Just had my first chance to test out my proton with a full case of (triniti) balls today and it was quite disappointing. I was on court for about an hour and a half and it got stuck like 10 times. Spent most of my time figuring out how to get the ball out and wasnt able to finish up a single round of balls. In addition to that it also 'stopped' for no clear reason for about 15 times (with plenty of balls remaining. Starts again fine when I press start on my phone). Not sure if it's just my unit. Sent an email to Novia and let's see what happens.
Hydrogen Sports PROTON
- Thread starter TagUrIt
- Start date
OldManStan
Rookie
Did you update the firmware?
00.04.04 is my firmware version and I'm assuming that's the newest because I dont see a newer one in my app. Unless I'm missing something?
JEDI MASTER
Professional
try dusting off the ball sensor on the inside of the machine.. just under the hole.
any dirt blocking the sensor will think theres a ball in there..
i carry the Ryobi portale blower with me in my tennis bag.
Oh interesting! Not sure the machine thinking a ball is there would have caused it. Mine had balls actually stuck in there, clamped tightly, preventing the carousel from turning on and it was quite hard to get out.
Probably worth trying though. I'm actually considering getting one of those Ryobi blowers to clean up the proton and also to blow dusts off desks/keyboards etc. Which one did you get? I saw a few different models that look quite similar:
RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless Compact Workshop Blower (Tool Only) P755 - The Home Depot
RYOBI introduces the 18V ONE+ Cordless Compact Workshop Blower (Tool Only). This compact and lightweight blower is ideal for cleaning up your workshop after a DIY job and professional jobsite areas. With
www.homedepot.com
Sun Joe 24-Volt iON+ 185 MPH 105 CFM Cordless Workshop Blower/Vacuum (Tool-Only) 24V-WSB-CT - The Home Depot
Ditch the broom plus dust pan. Keep your workshop space clean and dust-free with the 24-Volt Cordless Workshop Blower plus Vacuum from Sun Joe. This 2-in-1 tool easily converts from a blower ideal for
www.homedepot.com
RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless High Power Inflator P738 - The Home Depot
Expand your RYOBI 18V ONE+ System with the RYOBI 18V High Volume Power Inflator. This cordless tool is perfect for fast, high volume inflating and deflating of air mattresses and pool toys. It can inflate
www.homedepot.com
mmk
Hall of Fame
either of the Ryobi blowers can use the same battery as your proton, the sun joe uses a different batteryOh interesting! Not sure the machine thinking a ball is there would have caused it. Mine had balls actually stuck in there, clamped tightly, preventing the carousel from turning on and it was quite hard to get out.
Probably worth trying though. I'm actually considering getting one of those Ryobi blowers to clean up the proton and also to blow dusts off desks/keyboards etc. Which one did you get? I saw a few different models that look quite similar:
RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless Compact Workshop Blower (Tool Only) P755 - The Home Depot
RYOBI introduces the 18V ONE+ Cordless Compact Workshop Blower (Tool Only). This compact and lightweight blower is ideal for cleaning up your workshop after a DIY job and professional jobsite areas. Withwww.homedepot.com
Sun Joe 24-Volt iON+ 185 MPH 105 CFM Cordless Workshop Blower/Vacuum (Tool-Only) 24V-WSB-CT - The Home Depot
Ditch the broom plus dust pan. Keep your workshop space clean and dust-free with the 24-Volt Cordless Workshop Blower plus Vacuum from Sun Joe. This 2-in-1 tool easily converts from a blower ideal forwww.homedepot.com
RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless High Power Inflator P738 - The Home Depot
Expand your RYOBI 18V ONE+ System with the RYOBI 18V High Volume Power Inflator. This cordless tool is perfect for fast, high volume inflating and deflating of air mattresses and pool toys. It can inflatewww.homedepot.com
JEDI MASTER
Professional
Oh interesting! Not sure the machine thinking a ball is there would have caused it. Mine had balls actually stuck in there, clamped tightly, preventing the carousel from turning on and it was quite hard to get out.
