The Proton Power lacrosse head from STX is definitely one of the most popular heads in the sport of lacrosse. The lacrosse head has an optimal shape for optimum ball control with deadly accuracy when shooting and catching the ball. The head is produced with a streamlined and aerodynamic style that means the head is lightweight, stays strong and ensures superior performance on the playing field.
The best part about this head is that it is designed with STX Forward Cant technology for straightforward ball release, quicker passing and quicker shooting. This head is especially suitable for attack players and is NFHS compliant.
Good
Snug fit with STX handles
In general, I've observed that the STX lacrosse heads fit tighter on lax handles than heads from other brands. The head only just fit on a STX handle, and I could hardly fit it on a Maverik shaft. The Maverik handle was a little larger. The guideline is that all heads attach to all shafts, but more force or tape may be needed when you mix up the brand of head and shaft.
Mid and high pocket, excellent for shooting
I strung a mid-pocket and that was pretty easy. The ball felt great and it was really smooth when switching from cradling to preparing for a shot on goal. The pinch is really nice and resulted in superior ball hold. A high pocket would also do the job quite well too. Don't insult this lax head by stringing a low pocket. This head was designed to shoot, string a high or mid pocket.
The scoop is sort of bendy, but this is to provide the shooting flex. This, together with the STX Forward Cant, means you get great hold and you feel the "whip" while cranking.
Accurate passes great channel
You only need to look at the face of the lacrosse head to see it is not NCAA certified. The head doesn't feature the long parallel sidewalls extending from the throat. The gradually diverging opening functions well and the mid-pocket I'd strung up was extremely good. All my passes and cranks were on the mark.
The rounded top featured on the Proton Power scoop finds a very good balance between being ground-ball friendly and precise. Some lacrosse heads have a very pointy tip that makes for an outstanding pocket channel but you are not able to grab a ground ball. While other lax heads are designed with a top just like a spade, making ground balls super easy, but your feeds aren't as accurate as you would expect. This lacrosse head is pretty decent, although if the top were any flatter I don't think the pocket would be as accurate.
Very good for ground balls
The rear of the scoop is smooth enough making sure that there is no lip to lift the top of the head off the ground when picking up ground balls. The face is wide enough which provides you a larger area to gather the ball with. You can get some flex if you go aggressively for a ground ball.
Built for forwards
The STX Proton Power is made for shooting and feeding and consequently is highly appropriate for midfielders and attackers. If you're not specifically a finisher, there are better midfield heads available.
A great option for face off
If you take the odd face-off here and there, this head should perform well. The sleek sidewalls lay near to the ground, which certainly is a nice bonus. The insufficient amount of firmness means it's not possible to take the most intense faceoff, but more agile face off tricks should be okay. The head isn't likely to hold its form for too long in a face off, but the head is very easily bent back into shape, if it won't revert by itself.
Bad
Simple to string, but difficult to make legal
My first attempt at stringing this head happened to be illegal. The ball couldn't roll out of the pocket when held up and leaned forward. I had to tighten the sidewall laces just by the throat to make sure they didn't interfere and also change the base strings to be certain the ball didn't get caught behind the ball stop. These were trivial tweaks, but with the chance of increased pinching from common use this could turn out to be something you'll need to take care of routinely. Stringing a low pocket isn't strongly recommended.
For those of you who like traditional stringing, you will be annoyed to discover that there are only two openings at the bottom. You will have to put two leathers through each slot or be extremely creative in coming up with another alternative. The stringing holes are really snug so you need to persist to get the laces through some of them. If you happen to be burning the string ends you will have to make sure they are slim because if you have a fat end it will not squeeze through the slots. But when the pocket is set and the laces are tied up, they're fixed for good.
'Sup with the ball stop?
I am not quite sure exactly what the specific goal of the island ball-stop is. I wasn't able to pinpoint any real advantage. The brand say it's designed to reduce weight, but it'd be only one or two grams at the most.
Keep an eye on the pinch
As always with heads which feature a narrow pinch, you'll want to make sure that it won't pinch too much, resulting in it being non-compliant. You can insert a bit of wood just a bit bigger than a lacrosse ball between the sidewalls where they pinch to keep it compliant. Field hockey balls work nicely as well.
Not really the sturdiest lacrosse head going around
The STX Proton Power lacrosse head isn't the strongest head on offer. The scoop was manufactured to bend, so if a firm lacrosse head is what you think will suit, this may not be the lax head for you.
Not necessarily the best choice for defense
This lacrosse head is too bendable for defense. You will see no real impact with a poke check, apart from the top hour-glassing right out. But it's not made for defence and so I don't consider this to be a concern.
Summary
So if you are an attacker, how could you not love this lacrosse head? There surely are some other heads stronger, lighter, stiffer and that of the like. But the STX Proton Power head represents exactly what lacrosse is all about. This head is a goal-scoring machine.
