Any long time users of Zepp or any other sensors?

[KluddKalle]

Hi!

I'm thinking about maybe someday getting a tennis sensor. Preferably I would like the Babolat play, but since I have all the frames I need the price is too high. Also I want to have the sensor on all rackets I play with, so three pure drive play will be....lets just say waay to much.

So I've been looking at the stand alone sensors. Sony won't work since I plays with babolats, and shot stats challenger isn't out until the summer. I also found a project called smash wearable which looked really interesting. But that one seems to have funding problems and may not see the light of day.

So that leaves the Zepp (unless I missed any products?). But all the reviews seem to be based on a pretty short usage, so I'm looking for someone that has used it for a long period of time that can give me some ups and downs and other feedback.

I'm also curious if it would be possible to "hack" a butcapp so that the Zepp and the pro mount would fit in there.

This ended up being a long post sorry, short question is - is it worth the money buying a Zepp (or any other device)?

 

[thebigz]

I had Zepp once but sold it after about a month. Can't play on a daily basis with this thing. Depend on which mount you use it add 10g - 20g to the buttcap and completely changes the balance. Trust me, after some fun time with it you'll get tired with it. From my experience it's not that accurate either, looking for the Sony one is a better choice IMO.

 

[McLovin]

I was part of the Zepp playtest TW had last year. Like thebigz said, it was fun at first, but it quickly became 'meh'.

The swing numbers never seemed consistent, and even if they were, I wasn't sure exactly what they meant. Should I increase swing speed? Decrease it? Personally, I feel taking video of yourself playing & analyzing that is more helpful.

The only real cool thing about it was the 3D graphic of your serve. You could see your swing path & contact point, and that is very helpful.

 

[KluddKalle]

Thanks for your answers. It sounds kind of like what I've guessed - a fun gadget but maybe not that useful. I guess it could help developing your strokes, or maybe just your consistency, but you would need someone to help you correct technique based on the data.

Maybe in a few generations these kind products will have evolved.

 

[ekai]

I made a mount for sensor with 3D printing technology.

 

[ekai]

I made a mount for sensor with 3D printing technology.

 

[KluddKalle]

Very cool! Is it better than the mounts that come with the Zepp? Or is it like the pro mount?

 

[ekai]

the advantages of my mount are:
-I can exchange the mount or original butt cap cover anytime
-Weight is same as pro mount(~4g) but butt cap cover(3g) removed when using this mount. So 3g less which compare using zepp pro mount

However, balance/swing weight changed significantly as ~10g added to the racket when using sensor. So some people don't like it.

 

[corners]

the advantages of my mount are:
-I can exchange the mount or original butt cap cover anytime
-Weight is same as pro mount(~4g) but butt cap cover(3g) removed when using this mount. So 3g less which compare using zepp pro mount

However, balance/swing weight changed significantly as ~10g added to the racket when using sensor. So some people don't like it.

Goodness. If ZEPP had done what you did they may have actually sold a couple of their units. Their mounting system is absurd.

Pretty much all the major racquet companies, minus Babolat, are going to have their frames compatible with the Sony sensor starting this year.

 

[KluddKalle]

I believe that the devices that have the least effect on swing weight etc will be the most interesting ones. At least for me (once had unknowingly 18g of heat shrink on my handle, it sucked. And when I removed it the racquet played a lot better).
From what I've read, besides Babolat (they really should release a stand alone play buttcap), it looks like Shotstats (the dampener sensor) may be the best. If that bracelet (Smash) can get funded it may be even better. The only question there is how accurate it can be sitting on your wrist?

And in the end it's all about how many users each product can gather so they can survive in the long run. Who wants a product with no further support after maybe a year? That's maybe why Sonys sensor will triumph?

 

[julian]

Shotstats

I believe that the devices that have the least effect on swing weight etc will be the most interesting ones. At least for me (once had unknowingly 18g of heat shrink on my handle, it sucked. And when I removed it the racquet played a lot better).
From what I've read, besides Babolat (they really should release a stand alone play buttcap), it looks like Shotstats (the dampener sensor) may be the best. If that bracelet (Smash) can get funded it may be even better. The only question there is how accurate it can be sitting on your wrist?

And in the end it's all about how many users each product can gather so they can survive in the long run. Who wants a product with no further support after maybe a year? That's maybe why Sonys sensor will triumph?

Shotstats-there was no update of blogs lately-did u see it?

 

[julian]

Please see a blog of tennisspeed

Goodness. If ZEPP had done what you did they may have actually sold a couple of their units. Their mounting system is absurd.

Pretty much all the major racquet companies, minus Babolat, are going to have their frames compatible with the Sony sensor starting this year.

