
READ THE FIRST SEVEN POSTS. DATA IS LISTED AS ONE PLAYER PER POST.
I received so many PM's upset that a troll ruined the first thread that I couldn't deny you guys this info. Let's try to keep it troll free and if you see that trend starting please ignore him and report the troll to mods so they can practice a little pest control. Thanks and enjoy. Let's have fun.
Here is the first installment of the shaft comparison. It will again, include 6 of my coworkers who came in on their own time, and stayed late with me many nights for no pay, just to put together this data block for the WRX community.
Instead of each and every shot, like the head test, we will simply be giving you the overall 20 shot averages with each shaft. Every player used the same Taylormade M2 head, identical loft, identical face angle, identical length, and each club was adjusted for swingweight with the change of each shaft. All shafts have the same tipping, same length, same logo orientation, and the same grip. The only variable is that the left handers obviously used a LH M2 head of the same loft.
The group will vary in swing speed from 125 to 100 mph as averages, so just about every swing speed you would expect from a good player will be represented. I will also post player blurbs with the type of swing they have, way they load the shaft, and of course, their opinions on many of the models. The data represents solid strikes only, and mishits are omitted.
Here is just my sample. I will be adding more and more data and information over the next week, starting this evening. We can't test everything, but tried to get the hottest shafts in the current market and on Tour.
Shafts tested:
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro White
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Blue
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Orange
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Orange V2 Proto
Mitsubishi Kuro Kàge Dual Core XT
True Temper Hzrdus black
True Temper Hzrdus yellow
True Temper Hzrdus T1100
Fujikura Atmos black
Fujikura Atmos blue
Aldila SYNERGY
Aldila Black Mamba
Aldila Green Mamba
___________________
This swing profile is something we do for clients when submitting test results, so they understand not only the numbers, but what type of player these numbers are provided by. Often times things like tempo, release, arc, etc, can be invaluable in determining what type of player might like or dislike a product. For reviews we do here, this will allow you guys to see which type of player you relate to and which might have a swing most like yours. This is incredibly valuable in shaft reviews.
Swing Type: (JT, 125mph)
Smooth tempo player with big shoulder turn and high hands. Full wrist set at the top of the swing, stopping just short of parallel ground to shaft relation. Pro style downswing begins with bump of left hip and additional down cocking of wrists, followed by extreme wrist hinge (lag) and a very late release. Swing comes 3-4 degrees in to out. AOA of 5-6 degrees up. Typical shot pattern is a slight push fade. Tempo most similar to PGA Tour player Gary Woodland.
Personal Driver: Taylormade 2017 M1 440 Tour Issue, 8.5 loft, Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Orange 70tx
________________
Shaft Thoughts:
Tensei Pro Blue -
In my opinion the PB is the best feeling of all the shafts in the test. It is very stable in the handle, loads beautifully and really has a feeling of power through the impact zone. If the test was based on feel alone, this would be my choice. Performance wise the ball flight is higher than I'm accustomed to both in launch and spin, meaning the fit is not ideal and performance suffers as a result. I'd say this shaft is best for the player who is not particularly high spin but wants a stable feeling shaft with some life to it. A flat swinging, early loader, or lower speed player should certainly give this one a look. I'd attest to it being better suited to a fairway shaft for the stronger player. I find that it turns over easier than I would like and the overall ball flight is just too high and spinning. I do love the visible Kevlar with the simple band look of these Tensei Pro shafts. Very classy.
Tensei Pro White -
For a lower launch and low spin shaft, this shaft feels great. You can feel the flex in the handle somewhat upon loading but the lower section is very tight and stable. It almost feels like a Dynamic Gold in a driver shaft. The way you can feel the load in the hands has a similar feeling. I seem to always hit this shaft well, but don't love the feeling of it for me personally. Being a player who likes a stiffer butt section, it is somewhat contradictory to the type of profile I choose based on feel. That said, there is absolutely no denying the performance of the product. Very low spin, tight dispersion, and the ability to take stepping on the gas. I do feel like I hold it off a bit and tend to miss a bit right with it when I step on it, because I can feel the load in my hands, which would normally signify a shaft that is going to hook. Performance is awesome, feel isn't ideal to me.
