New Launch Monitor and Sim From SwingLogic

[DoubleAce]

I'd been in contact with the founder of SwingLogic since back in March. Had bought a SLX Microsim and was having some issues. He was super responsive, and actually encouraged me to return the device and hold out for their new product that'd soon be released. At the time he couldn't divulge much about it. But what little he shared got me pretty excited.

Well, they just started taking reservations for their SLX Hybrid X3! If it lives up to the specs, it'll be an outstanding value. This thing is absolutely jam packed with features, of which includes:

• Launch Monitor: Like the name, it's a true hybrid. Radar based main unit, and a secondary magnetic micro sensor that attaches to your glove. And the radar unit apparently only requires 3ft of space to function. If true, that's less than half the distance required by comparable units (i.e. Garmin, SwingCaddie, Mevo, Rapsodo, etc).
• Golf Simulator: It's fully compatible with E6. And comes with a one year subscription. 
• GPS Course Data: It comes pre-loaded with 30,000+ courses. And can be used on course to give you real time data.
• Bluetooth speaker: It'll read back shot data, yardage if on the course, or just play music
• Magnetic mount: Like a rangefinder, you can just stick it to your cart while you play. And it's waterproof, so no worries if you get rained on.

I'm probably missing some details. Below is a link to their launch page with all the features outlined. I've already reserved early bird pricing. At just over $300 this unit could absolutely own the Garmin/Mevo/etc. market. 
 

SwingLogic - Coming Soon

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The SLX Hybrid X3 Pro is your loyal companion for on-course as well as virtual play. Take your device with you for GPS distances for over 30,000 pre-loaded

 

[DoubleAce]

I realize this got no traction initially. But for anyone interested, SwingLogic will be dropping this for pre-orders early in the week. No idea what the timeline is for delivery though.

I plan to give it a shot. If it turns out to be comparable to the Mevo or R10, I'd imagine it'll do really well. 

[billchao]

At $300 and requiring only 3’ for a radar unit, I don’t think it’s going to be very accurate. So no, it’s not going be dominating the Mevo market anytime soon. There are those of us who didn’t get the Garmin R10 at a fraction of the price of a Mevo+ (and Pro package) because of questionable accuracy.

Hell, the gifs on their site show people “playing” the simulator without even hitting a ball. It’s basically a video game at that point.

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, billchao said:

At $300 and requiring only 3’ for a radar unit, I don’t think it’s going to be very accurate. So no, it’s not going be dominating the Mevo market anytime soon.

Correct.

3 minutes ago, billchao said:

There are those of us who didn’t get the Garmin R10 at a fraction of the price of a Mevo+ (and Pro package) because of questionable accuracy.

The R10 is much closer to the Mevo, not the Mevo+.

3 minutes ago, billchao said:

Hell, the gifs on their site show people “playing” the simulator without even hitting a ball. It’s basically a video game at that point.

Yeah.

😄

[DoubleAce]

9 hours ago, billchao said:

At $300 and requiring only 3’ for a radar unit, I don’t think it’s going to be very accurate. So no, it’s not going be dominating the Mevo market anytime soon. There are those of us who didn’t get the Garmin R10 at a fraction of the price of a Mevo+ (and Pro package) because of questionable accuracy.

Hell, the gifs on their site show people “playing” the simulator without even hitting a ball. It’s basically a video game at that point.

Seeing as their micro sim (club attached sensor) is already fairly accurate, I'd suspect adding a radar component to the mix certainly won't hurt. And I don't see where it says it stops tracking shots after 3 feet. But for people who are space constrained, only requiring 3' in a radar based unit could be a big deal.

As far as "playing" without a ball, that's basically what the prior slx micro sim provided. Where it is more of a video game if one elected to use it without a club. But with real balls, that same sensor was pretty spot on with distance, ball flight, club and ball speed. So, again, adding a radar unit in conjunction with their club based sensor can only improve upon the overall data. 

 

[iacas]

Eh. You get what you pay for and this is a Bluetooth speaker too? Unlikely the components will be all that great.

[billchao]

7 hours ago, DoubleAce said:

And I don't see where it says it stops tracking shots after 3 feet.

I don’t, either. Nobody wrote that, yea? 😃

 

[DoubleAce]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

I don’t, either. Nobody wrote that, yea? 😃

 

Correct. But pointing out it won't be accurate because it only requires 3' was a little disingenuous. Given the 3' isn't a constraint, but a starting point. Not to mention it's only half of the hardware collecting data.

[iacas]

17 minutes ago, DoubleAce said:

Correct. But pointing out it won't be accurate because it only requires 3' was a little disingenuous.

I don't think that's a fair take. I think what Bill wrote earlier holds weight. Most radar units require 7' and function best with 8-10'.

Look, you are all in on this despite having issues with the previous thing and the price of this being low, despite the 3' thing, despite the fact that it's got a lot of functions for a really low price, and despite the fact that SwingLogic is not exactly known for producing really good hardware in this space.

