KuroKage Silver TiNi Driver Shaft Review

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Mitsubishi KURO KAGE Silver with TiNi

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Golf Center at the Highlands, Carrollton Texas

KuroKageSilverTiNiImageThe Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver has been updated in 2013 with the addition of 8 inches of Titanium Nickel Wire wrapped into the tip section of the shaft. The graphics are slightly different and the tip bears the TiNi logo used on Mitsubishi shafts with Titanium Nickel wire tip reinforcement. The KuroKage line was the first of the Mitsubishi products to use high density pregreg, The Kuro Kage shafts have this high density material added to the lower third of the shaft.

KuroKageSilverTiNivsFubukiKThe EI Bend Profile Signature is similar to the Fubuki K. The Fubuki K and its predecessor, the Fubuki Tour continue to stiffen from 11″ to the tip, while the Kuro Kage Silver softens. Both have a slight mid zone stiffness bump, like the Diamana White Board with that bump occurring closer to the tip in the Kuro Kage Silver to promote a little higher launch.

KuroKageSilverTiNiEiGjTb
While this is a mid priced shaft, $300 MSRP, in the Mitsubishi family of golf shafts you would not know that by looking at the radial quality. I cannot ever remember having 6 shafts in my hand that at most, varied by 1 CPM from hard to soft plane. Awesome. In a marketplace where every driver shaft has a rotating hosel, we should expect no less. And this shaft proves the manufacturing technology exists. What we do see in the Kuro Kage Silver TiNi is slightly higher torque in the R & S flex models than the Diamana and Fubuki series. Evidence of player profiling design, the players using the R & S will load the shaft less and get more feel from higher torque. Those using the X flex models need the control of low torque.

KURO KAGE SILVER Range Test

The difference between the previous version of the KUROKAGE Silver and the 2014 model is the addition of 8 inches of Titanium Nickel wire in the tip section. That gave us an opportunity to test the fiber by comparing the two shafts with a PGA tour quality ball striker, Mark Maness.KuroKageTestAverages
As you can see from this composite FlightScope report, the TiNi material did indeed add distance, reducing launch and spin with a slight increase in club head speed. Mark commented during the tests that the tip of the Kuro Kage with the TiNi felt more stable. That in a shaft with a softer tip than he has in his gamer. Its always nice to see that a technical improvement in a golf product actually results in improved performance and is not just more marketing hype.

Grafalloy BiMatrix Tour Prototype Golf Shaft Review

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Grafalloy BiMatrix Tour Prototype

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

BiMatrix_Image

Bubba Watson plays the Grafalloy BiMatrix driver shaft and won the 2012 Masters with it. When he came on tour he showed up with one painted pink. Grafalloy accommodated him and made them in pink. For those that are not ready to play with a pink driver shaft it is also available in baby blue.

This design was introduced about 10 years ago and I tried it at the time. It was black back then and I still have an original R in the shop. I profiled it a few years ago and was surprised at the profile. It looked like a high launch design. The R flex profile from the original looks like the X flex I just profiled for this review. The current R & S flex have been redesigned for the typical R or S player.

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Russ

True Temper Project X PXV 39 Golf Shaft Review

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True Temper Project X PXV 39 Driver Shaft

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

TTPX PXv39 ImageI have seen fair number of driver shafts with labels implying light weights, but I have only seen one shaft that was labeled with a number that actually was the weight of the raw 46″ shaft. The True Temper Project X PXv 39 is correctly labeled. The raw shaft is 39 grams. It is like holding a feather in your hands. When I start measuring a shaft I usually start with the EI profiles. With the Project X PXv 39 I started with radial quality. Surely a shaft this light was likely to have a low number. The number was shocking, the review samples were close to perfect. If you are going to make a shaft with walls as thin as they are on the PXv 39, they need to be perfect. This is a 39 gram shaft that can be oriented in any direction in a rotating hosel. It is the light weight version of the Project X PXv family of shafts.

While the torque numbers at first glance look high, they are as low as I see in shafts of this weight. I would not be putting this shaft in the hands of an aggressive high speed ball striker. However, at 6.4 to 7.0 pounds of butt stiffness, these are not wimpy shafts.

TTPX EIGjTb PXv39The bend profile is not uncommon for shafts in this weight range. I have had a lot of success fitting a similar profile in this weight range. The quick decline in stiffness in the high mid area, combined with a long stable tip section results in the launch needed in this weight range with good dispersion control. I am seeing this design in a number of high performance golf shafts.