Tensei Pro Orange Tour Proto V2 -
I can't recall ever having better ball speeds on the smoothest of swings than I do with V2. It's the more than smooth swings where the issues come in. If I take a nice deliberate 85-90% pass, the shaft is wonderful. Feeling is explosive and the load is very unique in that you can feel the whole shaft load as one unit and release almost like the feeling of a well struck Project X mid iron. Those of you who have hit such a shot know exactly what I'm talking about. If there is a better feeling golf shaft for the smooth swinger, I haven't hit it. When I try to step on it, spin increases, dispersion suffers, and unfortunately I know it's not for me. I can see the smooth tempo player bagging this thing and never looking at another shaft. The aggressive player will struggle to control it.
Tensei Pro Orange -
This shaft is, for me, the best combination of feel and performance there is today. The very stable feeling in the butt section even though the graph says it flexes like white, along with a small bit of counter balance really make this thing feel like I am unhinging around a fulcrum. Not sure how they accomplish butt stability with flex other than material tech. It has a tremendously powerful feel to it without ever getting boardy feeling. The tip is also extremely stiff but never feels brittle in any way. The more I stand on this thing the more it goes where I want it. I can cut it at will and even turn the draw over without fear of the hook, which is a miss I don't ever want to see. The launch and spin are near ideal for me and it will stand up to whatever you want to give it. I will say, when I got lazy with it, I would hit a tiny push, but nothing overwealming. I can see myself in a battle over this and the driver in my current set up. Count me massively impressed.
Kuro Kage Dual Core XT -
Let me state that I play this shaft, so I am very familiar with it and trust it completely. Obviously this makes for a bit of bias and certainly a comfort zone with it. I think that shows in the overall performance. I can sum this shaft up quickly by saying, if you want to swing smoothly, it feels like a softer shaft that allows you to do that without worry of it being too tight. If you want to swing aggressively, it feels as if it tightens and stiffens up proportionately to the amount of effort you put into the swing. I've never felt a shaft that does this or allows this. It's got to be something in the dual core tini fibers. I don't really understand how it happens, but when you have some time with this shaft you realize how far shaft technology has come. Amazing shaft, A+ on all levels. I like the reflective graphics of the previous XT and XM versions. This one is a little graphically simple, but honestly, the performance is so good, who really would complain.
Hzrdus T1100 -
I will say, as being a guy who played Project X for a long time, I had really hoped this would be the driver version. I had extremely high hopes for this shaft and I have to say it really fell flat for me. It is very low spin for certain, among the lowest spin of the test, but it's also very low launch. I guess if you launch the ball at 18 degrees, this might be your end all be all, but for the average player, it's too low. The worst thing about it, and remember this is MY opinion, is the feel. It feels brittle and overly stiff. Compared to the Kuro Kage DCXT or even the other Hzrdus shafts, this shaft feels terribly rigid. When I stepped on it, it performed with low piercing low spin bullets, but anything less and it was a push. I can see Charles Howell loving this shaft. It's exactly for his ball flight and tempo. For me, it was a big let down. I even tried 3 different shafts all tipped differently and I still feel the same.
Hzrdus Black -
For a shaft with such a low balance point, it really is a great feeling product. Numbers for me were very good with this, but due to the balance point I just feel like I am losing a little head speed with it. It's not something I was totally comfortable with, but overall it performed and felt pretty darn good. Dispersion was excellent as well. I do like the business look of the all black too. Very simple and non distracting which is something I like. For a guy that needs low spin and likes a very low balance point, this is certainly one to look at. One of the better feeling of the TT products for sure.
Hzrdus Yellow -
First off, I love the feel of this shaft. Compared to the T1100 you almost can't include these two shafts in the same family. Yellow profile is tremendously smooth and you can really feel the shaft work for you. Even though the spin rates are high and I knew it wasn't a keeper, I wanted to keep hitting this shaft just based on feel. Like the Tensei Blue, this is a profile for a slower swinging player or a guy who really doesn't generate a ton of spin. I can see it being a tremendous fairway shaft. My only real gripe is, man is this thing ugly. The tour only black with the yellow graphics was classy and business, but the screaming bright yellow might keep me from playing this thing based on looks alone, but man if feels so good. Great balance point, smooth loading, just a bit too high spin for me personally. Change the color, tighten up the tip, and I'd love to give it another roll.
