The STX Proton Power lacrosse head is undoubtedly one of the most widely used heads in the sport of lacrosse. The lacrosse head has a fantastic shape for optimum ball handling with pin point accuracy when shooting and catching the ball. It is manufactured with a streamlined and aerodynamic design that guarantees the head remains light and hard-wearing and provides superior performance in the game.
The best part about this lax head is that it is built with STX Forward Cant technology for quick ball release, swifter passing and quicker shooting. This lax head is especially recommended for attack players and is NFHS certified.
Good
Snug fit with STX handles
In most cases, I've noticed that the STX lacrosse heads attach tighter on their own handles than heads from other brands. It barely fit on a STX handle, and I could hardly get it on a Maverik shaft. The Maverik handle was a little larger. The rule of thumb is that all heads fit on all handles, but more effort or tape may be required if you mix up the brand of head and handle.
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 so you get the shooting flex. This, together with the Forward Cant, results in you getting great retention and you can even feel the "whip" while shooting.
Accurate passes great channel
Just one glance at the face of the head you can see it isn't NCAA compliant. The lacrosse head doesn't feature the long parallel side walls stretching out from the throat. The steadily diverging catching area functions amazingly well and the mid-pocket I'd strung was awesome. All of my passes and shoots were very accurate.
The rounded top featured on the Proton Power scoop finds a nice balance between being ground ball friendly and precise. Some heads have a very pointy tip that makes for an excellent pocket channel but you can't grab a ground ball. While others have got a top just like a shovel, making ground balls really simple, but your feeds are not as on the mark as you'd like. This head is pretty decent, although if the tip were any flatter I don't believe the pocket would be anywhere near as accurate.
Very good for ground balls
The back side of the scoop is smooth enough so there's no lip to elevate the top of the head off the surface when going for ground balls. The face is broad enough so you get a larger area to scoop up the ball with. You could get some bend if you go aggressively at 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 lacrosse head should hold up well. The sleek sidewalls get you near to the ground, which certainly is a benefit. The low amount of rigidity means that it'll be a challenge to take the most aggressive face-off, but more agile faceoff techniques should be ok. The lacrosse head isn't likely to hold its form for long in a face off, but the lacrosse head is quite easily bent back into shape, if it won't go 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 the ones who like traditional stringing, you'll be annoyed to learn that there are only two holes in the bottom. You'll need to put two leathers through each hole or invent some other option. The stringing holes are really small so you need to persist to get the string through them. If you're burning the nylon ends you'll have to make sure they are slim because if you create a wide knob it won't fit in the slots. But when your pocket is set in and the laces are tied off, they're fixed for good.
What's with the ball-stop?
I'm not sure exactly what the particular goal of the island ball stop is. I was not able to figure out any real benefit. The brand say it's intended to reduce weight, but it'd be only a couple of grams at the most.
Watch the pinch
As a rule with heads which have a tight pinch, you need to ensure it won't pinch excessively, making it non-compliant. One tip is to position some wood slightly broader than a lacrosse ball between your sidewalls where they pinch to keep it legal. Field hockey balls work well.
Not necessarily the firmest lax head available
The Proton Power head from STX isn't the stiffest head available. The scoop has actually been designed specifically to flex, so if a rigid lacrosse head is really what you think you need, this is not the head for you.
Not necessarily the best choice for defense
This head is simply too flexible for defense. You will see no real outcome from a poke check, aside from the top hour-glassing right out. But it is not created for defence therefore I don't see this being a problem.
Summary
So if you are a forward, how can you not absolutely love this lacrosse head? There certainly are other heads stronger, lighter, stiffer and that of the like. But the Proton Power head from STX signifies precisely what lacrosse is about. This lacrosse head is a goal scoring weapon of mass destruction.
This head isn't constructed with All Climate Performance so be mindful in case you are playing in extreme weather. The heat especially, since the lacrosse head currently flexes quite a lot. The lightweight aspect and the added flex could possibly have an impact on its durability, but the truth is this is an incredible lacrosse head.
The best part about this lax head is that it is built with STX Forward Cant technology for quick ball release, swifter passing and quicker shooting. This lax head is especially recommended for attack players and is NFHS certified.
Good
Snug fit with STX handles
In most cases, I've noticed that the STX lacrosse heads attach tighter on their own handles than heads from other brands. It barely fit on a STX handle, and I could hardly get it on a Maverik shaft. The Maverik handle was a little larger. The rule of thumb is that all heads fit on all handles, but more effort or tape may be required if you mix up the brand of head and handle.
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 so you get the shooting flex. This, together with the Forward Cant, results in you getting great retention and you can even feel the "whip" while shooting.
Accurate passes great channel
Just one glance at the face of the head you can see it isn't NCAA compliant. The lacrosse head doesn't feature the long parallel side walls stretching out from the throat. The steadily diverging catching area functions amazingly well and the mid-pocket I'd strung was awesome. All of my passes and shoots were very accurate.
The rounded top featured on the Proton Power scoop finds a nice balance between being ground ball friendly and precise. Some heads have a very pointy tip that makes for an excellent pocket channel but you can't grab a ground ball. While others have got a top just like a shovel, making ground balls really simple, but your feeds are not as on the mark as you'd like. This head is pretty decent, although if the tip were any flatter I don't believe the pocket would be anywhere near as accurate.
Very good for ground balls
The back side of the scoop is smooth enough so there's no lip to elevate the top of the head off the surface when going for ground balls. The face is broad enough so you get a larger area to scoop up the ball with. You could get some bend if you go aggressively at 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 lacrosse head should hold up well. The sleek sidewalls get you near to the ground, which certainly is a benefit. The low amount of rigidity means that it'll be a challenge to take the most aggressive face-off, but more agile faceoff techniques should be ok. The lacrosse head isn't likely to hold its form for long in a face off, but the lacrosse head is quite easily bent back into shape, if it won't go 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 the ones who like traditional stringing, you'll be annoyed to learn that there are only two holes in the bottom. You'll need to put two leathers through each hole or invent some other option. The stringing holes are really small so you need to persist to get the string through them. If you're burning the nylon ends you'll have to make sure they are slim because if you create a wide knob it won't fit in the slots. But when your pocket is set in and the laces are tied off, they're fixed for good.
What's with the ball-stop?
I'm not sure exactly what the particular goal of the island ball stop is. I was not able to figure out any real benefit. The brand say it's intended to reduce weight, but it'd be only a couple of grams at the most.
Watch the pinch
As a rule with heads which have a tight pinch, you need to ensure it won't pinch excessively, making it non-compliant. One tip is to position some wood slightly broader than a lacrosse ball between your sidewalls where they pinch to keep it legal. Field hockey balls work well.
Not necessarily the firmest lax head available
The Proton Power head from STX isn't the stiffest head available. The scoop has actually been designed specifically to flex, so if a rigid lacrosse head is really what you think you need, this is not the head for you.
Not necessarily the best choice for defense
This head is simply too flexible for defense. You will see no real outcome from a poke check, aside from the top hour-glassing right out. But it is not created for defence therefore I don't see this being a problem.
Summary
So if you are a forward, how can you not absolutely love this lacrosse head? There certainly are other heads stronger, lighter, stiffer and that of the like. But the Proton Power head from STX signifies precisely what lacrosse is about. This lacrosse head is a goal scoring weapon of mass destruction.
This head isn't constructed with All Climate Performance so be mindful in case you are playing in extreme weather. The heat especially, since the lacrosse head currently flexes quite a lot. The lightweight aspect and the added flex could possibly have an impact on its durability, but the truth is this is an incredible lacrosse head.
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