Probably worth trying though. I'm actually considering getting one of those Ryobi blowers to clean up the proton and also to blow dusts off desks/keyboards etc. Which one did you get? I saw a few different models that look quite similar:
RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless Compact Workshop Blower (Tool Only) P755 - The Home Depot
RYOBI introduces the 18V ONE+ Cordless Compact Workshop Blower (Tool Only). This compact and lightweight blower is ideal for cleaning up your workshop after a DIY job and professional jobsite areas. Withwww.homedepot.com
Sun Joe 24-Volt iON+ 185 MPH 105 CFM Cordless Workshop Blower/Vacuum (Tool-Only) 24V-WSB-CT - The Home Depot
Ditch the broom plus dust pan. Keep your workshop space clean and dust-free with the 24-Volt Cordless Workshop Blower plus Vacuum from Sun Joe. This 2-in-1 tool easily converts from a blower ideal forwww.homedepot.com
RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless High Power Inflator P738 - The Home Depot
Expand your RYOBI 18V ONE+ System with the RYOBI 18V High Volume Power Inflator. This cordless tool is perfect for fast, high volume inflating and deflating of air mattresses and pool toys. It can inflatewww.homedepot.com
I have the P738.
compact and light to carry in my Tennis bag.
and it's great for blowing all the fuzz off the machine after each use.
Sweet, I'll get the P738, probably along with a pair of the 2Ah batteries as backups and also so that I don't have to switch the battery between them.
Also Jonah just replied suggesting that it might just be because the balls I use are slightly larger than their testing balls. This does seem to be it as I was just testing: the tab behind the hole is a bit too 'forward', making it hard for the triniti balls to drop through. Didn't think this would be an issue since a lot of people here seem to use triniti balls with no issue but maybe my unit is just tighter than most. The solution is simple though: I just pushed it a bit with my thumb to make a bit more room. Hopefully this is gonna resolve it. Will report back in a couple of days once I get the chance for another session.
Also for those of you who don't already know: you can enter 'debug mode' which allows you to control the positions of the carousel and the dispense gate, making it much easier to get a stuck ball out: https://www.hydrogensports.com/troubleshooting/ball-stuck
Also for those of you who don't already know: you can enter 'debug mode' which allows you to control the positions of the carousel and the dispense gate, making it much easier to get a stuck ball out: https://www.hydrogensports.com/troubleshooting/ball-stuck
metadave
New User
FWIW, I have a proton and a new case of Triniti Pros and haven't had an issue yet. I have used the machine with Pro Penn Marathon for quite a bit first, so maybe previous wear and tear has something to do with it.
Also, I prefer the Triniti Pro over the original Triniti, they feel a bit closer to a normal ball. They are still noticeably different, but not terrible and fine for practice or general hitting sessions with others. I am beginning to prefer the Triniti Pro over Tretorn Micro-X as well.
ryohazuki222
Professional
What’s weird to me is that triniti pro feels better in a machine than triniti. But triniti felt better as a rally ball between humans.
have used both in my proton. No issues.
have used both in my proton. No issues.
bertrevert
Legend
Not want to derail thread but could you briefly elucidate?
ryohazuki222
Professional
Well the part that’s relevant to this thread anyway:
I was fine with triniti when I had a slinger and top speed was limited. Nbd
when switching to proton the triniti balls felt a touch too harsh as I switched to higher speed feeds. (I only really felt this way with brand new fresh triniti balls in actual rallies but after 5-10 minutes they felt mostly like regular balls IMO.)
so I switched to triniti pros in the proton. Definitely felt closer to a “real” ball when shot from the machine. Still a little bit firmer but all things considered IMO it’s a great pairing.
since I have a bunch of triniti pros now I’ve cracked them open once or twice for regular rallying. They definitely aren’t too hard out of the box like the trinitis were but they almost felt too soft/different in baseline to baseline rallies.
both last what seems like forever out of the machine. I was a little worried about longevity in the proton because of the dual wheels squeezing the balls but after a few months my bounce test had brand new triniti pros bouncing the same as the once id been using.
I was fine with triniti when I had a slinger and top speed was limited. Nbd
when switching to proton the triniti balls felt a touch too harsh as I switched to higher speed feeds. (I only really felt this way with brand new fresh triniti balls in actual rallies but after 5-10 minutes they felt mostly like regular balls IMO.)
so I switched to triniti pros in the proton. Definitely felt closer to a “real” ball when shot from the machine. Still a little bit firmer but all things considered IMO it’s a great pairing.
since I have a bunch of triniti pros now I’ve cracked them open once or twice for regular rallying. They definitely aren’t too hard out of the box like the trinitis were but they almost felt too soft/different in baseline to baseline rallies.
both last what seems like forever out of the machine. I was a little worried about longevity in the proton because of the dual wheels squeezing the balls but after a few months my bounce test had brand new triniti pros bouncing the same as the once id been using.
celito
Professional
Are the Pro palls supposed to last the same as the regular Triniti ?
metadave
New User
I have no idea honestly, they were just available in case and I wanted to try them out. So far they have held up quite well. They have the usual new ball shedding, but a bit less than Tretorn.
ryohazuki222
Professional
yes. They just cost more.
