Zenger
Gunga... Gunga Galooga
Definitely. My misses are much closer together allowing more up and downs than I previously saw.
Aerotech SteelFiber Shaft Thread
Definitely. My misses are much closer together allowing more up and downs than I previously saw.
manlai
New member
My Aerotech Steelfiber write up, Part 1
As promised (whether you want it or not), here's my write up on the new object of my affections. I think I've even been creeping around whispering "my precious" to them at night. As the picture in my earlier post showed, I ended up with them in all my irons and wedges because I want that consistency. I'll go into more detail in Part 2.
Background:
I was introduced to these shafts during my fitting this year. I have used both steel and graphite shafts in my golfing life so I was very intrigued when my fitter told me about them. *insert details about the steel/graphite combo yaddi ya* I don't have any injuries I was trying to alleviate so I was looking for shafts purely for performance - manageable backspin, distance, and dispersion. I didn't mind the added benefit of a little more shock absorption.
Fitting by the numbers:
I was gaming lighter shafts before this. After some baseline hits and discussion, it was determined that those older shafts were too light as dispersion was higher than I wanted, backspin was too high, and distance was down. We found a sweet spot in the 95g range, which eliminated pretty much all graphite shafts. They're all too light or heavy or the flex isn't right. It came down to 3 possibilities: Nippon NS Pro 950, KBS 90, and the Aerotech i95 (reg flex). The heads were Mizuno 825 pros. These were the results of the session. I figure I'd include all 3 for comparison.
Bear in mind that this was February so my swing was a little rusty, ball striking was a bit hinky, and I probably didn't step on it as much as I would mid-season.
KBS 90
They really didn't work for me. I hit these second after the Nippons and I just couldn't find a groove with them. There's not much more to be said other than that. I actually hit more than 3 shots with them and these were all that were kept because the others were bad and didn't offer meaningful data.
Nippon NS Pro 950
I gamed the 750s before this so the 950s felt very familiar. I can't say anything bad about them. The cost was good and the performance was good. They do give a ton of feedback though. If you're a feel guy (which I'm not), it'll give you feedback on every kind of hit. I ended up using these and the Aerotechs for testing other heads.
Aerotech i95
These felt great. They didn't whip and weren't deadened or muted like graphites. They did absorb some shock but I have to say I had no trouble still feeling every shot. The best way I can describe it is that I got the feedback but not the sting. As you can see, the launch, spin, and carry were very similar to the 950. On top of that, even the bad shots got downrange well enough. Dispersion was about as good, maybe a hair better on the Aerotechs. Totally non-helpful comment time: they just FELT like iron shafts.
Post Fitting retry:
I learned from the last time that I should get more than 1 go at it to make a decision. Besides, it was February and a little more practice might yield a better result. I have a good relationship with the guy who runs the golf dome near here. He had a mizuno fitting cart sitting around and he let me just pay for range time while hitting stuff off the cart. I wrench in the Nippons and went to work. I really wanted to pick the Nippons since OEMs offer them so they are much much cheaper and quicker to get. I didn't have a LM but the dome was over 100 yards long so I had more ball flight to look at. The dome was warm so conditions were pretty normal. Long story short, the results looked every bit as good as before, but my hands were on fire after a very large bucket. Every struck ball, good or bad, had a fair amount of feedback and it eventually wore me down. In fact, the stock True Tempers were easier on my hands and this brought the Aerotechs back into the conversation.
I took an Aerotech iron out for another spin. Once again, they performed. I was paying particular attention to shot feedback on good and bad hits. They felt like they did before, feedback but not sting. The next day, my hands felt fresh and fine.
The Takeaway:
Crap, time to spend a lot of extra money.
Coming up in Part 2:
Sucked it up and bought them, got them installed, now what?
Questions, comments, and chocolate chip cookies most welcomed.
As promised (whether you want it or not), here's my write up on the new object of my affections. I think I've even been creeping around whispering "my precious" to them at night. As the picture in my earlier post showed, I ended up with them in all my irons and wedges because I want that consistency. I'll go into more detail in Part 2.
Background:
I was introduced to these shafts during my fitting this year. I have used both steel and graphite shafts in my golfing life so I was very intrigued when my fitter told me about them. *insert details about the steel/graphite combo yaddi ya* I don't have any injuries I was trying to alleviate so I was looking for shafts purely for performance - manageable backspin, distance, and dispersion. I didn't mind the added benefit of a little more shock absorption.
