One of the best reviews for any product in general that I've ever seen. No unnecessary random rambling and so unapologetically thorough and honest! Thank you!
Sorry you guys had a hard time with this, I just picked it up from the gun show today and my boys and I just ran drills for a couple hours with no issues with ghosts shots or app issues. But we will continue to use it and keep are ammo in the box. Will update after a month or so
@@allighast9714 Its holding up great. And I still haven't had a problems with ghost shots. I bought this for the soul purpose of creating muscle memory on are draw. We all carry and know that the only time you draw is when you intend to pull the trigger. And the results have been great, ran with some real ammo and could not be happier with the results. My wife would also agree. Now if your intent is to train for competitive shooting and have your shot tracked and counted and log, then I would refer you to this channels review. There are better systems out there for that level of training however that's not what my family needs it for.
I'm happy to hear that you've had some success with this product. It's certainly a refreshing contrast to what we keep hearing. Thank you for your input Joseph.
Given that this video was about a year ago, I asked Strikeman if they had updated the app to address these problems. I got the email below: (i don’t have a dog in this fight. Just researching all the systems and trying to make a decision myself, like you all). I hope this is helpful. Hi Marvin, Thanks for your email. Yes, we have updated our app. We also change the white target to grey due to complaints and to improve shot detection. The grey target decreases ghost shots by at least 50%. Usually, shot issues are 100% set up error. This issue can happen when the red circle isn't correctly placed around the circumference of the target circle when you were setting up a session. When you enter a session, tap two fingers on the screen (off auto calibration) and the red circle will show. You can move, expand and contract the red circle using your two fingers. Make sure that the red circle covers the outer circle of the target. This will ensure that the app scores shots properly. Also, ensure that the phone is upright vertically. When you're setting up the camera to record the target, the white/gray of the target should fill the entire screen. If there are any other objects or space showing on the screen other than the target paper, it may confuse the app when attempting to score laser strikes. We recommend not having the phone more than 2 to 3 feet away from the target for best results. Make sure that there is consistent lighting as well, for example if there is a TV glare on the target or shiny counter, that could confuse the app. Here is a video that may help you out: www.strikeman.io/pages/how-to-videos Thank you for your time. Let me know if there is anything else. Faye B. Strikeman Customer Support www.strikeman.io
the app is still unreliable and unfortunately worse than before. I hope to get my money back soon. It used to work flawlessly for me and lately it's nearly impossible to use. What a shame!
Damn😭 I saw a lot of good reviews before I bought mine so I ordered it…. It will be delivered today and now I see this😅 I hope they’ve fixed these issues since this was posted! Thank you for your honesty🤝
@@Nick-mg5zj yessir, it’s decent but the app is garbage. It doesn’t register every shot, and it crashes on me CONSTANTLY. I’ve gotten to the point where I literally just use the laser and shoot at my own targets. Sometimes I’ll still set up the target they give you, but it’s kinda pointless… if I were you I’d either just order the laser cartridge alone, OR just spend the extra money on Mantis or something. That’s just my experience tho🙏🏻
So I just got mine about a week ago 9 mm 45 ACP never had no issues with anything pretty interesting, except for the re-caulking every time which would not be in a normal scenario and there’s no recoil like normal scenario
Got one in last week and gave it a run this morning, iPhone app. No false readings and operation was within my expectations. Bought on sale during Black Friday. $89.00 shipped. I think I’ll get my money’s worth. Already costing me money though.. my G19 is going to need a better trigger!!
I know it’s been three years as I’m sending you this message or commenting I should say I appreciate the video , they are offering this now and you can get a free holster of theirs with it. Which I think says something about the product . Like the person who first commented, I really want it for draw and muscle memory . That being said I wanna set it up at 25 yards not 10 feet. .. Thanks again
This looks similar to iTarget Pro, a system I bought a couple of years ago. The one way that the Strikeman system is better is that the Strikeman allows phone to be closer to the shooter and farther from the target than the iTarget Pro. When I use the iTarget Pro, the phone announced the score and flashes the number but the phone is so far away that I cant see where may shots hit until I walkd up to the phone to look at it. It appears that with both systems, the software leaves much to be desired. The most valuable part of each is the laser bullet. You can get about as much infomation by pointed you pistol at an object a few feet away, such as the light switch on a wall and see if you can hit it. There are other companies, such as LaserLyte, that have interactive laser targets and a variety of laser cartridges and SIRT style pistols. If laser training seems like something you would like to do, take a look at what Laser Lyte has before making a decision.
Hey Michael, Good comment on the software. About 8 months ago Strikeman invested heavily in improving the software- we took stock and corrected errors- Scott and the engineering team improved the Strikeman app. The Strikeman Pro software is especially useful.
My only concern with this product is the fact that it has an app on your phone. Are they sharing 3rd party data? Are they telling people who don't need to know what you have what you have? I.e. Caliber of gun you're using how well how accurate you are, how often you practice, what you location..... back door registration?
Exactly, this is no different than just buying the little laser, but if it tracked draw time and app was fixed it would be worth it. Thanks for the honest review.
Thank you for your comment. Training with recoil helps with follow-up shots but doesn't really have an effect on training your hold and trigger-press. The most effective training I've seen work with issues like "anticipation" is with repeated dry-fire exercises. And, until someone's initial shots are on point, I don't believe they're ready to add speed to their follow-up shots. I've spent a lot of time training with Simunition(I have a scar on my lip to remind me). To me, there's not a solid comparison between sim recoil and live recoil. If the training were based on recoil, sim rounds wouldn't do the job for me. They're GREAT for working through malfunctions 😆 I do believe that nothing beats training with live rounds, but there are things you can fine tune off the range and save a lot of time and ammunition. Thanks Again💪
@@ArmedWithKnowledgeI don’t get man. I was in the marine corps from 2015-2019. I was a infantry man. I’ve shot a lot of ammo and a variety of weapons. However, I never shot a pistol while I was in. Only machine gunners had pistols. I recently bought a sig p229 elite and I’ve been two the range twice and my grouping was not bad at all. In the first day I had about a 3 inch. On my second day I have an inch now. However, I still anticipate the shot. I’m not scared of the firing. I’ve done it for 4 years. I don’t get it. I’m always shooting at 7 o’clock when aiming center. The instructor put 2 rounds and a empty case for my third and he showed me how I leaned forward when I shot the empty casing on the third shot. How do I fix this?
