I have used one of those machines, but it was just once or twice, years ago. A youth coach I knew asked me help out, and showed me how to use it for batting practice. I thought it was a piece of junk. It took forever to charge up and throw. I put it aside and threw BP myself. Much better.
Since you're pleading for advice, I will give you some.
Do not waste $1000 or more on a pitching machine. It's not that much fun hitting off of one, and it's no fun at all picking up the balls afterwards. Players use them to get a lot of cuts in quickly, especially in the off-season, but it's not that much fun, and not all that useful.
If I was you, instead I would:
- Find a men's 30 or 40+ baseball team. That would be 100 times more fun.
- Find a men's fast pitch softball team. That would be at least 50 times more fun.
- Find a co-ed or men's slow pitch softball team. That would also be 50 times more fun.
- Take $10 and go to the local batting cage and hit there. That would be 10 times more fun and 100 times cheaper.