I see a lot of people who have bought a Hydrogen Proton ball machine list the #1 thing they love about it is the size and weight.
With that in mind, I was wondering if anyone can you expand on this and is it really that big of a concern because here's the way I'm currently thinking about this:
Size:
I have a small SUV with a hatchback. So fitting a ball machine (size-wise) should't be a problem. I could see size being an issue if you have a super tiny smart car or something like that, but I would think any car with 4 doors and/or a hatch or would be perfectly fine for any "modern day" ball machine. It's also not like I'm riding my bike or walking a long distance to the courts with a ball machine either. I would think riding a bike or walking any length of distance with any ball machine, 100+ balls, and my large 12 racket tennis bag would be a royal PITA even with a Proton. In fact, if you are walking a longer distance, I think the larger machines actually would gain an advantage because you could put a cardbard box on the machine, bungie it to the ball machine handle and then have all your balls in the box. That way you could just pull/roll it all the way to the courts.
Weight:
This is also a bit baffling to me because it's not like I have to farmer carry the ball machine a mile to the court or anything like that. I would think the only time weight comes into play is when you lift it into and out of your car. We're talking maybe 5-10 seconds each time? After it's out of your car, all modern day ball machines have a handle and large wheels to roll it around. I would also think the added weight is a benefit not a hinderance because I read that the Proton drifts over time. I guess I'm looking for more opinions here too because I feel like a ball machine is lighter than say a bag of water softener salt or a standard 60lb bag of concrete. I just don't see the issue when we're talking just a few seconds into and out of the car and then you're rolling the machine around after that. I guess maybe if you were a 16 year old female that's under 5' tall and weighs less than 80 lbs it may be an issue. But on that same note, there's a thin 80+ year old guy at the courts that I visit that has a Spinfire Pro 2 and he can get it into and out of his car just fine. He loves the machine and said if it ever broke he would definitley buy another one.
Thanks everyone, I guess I'm just trying to get a little more perspective on things since I'm planning to get a machine pretty soon and it seems like these are two of the main reasons people buy a Proton vs Spinfire, Tennis Tutor, Lobseter, etc. Are the later machines really that big, heavy and awkward?
With that in mind, I was wondering if anyone can you expand on this and is it really that big of a concern because here's the way I'm currently thinking about this:
Size:
I have a small SUV with a hatchback. So fitting a ball machine (size-wise) should't be a problem. I could see size being an issue if you have a super tiny smart car or something like that, but I would think any car with 4 doors and/or a hatch or would be perfectly fine for any "modern day" ball machine. It's also not like I'm riding my bike or walking a long distance to the courts with a ball machine either. I would think riding a bike or walking any length of distance with any ball machine, 100+ balls, and my large 12 racket tennis bag would be a royal PITA even with a Proton. In fact, if you are walking a longer distance, I think the larger machines actually would gain an advantage because you could put a cardbard box on the machine, bungie it to the ball machine handle and then have all your balls in the box. That way you could just pull/roll it all the way to the courts.
Weight:
This is also a bit baffling to me because it's not like I have to farmer carry the ball machine a mile to the court or anything like that. I would think the only time weight comes into play is when you lift it into and out of your car. We're talking maybe 5-10 seconds each time? After it's out of your car, all modern day ball machines have a handle and large wheels to roll it around. I would also think the added weight is a benefit not a hinderance because I read that the Proton drifts over time. I guess I'm looking for more opinions here too because I feel like a ball machine is lighter than say a bag of water softener salt or a standard 60lb bag of concrete. I just don't see the issue when we're talking just a few seconds into and out of the car and then you're rolling the machine around after that. I guess maybe if you were a 16 year old female that's under 5' tall and weighs less than 80 lbs it may be an issue. But on that same note, there's a thin 80+ year old guy at the courts that I visit that has a Spinfire Pro 2 and he can get it into and out of his car just fine. He loves the machine and said if it ever broke he would definitley buy another one.
Thanks everyone, I guess I'm just trying to get a little more perspective on things since I'm planning to get a machine pretty soon and it seems like these are two of the main reasons people buy a Proton vs Spinfire, Tennis Tutor, Lobseter, etc. Are the later machines really that big, heavy and awkward?