2nd Serve Ace
Hall of Fame
Excuse me if this has been answered before, but what kind of launch angle range does the proton have?
Specifically, can it simulate topspin "moon-ball" type shots? That's the biggest thing I want to work on right now in my singles game is putting short shots like these away.
Specifically, can it simulate topspin "moon-ball" type shots? That's the biggest thing I want to work on right now in my singles game is putting short shots like these away.
ryohazuki222
Professional
Proton and slinger bag can’t help you there.
1- slinger can do the angle but if you add the speed you need for the lob it’s an unnatural ball
2- proton can’t create enough loft angle… but has all the other toggles
one day I want to try using props to see if I can add more angle by placing it on a ramp or something. But even if I could, I’m pretty sure a lot / most the balls would fall out the basket on top.
1- slinger can do the angle but if you add the speed you need for the lob it’s an unnatural ball
2- proton can’t create enough loft angle… but has all the other toggles
one day I want to try using props to see if I can add more angle by placing it on a ramp or something. But even if I could, I’m pretty sure a lot / most the balls would fall out the basket on top.
ryohazuki222
Professional
Not sure I have the same experience. I don’t think you can do better then triniti or triniti pro unless you actually get no pressure balls.
one thing worth mentioning is that I never use triniti balls for rallying, just ball machine. For some reason, the ball machine doesn’t wear them out the same way rallying does.
one thing worth mentioning is that I never use triniti balls for rallying, just ball machine. For some reason, the ball machine doesn’t wear them out the same way rallying does.
I have not done this yet since my ball machine is coming in later today. But I have a hopper of old balls that I plan to repressurize with
pressureball.com
My friend I just found out uses an old keg to repressure his balls. May not be as convenient as trinity balls but if this works will save me a lot of money on balls especially with the scarcity going around.
PressureBall - Tennis Pressureball
PressureBall is a tennis ball pressurizer tube that ensures tennis balls will never lose their bounce. This clever invention will save you money as your
pressureball.com
metadave
New User
It is tough as its always a set of tradeoffs. In my opinion...
The best lasting are Tretorn Micro-X. The downside is they will still lose the outer felt/fuzz after a while and once that happens the feel goes way down. And they are harder on the arm a bit.
The best feeling are fresh tennis balls (whatever ball of choice). I tend to like Penn Pro Marathon Extra Duty personally in ball machines. Downside is they quickly lose their bounce just like in a match.
A good compromise is the Wilson Triniti series (I prefer the Pro). Downside is they are not the same as regular balls and will still degrade faster than Tretorn over time, but longevity is better than regular and easier on the arm than Tretorn
So, one thing you can do is mix them, preferably in different carriers. ie use tennis balls used for matches in one batch and triniti in another. Feeling is slightly different, but not too bad. e.g. For practicing volleys, overheads, or warmup (slower/softer shots), using older balls is less of an issue. For serves and heavy ground strokes, the newer the better. Running them on different shot types also helps with keeping the settings the same for the machine.
The best lasting are Tretorn Micro-X. The downside is they will still lose the outer felt/fuzz after a while and once that happens the feel goes way down. And they are harder on the arm a bit.
The best feeling are fresh tennis balls (whatever ball of choice). I tend to like Penn Pro Marathon Extra Duty personally in ball machines. Downside is they quickly lose their bounce just like in a match.
A good compromise is the Wilson Triniti series (I prefer the Pro). Downside is they are not the same as regular balls and will still degrade faster than Tretorn over time, but longevity is better than regular and easier on the arm than Tretorn
So, one thing you can do is mix them, preferably in different carriers. ie use tennis balls used for matches in one batch and triniti in another. Feeling is slightly different, but not too bad. e.g. For practicing volleys, overheads, or warmup (slower/softer shots), using older balls is less of an issue. For serves and heavy ground strokes, the newer the better. Running them on different shot types also helps with keeping the settings the same for the machine.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
Tretorn pressureless ball. i can't use it but others can. i usually buy new box of Penn marathon balls after 3 hours of use. i have so many balls i am throwing out, i could probably fill the local landfill all my own. or just fill the pacific ocean with tennis balls i am throwing out
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
any new tech out to prevent this machine from moving so much
Let me know if this actually works...I have not done this yet since my ball machine is coming in later today. But I have a hopper of old balls that I plan to repressurize with
My friend I just found out uses an old keg to repressure his balls. May not be as convenient as trinity balls but if this works will save me a lot of money on balls especially with the scarcity going around.PressureBall - Tennis Pressureball
PressureBall is a tennis ball pressurizer tube that ensures tennis balls will never lose their bounce. This clever invention will save you money as your
The different condition balls for different shots makes sense, thank you. Doubles players training mostly at the net would benefit greatly from this.
