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Tanner Tees are well-known batting tees in the baseball and softball world. They’re the original, classic design that spurred imitators from countless other companies.
In this Tanner Tee review, I’ll share my experience of owning them for years as a baseball academy owner. Are these batting tees durable, effective and worth the investment? Let’s find out.
Spoiler: I’ve Used Tanner Tees For 5+ Years and Think They’re Awesome.
Here’s Why:
I owned a baseball academy in Illinois for most of a decade. When we moved into a larger space in 2014, we had to purchase a lot of new equipment. One such purchase was seven Tanner Tees. How many of those tees are still in use, 5 years later as of the writing of this article? Well, all of them.
As a business owner who values well-made and durable products, here are my reasons for giving a shining recommendation for Tanner Tees.
Disclosure: if you buy a tee using one of the links below, I get a small commission as an affiliate at no additional cost to you. I was NOT paid to write this article. Rather, I wrote this review because I’ve used Tanner Tees for half a decade and wanted to share my experience with them (which has been very positive).
Watch My Video Review
I created a video review in addition to this article, so free to watch below for a more in-depth look.
In the video, you’ll see it in action and get a good feel for it’s build, size and construction.
1. The Tanner Design Can Take a LOT of Abuse.
This is a well-built batting tee, that much is certain. Kids will hit the tee often during drills, so assume that anything you buy will get absolutely punished by youth baseball players.
My former business partner, Lucas Cook, does hitting instruction and works a tremendous amount off the tee with his baseball and softball players. I watch from the tunnel next to him as kids young and old absolute WALLOP the tee.
The times a Tanner Tee goes flying because a kid hit it squarely on the stem with his or her bat…I couldn’t possibly count.
But, the things are very, very durable. I’ve seen it over the years how many times they get squarely hit and are still good to go.
We’ve seen lots and lots of strength training and baseball equipment wear out from the abuse of hundreds of young athletes. So, we buy quality equipment first, because if we don’t, it just breaks and we have to re-buy it.
Again–5 years later, we still have ALL of our original Tanner Tees. That says a lot.
If that’s all you needed to hear, you can easily buy one here.
2. You Can Repair a Tanner Tee
It’s rare nowadays to find a product that a company will actually repair. Most new electronics, for example, are made to be obsolete in just a few years.
We’ve repaired two of our original tees. Tanner supplies replacement tops, stems, bases, and all the little pieces you’d need to fix your tee for $20-$40 rather than buy a new one for $80. It’s a good deal, and we’ve done it with just a couple of them–they then perform good as new.
3. The Company Stands Behind Them
Because the company is based in the USA, they provide great customer service. I experienced it firsthand.
We had an issue with one of them a few years ago and felt well taken care of.
We were sent a free part because they determined the piece that broke shouldn’t have. I always appreciate companies that stand by their products.
4. The Materials Are High Quality.
A thing that stands out in the Tanner Tee is the feel of it – it’s built well, with quality rubber on the top, a sturdy indestructible base, and heavy-walled steel tubing.
This goes back to durability, but most of the parts on a Tanner Tee will never break. The base is solid resin, the tubes are relatively thick steel, and I believe much of the assembly is done by hand. The rubber top is thick and rolled well.
You can buy one of these batting tees knowing it’s going to handle abuse and last you a long time.
5. Hitters Love Them – Baseball or Softball
Lastly, the kids we teach–both baseball and softball–really like the design of the tee. Unlike the hard-plastic tees, mishits don’t smash a hard plastic tee.
Rather, the rolled rubber top gives a low-resistance swish as the ball is struck.
Do NOT Buy Those Yellow Awful Plastic-Tube Tees
If you buy a batting tee for yourself, your son or daughter, or for your team, do NOT buy one of these rubber or plastic tube designs–they suck and every hitter I’ve ever met hates them.
The rolled top design is awesome, which is why there are so many imitators of the original Tanner design. Even if you don’t get a Tanner model, buy one with the same design.
6. There Are a Lot of Options & Models
I’ll be honest in that we just have the original tees in both standard and short heights. But, they offer heavy tees, weights to hold them down (kids really do smack the crap out of them), bucket bases, home plate bases, heavy tees and more.
- Tanner Tee Original
- Tanner Pro Batting Tee (sleek design!)
- Tanner Tee Heavy (awesome in tall grass)
As far as all the other models and variations go, that’s up to you.
Read my comparison post on the Tanner Pro vs the Tanner Heavy batting tees here.
But in my experience, everything the company makes is durable and high-quality, so I don’t think you can go wrong.
Where To Buy
Learn more or buy a Tanner tee using the links below:
Direct From the Tanner Tee Website
Get them below directly from Tanner.
Or, from Amazon
Check pricing below.
I Hope This Tanner Tee Review Helped You.
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Thanks for reading! Dan
Batting Tee FAQ
Have a question? Leave one below or check out some common questions:
What is the best batting tee?
I believe the Tanner Tee is the best-made batting tee for both baseball and softball. It’s extremely durable and can withstand very heavy abusive over thousands of hitting lessons and hours in the cage. As a former baseball academy owner, our tees lasted a really long time, making them an excellent investment. When you buy quality, it will end up outlasting something that’s cheaper but not made nearly as well.
How tall is a batting tee?
Most tees range from 24-44 inches or so, which represents a fairly large range of pitches a batter would swing at in a game. The vertical location of a pitch is very important, and training at different heights in the strikes zone is important. High-tee drills, for example, can help hitters prevent dipping their backside, so having a tee that can extend high enough allows for more unique drills like that one. As a main tool that a batter will use through his or her baseball or softball career, investing in a good one is worth it.
Where should a batting tee be placed?
A batting tee should be placed in front of the plate by a handful of inches when a hitter wants to practice hitting the ball back up the middle of the field. When a hitter wants to practice going to the opposite field, he or she should place the tee on the plate, a few inches down from the front and on the outside corner, as balls hit hard the opposite way are barreled up deeper on the plate. When hitting to the pull side, a hitter should put the tee in front of the inside part of the plate by 4-6 inches, to accurately simulate where he or she would make contact out in front of the plate.
How important is tee work?
It’s very important! Hitting a stationary ball allows a baseball or softball batter to focus solely on his or her swing and making adjustments to it. When the variable of a fast-flying ball is introduced, a hitter has more to think about, which makes it tougher to focus on improving swing mechanics. The tee is a life-long tool to help hitters learn to make adjustments to their mechanics, so investing in a good batting tee like the Tanner Tee is a good longterm investment.