hand, is genuinely excellent, and might even edge out the Pro Lite. It’s heavier, and once it’s on the ground, it stays stable through repeated swings. That alone is a big reason to consider it.
Details:
- Base: Weighted steel base
- Height Adjustment: 23 to 45 inches
- Top: Unique flex material
- Weight: Around 8 pounds
3. Backspin PRO LITE Softball
As I mentioned, the Pro Heavy wasn’t the first hanging Backspin baseball tee I tried from the brand. It was a bit out of my budget at the time, so I looked for something more affordable. That’s when I found the Pro Lite, which turned out to deliver a quality training experience of its own.
It’s an extremely lightweight hanging baseball tee that’s just as adjustable as the Pro Heavy. Even though you’re paying noticeably less for it, that doesn’t mean you’re getting an inferior Backspin baseball tee. Build quality and performance between the two models are pretty comparable.
You can still add the Elite Angle Attachment to this tee without any compatibility issues, which opens up more strike angles and helps you diversify your training routine. Honestly, that was the number one reason I chose this tee for myself when I was younger.
Even without the Elite Angle Attachment, the Launch Angle Pro that ships with the standard Pro Lite should keep you going for a couple of years. It lets you target a specific point on the net so you can aim your strikes and make your hits more accurate.
The top of the unit is made with shatterproof copolymer and a damping fluid that helps it hold up to repeated hits. The base, though, is where the Pro Lite takes its biggest hit. It’s weighted, but it doesn’t come close to the stability you get with the Pro Heavy model.
Still, if you’re on a budget and the Pro Heavy isn’t in the cards right now, the Pro Lite is a solid choice. It’s a lot lighter, and you can set it up almost anywhere in a few minutes, so it travels well.
Details:
- Base: Weighted steel base
- Height adjustment: four-hole push-button height adjustment
- Top: Double wrapped flexible cones with threaded connection
- Weight: 6 pounds
Are Backspin Tees Worth It?
Backspin Tees cost a lot. So it’s natural to wonder if you’re getting your money’s worth. Whether a Backspin Tee is worth it for you specifically is hard to answer in general terms, since it’s a subjective call. The best I can do is give you my two cents.
Back when I trained religiously, I put in two to three hours at a stretch. With traditional tees, ball visibility was always an issue for me. I had a MacGregor Batting tee that I used daily, but I wanted an upgrade. That’s when I decided to try something new.
The first Backspin Tee I bought was the Pro Lite, and it drastically improved my hitting experience. I could see the ball clearly and aim far more precisely. It felt sturdier too, and the build quality was a step up. Assembly and disassembly were pretty painless.
The jump from a MacGregor to a Backspin wasn’t small, and the price difference was more than 70 to 80 bucks. But I saved up my pocket money and got it as an early birthday present. Looking back at how many hours I put into it, I’d say the investment paid off.
Later on, I upgraded to the Pro Heavy model, which improved my experience even more. That didn’t happen right away though, and I tried a handful of other tees in between.
In my experience, here are the biggest benefits I got out of using a Backspin Tee.
Benefits of Using a Backspin Tee
Adjustability Options
The biggest upgrade a Backspin Tee offers is a wider range of height adjustment, especially on the Pro Heavy model. With that one, you can dial in the height anywhere from 18 to 48 inches, which beats most of the competition on the market. If you’re not sure exactly how high your batting tee should be set for your age and swing, it’s worth reading up on before you start adjusting.
Even with the Pro Lite model I started out with, I had a comfortable range of options. Sure, I couldn’t dial in any height I wanted, but the four fixed height positions were enough for anyone working on their hitting mechanics.
Heavy Base and Solid Frame
The quality of any batting tee largely comes down to the base and frame construction, no matter the design. With Backspin Tees, you get a high-quality weighted base that doesn’t wobble or shift as you practice your swing.
The frame on their tees is also built with strong aluminum for durability, so you can practice striking with real power behind it. To work on making your strikes more powerful, check out our article here.
Portable and Lightweight
Another big advantage of Backspin tees is how lightweight they are. Since they’re built from high-grade aluminum, the tee stays light without giving up structural strength or rigidity.
You can also break these tees down in a flash and toss them into the carry bag most models ship with. So moving around with one is never much of a hassle.
Is a Traditional Tee Better for More Topspin?
Whether you prefer an upside-down tee or a traditional one comes down more to personal preference than anything else. I’ve seen people make some pretty odd arguments in favor of one design over the other. The truth is it comes down to personal comfort and how you like to train. Your training method might factor into the decision too.
Sure, with upside-down tees you see more of the ball, but plenty of the newer top-rated batting tees now come with an elevated top for better visibility anyway. So while this used to be a valid selling point, it’s not really a dealbreaker anymore. Both designs give you enough visibility to strike properly, if you know what you’re doing. If you’re still weighing whether hitting off a batting tee is a good practice for your training in the first place, that’s worth reading before you invest in either design.
When it comes to topspin, a traditional tee isn’t the automatic winner some people claim it to be. A vertical hanging baseball tee paired with the right baseball bat will still give you solid topspin. That said, it shouldn’t be the only factor you weigh when choosing an upside-down tee over a traditional one.
My best advice is to check with your coach if you’re training under one. They may want to train you a certain way to cover specific parts of your swing, and if so, they’ll be able to tell you which design fits their approach.
Final Verdict on the Backspin Tee
Backspin Tee wasn’t the first brand to come up with the upside-down tee design. But it’s certainly the brand that pushed this design into the mainstream.
If budget isn’t a concern, I’d go with the Pro Heavy model since it gives you the most flexibility. The Pro Lite is a solid choice too if you’re working with a tighter budget. Outside of the more limited height adjustment, it’s essentially the same tee. And if you want something cheaper still, the SKLZ Elite Inverted Tee is a genuinely capable entry point.
Hopefully this Backspin Tee review gave you a clear enough picture of what this batting tee brand does well, and where it falls short.
So, get your bat, get your tee, and keep swinging for the fences. Good luck!
With 4 years of Division II experience, a .272 career batting average, .410 on-base percentage, and 7 home runs, I’m now in my fifth season. I’ve played baseball since age 3, alongside future MLB Draft picks, and I aim to pursue a career in baseball professionally, be it playing, coaching, or scouting.