Vice Pro Zero

[Joel_M.]

On 8/17/2021 at 7:15 PM, MGoBlue100 said:

I did receive a reply from Tony. He’s not exactly sure what they’re saying with the fused cover. I think he’s investigating. I’ll probably order some of these and the new gen gloves from Vice. 

Just used my last glove of the prior gen. Such a great looking and feeling glove. 

[hbobbitt14]

I received 1 dozen Zeros today and will test them tomorrow and will re[port back here.

[miketratnik]

I got 5 boxes in yesterday.  Way faster than they normally ship (less than a week from order) so I wonder how long they've had them in stock and just hadn't released them until now.  I'll take them to test out this week.

[MNUte]

10 minutes ago, miketratnik said:

I got 5 boxes in yesterday.  Way faster than they normally ship (less than a week from order) so I wonder how long they've had them in stock and just hadn't released them until now.  I'll take them to test out this week.

I mean, going on the line of thinking that they're adapting to supply shortages, they could have  waited to announce until they had a significant stockpile built up. That way, they get a nice bit of press and even the initial wave of ordering doesn't dry them out. 

[Jonny_Crash]

You don't make money sitting on inventory though... so it would be a bit of a gamble/expense. 

 

[MNUte]

1 hour ago, Jonny_Crash said:

You don't make money sitting on inventory though... so it would be a bit of a gamble/expense. 

 

Similarly, it hurts the brand and long term sales if you develop a reputation of never having even your new product in stock and people just go elsewhere where they can get a constant supply. Especially with goods that have a frequent rebuy rate like golf balls, razor blades, etc.

So it would be an upfront expense initially storing everything to overstock capacity, sure. But it would also be a gamble/expense putting time and effort into a new ball & new marketing and then not having enough of it to get a strong and consistent foothold. 

There's arguments for both approaches, I was just posting one possibility.  

[Jonny_Crash]

They do seem pretty brand/marketing savvy (conscious) so I wouldn't rule your idea out at all. 

 

I love playing the Vice Pros! 

[bens197]

I gave them a shot with a 5 dozen special of Pro Plus balls.  I get the appeal but even with a great price, there are competitors in that same range (Snell / OnCore) who are far superior.  I really did not care for the durability and consistency of these balls and the first round of MGS testing validated that experience.

Tony's post paints it clear as day...this ball is a product of adapt or die...

 

[Berg Ryman]

21 minutes ago, bens197 said:

I gave them a shot with a 5 dozen special of Pro Plus balls.  I get the appeal but even with a great price, there are competitors in that same range (Snell / OnCore) who are far superior.  I really did not care for the durability and consistency of these balls and the first round of MGS testing validated that experience.

Tony's post paints it clear as day...this ball is a product of adapt or die...

 

Did you get the 2016 or the 2020 version? I've been demoing the 2020 stuff and the durability hasn't been an issue.

[Thin2win]

1 hour ago, bens197 said:

I get the appeal but even with a great price, there are competitors in that same range (Snell / OnCore) who are far superior.  

I'm curious what part you find far superior about Snell /OnCore? I've played Snell, great ball, really enjoy it. I've also played a lot of vice pro and think it is a great ball. 

I play the red vice pro, and I do think that the red paint is less durable than getting a plain white ball. You definitely see marks from trees /paths and other hard objects. 

But pretending I only hit club faces and fairways, I can play a single ball for a couple rounds. 

[bens197]

1 hour ago, Berg Ryman said:

Did you get the 2016 or the 2020 version? I've been demoing the 2020 stuff and the durability hasn't been an issue.

2016. 
 

Im glad to hear that. In fact, you’re the first who’s mentioned that they’ve improved. 

[bens197]

25 minutes ago, Thin2win said:

I'm curious what part you find far superior about Snell /OnCore? I've played Snell, great ball, really enjoy it. I've also played a lot of vice pro and think it is a great ball. 

I play the red vice pro, and I do think that the red paint is less durable than getting a plain white ball. You definitely see marks from trees /paths and other hard objects. 