Black Mamba -
Definitely a cool name. I liked it just hearing the name I will admit. The performance of this shaft was very good and the feel is not too bad either. It's kind of different feeling shaft in that it feels stiff when swung too smoothly but totally smooth and controlled with just the slightest bit of tempo or ramp up. It loads nicely, feels stable and performance is excellent. Nothing about it particularly stood out other than consistent repeated excellent performance. I hit it 22 times, 20 of which we recorded as keepers, handed it back and said, "that's a damn good golf shaft". This is one I would like to spend a bit more time with and see how it performs on the course. For the sake of fun facts, when we went long drive on these after the test, I hit my second longest drive of the fun session with this shaft. I'll definitely be giving it more time.
Green Mamba -
I don't know a lot about this shaft other than hitting it, but I'd say it's in the Tensei Pro Blue, Hzrdus Yellow type. Maybe a nice fairway compliment to the guy who plays Black Mamba in the driver. Smooth feeling, high launching, somewhat high spinning. Again, just like I said with the previously mentioned TPB and HY, not for me, but a great feeling shaft and something for a fairway wood or a guy who just doesn't generate a lot of driver spin.
SYNERGY -
A very early proto of some yet unknown tech, but I though it would be fun to throw into the mix anyway. VERY smooth feeling shaft. As soon as I swung it I thought, this feels a lot like V2 orange. I definitely needed to make a smooth pass on it, but man the ball jumps with this thing. It's a bit loose in profile for me to get aggressive with, but I can safely say Aldila is on to something for this one. It will be interesting to see how the profile evolves and if it stays for the smooth swinger or if other iterations pop up that let's us have a good rip.
Atmos Black -
A typical Fujikura shaft, and I say that in the best way. You know what you are getting with Fujikura, which is technology Tour proven over 20+ years, a generally smooth but controlled feel, quality dispersion and something you could put in your bag without worrying that there is something a TON better. I really like this shaft, and I really like the feel of it. Neutral balanced feel and the ability to stand on it if you need to. I like it, a lot. I just don't love it. It's a shade higher spin than some of the shafts in the same launch category, but if you are a Fujikura guy and love the Fujikura feel, this might be the one. More for the power guy than the smooth swinger.
Atmos Blue -
Man this shaft feels good. Unfortunately it is too high spin for me by a wide margin. I suppose all the profiles that really feel smooth and wonderful are always too high spin. Kind of like how everything that tastes good is always unhealthy. I could reiterate the same thing over and over, but you've already read it. Smoother swingers shaft. Spins a lot. End of story.
I received so many PM's upset that a troll ruined the first thread that I couldn't deny you guys this info. Let's try to keep it troll free and if you see that trend starting please ignore him and report the troll to mods so they can practice a little pest control. Thanks and enjoy. Let's have fun.
Here is the first installment of the shaft comparison. It will again, include 6 of my coworkers who came in on their own time, and stayed late with me many nights for no pay, just to put together this data block for the WRX community.
Instead of each and every shot, like the head test, we will simply be giving you the overall 20 shot averages with each shaft. Every player used the same Taylormade M2 head, identical loft, identical face angle, identical length, and each club was adjusted for swingweight with the change of each shaft. All shafts have the same tipping, same length, same logo orientation, and the same grip. The only variable is that the left handers obviously used a LH M2 head of the same loft.
The group will vary in swing speed from 125 to 100 mph as averages, so just about every swing speed you would expect from a good player will be represented. I will also post player blurbs with the type of swing they have, way they load the shaft, and of course, their opinions on many of the models. The data represents solid strikes only, and mishits are omitted.
Here is just my sample. I will be adding more and more data and information over the next week, starting this evening. We can't test everything, but tried to get the hottest shafts in the current market and on Tour.
Shafts tested:
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro White
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Blue
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Orange
Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Orange V2 Proto
Mitsubishi Kuro Kàge Dual Core XT
True Temper Hzrdus black
True Temper Hzrdus yellow
True Temper Hzrdus T1100
Fujikura Atmos black
Fujikura Atmos blue
Aldila SYNERGY
Aldila Black Mamba
Aldila Green Mamba
___________________
This swing profile is something we do for clients when submitting test results, so they understand not only the numbers, but what type of player these numbers are provided by. Often times things like tempo, release, arc, etc, can be invaluable in determining what type of player might like or dislike a product. For reviews we do here, this will allow you guys to see which type of player you relate to and which might have a swing most like yours. This is incredibly valuable in shaft reviews.
Swing Type: (JT, 125mph)
Smooth tempo player with big shoulder turn and high hands. Full wrist set at the top of the swing, stopping just short of parallel ground to shaft relation. Pro style downswing begins with bump of left hip and additional down cocking of wrists, followed by extreme wrist hinge (lag) and a very late release. Swing comes 3-4 degrees in to out. AOA of 5-6 degrees up. Typical shot pattern is a slight push fade. Tempo most similar to PGA Tour player Gary Woodland.