Hey, this is Livio messaging you. This is more normal than what you might think. And, it isn't about being scared of the recoil. It's your mind trying to keep the firearm flat while you shoot. Patience is a large part of the solution. I recommend spending time on your trigger, either dry or live. Get to know the 3 parts on that trigger. The slack and the break are the most obvious ones. There's that small amount of movement in between the slack of the trigger and where it breaks. It'll always be consistent for you. Get to know that area of the trigger. It takes time, so, like I said before, you have to be patient. If you're doing this on the range with live rounds while maintaining a proper sight picture, you'll already notice a difference just by letting the break surprise you. I hope this is helpful💪 Stay Safe and Keep Training
I’m glad you made this video and tested the strikeman I was curious about it, now I’m not hype about it. We can use that $100 on ammunition and continue to shoot and train with real live bullets 😎💪🏼
We highly recommend dry-fire drills. There are some well designed products out there that can help with improving your fundamentals. We've done some other reviews on them. Even without any of those, you can get a ton of practice with dry-fire exercises. Draw-fire, trigger press, and even mag changes. We do then at home before going to the range every time. It saves a lot of money on ammo. Be safe. Thank you for the comment.
Not happy that they changed the stand, they said they had complaints, so they replaced an 3 leg adjustable tripod for one that doesn’t, I can’t tilt the phone up as 0° is maxed out, I can tilt down pan left and right but I can’t tilt up. They tell me to use books !%&@ the adjustable one that is in the tutorial if you notice is adjusted so the phone points up. Ideally the phone is straight on the target and slightly below so it doesn’t block your view. As it doesn’t allow you to point the camera phone up towards the target, you have to shoot to the left or right. Or point camera phone at the target on an angle, could this be why you are getting phantom shots? Strikeman is very clear on it…
I can see how frustrating that may be. It doesn't seem conducive to your training having to shoot from one angle or another when your phone is in the way. Hopefully the company will go back to an adjustable tripod for future users. As far as the phantom shots, we tried multiple lighting options, outside and inside. I don't remember the shooting angle being a factor in our results. After this review was published, the company did contact us. They told us there were some adjustments made to the app and when we tried the system again, it seemed to have been improved. However, since then, we've received endless complaints in our comment sections about the system, customer service and overall products from this company. We've decided to leave our decision as, "Do not recommend". Thank you for your comment and question!
After we first posted this video, the owner contacted us and asked for a meeting. He asked us to try the new updates and run another review. There were some improvements, and we weren't having the same problems, so we made a new thumbs-up review. After a while, there were more problems - without any returned correspondence, more and more of our viewers were complaining about the same issues, and we pulled the second video.
@ArmedWithKnowledge yea I saw a few different vids.... I think imma go with the mantis.. I saw a few good reviews on that 1 and they say the app is way better than strikeman
My new Strikeman Laser Cartridge didn't work. I placed the battery in the cartridge correctly; I tried all three batteries; and will return the StrikemanTtraining System ASAP. Boo, Strikeman!.
Dude! first thanks for the info and cool music. Second are you going to do a vidio when or if they get the bugs worked out like an app update or something? Also do they make a longer ranged version of that system?
If they come out with an update for the app, then absolutely we'll revisit it. Currently they do offer a .223/5.56 variant, but it all operates on the same app so expect the same results.
Hi Dean. We've done a couple other reviews. One is on a product similar to this system and another quite different one. Depending on what you're looking for, either of those might be a great fit for you. Thank you for commenting!
We're glad you watched the review. You're not the first one to let us know about the music. Looks like we're leaving that out in the future. Thank you for your input!
I know this is a 2 year old video but something to keep in mind if the concerns have not been addressed by the company yet. You might cover your cameras flash and other sensors that should be right next to the camera. some if not most modern androids should have an IR laser, presumably for automatic focus. I cant tell you how many times me and my brother were doing night time pictures outside the house or in the basement and the phones laser was ending up in pictures (not all the time but some times). It also could be the bulb type in the room giving off some wavelengths that your cameras interpret as the correct color, there's no telling. Personally I want to train with my new pistol and cant afford to put fmjs down range very often and this seems like an affordable solution for the number of shots and time you can spend on it. If ghost shots are the only downside to this system, I'm more than happy to pay 100 dollars for a laser, paper target, and app. Besides, whos gonna write the app, me? lol.
What lighting in your room? I had a LED bulb turn on my TV! I found out that they can emit rays in infrared. I wonder if the manufacturer recognizes this and if different light sources could affect this?
so is the 2-5 feet the distance from the shooter to the target or the distance from the mobile device to the target? It seems like it would be the mobile device so that it can accurately detect the shot placement. Otherwise 5ft is just not a realistic distance for shooting as the fbi statistics show most encounters occur within 21 feet. Have you tried putting the phone 3 feet away and standing back about 20 feet from the target to test it? I did like your suggestions for a shot timer. Training muscle memory for drawing and firing is one thing that not all ranges let you do. As far as randomness I guess you'd need a spotter randomly announcing 'Threat!' until they added that feature.
Hey Scott. Thanks for watching. If you look real close, I'm racking the slide just enough at the front to reset the trigger mechanism. I hadn't realized how subtle it is on camera until reading your comment. Thank You so much!