Im also finding Pro penn marathon extra dutys I got last October are dying mid session.
Niwrad0
Rookie
Re-pressurizing balls will only work up to a limit.
After trying the Tennis Ball Savers and re-pressurizing them to above 14 PSI by using the freezer method, in addition to the using the pressure less Triniti and Triniti Pro I've made the following observations:
1. Despite being re-pressurized, used tennis balls lose their bounce rather quickly. All new balls, especially the Penn Champs have a brief 15 minute of extra liveliness fresh out of a can, which drops off in a similar manner as balls that have been re-pressurized, but at a faster rate.
2. Triniti has a good consistent but low bounce, and is challenging to play consistently compared with other fresh tennis balls. Broken in, but not overly used Triniti tend to have a more flat trajectory, and also tend to land more short coming off the racquet. Nonetheless they remain superior over 'zombie', aka very old pressurized balls and re-pressurized balls in terms of bounce.
3. Triniti Pro, from their marketing, has the same rubber core, but is instead made with a 'Pro' version of their long lasting Felt. However upon holding in the hand, it appears to be somewhat softer to squeeze and plays well sooner out of the paper can. Triniti Pro has a more loopy trajectory than the Triniti, and flies longer than Trinti, closer in performance to a fresh can of balls.
My guess for point 1 is that the rubber contributes significantly to the bounce of a fresh can of pressurized balls, and re-pressurizing older balls won't replicate new balls well enough.
My guess after point 1 and 2 is the special felt on the pro allows a bit easier break in as well as better playability when compared to a fresh, since a tennis ball is composed only of two components - the rubber core and the felt.
-The felt is very important changing ball trajectory when hitting with spin, as confirmed with experiments by TT university. I have also observed in person and in combination on reading the forums about Triniti's relatively poor play on clay courts. Now just reading about the ball machines and how they have varying effects on tennis balls, it seems to matter how much spin is being imparted.
Just my two cents
After trying the Tennis Ball Savers and re-pressurizing them to above 14 PSI by using the freezer method, in addition to the using the pressure less Triniti and Triniti Pro I've made the following observations:
1. Despite being re-pressurized, used tennis balls lose their bounce rather quickly. All new balls, especially the Penn Champs have a brief 15 minute of extra liveliness fresh out of a can, which drops off in a similar manner as balls that have been re-pressurized, but at a faster rate.
2. Triniti has a good consistent but low bounce, and is challenging to play consistently compared with other fresh tennis balls. Broken in, but not overly used Triniti tend to have a more flat trajectory, and also tend to land more short coming off the racquet. Nonetheless they remain superior over 'zombie', aka very old pressurized balls and re-pressurized balls in terms of bounce.
3. Triniti Pro, from their marketing, has the same rubber core, but is instead made with a 'Pro' version of their long lasting Felt. However upon holding in the hand, it appears to be somewhat softer to squeeze and plays well sooner out of the paper can. Triniti Pro has a more loopy trajectory than the Triniti, and flies longer than Trinti, closer in performance to a fresh can of balls.
My guess for point 1 is that the rubber contributes significantly to the bounce of a fresh can of pressurized balls, and re-pressurizing older balls won't replicate new balls well enough.
My guess after point 1 and 2 is the special felt on the pro allows a bit easier break in as well as better playability when compared to a fresh, since a tennis ball is composed only of two components - the rubber core and the felt.
-The felt is very important changing ball trajectory when hitting with spin, as confirmed with experiments by TT university. I have also observed in person and in combination on reading the forums about Triniti's relatively poor play on clay courts. Now just reading about the ball machines and how they have varying effects on tennis balls, it seems to matter how much spin is being imparted.
Just my two cents
ryohazuki222
Professional
Wrong on point 3.
triniti pro has woven felt but that adds weight so they had to re engineer the core from the OG triniti to keep it within spec. It’s a different ball.
There’s a lot I won’t trust from manufacturers but the science seems pretty sound there:
pressure is only one part of the problem. You need a core to contain that pressure. The big innovation in the triniti ball lines is making a stronger, thicker core that is not heavier and falls within the spec of regulations (no one seems to want to play with a ball that isn’t regulation).
for most people, they are going to play with other people with traditionally pressurized tennis balls. Triniti pro is absolutely the best balance of all evils I’ve found for the proton.
triniti pro has woven felt but that adds weight so they had to re engineer the core from the OG triniti to keep it within spec. It’s a different ball.