And that's fine, but… I don't think being skeptical, or pointing out potential "issues," should be called "disingenuous." Plus, he didn't say "it won't be accurate," he opined that it wouldn't be.

I don't think it will be either, given all of the above.

Since you're apparently getting one, we look forward to hearing your feedback.

Since you're close by, you're also welcome to bring it to Golf Evolution to test it out against GEARS or the Mevo+ or the FlightScopes.

[billchao]

8 hours ago, DoubleAce said:

Correct. But pointing out it won't be accurate because it only requires 3' was a little disingenuous. Given the 3' isn't a constraint, but a starting point. Not to mention it's only half of the hardware collecting data.

As @iacas wrote above, there's nothing disingenuous about it. I am quite sincere in my skepticism.

FlightScope, a company founded to measure projectiles for defense (and continues to operate in that capacity), is a world leader in ballistic tracking. Their devices require a minimum of 15' of space (7' behind the ball at address and 8' of flight). And even with Titleist RCT balls, it still guesses the spin rate on some shots. The Mevo is just a radar device and is $500.

The SwingLogic SLX Hybrid X3 Pro is a radar device, GPS, Bluetooth speaker, power bank, and waterproof, for the same price (MSRP). And it requires only 3' of space (you need more than 3' of space to swing a golf club, BTW)? I have to believe sacrifices are made somewhere.

Actually, this thing is supposed to provide full shot analysis, right? Like the Mevo+ with Pro Package, but at a fraction of the price? Yea, I'm skeptical.

I watched the review video on their site reviewing the SLX MicroSim, BTW. I don't consider that comparison to TrackMan "accurate." Is it in the ballpark? Sure. But is it accurate? Not really. Not by my standards, anyway. Some of us care about that.

[DoubleAce]

6 hours ago, iacas said:

I don't think that's a fair take. I think what Bill wrote earlier holds weight. Most radar units require 7' and function best with 8-10'.

Look, you are all in on this despite having issues with the previous thing and the price of this being low, despite the 3' thing, despite the fact that it's got a lot of functions for a really low price, and despite the fact that SwingLogic is not exactly known for producing really good hardware in this space.

And that's fine, but… I don't think being skeptical, or pointing out potential "issues," should be called "disingenuous." Plus, he didn't say "it won't be accurate," he opined that it wouldn't be.

I don't think it will be either, given all of the above.

Since you're apparently getting one, we look forward to hearing your feedback.

Since you're close by, you're also welcome to bring it to Golf Evolution to test it out against GEARS or the Mevo+ or the FlightScopes.

So any product you've ever had an issue with is immediately discounted and written off? If that's the case, we should write off GC Quads and BLPs while we're at it. What matters is how a company deals with a lemon that makes it out the door. Which SwingLogic did a phenomenal job in rectifying. 

And I didn't choose Bill's wording. "At $300 and requiring only 3’ for a radar unit, I don’t think it’s going to be very accurate." Sure he opined. But he asserted that opinion by only calling out the price and misconstruing the radar's distance requirement. And completely overlooking their existing sensor tech. 

I'll definitely post feedback. And I have no issues calling out a product if it doesn't meet expectations. BTDT.

Not sure I'll make the 4 hour hike all the way to PA. But I can compare against Trackman and GC Quad locally. I would like to find comparable priced units to test against too, but don't know anyone with a Mevo, R10, or SC300i.

9 hours ago, iacas said:

Eh. You get what you pay for and this is a Bluetooth speaker too? Unlikely the components will be all that great.

Lol. Because a bluetooth speaker is the pinnacle of engineering and likely drained their R&D budget. Doesn't the SC300i have a speaker? I mean, you can be skeptical without overstating things. 

Beyond the above, why not just all illustrate that we can hold our opinions loosely?

I ordered my unit. The Kickstarter isn't even an hour old and it's already exceeded their goal by 5 times. It actually looks like they even increased their early bird spots to accommodate demand. So it seems that between existing SwingLogic customers and others, there's a lot of enthusiasm and optimism around their new device. Delivery window looks to be June. Will update as soon as I'm able.

[billchao]

42 minutes ago, DoubleAce said:

And I didn't choose Bill's wording. "At $300 and requiring only 3’ for a radar unit, I don’t think it’s going to be very accurate." Sure he opined. But he asserted that opinion by only calling out the price and misconstruing the radar's distance requirement. And completely overlooking their existing sensor tech. 

No, I didn’t. You’re the one misconstruing what I wrote. In fact, I’m not even the one who wrote it:

On 4/29/2022 at 11:49 PM, DoubleAce said:

And the radar unit apparently only requires 3ft of space to function.

You’re being awfully defensive about a product you have no affiliation with (I assume). I’m skeptical and a casual observer. I have no dog in this race because I’m not in the market for a launch monitor. I’m literally just here making comments based on what I understand about the field.

I’m not surprised that they exceeded their goal. They’re offering it at 40% off MSRP. That’s a good deal no matter how you slice it.