Looks pretty cut and dry. Am looking at them now. The only thing I have an issue with is having to rack it every time. That puts that action into your reflex and pattern. So, in a real life scenario, pretty sure you try to rack it after the first shot…. Having said that. Using this and then going to the range should rectify that issue….
About your review. If you notice that the target white area is reddish, that is why you are getting false firings . The Strikeman is expecting a red reflection from the lazer, so if the background is looking reddish, it will register that as a fire. You need to set the 'white balance' of the camera to see a white target. If you do this, you will not have false firings. You should redo the review with the camera white balance as white, not reddish.
Thanks for the suggestion! When we were trying out the app we used all 3 of our phones. Livio uses a heavy blue light filter, thats why the target has a yellowish tint to it. The video makes it look a little red due to the coloring in editing. Trevor and Brighton both have a neutral white balance on their phones, so all in all, pretty sure that wasn't the issue. Strikeman has come out with some new updates so we may do another review in the future.
Very sensitive to light; sun, television, reflection off of glass and LED light flash (sweep the room with your camera on your phone and you'll see the LED lights flash). After several false mis-counts due to lighting, I emailed technical support. Once the light sensitivity issues were figured out, the system works great. For me the hallway or basement work best.
Outstanding and candid honest review. The red circle takes about an hour to adjust. Required about 20 restarts. It only records 50% of the shots and the audio does not work. The hardware is excellent. The app is awful. Just my experience. Sadly its going back
I’m leaning towards returning mine. The laser isn’t even coming on when I pull the trigger on my S&W 9mm M&P shield. It’s looking pretty good with my .38 but that isn’t enough to justify keeping it for only one gun🤷🏻♂️
What they do not tell you until you get it is, it will not work with Ruger SR9 series or Walther PPS or PPS m2 , along with Ruger P95. I contacted their horrible customer assistance and they could not tell me why it does not work with those guns.
We're sorry to hear that you're having that kind of trouble. It sounds like something customer service should definitely be able to help with as the laser and target shouldn't care what firearm you're using it in. We wish you the best of luck in finding a cure or maybe even a different product that suits your needs. Thank you for your comment.
Their customer service sucks, sent 3 emails asking if it’s compatible with my s&w 6906 no answer, wont work with my other 9 mm,so without a answer about my 6906 its useless
Great review. I just picked one up last week and the app on the Android "seems" better than you describe. I did experience some phantom shots but I think I cured it by adjusting where I was positioning my phone. My only negative is that many of the fields in the App appear to be locked down. I see that you're supposed to be able create profiles (templates) and add the weapon you're using. I thought that was great because it would show which weapon I was more proficient with. Unfortunately, these fields seem to be locked as I cannot type any data into them. I reached out to Strikeman but have not heard back yet. I'm going to assume that its probably a feature thats only available on their Pro model.
I think the most common complaint we've heard in most recent months is the lack of customer service and how "Pro" is setup. Some people are having a great experience otherwise, which we're more than happy to hear about. Thank You for commenting!
I am not a techie. Downloaded android app created an email account could not log back in. Customer support was not helpful. Is there an affordable dry-fire system that works or has customer supports? Thanks
Hi, ordered the 3.0 should get it today... You were able to fit both plates in the back slot, could you then still use the second slot or does the second Plate in the first slot make it to tight to do so?
Check the laser too. My laser was not accurate and when you rotated it in the barrel it would fire different at the target. From low left, to low right. Thought this was odd so put it in a vise to take human error out and it was the same.
if you're thinking about buying a strikeman pistol system, beware. i used a 30% off code for a cartridge to practice point shooting and they sent me a carry case. i have been trying for a week to contact them and they don't respond. now i have an overpriced case for a system i don't have.
You certainly could, but then you'll need a stand for your phone, the target, and something to hold the target up. If the overall performance and outcome were something we could recommend, I'd say the price was worth getting everything in one package. Unfortunately, they're not. Thank You for commenting!
I am also an unsatisfied customer. I bought a 9mm Strikeman cartridge last June and the laser is glitching. They gave me a spiel about the batteries being oriented correctly (duh) and then having to press hard on the cartridge to try and reactivate the laser. They only stand by their product for 15 days. I would not buy this again.
I bought and used the pro version recently and was able to get the quirks with the app solved. However I have a large amount of issues with it. The standard pro price is $400. And then to use the actual product, you have to download an app for it and they tell you who have to pay a freaking subscription service on it. What the hell is that BS. Cool I bought an over priced mediocre kit(more on that later) and cant even use it unless you basically pay a ransom every month or year to use the thing. If their was no subscription fee i would look the other way and just consider it a meh product, cause the things to fix the kit i already own. To the kit. The tripod phone holder is hot garbage. You would get a better tripod from a random seller from amazon than the thing they give you. Second the stand. Its short as hell and you have to put it on a table or have boxes under it just to have the top targets to be reasonable height comparative to range target height. And with the cost you'd think they would at least install adjustable height length legs on it. TLDR: stand quality meh, tripod is trash, and you have to pay a subscription fee to use the pro version for the pro kit they sell at $400. And the free version is trash and alot of the features were removed and moved to the pro version.
I'm sorry you feel that way Andrew. We have steered away from the laser trainers for handguns recently. We will be working on one for an AR platform very soon. Thanks for commenting.
I'm sorry Sammy, I'm not really comfortable pushing another product under this review. We HAVE had better success with other products and documented that in other reviews on our channel. We will be working on one for our AR platform soon as well. Thank you for your comment.
We'd recommend first watching part 2 of this review before deciding if it's not for you. Strikeman came out with an update just after we released this video, and its much more user friendly. Thanks for watching!
Since you have a laser and a target can you review the laserhit app? I beleive you can use any targets and any laser there's 2 purchase options but it does have what your asking for
From what we can tell it doesn't matter what lighting you use. We tried it in different settings with different light sources and had the same issues every time.