It is not designed with All Climate Performance so be aware if you are playing in hot or cold conditions. The heat especially, because the lacrosse head already bends quite a bit. The light-weight element and the added flex could have a bearing on its resilience, but just the same this is a wonderful lacrosse head.
The best part about this head is that it is designed with STX Forward Cant technology for straightforward ball release, quicker passing and quicker shooting. This head is especially suitable for attack players and is NFHS compliant.
Good
Snug fit with STX handles
In general, I've observed that the STX lacrosse heads fit tighter on lax handles than heads from other brands. The head only just fit on a STX handle, and I could hardly fit it on a Maverik shaft. The Maverik handle was a little larger. The guideline is that all heads attach to all shafts, but more force or tape may be needed when you mix up the brand of head and shaft.
Mid and high pocket, excellent for shooting
I strung a mid-pocket and that was pretty easy. The ball felt great and it was really smooth when switching from cradling to preparing for a shot on goal. The pinch is really nice and resulted in superior ball hold. A high pocket would also do the job quite well too. Don't insult this lax head by stringing a low pocket. This head was designed to shoot, string a high or mid pocket.
The scoop is sort of bendy, but this is to provide the shooting flex. This, together with the STX Forward Cant, means you get great hold and you feel the "whip" while cranking.
Accurate passes great channel
You only need to look at the face of the lacrosse head to see it is not NCAA certified. The head doesn't feature the long parallel sidewalls extending from the throat. The gradually diverging opening functions well and the mid-pocket I'd strung up was extremely good. All my passes and cranks were on the mark.
The rounded top featured on the Proton Power scoop finds a very good balance between being ground-ball friendly and precise. Some lacrosse heads have a very pointy tip that makes for an outstanding pocket channel but you are not able to grab a ground ball. While other lax heads are designed with a top just like a spade, making ground balls super easy, but your feeds aren't as accurate as you would expect. This lacrosse head is pretty decent, although if the top were any flatter I don't think the pocket would be as accurate.
Very good for ground balls
The rear of the scoop is smooth enough making sure that there is no lip to lift the top of the head off the ground when picking up ground balls. The face is wide enough which provides you a larger area to gather the ball with. You can get some flex if you go aggressively for a ground ball.
Built for forwards
The STX Proton Power is made for shooting and feeding and consequently is highly appropriate for midfielders and attackers. If you're not specifically a finisher, there are better midfield heads available.
A great option for face off
If you take the odd face-off here and there, this head should perform well. The sleek sidewalls lay near to the ground, which certainly is a nice bonus. The insufficient amount of firmness means it's not possible to take the most intense faceoff, but more agile face off tricks should be okay. The head isn't likely to hold its form for too long in a face off, but the head is very easily bent back into shape, if it won't revert by itself.
Bad
Simple to string, but difficult to make legal
My first attempt at stringing this head happened to be illegal. The ball couldn't roll out of the pocket when held up and leaned forward. I had to tighten the sidewall laces just by the throat to make sure they didn't interfere and also change the base strings to be certain the ball didn't get caught behind the ball stop. These were trivial tweaks, but with the chance of increased pinching from common use this could turn out to be something you'll need to take care of routinely. Stringing a low pocket isn't strongly recommended.
For those of you who like traditional stringing, you will be annoyed to discover that there are only two openings at the bottom. You will have to put two leathers through each slot or be extremely creative in coming up with another alternative. The stringing holes are really snug so you need to persist to get the laces through some of them. If you happen to be burning the string ends you will have to make sure they are slim because if you have a fat end it will not squeeze through the slots. But when the pocket is set and the laces are tied up, they're fixed for good.
'Sup with the ball stop?
I am not quite sure exactly what the specific goal of the island ball-stop is. I wasn't able to pinpoint any real advantage. The brand say it's designed to reduce weight, but it'd be only one or two grams at the most.
Keep an eye on the pinch
As always with heads which feature a narrow pinch, you'll want to make sure that it won't pinch too much, resulting in it being non-compliant. You can insert a bit of wood just a bit bigger than a lacrosse ball between the sidewalls where they pinch to keep it compliant. Field hockey balls work nicely as well.
Not really the sturdiest lacrosse head going around
The STX Proton Power lacrosse head isn't the strongest head on offer. The scoop was manufactured to bend, so if a firm lacrosse head is what you think will suit, this may not be the lax head for you.
Not necessarily the best choice for defense
This lacrosse head is too bendable for defense. You will see no real impact with a poke check, apart from the top hour-glassing right out. But it's not made for defence and so I don't consider this to be a concern.
Summary
So if you are an attacker, how could you not love this lacrosse head? There surely are some other heads stronger, lighter, stiffer and that of the like. But the STX Proton Power head represents exactly what lacrosse is all about. This head is a goal-scoring machine.
It is not designed with All Climate Performance so be aware if you are playing in hot or cold conditions. The heat especially, because the lacrosse head already bends quite a bit. The light-weight element and the added flex could have a bearing on its resilience, but just the same this is a wonderful lacrosse head.
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