[DoubleAce]

20 minutes ago, billchao said:

No, I didn’t. You’re the one misconstruing what I wrote. In fact, I’m not even the one who wrote it:

You’re being awfully defensive about a product you have no affiliation with (I assume). I’m skeptical and a casual observer. I have no dog in this race because I’m not in the market for a launch monitor. I’m literally just here making comments based on what I understand about the field.

I’m not surprised that they exceeded their goal. They’re offering it at 40% off MSRP. That’s a good deal no matter how you slice it.

I quoted you verbatim. But, no worries, you've expounded on your position in further posts, so I get where you're at. 

No affiliation at all. And I'll be the first to say if it doesn't live up to expectations. I just think they deserve a fair shake. And to keep it in the context of comparably priced units. 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, DoubleAce said:

So any product you've ever had an issue with is immediately discounted and written off?

Dude. Nobody's writing it off. We're just stating opinions, and this feels like something that will not compete (on accuracy) with the Mevo-level products.

1 hour ago, DoubleAce said:

If that's the case, we should write off GC Quads and BLPs while we're at it.

Huh? The GC Quad has proven itself to be an accurate launch monitor. It's also quite a bit more than $300 or $400.

1 hour ago, DoubleAce said:

But he asserted that opinion by only calling out the price and misconstruing the radar's distance requirement. And completely overlooking their existing sensor tech. 

He didn't "misconstrue" anything, as far as I can see.

Why are you seemingly taking this so personally?

1 hour ago, DoubleAce said:

Lol. Because a bluetooth speaker is the pinnacle of engineering and likely drained their R&D budget. Doesn't the SC300i have a speaker? I mean, you can be skeptical without overstating things.

What's overstating things? Something meant to act as a Bluetooth speaker adds a minimum cost. All of the features they add add to the cost and thus reduce how much of that cost goes toward the part we're talking about: the accuracy of the radar unit.

The Mevo doesn't have a speaker, btw. It doesn't act as a power source. It doesn't have a mounting magnet. It doesn't tell you GPS yardages. The money for that went toward producing the radar unit.

And I don't think the SC300i is all that accurate, either.

1 hour ago, DoubleAce said:

Beyond the above, why not just all illustrate that we can hold our opinions loosely?

Who is doing otherwise? You're the one seemingly taking our opinions personally.

1 hour ago, DoubleAce said:

I ordered my unit. The Kickstarter isn't even an hour old and it's already exceeded their goal by 5 times. It actually looks like they even increased their early bird spots to accommodate demand. So it seems that between existing SwingLogic customers and others, there's a lot of enthusiasm and optimism around their new device. Delivery window looks to be June. Will update as soon as I'm able.

Good for you. I still think it's highly unlikely to be as accurate as I'd need.

41 minutes ago, DoubleAce said:

No affiliation at all. And I'll be the first to say if it doesn't live up to expectations. I just think they deserve a fair shake. And to keep it in the context of comparably priced units. 

You're missing one thing: they're getting a fair shake. Skepticism is perfectly fair, particularly given the facts at hand here.

[DoubleAce]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

Dude. Nobody's writing it off. We're just stating opinions, and this feels like something that will not compete (on accuracy) with the Mevo-level products.

Huh? The GC Quad has proven itself to be an accurate launch monitor. It's also quite a bit more than $300 or $400.

He didn't "misconstrue" anything, as far as I can see.

Why are you seemingly taking this so personally?

What's overstating things? Something meant to act as a Bluetooth speaker adds a minimum cost. All of the features they add add to the cost and thus reduce how much of that cost goes toward the part we're talking about: the accuracy of the radar unit.

The Mevo doesn't have a speaker, btw. It doesn't act as a power source. It doesn't have a mounting magnet. It doesn't tell you GPS yardages. The money for that went toward producing the radar unit.

And I don't think the SC300i is all that accurate, either.

Who is doing otherwise? You're the one seemingly taking our opinions personally.

Good for you. I still think it's highly unlikely to be as accurate as I'd need.

You're missing one thing: they're getting a fair shake. Skepticism is perfectly fair, particularly given the facts at hand here.

We could go round and round with semantics all day. I think we know where everyone stands. So why don't we leave it at that?

The product will be hitting the market soon enough. And I think we can all agree it'll sink or swim on its own merits and real world performance.

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, DoubleAce said:

We could go round and round with semantics all day. I think we know where everyone stands. So why don't we leave it at that?

It's not semantics, and you could have just "left it at that" without the added comment, right?

No need to answer. You know that's right.

[DoubleAce]

Alright, with that all out of the way. Looks like they're up to around 400-ish backers and 10x over their goal.

Anyone else take a shot at being an early adopter? Or perhaps even some folks who got their hands on a pre-release device?

[drmevo]

55 minutes ago, DoubleAce said:

Alright, with that all out of the way. Looks like they're up to around 400-ish backers and 10x over their goal.

Anyone else take a shot at being an early adopter? Or perhaps even some folks who got their hands on a pre-release device?

I might consider it. I'd love to see some reviews first, but then I guess you don't get the early bird.