Corners,
Just to mention some reviews of sensors,please see the link below
http://blog.tennisspeed.com/
It has some comments about sensors-pretty negative
Please scroll to the end of blog #11

Switching gears:
The link above has some comments about TW tools-pretty negative
Julian W.Mielniczuk
USPTA pro

 

[KluddKalle]

@julian link to what you're referring to?

Or are you saying that they haven't updated their blog lately? I was actually in contact with one of the founders and they seem to be pretty busy. Seems to be going according to plan as far as I could tell.

 

[eaglesburg]

Hi!

I'm thinking about maybe someday getting a tennis sensor. Preferably I would like the Babolat play, but since I have all the frames I need the price is too high. Also I want to have the sensor on all rackets I play with, so three pure drive play will be....lets just say waay to much.

So I've been looking at the stand alone sensors. Sony won't work since I plays with babolats, and shot stats challenger isn't out until the summer. I also found a project called smash wearable which looked really interesting. But that one seems to have funding problems and may not see the light of day.

So that leaves the Zepp (unless I missed any products?). But all the reviews seem to be based on a pretty short usage, so I'm looking for someone that has used it for a long period of time that can give me some ups and downs and other feedback.

I'm also curious if it would be possible to "hack" a butcapp so that the Zepp and the pro mount would fit in there.

This ended up being a long post sorry, short question is - is it worth the money buying a Zepp (or any other device)?

If I were you I would buy one Babolat Play and suck it up. The Play is more likely to be accurate because it is embedded in the racket itself by that very company.

 

[EdMcMush]

According to Zepp I only took 2 serves during a match! and every backhand i took was a slice, which is also a lie. My backhand is a very flat hard shot. It registers my serves as forehands

 

[tennis4me]

Perhaps one day racquet manufacturers will embed the sensor in the racquet (i.e built-in), this will solve the added weight issue since the weight of the sensor will be part of the original head-light/head-heavy spec.

Without this approach, many people will just use the device sparingly and they will end up accumulating dust in the drawers once the novelty wears off - kinda like Fitbit for many people.

 

[KluddKalle]

Perhaps one day racquet manufacturers will embed the sensor in the racquet (i.e built-in), this will solve the added weight issue since the weight of the sensor will be part of the original head-light/head-heavy spec.

Without this approach, many people will just use the device sparingly and they will end up accumulating dust in the drawers once the novelty wears off - kinda like Fitbit for many people.

I agree, just as you say it will end up in a drawer. Also, I think they need to do more (apps and sensors). Got myself a Zepp almost a year ago. Used it every time I played initially, I got the pro mount to work ok. But my issue was that after about 10 sessions I got more or less the same stats every time so it never felt exciting to look at the stats. So without any kind of analysis the stats became more about quantity that quality. A social feature ala pop and some kind of system for levelling up would have made it more fun, but still not that useful. So I never use it anymore. Tried it again the other week for the first time since summer and my stats were still about the same.

 

[tennis4me]

I agree, just as you say it will end up in a drawer. Also, I think they need to do more (apps and sensors). Got myself a Zepp almost a year ago. Used it every time I played initially, I got the pro mount to work ok. But my issue was that after about 10 sessions I got more or less the same stats every time so it never felt exciting to look at the stats. So without any kind of analysis the stats became more about quantity that quality. A social feature ala pop and some kind of system for levelling up would have made it more fun, but still not that useful. So I never use it anymore. Tried it again the other week for the first time since summer and my stats were still about the same.

Do you think you get the same stats because you really did hit the same way, or because the Zepp was inaccurate?

 

[Demented]

I've looked into the Zepp database and analyzed the swing data. It's fairly accurate but everyone needs to understand that the swing data is correlated to acceleration of the racket, not the ball. The Zepp sensor has no way of accounting for the relative power of your racket/string combo. I'm going to send in a suggestion that they include some kind of calibration mode to help create a ball speed modifier. I agree that at the end of the day, the session history is of relatively little benefit. I stopped using Zepp until I found a way to access the individual shot metrics so that I could start running my own reports.

 

[KluddKalle]

Do you think you get the same stats because you really did hit the same way, or because the Zepp was inaccurate?

I do believe that the Zepp is pretty accurate. What I meant is that for me, being 38 having played for ages, there's maybe isn't that much progression to be made. Which actually Zepp helped me realise. I started out with a consistency score of 98/100 and its stayed that way. The same with max speeds and average speeds of shots (not 98/100 but consistently on the same level).

Something that really would have helped is to tag specific shots for review later on. That way I could better analyse when I hit a shot poorly or great. I like that the qlipp shows all shots individually on a timeline.