100% bought the system and it’s super glitchy. The only thing that is worth anything is the laser that’s it. But as far as being to track accuracy it’s not worth. In short you’re paying $59 for a laser.
the only problem i see is doing the un natural motion of racking the Slide every shot, I could see that teaching bad habits. Not saying you didn't go over this you did. I just couldnt see teaching a new person with this not without being concerned they would be picking up some bad habits
Strikeman has the worst customer service. Placed my order on 1/29/2024 today is 2/13/2024 and still haven’t received it. They don’t answer emails there is no phone number to speak with a representative. Can’t order replacement targets. Returning the Strikeman as soon as soon as I receive it. Mantis great customer service. Placed my order on 2/12/2024 and shipped out the next day.
this thing is 60% off right now. if it was a great product, it wouldn't be heavily discounted. its disappointing because i am looking for something like this
I downloaded the app and it looks like they made changes, I can delete history and further more. Could you look into another review since they seem to have fixed those issues? I'm looking to purchase
BEWARE! Too many phantom shots and too many unregistered shots make it extremely difficult to accurately evaluate your skill. The worse part is- unless you upgrade to the Stikeman Pro, another $100 and requires a $10 per month subscription, all you really get is a paper target and stand, phone stand and one bullet. They make it sound like the Pro features are standard with the $99. Certainly, nothing like they describe. I think the advertising of this company is very misleading!! Oh and they only have a 15 day return policy. My kids took advantage of the special price and bought it for me for Christmas. It's not even Christmas and the return period is already over. I suspect it's short because they know too many people will return it.
It seems like the most common complaints are; how "Pro" is setup, and the lack of customer service. I hope you can make the best of this Christmas present. Thank You for your input.
I would not endorse this company. They take your money and do not ship. I have been waiting almost a month and they have not even told me it is shipping.
@@ArmedWithKnowledge I will wait until I pull the trigger, I only get one YES from the wife my master chief. Want something to easy to setup if not setup in the garage...thank you for nice video
One of the best reviews for any product in general that I've ever seen. No unnecessary random rambling and so unapologetically thorough and honest! Thank you!
That's great to hear! Thank you for taking the time to tell us that.
Sorry you guys had a hard time with this, I just picked it up from the gun show today and my boys and I just ran drills for a couple hours with no issues with ghosts shots or app issues. But we will continue to use it and keep are ammo in the box. Will update after a month or so
How is it holding up? I may get one to train as ammo is expensive and I am poor
@@allighast9714 Its holding up great. And I still haven't had a problems with ghost shots. I bought this for the soul purpose of creating muscle memory on are draw. We all carry and know that the only time you draw is when you intend to pull the trigger. And the results have been great, ran with some real ammo and could not be happier with the results. My wife would also agree.
Now if your intent is to train for competitive shooting and have your shot tracked and counted and log, then I would refer you to this channels review.
There are better systems out there for that level of training however that's not what my family needs it for.
I'm happy to hear that you've had some success with this product. It's certainly a refreshing contrast to what we keep hearing.
Thank you for your input Joseph.
I just bought one it seems ghost shots mainly happen bc of the lighting
@@MC_605 i just got one and had the same issues. It was corrected with lighting
Given that this video was about a year ago, I asked Strikeman if they had updated the app to address these problems. I got the email below: (i don’t have a dog in this fight. Just researching all the systems and trying to make a decision myself, like you all). I hope this is helpful.
Hi Marvin,
Thanks for your email. Yes, we have updated our app. We also change the white target to grey due to complaints and to improve shot detection. The grey target decreases ghost shots by at least 50%. Usually, shot issues are 100% set up error. This issue can happen when the red circle isn't correctly placed around the circumference of the target circle when you were setting up a session. When you enter a session, tap two fingers on the screen (off auto calibration) and the red circle will show. You can move, expand and contract the red circle using your two fingers. Make sure that the red circle covers the outer circle of the target. This will ensure that the app scores shots properly.
Also, ensure that the phone is upright vertically. When you're setting up the camera to record the target, the white/gray of the target should fill the entire screen. If there are any other objects or space showing on the screen other than the target paper, it may confuse the app when attempting to score laser strikes. We recommend not having the phone more than 2 to 3 feet away from the target for best results. Make sure that there is consistent lighting as well, for example if there is a TV glare on the target or shiny counter, that could confuse the app. Here is a video that may help you out: www.strikeman.io/pages/how-to-videos
Thank you for your time. Let me know if there is anything else.
Faye B.
Strikeman Customer Support
www.strikeman.io
I'm happy to hear that you got such a detailed response. I truly hope these adjustments work for the system.
Thank you for posting this here.
@@ArmedWithKnowledge I appreciate your factual, honest review.
I had just seen this and was interested so came search for some videos. This is from a year ago but has me second guessing buying it now.
the app is still unreliable and unfortunately worse than before. I hope to get my money back soon. It used to work flawlessly for me and lately it's nearly impossible to use. What a shame!
Thanks for the true and honest review. I really appreciate how you've covered the different platforms and performed a detailed review.
What about 10-15 yd?
Thank you for that comment. We'll do our best to keep our integrity intact moving forward.
Damn😭 I saw a lot of good reviews before I bought mine so I ordered it…. It will be delivered today and now I see this😅 I hope they’ve fixed these issues since this was posted! Thank you for your honesty🤝
Any update?
@@Nick-mg5zj yessir, it’s decent but the app is garbage. It doesn’t register every shot, and it crashes on me CONSTANTLY. I’ve gotten to the point where I literally just use the laser and shoot at my own targets. Sometimes I’ll still set up the target they give you, but it’s kinda pointless… if I were you I’d either just order the laser cartridge alone, OR just spend the extra money on Mantis or something. That’s just my experience tho🙏🏻
Yes an honest review we want to spend money wisely cause a lot of us don’t make big bucks
It was great that you gave it constructive criticism and not just bashing on it. That was very gentleman like.