But pretending I only hit club faces and fairways, I can play a single ball for a couple rounds. 

Dean Snell’s process in actually manufacturing the product. His entire process from start to finish is superior. 
 

There are some here who can explain a little more eloquently than I can. 
 

The Elixr is just a straight up side by side analysis by me over several rounds playing both that and the Pro Plus. It Held up better, was longer and I liked the feel better. 

[Berg Ryman]

23 minutes ago, bens197 said:

2016. 
 

Im glad to hear that. In fact, you’re the first who’s mentioned that they’ve improved. 

Of course, you also know I'm rocking the Gold, so maybe I'm not seeing it. Same with the couple of Drip balls I've found. Plus the Ball Lab did show appreciable improvement. With your stockpile and impending 2022 choice of Left dash, no need to go back there methinks

[Kanoito]

2 hours ago, bens197 said:

2016. 
 

Im glad to hear that. In fact, you’re the first who’s mentioned that they’ve improved. 

I never had issues with durability, even with the older version. And I've been playing it for a few years now, 2-3 rounds per week. Or maybe I just don't hit it hard enough or long enough to see wear and tear

I would love to try Snell and Oncore, but getting them in Europe is just not a good choice from the price perspective.

Can't say it's the best ball out there, but at the price I can get them for, it's the best bang for buck in my book.

[Thin2win]

4 hours ago, bens197 said:

Dean Snell’s process in actually manufacturing the product. His entire process from start to finish is superior. 

 

I'll give you that Dean is good people, I like his hand written notes when you purchase golf balls, and he definitely does the design. He is a legend and for good reason. 

Vice really only designed a logo and the color options. 

But both are made in Korea, as far as construction goes there is no difference between vice and Snell in terms of quality. 

 

[Kanoito]

3 hours ago, Thin2win said:

But both are made in Korea, as far as construction goes there is no difference between vice and Snell in terms of quality. 

Not sure about that. We bought around 2000 balls for a charity tournament, and the boxes were all labeled Made in Taiwan.

[bens197]

3 hours ago, Thin2win said:

Vice really only designed a logo and the color options. 

 

You hit it on the head.

Snell beats Vice as Vice is more of a brand, a lifestyle.

Snell balls are designed and engineered by someone with decades of experience. That makes a big difference when you consider the actual product. 

[bens197]

5 hours ago, Kanoito said:

I never had issues with durability, even with the older version. And I've been playing it for a few years now, 2-3 rounds per week. Or maybe I just don't hit it hard enough or long enough to see wear and tear

I would love to try Snell and Oncore, but getting them in Europe is just not a good choice from the price perspective.

Can't say it's the best ball out there, but at the price I can get them for, it's the best bang for buck in my book.

If you’re happy with them, I 100% agree. That’s the entire point of what we’re all doing, play what works best

[Kanoito]

But just for the sake of information:

On the European Snell website, the biggest savings you can get is buying 12 dozen, which translates to EUR 3,16/ball. As a DTC brand, not many savings there compared to the big buys:

TP5x EUR 3,2/ball
ProV1 EUR 3,33/ball
Chrome Soft EUR 3,4/ball
Z-Star EUR 3,3/ball

Last time I bought Vice, was able to score each ball for EUR 2. (retail for EUR 2,69/ball @ 5 dozen)

So for about 60% extra cost, I sure as hell ain't seeing 60% gain in performance/length 

I checked again and there is 0 news about the Pro Zero on German golf media. So for a company "engineering in Germany" what the hell...

OK, rant off...

[Kanoito]

36 minutes ago, bens197 said:

You hit it on the head.

Snell beats Vice as Vice is more of a brand, a lifestyle.

Exactly this!

I think their idea is to be different (similar to Cobra marketing Rickie Fowler at the very beginning?) with bright colors, non-traditional designs, which is definitely cool and provides a touch of freshness.

But then I took a look at their accessories: caps priced as high as Titleist EUR 25, cart bags in the EUR 300 range and a collaboration of golf shoes with Adidas that were selling for EUR 300 as well. Dang! That ain't cheap.