 

[GBplayer]

According to Zepp I only took 2 serves during a match! and every backhand i took was a slice, which is also a lie. My backhand is a very flat hard shot. It registers my serves as forehands

Looks like you need to work on your service action

 

[punkouter]

I have the Babolat play and not sure it is helping at all. But I love numbers and stats. So what is does do is motivate me to go train so I can go home and check out the numbers

 

[Mike Kirgan]

I have Zepp, POP and the Sony sensor. The video recording and slow motion capabilities in the Sony just make it way more useful to me. Also, I hate have to re-calibrate all the time with my Zepp. I have tried to use the Zepps 3d tracking for my serve. Sometimes it gets messed up showing the swing path going off to the side, like I was facing the court beside me. My battery life on the Zepp has went down substantially since I first got it. My Sony battery life is still as good as when I got it. I do like the ability to flag a session as practice vs a match on the Zepp and I also like being able to have different sessions on the same day and have the stats show independently for each session. The Sony shows all play/practice on the same day as one event. I like to track my warm-ups and some practice sessions where I am intentionally hitting slower. But currently all that data gets put right in with the more intense play of the day - messing up your averages - unless you just don't use the sensor for those warm-up or less intense practice shots. This is one of the features I would really like to see Sony borrow from the Zepp. One issues I recently encountered with the Sony is it wouldn't let me view slow motion with 1hr recordings from anywhere within the video. It would only start slow motion from the beginning. However, for my normal recording lengths 30 minutes or less, it lets me start the slow motion viewing from anywhere withing the recorded video.

The POP I haven't had as long, but without video, my Sony will stay my primary sensor. I stopped using the Zepp due to battery life, the larger sensor apparatus that bothers my hand, and the constant re-calibration before you start every time. If the 3d Serve function worked better, I would still use it for that, since the Sony doesn't have that feature, but it doesn't work well enough for me to use the Zepp for even that. I use the POP only for supporting data to compare with the Sony. The jury is still out on how well it tracks my shots stats compared to the Sony. I am leaning towards liking the Sony better for that as well, but I will give it a few more weeks. I can say that I don't like the rating system on the POP. The POP seems to think everyone should hit the same way. The score of how good you are is made up of speed, spin and form. The problem I have with the scoring system is their is more than one type of player. Clay court specialists like Nadal with real heavy spin, flatter hitters such as Garbiñe Muguruza. But the POP seems to say everyone must hit heavy spin like Nadal, serve like Andy Roddick or any of the almost 7 foot guys, have good form (this one I do agree with) and hit really hard groundstrokes every shot. I guess the POP doesn't believe in mixing it up with a slice or less hard, but more angled shots on occasion.

So right now I recommend the Sony. I am looking forward to seeing a review of the Qlipp, since it will attach to strings of any racquet and does video like the Sony. And I would also like to see the 3D motion tracking system of the PIVOT in action.

 

[punkouter]

be nice if the pivot could work together with the babolat play. I feel that would give enough information to really make a difference and understand how to fix your swing

 

[racertempo]

So I have used all three sensors, and I sold the Zepp only after three uses, I could not get used to the attachment at the bottom of the racquet. The adhesive attachment was a pain and the sensor flew out several times during play. The onyl thing that held it in place for me was the wildly huge rubber grip that changed the feel of the bottom of the grip.

Pop - Positives are that the stroke recognition is spot-on accurate. The number of people with it and the "community" associted is very large, meaning you can challenge people and really push yourself to play more. This is the main reason I use this, as I cannot really see anything on here that would help me learn and play better.

Pop - Negatives are that the speed is not terribly accurate as it is based on your hand movement, not the racquet head, so it does not really capture that wrist snap of the serve verry well. Another negative is the lack of sweetspot sensor, but there is nothing they can do since it is attached to your hand. Spin is not very accurate, it does not give a spin number, but just tells you if your forehand or backhand was topspin, flat, or slice. Getting the sensor to recognize topspin is very difficult.

Qlipp - Positives are that it has a great sweetspot indicator. Spin seems very accurate and I see lot that I can learn from. They are regularly updating firmware which improves the sensor performance.

Qlipp - Negatives, shot recognition is still not great, but they are getting it better with update. The issue is that it often records a volley instead of your forehand or backhand. I currently cannot get the sensor register a serve, not a single one......but the positive is that the Qlipp head emailed me and showed me awesome screen-shots of a planned firmware update that will allow you to have a "serve session" and the sensor learns from your serve motion and impact to better learn to register serves during regular play.

I would absolutely recommend the Qlipp for sure!

 

[M Pillai]

Looks like the tech is still emerging in this area. Waiting to see what are the improvements coming in a year or so.

 

[Bogdan Badrea]

Hello,

I know it's an old post but i will try
Firt, great job
Do you still have the file, i want to print one for me, i use yonex ezone dr 100.

Thank you

I made a mount for sensor with 3D printing technology.