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First off - thanks to everyone in this forum for helping with my sim build. While I didn't post much during my planning phase - a lot of threads here influenced my decisions and helped tremendously. Most Importantly - I was originally sold on a Uneekor LM but switched late in the process to a VX (very happy I did!), so thought I would return the favor with a review for anyone on the fence.
Protee support has been phenomenal throughout the process. UPS lost my original unit and they promptly shipped me a new one. They just asked if I ever do get the original that I send it back. Every question I have had they have answered within 24 hours. If you do purchase the best advice I would give is to get prepared before delivery. Be proactive here - once the unit ships Protee can give you the serial number for the unit. Once you have the serial number, give it to the reseller to get the Protee Labs activation code. When you have the activation code you can download Protee Labs (even before the unit is delivered) and request the sim software of your choice be enabled through Protee Support. The reason I say to be proactive is if you are installing on a weekend or at a time when support is not available - you will not be able to use the unit without the activation code or sim software without Protee support enabling.
Mounting and installation of the unit was a breeze. They recommend 2 people to install however I did it alone with no problems. My initial measurements would have used only anchors holding the unit up, so I moved it to the closest joist since I really wanted at least 2 screws in a joist. Luckily, I only had to move the unit 4 inches closer to the hitting area to achieve this but did have to move the mat back as well which created a small gap between the landing turf and mat I'll need to fix.
The only hiccup on installation was downloading the software. I am in the US and some firewall in my network would not allow me to download. Protee Support live chat helped me out here - taking control of my computer and sorting it out. As I said they are very responsive but if you are installing on a weekend or time zone makes it difficult to get in touch with them here are the steps to fix:
1. Download a VPN software (Protee support used Proton VPN)
2. Choose a server in the Netherlands
3. Re-download
The performance of the system is fantastic. I have no idea how this is $6,500 when comparable units are $10k+. I don't have another LM to compare too, however I did just do a full bag fitting at Club Champion and have been back a few times dialing them in. As far as I can tell, the numbers are right where they should be (especially ball data). Good shots are exactly what i expect for the club, the misses are exactly what I expect after contact.
The one caveat (and i'm guessing this applies to all photo-based LMs and not just VX) is the type of ball being used can occasionally create some bad spin readings. I game Vice Pro Plus - but because the logo is thin writing that is more circular rather than linear (like a Titleist logo) I had the most side spin mis-reads with this ball. Granted it wasn't a ton, maybe 5-6 mis-reads over 100 balls, but it was there. What seems to happen is if there is no logo on the front of the ball at impact, the system will pick up the putting alignment bar on the side (with Vice pro plus is also doesn't help that line is much darker and more pronounced than the logo). It needs to be a very specific alignment that is picked up to generate a mis-read - basically the putting alignment bar at the very edge of the ball. If that happens, it gives the illusion of more side spin than is actually happening. Now you can easily tell this happened when the data doesn't match the ball flight, plus the spin video makes it very clear because you can see how the dimples are moving. ProV1 performed better, 1, maybe 2 misreads over ~100 balls, TM Pix were the best - i did not notice any misreads using Pix balls. One improvement i would like to see is letting the user know when the spin reading is bad. Either ignoring the erroneous spin and overwriting with a calc or even highlighting it would be helpful. Like I said, you can tell when this happens but have to dig a little bit.
The club data is not quite as reliable as the ball data but it is still really good. This doesn't impact ball flight and seems to be correct much more often than it seems suspect. The real-time video is so valuable with this because when you do see suspect club data you can verify with the video. I suspect this will become even better over time as the AI models become more refined.
Simulation integration is seamless and works great. I have been using GSPro with no issues. I really enjoy the GSPro range on the projector and the Protee labs summary on the computer monitor. The only thing I would like to see changed here is the club on GSPro overwrites the club image in the Protee labs summary. I'm too lazy to change my club every time in GSPro so it would be nice if Protee Labs would just use the club it detected for the impact image. I admit this is a nit pick - the impact location is still correct, it's just a picture of a driver if you are hitting an iron.
All in all i am extremely impressed with the VX. I have only had the system 4 days, but I have already gained super valuable data about my swing that I am working on correcting (Wow I was coming from the inside way more than I thought! Video Confirmed!) Now I can actually commit those changes to muscle memory rather than reverting back to old habits because I don't play enough. It has also done wonders for stress and mental health (busy job, little kids - all the fun adult stuff) If you are in the market and want a ceiling LM, this should be at the top of your list. The unit seems super accurate, you are not paying for bloated software, no club stickers or subscription costs (obviously you have to pay for 3rd party software). The biggest issue I have is not to over use it and hurt myself!
