Hydrogen Sports PROTON

[bobleenov1963]

My sister ended up placing an order for the Proton. She prefers the Spinfire (internal oscillation and proven longer term reliability). She was considering getting the external battery option to help her in transporting it…but in the end it’s still too big, bulky for her to transport by herself. My feeling after 2 yrs of owning the Spinfire is that I would still buy it over the Proton. However I recommended her to get the Proton, because the best machine is the one she‘s more willing to use and transport. With her getting the Proton, at least we have the option to play with either one now Lol. Do you guys/gals recommend getting the extra battery?

Perfectly said.

If I were in my 20's, I would definitely purchase either the Sinfire or Lobster Grand slam V over the Proton but I am in my mid 50's so it is hard for me to lift the Spinfire up/down the SUV. My wife is in her mid 40's and it is very hard for her to do it by herself, and my daughter feels the same way. For "most" people, the Proton is much more convenient and portable than either the Lobster or Spinfire. In terms of reliability, the jury is still out on the Proton. I have owned the Proton since early '21 and it is still going well for 2 years and 4 months.

 

[eagle]

Battery for the Proton is impressive in that it lasts a number of 2 hr sessions. I have a 2nd one for when battery 1 runs out during a hit session. For the convenience alone, it is worth it for me.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

Battery for the Proton is impressive in that it lasts a number of 2 hr sessions. I have a 2nd one for when battery 1 runs out during a hit session. For the convenience alone, it is worth it for me.

yes. the battery last well over 2 sessions.. i'm blaming Hydrogen Sports for making me buy all new Ryobi cordless Power tools...

 

[JEDI MASTER]

My sister ended up placing an order for the Proton. She prefers the Spinfire (internal oscillation and proven longer term reliability). She was considering getting the external battery option to help her in transporting it…but in the end it’s still too big, bulky for her to transport by herself. My feeling after 2 yrs of owning the Spinfire is that I would still buy it over the Proton. However I recommended her to get the Proton, because the best machine is the one she‘s more willing to use and transport. With her getting the Proton, at least we have the option to play with either one now Lol. Do you guys/gals recommend getting the extra battery?

i have 2 batteries.. most days i only 1 and it's enough to last 2 days..
if you do decide to get extra batteries... wait for Home Depot 2 for 1 sale for Ryobi batteries..

 

[ryohazuki222]

Perfectly said.

If I were in my 20's, I would definitely purchase either the Sinfire or Lobster Grand slam V over the Proton but I am in my mid 50's so it is hard for me to lift the Spinfire up/down the SUV. My wife is in her mid 40's and it is very hard for her to do it by herself, and my daughter feels the same way. For "most" people, the Proton is much more convenient and portable than either the Lobster or Spinfire. In terms of reliability, the jury is still out on the Proton. I have owned the Proton since early '21 and it is still going well for 2 years and 4 months.

You sure? I feel like in your 20s even a slinger bag is a really expensive proposition when there are walls to hit against

 

[bobleenov1963]

You sure? I feel like in your 20s even a slinger bag is a really expensive proposition when there are walls to hit against

Well, if you're in your 20's and work in high tech, you can easily afford the Proton :

 

[N54TT]

You sure? I feel like in your 20s even a slinger bag is a really expensive proposition when there are walls to hit against

Well, if you're in your 20's and work in high tech, you can easily afford the Proton :

I have 22yr olds in my hospital, 4yrs out of high school making 100k+. I’m sure they could easily afford a Proton too.

 

[rhodytennis]

Has anyone used the Proton on a clay court? Just wondering if people think the Proton could cause damage to the surface of the court because of the way it operates on the front leg.

 

[!<-_->!]

Has anyone used the Proton on a clay court? Just wondering if people think the Proton could cause damage to the surface of the court because of the way it operates on the front leg.

I'd be more concerned about clay gumming up the internals of the machine.

 

[rhodytennis]

I'd be more concerned about clay gumming up the internals of the machine.

Maybe I’ll direct the question to the company then. You might have a good point.

 

[mptennis]

Can anyone speak to how quickly the machine oscillates for something like a cardio workout? I was thinking about getting one to try and do some drills running sideline to sideline but there are surprisingly few videos really demonstrating the capabilities of this thing.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

Can anyone speak to how quickly the machine oscillates for something like a cardio workout? I was thinking about getting one to try and do some drills running sideline to sideline but there are surprisingly few videos really demonstrating the capabilities of this thing.

fairly quickly!.. has a side to side program built in.. 3sec between shots in the hard program.

 

[VS_Power]

Just preordered a Proton.

I own the Slingerbag and love it - it changed how to approach tennis and fitness.