Nice to see a good honest review with no fluff.
Thanks for the unbiased review. I was just about to drop ~ $100 on this. I think I'll reconsider it now. 🇨🇦
I'd do it we did last year never had an issue
Appreciated your honesty review. Was really wanting the distance they advertise
well I was considering it but not now, thanks dude
Same here, even have it in the cart already. Thanks for saving me 100 bucks.
So I just got mine about a week ago 9 mm 45 ACP never had no issues with anything pretty interesting, except for the re-caulking every time which would not be in a normal scenario and there’s no recoil like normal scenario
Great review! They listened to you and you dramatically improved their product. Great Job
Yeah it put a fire under our ass big time
I wish more people did reviews like this. .
thank you for your honest review. hard to find an honest review on UA-cam now a days liked and subbed
Thank you for the comment!
I bought one and it works perfectly if you set it up correctly it works perfectly
We're happy to hear that you've had a good experience. Keep training!
Got one in last week and gave it a run this morning, iPhone app. No false readings and operation was within my expectations. Bought on sale during Black Friday. $89.00 shipped. I think I’ll get my money’s worth. Already costing me money though.. my G19 is going to need a better trigger!!
That's great news! Hopefully things are working better with the system's app.
Seems like a great concept if the work out the bugs
I know it’s been three years as I’m sending you this message or commenting I should say
I appreciate the video , they are offering this now and you can get a free holster of theirs with it.
Which I think says something about the product .
Like the person who first commented, I really want it for draw and muscle memory . That being said I wanna set it up at 25 yards not 10 feet. ..
Thanks again
First time viewer. Killer beard dude. I've been considering this product. I wonder if they've fixed any of the problems.
This looks similar to iTarget Pro, a system I bought a couple of years ago. The one way that the Strikeman system is better is that the Strikeman allows phone to be closer to the shooter and farther from the target than the iTarget Pro. When I use the iTarget Pro, the phone announced the score and flashes the number but the phone is so far away that I cant see where may shots hit until I walkd up to the phone to look at it. It appears that with both systems, the software leaves much to be desired. The most valuable part of each is the laser bullet. You can get about as much infomation by pointed you pistol at an object a few feet away, such as the light switch on a wall and see if you can hit it. There are other companies, such as LaserLyte, that have interactive laser targets and a variety of laser cartridges and SIRT style pistols. If laser training seems like something you would like to do, take a look at what Laser Lyte has before making a decision.
Hey Michael,
Good comment on the software. About 8 months ago Strikeman invested heavily in improving the software- we took stock and corrected errors- Scott and the engineering team improved the Strikeman app. The Strikeman Pro software is especially useful.
It's worth mentioning there is a $80 annual fee for use of the Strikeman Pro software, if you go that direction.
Wow that’s not ideal. Is that a hidden fee or are they upfront about it?
It's 2024 and the phantom shot issue is still an issue. Still need to try different lighting but I'm so disappointed.
Dude thank you so much! Just saved me a lot of time and money.
My only concern with this product is the fact that it has an app on your phone. Are they sharing 3rd party data? Are they telling people who don't need to know what you have what you have? I.e. Caliber of gun you're using how well how accurate you are, how often you practice, what you location..... back door registration?
Absolutely agree, fix the app. and add the shot timer feature to it even if it costs a little more. thanks for the video.
Exactly, this is no different than just buying the little laser, but if it tracked draw time and app was fixed it would be worth it. Thanks for the honest review.
You might be interested in a Mantis x10. $250 though
Can you please do a review on the Mantis x firearms training system.
The only problem with this system is there is no pistol RECOIL! I was a police officer and we usually trained with Simunition.
Thank you for your comment.
Training with recoil helps with follow-up shots but doesn't really have an effect on training your hold and trigger-press. The most effective training I've seen work with issues like "anticipation" is with repeated dry-fire exercises. And, until someone's initial shots are on point, I don't believe they're ready to add speed to their follow-up shots.
I've spent a lot of time training with Simunition(I have a scar on my lip to remind me). To me, there's not a solid comparison between sim recoil and live recoil. If the training were based on recoil, sim rounds wouldn't do the job for me. They're GREAT for working through malfunctions 😆
I do believe that nothing beats training with live rounds, but there are things you can fine tune off the range and save a lot of time and ammunition.
Thanks Again💪
@@ArmedWithKnowledgeI don’t get man. I was in the marine corps from 2015-2019. I was a infantry man. I’ve shot a lot of ammo and a variety of weapons. However, I never shot a pistol while I was in. Only machine gunners had pistols. I recently bought a sig p229 elite and I’ve been two the range twice and my grouping was not bad at all. In the first day I had about a 3 inch. On my second day I have an inch now. However, I still anticipate the shot. I’m not scared of the firing. I’ve done it for 4 years. I don’t get it. I’m always shooting at 7 o’clock when aiming center. The instructor put 2 rounds and a empty case for my third and he showed me how I leaned forward when I shot the empty casing on the third shot. How do I fix this?
@@rodolfomarin7140practice, practice, practice
Hey, this is Livio messaging you. This is more normal than what you might think. And, it isn't about being scared of the recoil. It's your mind trying to keep the firearm flat while you shoot. Patience is a large part of the solution.
I recommend spending time on your trigger, either dry or live. Get to know the 3 parts on that trigger. The slack and the break are the most obvious ones. There's that small amount of movement in between the slack of the trigger and where it breaks. It'll always be consistent for you. Get to know that area of the trigger. It takes time, so, like I said before, you have to be patient.
If you're doing this on the range with live rounds while maintaining a proper sight picture, you'll already notice a difference just by letting the break surprise you.