Fitting by the numbers:
I was gaming lighter shafts before this. After some baseline hits and discussion, it was determined that those older shafts were too light as dispersion was higher than I wanted, backspin was too high, and distance was down. We found a sweet spot in the 95g range, which eliminated pretty much all graphite shafts. They're all too light or heavy or the flex isn't right. It came down to 3 possibilities: Nippon NS Pro 950, KBS 90, and the Aerotech i95 (reg flex). The heads were Mizuno 825 pros. These were the results of the session. I figure I'd include all 3 for comparison.
Bear in mind that this was February so my swing was a little rusty, ball striking was a bit hinky, and I probably didn't step on it as much as I would mid-season.
KBS 90
They really didn't work for me. I hit these second after the Nippons and I just couldn't find a groove with them. There's not much more to be said other than that. I actually hit more than 3 shots with them and these were all that were kept because the others were bad and didn't offer meaningful data.
Nippon NS Pro 950
I gamed the 750s before this so the 950s felt very familiar. I can't say anything bad about them. The cost was good and the performance was good. They do give a ton of feedback though. If you're a feel guy (which I'm not), it'll give you feedback on every kind of hit. I ended up using these and the Aerotechs for testing other heads.
Aerotech i95
These felt great. They didn't whip and weren't deadened or muted like graphites. They did absorb some shock but I have to say I had no trouble still feeling every shot. The best way I can describe it is that I got the feedback but not the sting. As you can see, the launch, spin, and carry were very similar to the 950. On top of that, even the bad shots got downrange well enough. Dispersion was about as good, maybe a hair better on the Aerotechs. Totally non-helpful comment time: they just FELT like iron shafts.
Post Fitting retry:
I learned from the last time that I should get more than 1 go at it to make a decision. Besides, it was February and a little more practice might yield a better result. I have a good relationship with the guy who runs the golf dome near here. He had a mizuno fitting cart sitting around and he let me just pay for range time while hitting stuff off the cart. I wrench in the Nippons and went to work. I really wanted to pick the Nippons since OEMs offer them so they are much much cheaper and quicker to get. I didn't have a LM but the dome was over 100 yards long so I had more ball flight to look at. The dome was warm so conditions were pretty normal. Long story short, the results looked every bit as good as before, but my hands were on fire after a very large bucket. Every struck ball, good or bad, had a fair amount of feedback and it eventually wore me down. In fact, the stock True Tempers were easier on my hands and this brought the Aerotechs back into the conversation.
I took an Aerotech iron out for another spin. Once again, they performed. I was paying particular attention to shot feedback on good and bad hits. They felt like they did before, feedback but not sting. The next day, my hands felt fresh and fine.
The Takeaway:
Crap, time to spend a lot of extra money.
Coming up in Part 2:
Sucked it up and bought them, got them installed, now what?
Questions, comments, and chocolate chip cookies most welcomed.
mikedean441
6X HOF
Ohhhh I cliffhanger, can't wait for the sequel
I sooooo wanted to hit these shafts at my fitting but somehow managed to resist, I know how you feel
Speedliner
Active member
Lol Hawk.
Come on now those are the best kind!!!
And with these I really think graphite could help a lot of people by switching them in their irons!
Zenger
Gunga... Gunga Galooga
Another great round ball striking yesterday. I haven't hit my irons this well since high school. It's effortless, so smooth, the trajectory is perfect, the ability to work the ball high low left right is unrivaled. Now if only there was such a fix for my short game.
Music City
New member
I really want to try these out and hope to soon
StanTheCaddy
Who wants 2 have some fun
- Thread starter
- #35
So I picked up my R11 6 iron with the Aerotech SteelFiber i95. Haven't hit it yet but here's some pics of the shaft installed and how it compares to the KBS 90.
StanTheCaddy
Who wants 2 have some fun
- Thread starter
- #36
So I got a chance to hit the Aerotech SteelFiber i95 vs. KBS 90 head to head at the range today. Unfortunately the grip on the Aerotech feels huge and I need to get it replaced. I may have gotten the wrong size but it felt too big in my hand. I'm going to bring it this weekend to get it re-gripped to feel more standard. I will say that in the swings I did get in, I noticed a dampening affect on each swing. While I'm not someone who has any joint problems I can tell that these will definitely be easier on the joints than the KBS 90's.
Stan,
How did the i95's compare to the KBS 90's in ball flight, distance, and dispersion during your intial, if somewhat limited, head to head at the range?
The discussion so far has piqued my interest in these shafts. I look forward to hearing everyones thoughts and learning as much as possible about them.
StanTheCaddy
Who wants 2 have some fun
- Thread starter
- #38
It's still pretty tough to give an accurate assessment at the moment. I did notice that on solid shots the flight was a little lower than the KBS 90's which is a good thing for me. I've been hitting the ball too high lately and have seen some loss in distance. I'm really excited to get this re-gripped on Friday so I can put these through a thorough head to head comparison.