I love being able to practice ball after ball. But without some sort of oscillation on the Slingerbag, the fitness part of it suffers. My fitness watch barely registers me working out, even if I'm crushing forehands and building up tennis elbow. I probably could force myself to run around before each hit, but that feels odd to me.

Also, while I love that the Slinger is an all in one solution, it's big enough in my trunk that it blocks my rear window visibility on my Outback. The plan was to just leave it in there plugged into an outlet, but that probably won't work. And I certainly don't want it in my garage either.

So I'll give the Proton a shot and see if it is worth $1000 more.

I live near the Proton factory in Los Gatos, CA. I actually asked if I could stop by to pick up my unit when it was ready, but they said because of liability reasons they couldn't. Worth a shot.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

Just preordered a Proton.

I own the Slingerbag and love it - it changed how to approach tennis and fitness.

I love being able to practice ball after ball. But without some sort of oscillation on the Slingerbag, the fitness part of it suffers. My fitness watch barely registers me working out, even if I'm crushing forehands and building up tennis elbow. I probably could force myself to run around before each hit, but that feels odd to me.

Also, while I love that the Slinger is an all in one solution, it's big enough in my trunk that it blocks my rear window visibility on my Outback. The plan was to just leave it in there plugged into an outlet, but that probably won't work. And I certainly don't want it in my garage either.

So I'll give the Proton a shot and see if it is worth $1000 more.

I live near the Proton factory in Los Gatos, CA. I actually asked if I could stop by to pick up my unit when it was ready, but they said because of liability reasons they couldn't. Worth a shot.

you won't regret it.. i sold my slingerbag and got the proton.. worth every penny...

 

[VS_Power]

you won't regret it.. i sold my slingerbag and got the proton.. worth every penny...

Thanks! I read a bunch of your posts over the last few weeks, it really helped me make my decision. Thank you.

It's funny, as I was waiting for my Slinger in the mail, I originally read your posts thinking you were completely off base. Now just a couple weeks later I'm following right in your footsteps.

Let me know if you ever change ball machines again, I'll probably copy you then too

 

[Granite]

Anyone tried OTI? Got an email from Jonah saying we get 30 days free but I looked up the payment processor for Florian’s OTI training and it’s this company called clickbank. If you go to bbb, they’ve got tons of people saying they are a scam and impossible to get money back without bbb’s help. Clickbank however has an A+ rating, and I’m pretty sure Jonah wouldn’t lead us astray, but wondering if anyone has experience with OTI and Florian’s free trials?

 

[Nostradamus]

Anyone tried OTI? Got an email from Jonah saying we get 30 days free but I looked up the payment processor for Florian’s OTI training and it’s this company called clickbank. If you go to bbb, they’ve got tons of people saying they are a scam and impossible to get money back without bbb’s help. Clickbank however has an A+ rating, and I’m pretty sure Jonah wouldn’t lead us astray, but wondering if anyone has experience with OTI and Florian’s free trials?

what's OTI ?

 

[Granite]

Here’s the link from the email:

OTI All Access Pass

all-access.onlinetennisinstruction.com

 

[NattyGut]

Can anyone speak to how quickly the machine oscillates for something like a cardio workout? I was thinking about getting one to try and do some drills running sideline to sideline but there are surprisingly few videos really demonstrating the capabilities of this thing.

There are built in programs that will give you all the cardio you want. If you want to customize your own routine, Proton does that as well.

 

[NattyGut]

Has anyone had the "Groove It" (down the middle setting) quickly throw two balls intermittently? I think my machine might need an exorcism, it used to pivot and throw balls into the other court, but that stopped last year and this year has a new quirk.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

Has anyone had the "Groove It" (down the middle setting) quickly throw two balls intermittently? I think my machine might need an exorcism, it used to pivot and throw balls into the other court, but that stopped last year and this year has a new quirk.

if it's throwing 2 balls approx at the same time.. the ball sensor under the feed hole might be dirty or full of ball fuzz... a quick shot of air should clear that up...

 

[NattyGut]

I am running new Wilson Triniti Pros through it, so I bet that’s the culprit (fuzz from new balls, not the Triniti Pro). Thanks.

 

[mptennis]

I am running new Wilson Triniti Pros through it, so I bet that’s the culprit. Thanks.

I've got a preorder for the last week of June so I'm hoping to have my machine in July. My initial plan was to just use my hopper of old balls but I've wondered if I should get some new ones that are more widely suggested for ball machines, like the Trinitis. Have you always used the Triniti Pros in yours?

 

[Spinergy]

I got the proton earlier this spring and bought a box of regular Trinitis for it.

The app says I've gone thru over 7k balls, so that is an average of over 100 cycles per ball. Much less fuzz but the Triniti still bounce pretty true.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

I've got a preorder for the last week of June so I'm hoping to have my machine in July. My initial plan was to just use my hopper of old balls but I've wondered if I should get some new ones that are more widely suggested for ball machines, like the Trinitis. Have you always used the Triniti Pros in yours?

im cheap.. i use a case or 2 of Costco Penn balls...