I hope this is helpful💪
Stay Safe and Keep Training
@@ArmedWithKnowledge thank you man
I’m glad you made this video and tested the strikeman I was curious about it, now I’m not hype about it. We can use that $100 on ammunition and continue to shoot and train with real live bullets 😎💪🏼
We highly recommend dry-fire drills. There are some well designed products out there that can help with improving your fundamentals. We've done some other reviews on them. Even without any of those, you can get a ton of practice with dry-fire exercises. Draw-fire, trigger press, and even mag changes. We do then at home before going to the range every time. It saves a lot of money on ammo.
Be safe.
Thank you for the comment.
Lots of potential but they need to ratchet down on the software glitches. Will keep my eye on this system.. thanks for the review.
Hopefully we'll see continual improvements on the app. We're finally hearing better feedback more recently.
Not happy that they changed the stand, they said they had complaints, so they replaced an 3 leg adjustable tripod for one that doesn’t, I can’t tilt the phone up as 0° is maxed out, I can tilt down pan left and right but I can’t tilt up. They tell me to use books !%&@ the adjustable one that is in the tutorial if you notice is adjusted so the phone points up. Ideally the phone is straight on the target and slightly below so it doesn’t block your view. As it doesn’t allow you to point the camera phone up towards the target, you have to shoot to the left or right. Or point camera phone at the target on an angle, could this be why you are getting phantom shots?
Strikeman is very clear on it…
I can see how frustrating that may be. It doesn't seem conducive to your training having to shoot from one angle or another when your phone is in the way. Hopefully the company will go back to an adjustable tripod for future users.
As far as the phantom shots, we tried multiple lighting options, outside and inside. I don't remember the shooting angle being a factor in our results. After this review was published, the company did contact us. They told us there were some adjustments made to the app and when we tried the system again, it seemed to have been improved. However, since then, we've received endless complaints in our comment sections about the system, customer service and overall products from this company. We've decided to leave our decision as, "Do not recommend".
Thank you for your comment and question!
Do you recommend a better system?
Damn I have one on the way. Hopefully they did some upgrades. Thanks for the review sir
How u feeling about it now?
After we first posted this video, the owner contacted us and asked for a meeting. He asked us to try the new updates and run another review. There were some improvements, and we weren't having the same problems, so we made a new thumbs-up review. After a while, there were more problems - without any returned correspondence, more and more of our viewers were complaining about the same issues, and we pulled the second video.
@ArmedWithKnowledge yea I saw a few different vids.... I think imma go with the mantis.. I saw a few good reviews on that 1 and they say the app is way better than strikeman
Thanks for the review, WAS planning on buying…
To think I almost hit the purchase button, I was skeptical about the system.
So what stopped you from purchasing
My new Strikeman Laser Cartridge didn't work. I placed the battery in the cartridge correctly; I tried all three batteries; and will return the StrikemanTtraining System ASAP. Boo, Strikeman!.
Is the distance between your gun and the Target fixed at 8 ft or so?
The only fixed distance is from the phone to the target. The distance you put between the gun and the target can very quite a bit.
Thank you for your review
Jesus, finally someone I can listen too without the cringe "umm" "and ah" ect ect thank you
Dude! first thanks for the info and cool music. Second are you going to do a vidio when or if they get the bugs worked out like an app update or something? Also do they make a longer ranged version of that system?
If they come out with an update for the app, then absolutely we'll revisit it. Currently they do offer a .223/5.56 variant, but it all operates on the same app so expect the same results.
That sucks
The part I don’t like you have to rack it after every shot like it’s a single shot. Anyway good for pull from holster training looks like.
Thank you for your review. I have been considering this system but I think I'll elsewhere. Any suggestions?
Hi Dean. We've done a couple other reviews. One is on a product similar to this system and another quite different one. Depending on what you're looking for, either of those might be a great fit for you.
Thank you for commenting!
Thanks a bunch!! Background music drives me nuts, though.
We're glad you watched the review. You're not the first one to let us know about the music. Looks like we're leaving that out in the future.
Thank you for your input!
I know this is a 2 year old video but something to keep in mind if the concerns have not been addressed by the company yet. You might cover your cameras flash and other sensors that should be right next to the camera. some if not most modern androids should have an IR laser, presumably for automatic focus. I cant tell you how many times me and my brother were doing night time pictures outside the house or in the basement and the phones laser was ending up in pictures (not all the time but some times). It also could be the bulb type in the room giving off some wavelengths that your cameras interpret as the correct color, there's no telling. Personally I want to train with my new pistol and cant afford to put fmjs down range very often and this seems like an affordable solution for the number of shots and time you can spend on it. If ghost shots are the only downside to this system, I'm more than happy to pay 100 dollars for a laser, paper target, and app. Besides, whos gonna write the app, me? lol.
Can you sight in your gun with the setup would be nice to try out thanks . Clint
What lighting in your room? I had a LED bulb turn on my TV! I found out that they can emit rays in infrared. I wonder if the manufacturer recognizes this and if different light sources could affect this?
so is the 2-5 feet the distance from the shooter to the target or the distance from the mobile device to the target? It seems like it would be the mobile device so that it can accurately detect the shot placement. Otherwise 5ft is just not a realistic distance for shooting as the fbi statistics show most encounters occur within 21 feet. Have you tried putting the phone 3 feet away and standing back about 20 feet from the target to test it?
I did like your suggestions for a shot timer. Training muscle memory for drawing and firing is one thing that not all ranges let you do. As far as randomness I guess you'd need a spotter randomly announcing 'Threat!' until they added that feature.
hey man thanks for the video,,one question ,,,,in the vid you took 5 shots in a row ,but then i saw the others racking after each shot ??
Hey Scott. Thanks for watching. If you look real close, I'm racking the slide just enough at the front to reset the trigger mechanism. I hadn't realized how subtle it is on camera until reading your comment.
Thank You so much!
What would you recommend for a beginner?
This things been sitting under my bed since Christmas. I haven’t set it up yet, hopefully by the time I do the app is squared away.