TTPX PXv39 TipI have heard shaft designers discuss the weight of paint on ultralight driver shafts. There is no elegant glossy overcoat on the Project X PXv 39, every possible aspect of weight control went into this design. It is available only through True Temper Performance Fitting Centers. One look at the wall thickness of the tip and you will quickly realize this shaft should be installed by a competent club builder. High modulus carbon fiber are making designs possible that could not be considered a few years ago. The Project X PXv 39 is one such design.

Fujikura Fuel Golf Shaft Review

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FUJIKURA FUEL DRIVER SHAFT

By Kirk James & Mark Vallier, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
MK Golf Technologies,San Antonio, Texas

Fuel_Image

The Fujikura Fuel shaft was introduced just prior to the 2013 PGA Merchandise Show and was named “the most talked about shaft at the Show”. The Fuel continues to create a lot of buzz in the print media and on the internet. Let’s take a closer look and see what all the buzz is about.

According to Fujikura, the Fuel is a low launch/low spin shaft designed for drivers, fairways and hybrids. The shafts are constructed with a series of high modulus carbon plies oriented at 45 and 90 degree angles in the butt and mid sections which their engineers claim reduce ovaling during the loading and unloading of the shaft. We have found through our testing and fitting process that the Fuel shafts are extremely stable with low launch and low spin characteristics as claimed by Fujikura.

Like many shafts, the Fujikura Fuel profiles vary with weight. As you will notice in the EI bend profiles below, the 50 gram shafts have a fairly soft overall profile with a relatively stiff tip. This stiff tip feature makes this shaft feel extremely tight and stable for a mid 50 gram shaft. We have found through our fittings that it will feel and play slightly stiffer than its flex rating. It is an excellent light weight option for a player that can load a shaft or that has a quicker tempo, or both.

The 60 gram, Tour Spec 60 gram and the 70 gram models have a slightly different bend profile than the 50 gram models. These heavier models are stiffer in the butt and mid sections, with a smoother profile in the tip section. The stiffer butt and mid sections make these models feel extremely stable (ie stiff) in the hands and give these shafts an overall stiff feel. The low torque of these shafts adds to their overall tight/stiff feel at impact. Our testing and fittings confirm that these are definitely low launch shafts.

The Tour Spec 70 gram S and X flex models have a very different profile than the other models. The bend profile shows a very stiff upper-mid section with a smooth but rapid decline in flex to the tip. These models are again extremely stable because of the stiff mid section, and are excellent choices for heavy hitters looking to lower ball flight in both drivers and fairways.

Fuel EiGjTb

 

Fujikura Fuel Tour Spec 70 gramFuel_TS_Image

 

Our testing and fittings confirm that the Fujikura Fuel shafts definitely provide the low launch characteristics claimed by Fujikura. The 50 gram models have slightly higher launch and spin than the other models, but are still low for a mid-50 gram shaft. The design, construction and bend profiles of these shafts contribute to the overall stiff/tight feel that the player will experience when playing these shafts. The Fuel shafts are a good option to consider for a player looking to lower his or her launch conditions.

Oban Kiyoshi Purple, Oban Kiyoshi Black, Oban Kiyoshi White Driver Shafts

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OBAN KIYOSHI DRIVER SHAFTS
OBAN KIYOSHI PURPLE
OBAN KIYOSHI BLACK
OBAN KIYOSHI WHITE

By Woody Lashen, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Pete’s Golf, Mineola, New York

Oban introduced the Purple Kiyoshi in the fall of 2010, each year they have added a new profile to the series.  Oban’s goal was to make a high quality shaft, with different options that club fitters could use to the maximum performance out of players with different swings and needs.  As with any great shaft, we advise you go see a professional fitter to find the correct one for you to achieve the maximum  performance  for your individual game.

Oban on Tour

DevotedGolfer.tv editor Russ Ryden got to talk to Rich Parzych, Tour Representative for Oban at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2013. Rich has spent many years on the PGA Tour as an owner operator of his own van and most recently at the Oban Golf Shaft tour representative.

Oban Kiyoshi Purple

Purple Image

Kiyoshi Purple was introduced first in the product line as Oban’s premium performance golf shaft. It is the highest launching shaft in the Kiyoshi line, offered in a weight range of 45-85g, The lighter weights are designed for senior and ladies flex available in the lighter weights. The Kiyoshi Purple is an extremely high quality mid launch/mid spin shaft. The 55g-85g all run the same EI profile, with similar torque. The torque ranges on all three Kiyoshi models (Purple, Black and White) are relatively low, The EI of the Kiyoshi Purple is tip stiff, extremely soft in the mid-section, and stiff in the butt. It’s a great shaft for average to mid-load profiles. With its stunning graphics, it’s difficult not to notice when a player has one in the bag.

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