 

[Mike T]

I use Diadem pressure less balls. They feed well, bounce good, and are durable.

 

[NattyGut]

The Triniti pro balls are excellent. They were new and likely spit off fuzz to affect the sensor. I’m hoping that’s it because this machine went back for service once because it would 1) rise up, 2) spin to its left, and 3) shoot balls onto the court to my right while people were playing, completely unaware the ball machine had gone mad. ***

I’m hoping this isn’t a new quirk with this machine.

***I use my watch to control the Proton. My phone is up on the fence with Swing Vision running to record ball machine practice. . . . And yes, SV caught the Proton throwing balls at people on the next court.

 

[NattyGut]

I've got a preorder for the last week of June so I'm hoping to have my machine in July. My initial plan was to just use my hopper of old balls but I've wondered if I should get some new ones that are more widely suggested for ball machines, like the Trinitis. Have you always used the Triniti Pros in yours?

I used Costco Penns last year and this year I got the Triniti. So far so good. But either option is viable with this machine. Hoping for two seasons out of the Triniti Pro. Also I don’t throw away all that dang plastic that one must trash with pressurized balls. And I like that, but to each their own!

 

[billsedd]

There are built in programs that will give you all the cardio you want. If you want to customize your own routine, Proton does that as well.

Can anyone speak to how quickly the machine oscillates for something like a cardio workout? I was thinking about getting one to try and do some drills running sideline to sideline but there are surprisingly few videos really demonstrating the capabilities of this thing.

One of the prebuilt programs is a side to side drill. Really good cardio. There is also a built in rally rally volley program too.

I’ve used a few prebuilt ones and I’ve copied the program/shot to tweak it to my preferences as well. You can definitely set up programs/drills that will get your heart rate up and burn calories.

Best of all is that’s it’s essentially effortless to go from one program to another.

The only downside is that I haven’t figured out a good way to use it with SwingVision. I’ll have to search the thread and see if I can find some tips. I have an old phone I could probably use for the proton and use my regular phone with SwingVision.

 

[Mousehunter]

Just a first post, I have a reservation for an order the last week of July. I have not played in a long time, but trained a lot with a machine a lot back when I did. That machine always felt like it weighed about 100lbs when we would drag it out. Times have changed, now a 20lb machine is more powerful in almost every way (other than being a boat anchor). Hoping to get my game back enough that I can play with my family (son is on our local HS team - but they are not even trying to coach the team much anymore-and they are not getting enough court time to even hope to improve their game). That said, I have seen on several occasions that all it takes is 1 active parent to change the course of our school sports program. 1% chance I can pull that off, but if I don't at least try-I really can not complain about it.

 

[NattyGut]

One of the prebuilt programs is a side to side drill. Really good cardio. There is also a built in rally rally volley program too.

I’ve used a few prebuilt ones and I’ve copied the program/shot to tweak it to my preferences as well. You can definitely set up programs/drills that will get your heart rate up and burn calories.

Best of all is that’s it’s essentially effortless to go from one program to another.

The only downside is that I haven’t figured out a good way to use it with SwingVision. I’ll have to search the thread and see if I can find some tips. I have an old phone I could probably use for the proton and use my regular phone with SwingVision.

Have my iphone in the SV on the fence and my Apple watch to control both the Proton and the SV. Assume two phones could work, but the phone and watch combo does what you’re after. Enjoy!

 

[moretennispls]

How much height does the lob riser add to the front foot? The lob riser has been out of stock so for now I place the front foot on rubber block which is just over 1 inch thick. The lob I am getting is not bad but I feel like more height is needed. Wondering if I am far off from what the riser can do.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

How much height does the lob riser add to the front foot? The lob riser has been out of stock so for now I place the front foot on rubber block which is just over 1 inch thick. The lob I am getting is not bad but I feel like more height is needed. Wondering if I am far off from what the riser can do.

the front lob riser if very light.. it's plastic.. vertually no weight.

 

[moretennispls]

I believe the purpose of the riser is to add height to the front foot, hence adding angles (7 degrees) to the shots. Just want to find out the height added with the riser to see if I am close. My trigonometry is felling me lol

 

[TagUrIt]

My Proton delivery date got moved back to July from late June. :-(

 

[ryohazuki222]

I believe the purpose of the riser is to add height to the front foot, hence adding angles (7 degrees) to the shots. Just want to find out the height added with the riser to see if I am close. My trigonometry is felling me lol

Not joking, but ChatGPT is really useful in weird ass situations like these…. Like you know enough to ask it what’s basically just relatively simple math and science. (Fwiw)

 

[VS_Power]

Had a preorder for week ending June 30, just got the email and paid it off. Excited!