Wish I would have seeing this before PAID press... LOL. But is money BK... Tnks brotha... Stay safe.
How did it work?
I paid 1st same here
Can you use a Dry Fire Mag with this so that you don't have to rack it?
Looks pretty cut and dry. Am looking at them now. The only thing I have an issue with is having to rack it every time. That puts that action into your reflex and pattern. So, in a real life scenario, pretty sure you try to rack it after the first shot…. Having said that. Using this and then going to the range should rectify that issue….
About your review. If you notice that the target white area is reddish, that is why you are getting false firings . The Strikeman is expecting a red reflection from the lazer, so if the background is looking reddish, it will register that as a fire. You need to set the 'white balance' of the camera to see a white target. If you do this, you will not have false firings. You should redo the review with the camera white balance as white, not reddish.
Thanks for the suggestion! When we were trying out the app we used all 3 of our phones. Livio uses a heavy blue light filter, thats why the target has a yellowish tint to it. The video makes it look a little red due to the coloring in editing. Trevor and Brighton both have a neutral white balance on their phones, so all in all, pretty sure that wasn't the issue. Strikeman has come out with some new updates so we may do another review in the future.
But .. is it safe to dry fire numerous times?
On most modern handguns, absolutely. This even includes some revolvers. Just to be sure though, always check with your firearm's manufacturer.
Very sensitive to light; sun, television, reflection off of glass and LED light flash (sweep the room with your camera on your phone and you'll see the LED lights flash). After several false mis-counts due to lighting, I emailed technical support. Once the light sensitivity issues were figured out, the system works great. For me the hallway or basement work best.
Could it be used outside
Just got one am gonna try it not sure if I will keep
Outstanding and candid honest review. The red circle takes about an hour to adjust. Required about 20 restarts. It only records 50% of the shots and the audio does not work. The hardware is excellent. The app is awful. Just my experience. Sadly its going back
I’m leaning towards returning mine. The laser isn’t even coming on when I pull the trigger on my S&W 9mm M&P shield. It’s looking pretty good with my .38 but that isn’t enough to justify keeping it for only one gun🤷🏻♂️
@@thetwikikid4444 Hey man,
Are those laser cartridges giving you trouble still? Hows it going?
I want this to beep so i can fire drawing from a holster to track time and accuracy
What they do not tell you until you get it is, it will not work with Ruger SR9 series or Walther PPS or PPS m2 , along with Ruger P95. I contacted their horrible customer assistance and they could not tell me why it does not work with those guns.
We're sorry to hear that you're having that kind of trouble. It sounds like something customer service should definitely be able to help with as the laser and target shouldn't care what firearm you're using it in. We wish you the best of luck in finding a cure or maybe even a different product that suits your needs.
Thank you for your comment.
Their customer service sucks, sent 3 emails asking if it’s compatible with my s&w 6906 no answer, wont work with my other 9 mm,so without a answer about my 6906 its useless
Great review. I just picked one up last week and the app on the Android "seems" better than you describe. I did experience some phantom shots but I think I cured it by adjusting where I was positioning my phone. My only negative is that many of the fields in the App appear to be locked down. I see that you're supposed to be able create profiles (templates) and add the weapon you're using. I thought that was great because it would show which weapon I was more proficient with. Unfortunately, these fields seem to be locked as I cannot type any data into them. I reached out to Strikeman but have not heard back yet. I'm going to assume that its probably a feature thats only available on their Pro model.
,
I think the most common complaint we've heard in most recent months is the lack of customer service and how "Pro" is setup.
Some people are having a great experience otherwise, which we're more than happy to hear about.
Thank You for commenting!
I am not a techie. Downloaded android app created an email account could not log back in. Customer support was not helpful. Is there an affordable dry-fire system that works or has customer supports? Thanks
You can only shoot targets that are up to 5 ft away?
Negative. Your phone has to be within 5' of the target. We were engaging the target from about 12yds. at some points.
Am I correct in assuming that with only a desk top computer this device is useless?
Unless your laptop has a rear-facing camera and can download the Strikeman app, I wouldn't know how to help you there.
Get the S. Pro and ya be happy 😊
Hi, ordered the 3.0 should get it today... You were able to fit both plates in the back slot, could you then still use the second slot or does the second Plate in the first slot make it to tight to do so?
Many minutes later .... directions ... guy thing ... GREAT!
Have ordered the Strikerman system. Will report back when received and operational. Thanks for the straight up review!
Check the laser too. My laser was not accurate and when you rotated it in the barrel it would fire different at the target. From low left, to low right. Thought this was odd so put it in a vise to take human error out and it was the same.
👍🏽Thanks I now know more than yesterday
can you do rapid shooting with that
Does anyone know if it’s gotten better? This review was 2 years ago!
I think the Mantix X elite 10 is way better with there shooting academy
Thank you :)
You're welcome!
if you're thinking about buying a strikeman pistol system, beware. i used a 30% off code for a cartridge to practice point shooting and they sent me a carry case. i have been trying for a week to contact them and they don't respond. now i have an overpriced case for a system i don't have.
Would you tell us after for example 2 weeks of laser practices and doing a real shot gun, how accurate the real shot gun you end up with. Thanks!
We did not use this product long enough to afford any follow-up information on accuracy improvement. I'm sorry we're unable to help with that.
Bloody hard to set up.
I just subscribed do to that honest review
Thats awesome! Thank you!
Can't you just buy the laser cartridge by itself for like half the price around $40 will get you that and then use the app with it.
You certainly could, but then you'll need a stand for your phone, the target, and something to hold the target up. If the overall performance and outcome were something we could recommend, I'd say the price was worth getting everything in one package. Unfortunately, they're not.
Thank You for commenting!
This would be great with 5 or 6 .38 laser bullets in a revolver
Ha! I didn't even think of that!
Or a pistol that has a second strike capability, like Taurus pistols and others.