There’s a lot I won’t trust from manufacturers but the science seems pretty sound there:
pressure is only one part of the problem. You need a core to contain that pressure. The big innovation in the triniti ball lines is making a stronger, thicker core that is not heavier and falls within the spec of regulations (no one seems to want to play with a ball that isn’t regulation).
for most people, they are going to play with other people with traditionally pressurized tennis balls. Triniti pro is absolutely the best balance of all evils I’ve found for the proton.
Well I don't think I can afford trinity balls nor do I think I can find any even if I wanted to.
But so far really liking the machine even with my dead balls from last year sitting in my garage all winter.
No jams. Bluetooth needs to reconnect alot. I think maybe cause my phone gets out of range. My only gripe I would say is the topspin shots fire too far. When I calibrate says for flat shots. Is there a way to calibrate topspin shots?
Again loving the machine as of right now and feel like I can really work on improving my game with it. Worth the investment. We'll see after the honeymoon phase though and maybe with some good balls.
But so far really liking the machine even with my dead balls from last year sitting in my garage all winter.
No jams. Bluetooth needs to reconnect alot. I think maybe cause my phone gets out of range. My only gripe I would say is the topspin shots fire too far. When I calibrate says for flat shots. Is there a way to calibrate topspin shots?
Again loving the machine as of right now and feel like I can really work on improving my game with it. Worth the investment. We'll see after the honeymoon phase though and maybe with some good balls.
I have used three types of pressureless balls in my Proton. Diadem, Penn, and Walmart Athletic Works Pressureless Tennis Balls. As for functionality all three brands feed and launch with no issues. All three generate fuzz which collects in the internal frame work, but any ball will do this. Diadem the least, then Penn, and Walmart being the most fuzz generated. I prefer the Diadem which generate the least amount of fuzz, wear well, perform out of the machine and off the bounce. I always try to keep a fresh case (72 balls) in reserve. The Penn come in a nice bucket with a lid. The Walmart balls are cheap, $9.88 for 18 balls, but when new generated much more fuzz. I try to keep at least five Penn and five Walmart balls in the hopper to vary bounce and feel off the racket. I had the same results in my previous ball machine which was a Lobster.
antony
Hall of Fame
they hit a little different but you can do anything with good technique and it shouldn't affect you too much after accommodating for the different feel
I concur with anthony. I put my used pressure league balls in the hopper with the pressureless balls. The bounce seems the same with maybe a very slight difference in hitting. But when the pressure balls loose additional pressure, you can tell the really difference as they bounce and hit very different than the pressureless balls.
Some update on my 9 month old ... tennis machine !
Balls:
My balls usually play 2/3 sets (2hrs) and they go to Proton ...
Penn Championship- surprisingly good pressure/bounce but too many imperfections in seams ...
Dunlop ATP - hit and miss ... too much work to sift through them, they are being retired from rotation. I hope to see them (all) back in Adidas/Continental PrimeBlue shoe line ...
Dunlop ATP Tour - very good, very pricey ... 4 cycles of good Proton action !
Technifibre - good
Yonex ... !? Nice, ok, see you later ...
Tried ordering Trinity but it is "fuzzy gold" right now ...
"Thought on balls" ... How about Hydrogen starts developing "custom" balls in their secret lab in Silicon Valley !?
Tech:
It is getting more and more frustrating ... I get it ... my Apple Watch (perfectly functioning btw) is too old, my phone (love it btw) is ancient ...
still, this device has a tough time maintaining stable connection within 100ft. As a matter of fact my Apple Watch is useless and I can not start the program with my iPhone past the net (45ft.) without losing connection ...
They can fix this. $ign of times ...
Clay courts:
Private ($$$$+) only
Traction and surface issues in addition to connectivity issues as described, orange mud in my wheels ... !?
Warranty applies ... ?
I still like this machine and given the unfortunate timing of rolling out this product I would still give it a chance ... I bought "extended warranty" as offered and we'll see what happens ...
Stay tuned ...
Balls:
My balls usually play 2/3 sets (2hrs) and they go to Proton ...
Penn Championship- surprisingly good pressure/bounce but too many imperfections in seams ...
Dunlop ATP - hit and miss ... too much work to sift through them, they are being retired from rotation. I hope to see them (all) back in Adidas/Continental PrimeBlue shoe line ...