I also purchased a set of Triniti pros. I've been testing different balls and find these balls ideal for the ball machine (and ball machine only) due to their longevity and consistency.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

Sold my Slinger for this little miracle machine, well worth it. 1 hour using the hard side to side drill (80 mph topspin) gave me the same steps as a long singles match and a ridiculous amount of cardio work compared to the Slinger. It's so easy to transport that there isn't any annoyance or excuse to not take it out to the court and practice, the Slinger is kind of a beast. After a few weeks of Proton work playing a singles match is fun because 1) the balls aren't often that heavy and 2) in a match the balls aren't always on the opposite corner, sometimes they are right there in front of you! How relaxing is that!?! It will expand your game for sure if you can't always find a tough hitting partner. Still, I doubt any hitting partner could produce what the proton does consistently, even might prefer this machine over the traditional green machines, the Playmates.

I use regular balls, just buy new when they go bad.

 

[TagUrIt]

Had a preorder for week ending June 30, just got the email and paid it off. Excited!

I also purchased a set of Triniti pros. I've been testing different balls and find these balls ideal for the ball machine (and ball machine only) due to their longevity and consistency.

Hey congrats on your Proton! I just paid for mine as well. I was thinking about getting a case of Trinitis. I’ve used them before with my Slinger, do you how much differently the Triniti Pros play?

 

[VS_Power]

Hey congrats on your Proton! I just paid for mine as well. I was thinking about getting a case of Trinitis. I’ve used them before with my Slinger, do you how much differently the Triniti Pros play?

Congrats!!! I've only tried Triniti pros and had mixed feelings for them. Way too bouncy out of the box but once they settle they play somewhat normally, though still slightly too bouncy IMO.

I'm lazy though so I think it'll still be better than constantly replacing flat Penns from Costco. A box of the Triniti pros (24 cans) cost me $100 from my local shop.

My Slinger came with a box of Dunlop / Slinger co branded balls and those are honestly surprisingly good. They still bounce good enough after a month. Less bouncy than fresh but not too much less. I would get a case of these for my Proton too but I'd feel like I was cheating on my girl.

 

[VS_Power]

Has anyone figured out how to view the current battery level of your Proton? Ideally in the app, without removing the battery. Thanks!

P.S love this machine, where has it been all my life??

 

[ryohazuki222]

Just go to settings and get proton data iirc.

 

[Waves]

Hello, was hoping some here could comment on the durability of the proton? Are you finding the machine holds up with regular use, say 2x a week for a couple of hours, maybe 8 months a year? So maybe 120-150hrs a year? I know it’s relatively new and many people have not had the opportunity to use it this much, but I would plan to. Are the innards replaceable if they wear out?

It’s a big investment for me, so just wanted to seek some wisdom here. Thanks very much.

 

[Nostradamus]

have they solved the issue of spending too much time picking up balls ? due to low capacity of the machine ?

 

[ryohazuki222]

Ya. Just bring a second hopper or a single hopper that has double the capacity of the proton. Doubles capacity before pick up.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

Hello, was hoping some here could comment on the durability of the proton? Are you finding the machine holds up with regular use, say 2x a week for a couple of hours, maybe 8 months a year? So maybe 120-150hrs a year? I know it’s relatively new and many people have not had the opportunity to use it this much, but I would plan to. Are the innards replaceable if they wear out?

It’s a big investment for me, so just wanted to seek some wisdom here. Thanks very much.

during the lockdown.. i was using mine for 5days a week and 2+hrs per day.. and approximately shot 30k balls so far. and no major issues or breakdown.
only damage i suffered is when i hit the Hopper and ripped one of the cloth tabs.. the innards are probably replaceable but by sending it in.. i don't think there are any off the shelf parts for it.

 

[Waves]

during the lockdown.. i was using mine for 5days a week and 2+hrs per day.. and approximately shot 30k balls so far. and no major issues or breakdown.
only damage i suffered is when i hit the Hopper and ripped one of the cloth tabs.. the innards are probably replaceable but by sending it in.. i don't think there are any off the shelf parts for it.

Awesome. Sounds like quite the little workhorse for you! Thanks very much.

 

[Nostradamus]

Ya. Just bring a second hopper or a single hopper that has double the capacity of the proton. Doubles capacity before pick up.

Absolutely Brilliant idea except that you still do have to fillup the machine

 

[VS_Power]

Just go to settings and get proton data iirc.

This did the trick, thank you!

 

[stapletonj]

took the plunge..... ordered yesterday. I have a Samsung Fold phone. All the videos I see online are about the Apple software. What is the experience with the Android version?