The Proton Power lacrosse head from STX is without doubt one of the most popular lacrosse heads in the sport. The lacrosse head has an excellent shape for maximum ball control with deadly accuracy when catching and shooting the ball. The lacrosse head is molded with an aerodynamic and streamlined style that guarantees the head stays light-weight and strong and provides greater performance in the game. The best part about this lacrosse head is that it is constructed with STX Forward Cant for straightforward ball release, faster passing and faster shooting. This lax head is highly recommended for attack players and is NFHS certified.
Good features
Firm fit with STX shafts
As a general rule, I've found that the STX lacrosse heads attach more tightly on lacrosse handles than heads from other brands. It barely attached to a STX handle, and I could hardly fit it on a Maverik handle. The Maverik shaft was slightly larger. The rule of thumb is that all lacrosse heads fit on all shafts, but more brute force or tape may be required when you mix the brand of head and shaft.
Mid and high pocket, ideal for shooting
I strung up a mid-pocket which was more or less straight forward. The ball felt very nice and it was extremely smooth when transitioning from cradling to winding up for a shot on the cage. The pinch is fairly nice and made for even better ball retention. A shooters pocket would also function pretty well too. Don't insult this lacrosse head by stringing a low pocket. This lacrosse head was designed to shoot, go a high or mid pocket.
The scoop is sort of bendy, but this is to provide the shooting flex. This, along with the STX Forward Cant, means you get great hold and you feel the "whip" while cranking.
Accurate passes from a great channel
You only need to look at the face of the head to see it isn't NCAA certified. The lax head does not include the longer parallel side walls extending from the throat. The steadily diverging catching area performs well and the mid-pocket I had strung up was awesome. All of my feeds and shoots were very accurate.
The tip of the Proton Power scoop results in a nice combination of being ground ball friendly and precise. Some lacrosse heads have a really pointy tip which leads to a great pocket channel but you are not able to grab a ground ball. While others are designed with a tip like a spade, making ground balls a breeze, your feeds do not have the accuracy you'd like. This head is pretty decent, but if the scoop were less curved I don't think the pocket would be as accurate.
Great for ground balls
The back side of the scoop is sleek enough so that there is no lip to elevate the top of the lacrosse head off the ground when getting ground balls. The face is broad enough which provides you a greater area to scoop up the ball with. You can get some bend if you go strongly for a ground ball.
Made for attackers
The Proton Power lacrosse head is created for shooting and feeding and for that reason is highly recommended for midfielders and forwards. If you're not generally a finisher, there are better midfield heads available in the market.
A fantastic choice for faceoff
If you take the odd face-off here and there, this head should hold up well. The streamlined sidewalls sit near to the ground, which surely is a benefit. The low amount of rigidity means you won't be able to take the most intense faceoff, but slicker face off maneuvers ought to be fine. The head can hardly hold its shape for too long in a faceoff, but the lacrosse head is quite easily forced back into shape, if it won't revert naturally.
Things for STX to work on
Relatively easy to string, but difficult to string legally
My first try at stringing this head ended up being illegal. The ball wasn't able to roll out of the throat when held upright and tilted forward. I had to change the side-wall laces near the throat to make sure they didn't hinder the ball and also restring the bottom laces to be certain the ball couldn't get trapped behind the ball stop. These were minor modifications, but with the likelihood of further pinching from the expected wear and tear this may well end up being something you will have to address on a consistent basis. Stringing up a low pocket isn't highly recommended.
For lovers of traditional stringing, you'll be a little bit annoyed to discover that you have only two openings at the bottom. You will have to put two leathers through each hole or devise another option. The stringing holes are quite tight so you really have to work to get the string through most of them. If you are melting the lace ends you must ensure that they're narrow because if you make a fat knob it won't fit in the slots. But when your pocket is set and the nylons are tied off, they're fixed for good.
What's the idea with the ball stop?
I'm not quite sure exactly what the actual aim of the island ball-stop is. I haven't been able to find any kind of real gain. The brand say it's intended to make this lacrosse head more lightweight, but it'd be only one or two grams at most.
Keep an eye on the pinch
As a rule with heads that feature a defined pinch, you'll want to ensure that it won't pinch excessively, resulting in it being illegal. You can put a bit of wood just a bit wider than a lax ball between your side walls around where they pinch to keep it compliant. Field hockey balls work just as well.
Not necessarily the sturdiest head going around
The Proton Power head from STX is not the strongest head going around. The scoop has actually been designed to bend, so if a somewhat inflexible lax head is what you feel will suit, this may not be the lax head for you.
Not really ideal for defense
This lacrosse head is simply too flexible for defense. You get no real effect from a poke check, aside from the top hourglassing right out. But it's not created for defense so I don't see this being an issue.
Summary
So if you are an attacker, how can you not absolutely love this lacrosse head? There certainly are various other heads stronger, lighter, stiffer and that of the like. But the Proton Power lacrosse head from STX symbolizes everything that lacrosse is about. This lax head is a goal-scoring weapon of mass destruction.
This lax head is not built with All Climate Performance so be aware in case you are playing in the heat or cold. The heat mainly, as the head currently flexes quite a lot. The lightweight factor and the extra flex might have an effect on its longevity, but still this is a super lacrosse head.
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