Personal Driver: Taylormade 2017 M1 440 Tour Issue, 8.5 loft, Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Orange 70tx
________________
Shaft Thoughts:
Tensei Pro Blue -
In my opinion the PB is the best feeling of all the shafts in the test. It is very stable in the handle, loads beautifully and really has a feeling of power through the impact zone. If the test was based on feel alone, this would be my choice. Performance wise the ball flight is higher than I'm accustomed to both in launch and spin, meaning the fit is not ideal and performance suffers as a result. I'd say this shaft is best for the player who is not particularly high spin but wants a stable feeling shaft with some life to it. A flat swinging, early loader, or lower speed player should certainly give this one a look. I'd attest to it being better suited to a fairway shaft for the stronger player. I find that it turns over easier than I would like and the overall ball flight is just too high and spinning. I do love the visible Kevlar with the simple band look of these Tensei Pro shafts. Very classy.
Tensei Pro White -
For a lower launch and low spin shaft, this shaft feels great. You can feel the flex in the handle somewhat upon loading but the lower section is very tight and stable. It almost feels like a Dynamic Gold in a driver shaft. The way you can feel the load in the hands has a similar feeling. I seem to always hit this shaft well, but don't love the feeling of it for me personally. Being a player who likes a stiffer butt section, it is somewhat contradictory to the type of profile I choose based on feel. That said, there is absolutely no denying the performance of the product. Very low spin, tight dispersion, and the ability to take stepping on the gas. I do feel like I hold it off a bit and tend to miss a bit right with it when I step on it, because I can feel the load in my hands, which would normally signify a shaft that is going to hook. Performance is awesome, feel isn't ideal to me.
Tensei Pro Orange Tour Proto V2 -
I can't recall ever having better ball speeds on the smoothest of swings than I do with V2. It's the more than smooth swings where the issues come in. If I take a nice deliberate 85-90% pass, the shaft is wonderful. Feeling is explosive and the load is very unique in that you can feel the whole shaft load as one unit and release almost like the feeling of a well struck Project X mid iron. Those of you who have hit such a shot know exactly what I'm talking about. If there is a better feeling golf shaft for the smooth swinger, I haven't hit it. When I try to step on it, spin increases, dispersion suffers, and unfortunately I know it's not for me. I can see the smooth tempo player bagging this thing and never looking at another shaft. The aggressive player will struggle to control it.
Tensei Pro Orange -
This shaft is, for me, the best combination of feel and performance there is today. The very stable feeling in the butt section even though the graph says it flexes like white, along with a small bit of counter balance really make this thing feel like I am unhinging around a fulcrum. Not sure how they accomplish butt stability with flex other than material tech. It has a tremendously powerful feel to it without ever getting boardy feeling. The tip is also extremely stiff but never feels brittle in any way. The more I stand on this thing the more it goes where I want it. I can cut it at will and even turn the draw over without fear of the hook, which is a miss I don't ever want to see. The launch and spin are near ideal for me and it will stand up to whatever you want to give it. I will say, when I got lazy with it, I would hit a tiny push, but nothing overwealming. I can see myself in a battle over this and the driver in my current set up. Count me massively impressed.
Kuro Kage Dual Core XT -
Let me state that I play this shaft, so I am very familiar with it and trust it completely. Obviously this makes for a bit of bias and certainly a comfort zone with it. I think that shows in the overall performance. I can sum this shaft up quickly by saying, if you want to swing smoothly, it feels like a softer shaft that allows you to do that without worry of it being too tight. If you want to swing aggressively, it feels as if it tightens and stiffens up proportionately to the amount of effort you put into the swing. I've never felt a shaft that does this or allows this. It's got to be something in the dual core tini fibers. I don't really understand how it happens, but when you have some time with this shaft you realize how far shaft technology has come. Amazing shaft, A+ on all levels. I like the reflective graphics of the previous XT and XM versions. This one is a little graphically simple, but honestly, the performance is so good, who really would complain.