Protee support has been phenomenal throughout the process. UPS lost my original unit and they promptly shipped me a new one. They just asked if I ever do get the original that I send it back. Every question I have had they have answered within 24 hours. If you do purchase the best advice I would give is to get prepared before delivery. Be proactive here - once the unit ships Protee can give you the serial number for the unit. Once you have the serial number, give it to the reseller to get the Protee Labs activation code. When you have the activation code you can download Protee Labs (even before the unit is delivered) and request the sim software of your choice be enabled through Protee Support. The reason I say to be proactive is if you are installing on a weekend or at a time when support is not available - you will not be able to use the unit without the activation code or sim software without Protee support enabling.
Mounting and installation of the unit was a breeze. They recommend 2 people to install however I did it alone with no problems. My initial measurements would have used only anchors holding the unit up, so I moved it to the closest joist since I really wanted at least 2 screws in a joist. Luckily, I only had to move the unit 4 inches closer to the hitting area to achieve this but did have to move the mat back as well which created a small gap between the landing turf and mat I'll need to fix.
The only hiccup on installation was downloading the software. I am in the US and some firewall in my network would not allow me to download. Protee Support live chat helped me out here - taking control of my computer and sorting it out. As I said they are very responsive but if you are installing on a weekend or time zone makes it difficult to get in touch with them here are the steps to fix:
1. Download a VPN software (Protee support used Proton VPN)
2. Choose a server in the Netherlands
3. Re-download
The performance of the system is fantastic. I have no idea how this is $6,500 when comparable units are $10k+. I don't have another LM to compare too, however I did just do a full bag fitting at Club Champion and have been back a few times dialing them in. As far as I can tell, the numbers are right where they should be (especially ball data). Good shots are exactly what i expect for the club, the misses are exactly what I expect after contact.
The one caveat (and i'm guessing this applies to all photo-based LMs and not just VX) is the type of ball being used can occasionally create some bad spin readings. I game Vice Pro Plus - but because the logo is thin writing that is more circular rather than linear (like a Titleist logo) I had the most side spin mis-reads with this ball. Granted it wasn't a ton, maybe 5-6 mis-reads over 100 balls, but it was there. What seems to happen is if there is no logo on the front of the ball at impact, the system will pick up the putting alignment bar on the side (with Vice pro plus is also doesn't help that line is much darker and more pronounced than the logo). It needs to be a very specific alignment that is picked up to generate a mis-read - basically the putting alignment bar at the very edge of the ball. If that happens, it gives the illusion of more side spin than is actually happening. Now you can easily tell this happened when the data doesn't match the ball flight, plus the spin video makes it very clear because you can see how the dimples are moving. ProV1 performed better, 1, maybe 2 misreads over ~100 balls, TM Pix were the best - i did not notice any misreads using Pix balls. One improvement i would like to see is letting the user know when the spin reading is bad. Either ignoring the erroneous spin and overwriting with a calc or even highlighting it would be helpful. Like I said, you can tell when this happens but have to dig a little bit.
The club data is not quite as reliable as the ball data but it is still really good. This doesn't impact ball flight and seems to be correct much more often than it seems suspect. The real-time video is so valuable with this because when you do see suspect club data you can verify with the video. I suspect this will become even better over time as the AI models become more refined.
Simulation integration is seamless and works great. I have been using GSPro with no issues. I really enjoy the GSPro range on the projector and the Protee labs summary on the computer monitor. The only thing I would like to see changed here is the club on GSPro overwrites the club image in the Protee labs summary. I'm too lazy to change my club every time in GSPro so it would be nice if Protee Labs would just use the club it detected for the impact image. I admit this is a nit pick - the impact location is still correct, it's just a picture of a driver if you are hitting an iron.
All in all i am extremely impressed with the VX. I have only had the system 4 days, but I have already gained super valuable data about my swing that I am working on correcting (Wow I was coming from the inside way more than I thought! Video Confirmed!) Now I can actually commit those changes to muscle memory rather than reverting back to old habits because I don't play enough. It has also done wonders for stress and mental health (busy job, little kids - all the fun adult stuff) If you are in the market and want a ceiling LM, this should be at the top of your list. The unit seems super accurate, you are not paying for bloated software, no club stickers or subscription costs (obviously you have to pay for 3rd party software). The biggest issue I have is not to over use it and hurt myself!
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