Dunlop ATP Tour - very good, very pricey ... 4 cycles of good Proton action !
Technifibre - good
Yonex ... !? Nice, ok, see you later ...
Tried ordering Trinity but it is "fuzzy gold" right now ...
"Thought on balls" ... How about Hydrogen starts developing "custom" balls in their secret lab in Silicon Valley !?
Tech:
It is getting more and more frustrating ... I get it ... my Apple Watch (perfectly functioning btw) is too old, my phone (love it btw) is ancient ...
still, this device has a tough time maintaining stable connection within 100ft. As a matter of fact my Apple Watch is useless and I can not start the program with my iPhone past the net (45ft.) without losing connection ...
They can fix this. $ign of times ...
Clay courts:
Private ($$$$+) only
Traction and surface issues in addition to connectivity issues as described, orange mud in my wheels ... !?
Warranty applies ... ?
I still like this machine and given the unfortunate timing of rolling out this product I would still give it a chance ... I bought "extended warranty" as offered and we'll see what happens ...
Stay tuned ...
Triniti Pro balls are available again!!
https://www.wilson.com/en-us/catalo...-pro-tball-4-ball-can-wr8204800/#colors=76291
https://www.wilson.com/en-us/catalo...-pro-tball-4-ball-can-wr8204800/#colors=76291
JEDI MASTER
Professional
Surprising that the regular Triniti is same price as the Pro version...
i thought it'll be a little cheaper priced between the Club and Pro versions..
Thanks for the "heads up" ...
I noticed these are 18 sleeves of 4 balls vs. "regular" case of 24 sleeves of 3 balls ... same difference, right ... ?
But somehow I got it with a very nice "promo code" ... ? much nicer than advertised anywhere ... so not so much of a "same difference"
Free delivery, case is supposed to arrive on Wednesday ...
Thanks again, looking forward to trying this highly touted TrinitiPro/Proton combo !
I noticed these are 18 sleeves of 4 balls vs. "regular" case of 24 sleeves of 3 balls ... same difference, right ... ?
But somehow I got it with a very nice "promo code" ... ? much nicer than advertised anywhere ... so not so much of a "same difference"
Free delivery, case is supposed to arrive on Wednesday ...
Thanks again, looking forward to trying this highly touted TrinitiPro/Proton combo !
Can you share the promo code?Thanks for the "heads up" ...
I noticed these are 18 sleeves of 4 balls vs. "regular" case of 24 sleeves of 3 balls ... same difference, right ... ?
But somehow I got it with a very nice "promo code" ... ? much nicer than advertised anywhere ... so not so much of a "same difference"
Free delivery, case is supposed to arrive on Wednesday ...
Thanks again, looking forward to trying this highly touted TrinitiPro/Proton combo !
USMC-615
Hall of Fame
Just bought a couple more 72-ball cases last week of Triniti’s and Triniti Pro’s from Wilson. The Pro’s run fine in my ball machine (not a Proton).
A little info for some of you maybe…Wilson offers 15% discount to military retired and veterans. Have to provide your credentials through ID.me, if I’m not mistaken that’s who they use to verify with. Makes Triniti/Triniti Pro’s by the case around $93 and some change. If my math serves me, makes Championship Extra Duty felt/Championship Regular Duty felt balls around $72 and some change. And so on and so on…once verified, the discount price populates after you’ve logged in, regardless of what you buy.
A little info for some of you maybe…Wilson offers 15% discount to military retired and veterans. Have to provide your credentials through ID.me, if I’m not mistaken that’s who they use to verify with. Makes Triniti/Triniti Pro’s by the case around $93 and some change. If my math serves me, makes Championship Extra Duty felt/Championship Regular Duty felt balls around $72 and some change. And so on and so on…once verified, the discount price populates after you’ve logged in, regardless of what you buy.
ryohazuki222
Professional
Oh wow. Seems like a pricing mistake on their end.
jumping in and hoping not to stir the pot too much here. i am in a interesting circumstance that might impact others here.fair warning, this ended being a longer post than expected to get all the info out...
premises:
as lots of others i am also in the market for ball machine and have narrowed it down to the proton or the spinfire i've read through the whole thread trying to weigh the pros and cons of both. the one thing that doesn't seem to have been directly addressed or compared is the real world speeds and spins of the two. on paper they are very close but there are some potential "gotchas" i can't seem to find an answer to. the spinfire states ~80mph and ~3krpm, but not both. the physics will incure a reduction in speed the more spin you add. so @3k rpms, that could result in a max speed only being 50mph. the proton claims ~70mph and also 3krpm, but again are these achievable simultaneously? i reached out to hydrogen directly and got no response. so that's my biggest question mark of the two.