Hzrdus T1100 -
I will say, as being a guy who played Project X for a long time, I had really hoped this would be the driver version. I had extremely high hopes for this shaft and I have to say it really fell flat for me. It is very low spin for certain, among the lowest spin of the test, but it's also very low launch. I guess if you launch the ball at 18 degrees, this might be your end all be all, but for the average player, it's too low. The worst thing about it, and remember this is MY opinion, is the feel. It feels brittle and overly stiff. Compared to the Kuro Kage DCXT or even the other Hzrdus shafts, this shaft feels terribly rigid. When I stepped on it, it performed with low piercing low spin bullets, but anything less and it was a push. I can see Charles Howell loving this shaft. It's exactly for his ball flight and tempo. For me, it was a big let down. I even tried 3 different shafts all tipped differently and I still feel the same.
Hzrdus Black -
For a shaft with such a low balance point, it really is a great feeling product. Numbers for me were very good with this, but due to the balance point I just feel like I am losing a little head speed with it. It's not something I was totally comfortable with, but overall it performed and felt pretty darn good. Dispersion was excellent as well. I do like the business look of the all black too. Very simple and non distracting which is something I like. For a guy that needs low spin and likes a very low balance point, this is certainly one to look at. One of the better feeling of the TT products for sure.
Hzrdus Yellow -
First off, I love the feel of this shaft. Compared to the T1100 you almost can't include these two shafts in the same family. Yellow profile is tremendously smooth and you can really feel the shaft work for you. Even though the spin rates are high and I knew it wasn't a keeper, I wanted to keep hitting this shaft just based on feel. Like the Tensei Blue, this is a profile for a slower swinging player or a guy who really doesn't generate a ton of spin. I can see it being a tremendous fairway shaft. My only real gripe is, man is this thing ugly. The tour only black with the yellow graphics was classy and business, but the screaming bright yellow might keep me from playing this thing based on looks alone, but man if feels so good. Great balance point, smooth loading, just a bit too high spin for me personally. Change the color, tighten up the tip, and I'd love to give it another roll.
Black Mamba -
Definitely a cool name. I liked it just hearing the name I will admit. The performance of this shaft was very good and the feel is not too bad either. It's kind of different feeling shaft in that it feels stiff when swung too smoothly but totally smooth and controlled with just the slightest bit of tempo or ramp up. It loads nicely, feels stable and performance is excellent. Nothing about it particularly stood out other than consistent repeated excellent performance. I hit it 22 times, 20 of which we recorded as keepers, handed it back and said, "that's a damn good golf shaft". This is one I would like to spend a bit more time with and see how it performs on the course. For the sake of fun facts, when we went long drive on these after the test, I hit my second longest drive of the fun session with this shaft. I'll definitely be giving it more time.
Green Mamba -
I don't know a lot about this shaft other than hitting it, but I'd say it's in the Tensei Pro Blue, Hzrdus Yellow type. Maybe a nice fairway compliment to the guy who plays Black Mamba in the driver. Smooth feeling, high launching, somewhat high spinning. Again, just like I said with the previously mentioned TPB and HY, not for me, but a great feeling shaft and something for a fairway wood or a guy who just doesn't generate a lot of driver spin.
SYNERGY -
A very early proto of some yet unknown tech, but I though it would be fun to throw into the mix anyway. VERY smooth feeling shaft. As soon as I swung it I thought, this feels a lot like V2 orange. I definitely needed to make a smooth pass on it, but man the ball jumps with this thing. It's a bit loose in profile for me to get aggressive with, but I can safely say Aldila is on to something for this one. It will be interesting to see how the profile evolves and if it stays for the smooth swinger or if other iterations pop up that let's us have a good rip.
Atmos Black -
A typical Fujikura shaft, and I say that in the best way. You know what you are getting with Fujikura, which is technology Tour proven over 20+ years, a generally smooth but controlled feel, quality dispersion and something you could put in your bag without worrying that there is something a TON better. I really like this shaft, and I really like the feel of it. Neutral balanced feel and the ability to stand on it if you need to. I like it, a lot. I just don't love it. It's a shade higher spin than some of the shafts in the same launch category, but if you are a Fujikura guy and love the Fujikura feel, this might be the one. More for the power guy than the smooth swinger.
Atmos Blue -
Man this shaft feels good. Unfortunately it is too high spin for me by a wide margin. I suppose all the profiles that really feel smooth and wonderful are always too high spin. Kind of like how everything that tastes good is always unhealthy. I could reiterate the same thing over and over, but you've already read it. Smoother swingers shaft. Spins a lot. End of story.


Edited by TollBros, 18 April 2018 - 08:54 PM.