I am also an unsatisfied customer. I bought a 9mm Strikeman cartridge last June and the laser is glitching. They gave me a spiel about the batteries being oriented correctly (duh) and then having to press hard on the cartridge to try and reactivate the laser. They only stand by their product for 15 days. I would not buy this again.
I bought and used the pro version recently and was able to get the quirks with the app solved. However I have a large amount of issues with it. The standard pro price is $400. And then to use the actual product, you have to download an app for it and they tell you who have to pay a freaking subscription service on it. What the hell is that BS. Cool I bought an over priced mediocre kit(more on that later) and cant even use it unless you basically pay a ransom every month or year to use the thing. If their was no subscription fee i would look the other way and just consider it a meh product, cause the things to fix the kit i already own.
To the kit. The tripod phone holder is hot garbage. You would get a better tripod from a random seller from amazon than the thing they give you. Second the stand. Its short as hell and you have to put it on a table or have boxes under it just to have the top targets to be reasonable height comparative to range target height. And with the cost you'd think they would at least install adjustable height length legs on it.
TLDR: stand quality meh, tripod is trash, and you have to pay a subscription fee to use the pro version for the pro kit they sell at $400. And the free version is trash and alot of the features were removed and moved to the pro version.
I'm sorry you feel that way Andrew. We have steered away from the laser trainers for handguns recently. We will be working on one for an AR platform very soon.
Thanks for commenting.
What is the best system for this kind of thing?
I'm sorry Sammy, I'm not really comfortable pushing another product under this review. We HAVE had better success with other products and documented that in other reviews on our channel. We will be working on one for our AR platform soon as well.
Thank you for your comment.
What would you recommend instead of this product?
We'd recommend first watching part 2 of this review before deciding if it's not for you. Strikeman came out with an update just after we released this video, and its much more user friendly. Thanks for watching!
Is there any system like this that is better? I saw one many years ago but that's when ammo was abundant and I forgot the name.
g-sight
Wasn’t it supposed to give an audible report per shot. I did not hear that with your test run
It's an option in the settings menu.
Since you have a laser and a target can you review the laserhit app? I beleive you can use any targets and any laser there's 2 purchase options but it does have what your asking for
The app itself is free, the purchases are a shot timer and another one
We're currently working on a review of another home training system, but once we're done with that, sure! Stay tuned!
@@ArmedWithKnowledge subbed and waiting
@@ArmedWithKnowledge hopefully its the g sight system...seems similar
You basically want to know if your shots are consistent, past history means nothing, if you consistently hit within the 'kill' range, your good !!
If you're at all interested in your progress, you'll want to see your history.
Am I understanding your statement correctly?
What battery doe the 9mm laser take?
Thank you for the review. I was considering it, but may wait for improvements. I am wondering if l.e.d. lights mess with it registering phantoms.
From what we can tell it doesn't matter what lighting you use. We tried it in different settings with different light sources and had the same issues every time.
Check out part 2 with the updated app 👍🏻
100% bought the system and it’s super glitchy. The only thing that is worth anything is the laser that’s it. But as far as being to track accuracy it’s not worth. In short you’re paying $59 for a laser.
I'm sorry you're not able to make use of the entire system. Hopefully you can get some use out of what does work for you.
Thanks for this video as ibwas looking into buying it as a new gun owner wanting practice. Thanks for making it easy not to get this product
This was filmed when we released an app update that had some bugs. All of them are fixed!
Soooo we’re going to ignore the redhead? Gotcha
But it doesn’t mimic the recoil
the only problem i see is doing the un natural motion of racking the Slide every shot, I could see that teaching bad habits. Not saying you didn't go over this you did. I just couldnt see teaching a new person with this not without being concerned they would be picking up some bad habits
Strikeman has the worst customer service. Placed my order on 1/29/2024 today is 2/13/2024 and still haven’t received it. They don’t answer emails there is no phone number to speak with a representative. Can’t order replacement targets. Returning the Strikeman as soon as soon as I receive it. Mantis great customer service. Placed my order on 2/12/2024 and shipped out the next day.
this thing is 60% off right now. if it was a great product, it wouldn't be heavily discounted. its disappointing because i am looking for something like this
I downloaded the app and it looks like they made changes, I can delete history and further more. Could you look into another review since they seem to have fixed those issues? I'm looking to purchase
We're way ahead of you! Just head over over to our page and you'll see we already did an updated review.
This is a scam. There is zero customer support and the app was not fixed. Kudos to this man for his integrity
BEWARE! Too many phantom shots and too many unregistered shots make it extremely difficult to accurately evaluate your skill. The worse part is- unless you upgrade to the Stikeman Pro, another $100 and requires a $10 per month subscription, all you really get is a paper target and stand, phone stand and one bullet. They make it sound like the Pro features are standard with the $99. Certainly, nothing like they describe. I think the advertising of this company is very misleading!! Oh and they only have a 15 day return policy. My kids took advantage of the special price and bought it for me for Christmas. It's not even Christmas and the return period is already over. I suspect it's short because they know too many people will return it.
It seems like the most common complaints are; how "Pro" is setup, and the lack of customer service.
I hope you can make the best of this Christmas present.
Thank You for your input.
I would not endorse this company. They take your money and do not ship. I have been waiting almost a month and they have not even told me it is shipping.
I would buy if it had a recoil. The recoil has a real impact on muscle memory and your eyes adjusting the sights. Nice toy
Good talk
My experiences mirror yours right now. The app sucks. Hopefully, they push an update to make it better. As of now, I am not a fan at all.
Stayed tuned, because we are looking at alternative apps and training systems. More reviews to come!
app update coming out in a couple weeks apparently.
@@ArmedWithKnowledge I will wait until I pull the trigger, I only get one YES from the wife my master chief. Want something to easy to setup if not setup in the garage...thank you for nice video