background:
regarding the cons of either machine is where things get interesting. both my gf and i are big tennis nerds and also happen to work in high tech industries. she designs and builds custom components and equipment specializing in laser tracking in aerospace. i work for a large IT security company and spend a vast majority of my time writing custom code.
problems & solutions:
looking at the cons of the proton (drift, hopper, etc) we have a fix in mind that could permanently solve those issues. we would need a physical proton to prove out the design but should result in a cheap non disruptive solutions. the primary con of the spinfire is the lack of custom drills which we have a couple ideas on. these would entail a fair amount of reverse engineering and coding to provide a means to provide "proton like" interface via a custom controller. personally im leaning towards a web front-end that can control the unit via any web browser over wifi rather than needing a special app.
community inquiry:
my main question on this would be how much interest community wise would there be, and for what unit would have the most value? in either case i would still need to buy a machine to start development. looks like july would be the easiest i could gain access to a proton. i could get a spinfire in a few days but would definitely take long to build the custom interface.
outro:
for my personal usage all of the "cons" can be solved on either machine, but it boils down to their physical limitations. in other words, at their peak settings which unit performs better?
any non-hostel (its sad that has to be said these days) feedback would be greatly appreciated. for the record we plan to move forward with one of these solutions and would like some help on deciding which one.
premises:
as lots of others i am also in the market for ball machine and have narrowed it down to the proton or the spinfire i've read through the whole thread trying to weigh the pros and cons of both. the one thing that doesn't seem to have been directly addressed or compared is the real world speeds and spins of the two. on paper they are very close but there are some potential "gotchas" i can't seem to find an answer to. the spinfire states ~80mph and ~3krpm, but not both. the physics will incure a reduction in speed the more spin you add. so @3k rpms, that could result in a max speed only being 50mph. the proton claims ~70mph and also 3krpm, but again are these achievable simultaneously? i reached out to hydrogen directly and got no response. so that's my biggest question mark of the two.
background:
regarding the cons of either machine is where things get interesting. both my gf and i are big tennis nerds and also happen to work in high tech industries. she designs and builds custom components and equipment specializing in laser tracking in aerospace. i work for a large IT security company and spend a vast majority of my time writing custom code.
problems & solutions:
looking at the cons of the proton (drift, hopper, etc) we have a fix in mind that could permanently solve those issues. we would need a physical proton to prove out the design but should result in a cheap non disruptive solutions. the primary con of the spinfire is the lack of custom drills which we have a couple ideas on. these would entail a fair amount of reverse engineering and coding to provide a means to provide "proton like" interface via a custom controller. personally im leaning towards a web front-end that can control the unit via any web browser over wifi rather than needing a special app.
community inquiry:
my main question on this would be how much interest community wise would there be, and for what unit would have the most value? in either case i would still need to buy a machine to start development. looks like july would be the easiest i could gain access to a proton. i could get a spinfire in a few days but would definitely take long to build the custom interface.
outro:
for my personal usage all of the "cons" can be solved on either machine, but it boils down to their physical limitations. in other words, at their peak settings which unit performs better?
any non-hostel (its sad that has to be said these days) feedback would be greatly appreciated. for the record we plan to move forward with one of these solutions and would like some help on deciding which one.
Last edited:
dak95_00
Hall of Fame
Equally fair warning…. I don’t own either.
The wait for the Proton seems to be a major negative. I would guess that some sort of weighted donut contraption would fix the drift but other have said a sponge can fix it. I’m curious of your repair or modification.
The Spinfire, as you have suggested, could not throw at both its highest speed and spin at the same time. No machine can. It’s one or the other. Having hit on many machines no person would ever want to either. The highest spin ball at its highest speed would be a heavier ball than you’d ever receive from any human unless you are gifted with the opportunity to play Nadal on clay when he was say 29.
I’m curious what your plans are for the Spinfire. Would it work for other machines? What would the potential cost be for regular people to modify their machines?
ryohazuki222
Professional
Haven’t used spinfire. Own proton but can’t answer your questions directly. Though maybe can offer some help.
