OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I've been using the Joola Infinity for a while now, I am still really enjoying using it. They are always adding more content to the app as well. The weight of it is not heavy at all. It wouldn't be too heavy to carry around, although it wouldn't fit in a backpack. They need to come out with a carry case for it.

There are about four levels of speed and four levels of spin, I think 25 might be overkill as that's just too granular. Training with the robot has been a huge help for me, especially being able to create custom drills for myself.

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

For anybody who has an Infinity or is thinking of purchasing one, I have an important, and disappointing update. I've had the robot since about the start of August 2021. It hasn't been in what I'd call "heavy" use. I didn't use it all summer. So I'm guessing I have somewhere between 80-100 hours logged on it. And in that short amount of time, it has broken.

Apparently the versions that they made initially and sold to Kickstarter backers has very cheap materials in it. From what I have been told, when it goes on sale to the wider public next year, over 70% of the materials will have been replaced because they were not good enough.

I was doing my standard set of warm up drills, looping against moderate under spin, when I heard a noise come from the unit and the balls would barely dribble out of the robot. I sent an email to the general email for the robot group and didn't hear a thing. So after a couple of days I contacted the general Joola customer service and they said that they'd seen my message and were surprised that nobody from that group had gotten back to me. After another couple of days I heard from Matt H. at Joola.

He gave me a video with suggested steps to take to attempt to fix the issue. Apparently, the issue I have is similar to one where screws are coming loose inside of the unit. So I bought the proper things I needed to attempt the fix, followed the steps in the video, still no luck. Re-did the steps a couple more times, still nothing. The lower wheel just won't turn. So now I wait for the warehouse to hopefully have time in the near future to get me a new core.

Speaking of the quality of parts, the screws on the inside are unbelievably poor. I took the screws out and put them back in maybe 4 or 5 times, and the metal is so cheap that the point where the screwdriver is supposed to grab and turn the screw is flattened out, so it can no longer grab the screw. I once again purchased more equipment to attempt to get the screws out so I can attempt to lubricate the parts. But at this point, I'm thinking this is an issue with the gears.

I'm pretty disappointed that the materials were so cheap that they broke so quickly. The functionality that I got for the price, I now understand why. And the pace of the response has been too slow for my taste. The robot has become an important part of my exercise routine, and I am also trying to learn new things with tournaments coming up. With the Kickstarter I also got a basic iPong, but after having the Infinity it's like comparing a Prius to a Lamborghini. Having the response of "we don't know when we will resolve this" is not terribly encouraging.

Matt has been very nice and I appreciate his efforts, and understand he's a bit at the mercy of others when it comes to fixing this. But when I look at other companies and their service levels, such as Power Pong or Newgy, the level of service and response time when there's an issue just doesn't compare. Joola needs to get things straight in terms of service before selling this on a wider basis.

At this point, given the poor quality I (and apparently others) have encountered, the fact that it only has a 1 year warranty, and the lack of a support structure to resolve issues quickly, I cannot recommend the Joola Infinity robot at this point. What good is nice functionality if it's not trustworthy. Wish I'd just saved money and purchased a Power Pong or Newgy.

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

Got an update on the issue I had. After a couple more emails back and forth, Matt told me he worked with the warehouse to get a new robot core out. I received that core yesterday, and I am now able to get back to my training and exercise regimen. Updating to the latest firmware and resetting the calibration also improved the accuracy of the robot. I am happy once again!

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

Just received this update...I'm hoping they at least support the software in the app and firmware for the robot until it breaks and I eventually have to spend money on a new one.

Dear Infinity Robot Backers,

As backers of our Infinity robot, you have been instrumental in supporting our vision and journey from the start of our production. However, it is with deep regret and careful consideration that we are announcing the end of the Infinity Robot program.

We have reached a critical juncture where we must confront the reality of the situation.

After extensive evaluation, testing, and additional prototypes, it has become evident that our Infinity Robot has fallen short of the high standards of durability, accuracy, and performance we set out to achieve. We understand the disappointment and frustration of this announcement, and for that, we sincerely apologize.

Over the past 6 months, we’ve been conducting lifetime testing on the Infinity Robot internally as well as requesting feedback from backers on our Infinity v2, all of which have failed to meet our expectations.

The biggest concern has been the durability of the motors. Despite testing motors and parts from multiple manufacturers, the components have proven to be susceptible to wear and tear over time, causing the robot to fail after less than 60 hours of use. Further testing also revealed performance/accuracy issues and other inconsistencies beyond our acceptable quality control limits.

The Infinity App will continue to evolve as we look to grow our table tennis content and encourage you to continue to use the app as a resource for learning, training, and development. We will also be adding additional pickleball content soon.

We extend our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience or disappointment caused by this update and the time it took to create this. We will always remember the support and belief you’ve shown us.

- The Infinity Team

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5