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Fair points - one thing I would note, speaking as a consumer, the base model here is already very expensive. There is a (fairly large) part of me that is much more willing to pay additional customization costs if it's going to work better when the underlying product is expensive. If I'm getting a $10 putter out of a bargain bin, I'm comfortable giving it a try and if it doesn't work, then whatever - no big deal. Spend $450 plus tax and it better be good. I'd rather have something for 560 that's spot on rather than something that's 450 and not what I need. I'd also go the extra mile and pick out some of the visual customization as well - different color, different alignment lines etc. I don't necessarily see that $110 as poor value when it's already a high end and expensive piece of equipment. I don't know whether that's me being what the market will bear or that it costs them that much more to make it, but I don't particularly care either way. At the end of the day it really is just about what the market (i.e. me) will bear.  I will also note that I don't have a LAB putter and while I am periodically tempted, I'm not going to get one until I can be sure I'm getting the one that's right for me. Short of going to Oregon, I'm not sure how that can happen either, so I will remain a spectator who occasionally pops to PGA Superstore to have a play around with one.

One thing I've wondered about with set to the side camera models in addition to toe shanks; Is does the plexiglass covering the cameras get all dirty? Especially when hitting from grass. I've used skytrak with a mat before and it ends up getting what I'll call "mat dust" on it. But that easily wipes right off. I've never used one of these in the grass. But I would think they'd get "grass splatter" on them. ... maybe? is that an issue? 

I see what you are saying. I work with companies that make everything from hearing aids, to assembly cells, to fire trucks, to combines. Pretty much everything in between. I know of very few who cannot handle one-piece flow. (I'm actually struggling to think of any other than Rolls Royce. Incidentally, Rolls Royce is without a doubt the worst manufacturer I've ever worked with.) Either LAB's factory is really behind the times. (Pre-1992) or they are sticking you for ordering a custom.  Again, if they are making their customs from special order parts that's one thing. But since they are just building from standard parts, then either their factory sucks, in which case I could help them. Or they are just charging what the market will bear. And in that case, shame on us, the consumer, for allowing it.  A couple of good reads on the subject are "The Toyota Production System" (originally published in 1992, updated several times.) And the even better "The Toyota Way" (originally published in 2003). Any manufacturer of any product should be able to achieve one-piece flow.       Don't get me wrong. Even though I personally didn't really like their putter, I'm rooting for them. I've been involved with American Manufacturing since the late-80's. I got to see first hand as Toyota Principles migrated to the US. Pretty much every major American Manufacturer has adopted these principles in some form or another.... or they've gone out of business.  LAB is an American Manufacturer and therefore I'm on their side. Which is why if they really do need an extra 110 to 150 bucks to produce a custom from standard parts, I (and others like me) can help them.  I decided to write them an email and simply ask them if the additional cost was due to market value or cost-plus pricing. I'll let you know if they respond.   

Day 229 (18 Dec 24) - Wonderful Wedge Wednesday - pulled out the 58* to hit some easy 58* wedges in the backyard-key focus again was on the foot position (getting that slightly open foot stance, opened hips and making a smooth swing thru the ball.  

Some quick notes. Mine arrived yesterday, and on Monday I used a student's in his lesson with him. The touch interface is very responsive. Almost iPad-like. Not at all like crappy touch screens that lag or where you're not sure you hit the button. A lot of the smaller (negative) issues are software based, so I think they can iterate on them and improve them: I named myself "Erik J. Barzeski" and so my little user "circle" shows up as "EJ." First, stop assuming someone's initials. Second, when I choose "Edit Users" the only option to edit is… to remove the user. I can't edit my name or whether I'm a righty or a lefty. That's not "editing" a user. I created "Student Lefty" and "Student Righty" as guest profiles, and think they should add colors to the little circles. It could let you more quickly find the person you're looking for. Not much of an issue with three, but if you play with a group of ten friends here and there, it would help. There are four different ways to dismiss a screen, which I found funny. You can tap away from a panel, click an "X," click "save/cancel," or click "Done." They could have done Not all clickable areas appear to be tappable. "Power Save" and "Battery Save" are tappable (you can change the settings), but they just say "Power Save : ON" or something. I definitely don't love the shot tracer. In the overhead view, a dot appears where your ball would have landed. But… if you're hitting the same club, every dot is the same color (orange for a 7I). I think the last dot, the last shot, should be a different color. After you've hit five or ten shots, you don't even really know which dot is the new one. The impact camera is more than what's offered by a lot of things (like even the QuadMAX), but at the same time, not all that useful. It's only about six (eight? ten?) frames and it's snot from a not great angle because you hit from so side-on. The hitting area with club data is pretty small. This won't work very well off of grass. And you'll want to move it around lest you wear out your Alignment is super easy. Lay a club down, rest two balls against it… aligned. I do wish it prompted you to align it when you turn it on, even if one of the options was "keep current alignment" if you haven't moved it since last using it (or it never moves in your sim or something). I don't have a subscription yet and may never get one. I don't plan to use Home Tee Hero for much. I may plug it in to GSPro at some point. I think you can connect to it via your WiFi network. As in… it joins your network, and so you can be online and connected to it wirelessly. I'm not sure what the USB-C port is for. The fiducials (club stickers) I have for the GCQuadMAX also work on the Garmin. You don't need to use their larger stickers. Heck, I used the tab from a GC fiducial on Monday and it worked fine. The storage/travel case is well done. It's solid, sturdy. But, oddly, there's no real good place to put the charger and cable. Maybe I can set it in against the back side beneath the handle? I could have used a little pocket for that. The weight is not anywhere near as substantial as it looks. Because the GCQuadMAX is denser, I think it may almost be just as heavy (I think officially it's 7.x pounds for the Quad and 9.x for the R50). Because the unit sits almost directly beside the golf ball, I don't think people are going to be as worried about shanks as they are with the GC units (GC3, GC4/MAX) or other "side-on" units. I do wonder about someone accidentally hitting it off the toe and into what seems to be plexiglass covering the cameras, though. The range UI is nice — you can split screen to show the impact video, the shot data, the range overview of ball flight… etc. If you hook it up to an external display I'm pretty sure you can get three things. Maybe four, with split screens on both? That's all I can think of for now, but I'll be updating this as I go.