Hydrogen Sports PROTON

Flootoo

Flootoo

Semi-Pro
how easy would it be to incorporate sensors that would cross-reference with the machine's data and then tell you how consistent you were with split-step, getting into the ready position, and follow-through?
 
T

TorontoTennis

Rookie
Yeah but if you have an external battery it's lighter than having to have the battery plugged into the thing, no matter how much the battery weighs.
 
FightMeAtTheNet

FightMeAtTheNet

Rookie
graycrait said:
I'll believe it when I see it on the court.
Click to expand...

From their own FAQ section:

When will you have machines available to ship?
Click to expand...
We are currently building a database of potential customers prior to a crowdfunding launch. After the crowdfunding campaign we anticipate 9 months to delivery.

A lot of crowdfunding campaigns are late to ship, and some do not ship at all. Are you any different?
Definitely. Because we’ve ramped and shipped product before. The prototype has been designed with manufacturability in mind, and almost all of the components are already being made by our production vendors. This isn’t some 3D printed hobby machine.
Click to expand...



So let's estimate maybe 6 months of "customer databasing" and then let's go with 12 months to delivery. Which brings us to around beginning of 2021, but then keep in mind most people are going to be using ball machines in the winter so it'll likely be a good reason to delay further into summer of 2021. In other words, I'll also believe it when I see it.
 
FightMeAtTheNet

FightMeAtTheNet

Rookie
Maximus XXIV said:
Also based on other crowd funded ball machines being years late...
Click to expand...
Other than the slinger, has there been any other notable crowd-funded ball machines?

This also begs the question, why have some of the more notable companies like Lobster or Silent Partner not target the market for smaller, lighter, and more portable ball machines? There's clearly demand, is it due to lack of feasibility - or perhaps they've figured there isn't enough of a market worth the R&D using their own funds?
 
M

Maximus XXIV

Rookie
FightMeAtTheNet said:
Other than the slinger, has there been any other notable crowd-funded ball machines?

This also begs the question, why have some of the more notable companies like Lobster or Silent Partner not target the market for smaller, lighter, and more portable ball machines? There's clearly demand, is it due to lack of feasibility - or perhaps they've figured there isn't enough of a market worth the R&D using their own funds?
Click to expand...
I do not know. My guess is that it is expensive to make the parts smaller and lighter but just as strong. There are a bunch of brands out there but they all are pretty comparable from a parts perspective. You might see some movement if anyone was actually successful but none of them obviously see it as readable right now.
 
S

SpinControl

Rookie
I have a $50 collapsible cart for my machine, balls and hopper, tennis bag, and water.
I don't care how light this is, I will still need all the other stuff, and that gets heavy, too.
Of course, those who are less strong (smaller women and children) and/or into the latest cutting edge will buy, and the upgrades are nice (Li2+ batts, brushless motors, and weight).
In the end, if it still relies on a carousel and rubber/urethane wheels, it's not a revolutionary step.
Today's current wheel machines compared to the old prince machines that used air propulsion...that was a leap and a drastic change in size and weight.
 
FightMeAtTheNet

FightMeAtTheNet

Rookie
So it sounds like the Proton ball launcher actually received enough private funding that they no longer nee to crowd-source funds. Based on an email from them:

We have identified sufficient private investment to forgo the headache of crowdfunding, and have decided instead to take pre-order deposits directly through the Hydrogen Sports website. The deposit will be 25% of the purchase price, and is refundable should you change your mind prior to the final payment. When units are ready to ship, you will be asked for the remaining 75% payment. This will be spelled out officially in the terms and conditions of the pre-order page when it goes live, so please read them then.

Because we are not asking our pre-order customers to take the risk and financial commitment of a crowdfunding campaign, the early-bird price will be $1195 at launch, for a limited first run of units. However… since we did run ads for a $995 early-bird price (which may have enticed you to sign up!) we will honor that with a 1-day pre-pre-order sale at $995 (with 25% deposit) for those receiving this email. You will be emailed a link for purchasing before we begin to take orders. You are welcome to share this link with your friends, but we won’t otherwise promote sales at this price.

It’s taken some time to get the launch going, because we elected to focus on releasing the latest version of the design to our vendors first. They are now busy making parts while we get launching. This gives us more confidence in the cost and schedule, and gets us to shipping faster. The plan has us shipping the pre-order units early next summer (2020).
Click to expand...

So still a 25% deposit, but I suppose nowhere as painful as all the people who put down full pre-orders for the slinger. I am still skeptical of the launch date (early next summer still sounds like fall of 2020, if not maybe just spring of 2021) but am optimistic that at least some type of product will come out since private investors can apply more pressure than a bunch of individuals.
 
megamind

megamind

Legend
why are all ball machines so expensive?

the engineering doesn't look that complicated, yet it costs more than an eye phone
 
JEDI MASTER

JEDI MASTER

Professional
Saw this machine in action over the weekend. For a prototype It’s so freaking light. Only a couple technical issues that should be ironed out before its release.
Pre-order starts soon. And yes. I’ll be getting one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
megamind

megamind

Legend
R1FF said:
Is that sarcasm?

I love a good joke. But Im really interested in this product and tone is lost in translation.
Click to expand...

sadly, yes

I'm interested too

but don't have the funds to test it out

so when you buy yours and you finish with it

send it me

i will send u my address
 
B

blablavla

G.O.A.T.
megamind said:
why are all ball machines so expensive?

the engineering doesn't look that complicated, yet it costs more than an eye phone
Click to expand...

I guess it takes effort to make it work.
As someone mentioned in another thread, it's a low quantity item, so the overheads tend to be divided by a small number of produced units
Logistics. Getting it shipped from point A to point B is quite expensive

Finally, as you say, the engineering part is not impossible, so given the competition in the market, I could assume that if it was possible to make them cheaper, someone would have done and offer it.
Or perhaps someone will be doing so in future.
 
FightMeAtTheNet

FightMeAtTheNet

Rookie
myke232 said:
What is up with that bolt that sticks out of the bottom that the machine rotates on? Seems a bit rudimentary to me; like it would scratch up a hard court, and put a hole in clay?
Click to expand...

Yeah I found that odd, I suppose it was the most cost effective way of varying horizontal feeds. They could easily encase with a rubber cover or something to avoid court damage.
 
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