I’m a 5.0 singles player that likes to hit hard and have hard shots hit at me. I hit heavy topspin and also like playing against heavy topspin. I used to play 5.0 and open level tournaments. I made it to nationals for 5.0. Don’t make it that far in open because I can’t return truly good serves and I’m a pretty “dumb” player. In rallies, usually on par-ish with strong open players.
while I can’t answer your question on speed I CAN say that I’ve never found a need or value in a 68mph ball 3k rpm spin setting. I’ve found 58 mph and 2k rpm to be what I’ve dubbed “Crosscourt D1 forehand rally”. Named just based on my personal experiences… not on hard data. I say this because at my level I still feel there is room for the proton to shoot a more difficult ball than is worth practicing against right now.
THAT SAID, the bottleneck in the proton I’ve found are twofold-
1- it cant lob (don’t know about spinfire)
2- it’s interval time is too high at the lowest setting.
The minimum delay is 2.0 seconds. When I’m hitting “d1 mode” it’s an unnaturally long lag. The rally in the real world would move faster. This might be another spec to be mindful of between the 2 machines if you are actually going to use it at full power.
Regarding drift: it’s annoying but not a deal breaker for me. Even if it’s never fixed I prefer proton over spinfire for other reasons. It’s annoying enough that if someone devised a solution I knew worked that was easily portable and easy to set up, I’d drop $50 on it without a second thought.
if you’re a software guy, I’d recommend the proton and building a relationship with the founder if you can. The machine obviously has a lot of potential as a platform. Tell him to open up the APIs for you to build a front end so that nerds like me can build drills on my MacBook instead of on a mobile device.
I’m a 5.0 singles player that likes to hit hard and have hard shots hit at me. I hit heavy topspin and also like playing against heavy topspin. I used to play 5.0 and open level tournaments. I made it to nationals for 5.0. Don’t make it that far in open because I can’t return truly good serves and I’m a pretty “dumb” player. In rallies, usually on par-ish with strong open players.
while I can’t answer your question on speed I CAN say that I’ve never found a need or value in a 68mph ball 3k rpm spin setting. I’ve found 58 mph and 2k rpm to be what I’ve dubbed “Crosscourt D1 forehand rally”. Named just based on my personal experiences… not on hard data. I say this because at my level I still feel there is room for the proton to shoot a more difficult ball than is worth practicing against right now.
THAT SAID, the bottleneck in the proton I’ve found are twofold-
1- it cant lob (don’t know about spinfire)
2- it’s interval time is too high at the lowest setting.
The minimum delay is 2.0 seconds. When I’m hitting “d1 mode” it’s an unnaturally long lag. The rally in the real world would move faster. This might be another spec to be mindful of between the 2 machines if you are actually going to use it at full power.
Regarding drift: it’s annoying but not a deal breaker for me. Even if it’s never fixed I prefer proton over spinfire for other reasons. It’s annoying enough that if someone devised a solution I knew worked that was easily portable and easy to set up, I’d drop $50 on it without a second thought.
if you’re a software guy, I’d recommend the proton and building a relationship with the founder if you can. The machine obviously has a lot of potential as a platform. Tell him to open up the APIs for you to build a front end so that nerds like me can build drills on my MacBook instead of on a mobile device.
So far I'm really liking my Proton. I feel like the drift thing is people being very nit pick or I'm getting lucky. Curious if type of balls and routine used makes a difference.
I would say a remote would be nice because I'm paranoid of damaging my phone and have to put it on the side of the court. The 100 ball capacity is a little light but it helps me pace things out.
The app is awesome. Super easy to use. Just upload and go with many different routines.
With the frequency I plan to use this machine I think the portability hands down is a no brainer. Fits in my sedans trunk easily and battery lasts long.
I think spinfire is an option if you have the budget, want a no nonsense machine, actual remote, larger ball capacity, portability is not priority.
Though hanging 20lbs around your shoulder while carrying all your other gear is not necessarily a cake walk either. The wheels on the spinfire could actually be better portability especially if you aren't that strong.
I would say a remote would be nice because I'm paranoid of damaging my phone and have to put it on the side of the court. The 100 ball capacity is a little light but it helps me pace things out.
The app is awesome. Super easy to use. Just upload and go with many different routines.
With the frequency I plan to use this machine I think the portability hands down is a no brainer. Fits in my sedans trunk easily and battery lasts long.
I think spinfire is an option if you have the budget, want a no nonsense machine, actual remote, larger ball capacity, portability is not priority.
Though hanging 20lbs around your shoulder while carrying all your other gear is not necessarily a cake walk either. The wheels on the spinfire could actually be better portability especially if you aren't that strong.
JEDI MASTER
Professional
aside from the apple watch..
IPOD touch is great alternative to a remote... light enough to keep in your pocket.