TripleBogieTim
Long lost sheep
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 22,240
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- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Handicap
- my swing
Glad to hear these are performing well for everyone...can't wait for my J40's to get here...I don't think I have ever been so excited to hit irons in my life!
Ok Guys,
After doing some research, am I correct in making the following statement?
The i95's 95 gram weight should increase my clubhead speed over my 118 gram PX's while maintaining approximately the same 5.5 flex?
My previous gamers (MP-60's) had 104 gram DG SL's and my ball flight characteristics appear to be the same as
my current MP-67's with the PX's. My W.A.G.(math based off the DG SL's) was that since going up 14 grams didn't seem to change anything going down 9 grams shouldn't either.
If I am correct, possibly adding some distance to my current mid/high ball flight seems like a no brainer. The only downside I see is the cost or am I missing something?
After doing some research, am I correct in making the following statement?
The i95's 95 gram weight should increase my clubhead speed over my 118 gram PX's while maintaining approximately the same 5.5 flex?
My previous gamers (MP-60's) had 104 gram DG SL's and my ball flight characteristics appear to be the same as
my current MP-67's with the PX's. My W.A.G.(math based off the DG SL's) was that since going up 14 grams didn't seem to change anything going down 9 grams shouldn't either.
If I am correct, possibly adding some distance to my current mid/high ball flight seems like a no brainer. The only downside I see is the cost or am I missing something?
Last edited:
manlai
New member
Club head speed, yes. Distance, not necessarily. The spin numbers and shot dispersion could drastically change things for you. It's possible that your backspin would increase with the lighter shaft to the point where you'd lose distance. I went heavier in weight to the i95s. Club head speed went down slightly, but distance went up and dispersion was tighter. It's really a fitting issue.
Manlai,
Thank you for your response. I feel like an idiot, I'm posting at work and completely forgot to add the following info to my post.
My previous gamers (MP-60's) had 104 gram DG SL's and my ball flight characteristics appear to be the same as
my current MP-67's with the PX's. My W.A.G.(math based off the DG SL's) was that since going up 14 grams didn't seem to change anything going down 9 grams shouldn't either.
With this additional somewhat important information do you think I'm completely offbase in my thinking?
manlai
New member
I understand where you're coming from, but with your current setup you'd be changing 23g of weight and that's what it will feel like. Around 10g might not be noticeable but 20+ is a pretty obvious swing weight change. There's a whole slew of potential issues aside from what I already mentioned like how the much lighter shaft would change your swing path or encourage a hook. To be clear, those are all just potential issues as there's a lot of different things that can occur to different golfers by making a relatively simple change as heavier/lighter shaft. Some people go a little longer on a lighter shaft to compensate. There's just so many variables that's usually resolved at a fitting. The steelfibers do come in other weights so you're not stuck on 95g.
There's no reason not to try though. I would caution against buying a full set and replacing them all at once. Start easy and maybe start with a 6 or 7 iron.
manlai,
Aww, where's the fun in that. Yes, provided I am unable to conduct a fitting I would definitely start slow. Either way I would take my MP-60's out of mothballs and game them again so the weight change wouldn't be too drastic. I'm a sweeper so fortunately I don't suffer from joint pain. My interest in the various "steel like" graphite shafts is strictly from a game improvement aspect not from pain management so I don't have to rush into anything.
BTW where's part 2 ? You left us hanging back at post #27
manlai
New member
These are definitely performance graphite composite shafts. They can and will do anything a steel shaft can do. The shock absorption is just a happy bonus. As I said earlier, they are available in several weights so you have some options. Is increasing swing speed your only reason for considering the i95?
Haha, I didn't think anyone was reading part 1 judging from the response. I've been hacking away at the range here and there and plan to get a few rounds in this weekend. I'll have parts 2 and 3 next week.
Actually hoping for a bit more distance. I'm not tied to the i95 I was just thinking the 80 would be too large of a jump.
I'm lucky in that I strike my irons fairly well so I don't need help getting the ball airborne. As slow as my SS is I could easily game traditional graphite, I just don't want to give up the accuracy. Though to be honest I haven't swung a graphite shafted iron in years so I'm sure they have improved.
Part 2 & 3 so you have been holding out on us.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
Speedliner
Active member
I put a 95cw R shaft in a 50* head. I really like it. It is about 5 yards short of the same head with the Accra SP shaft, or the OEM AW that I replaced. It is however very accurate. Online accuracy is excellent. Can't explain why. I never thought shafts in a wedge made a big difference, but this is different. It feels firmer than a DG Spinner in terms of stability, but softer than any steel shaft I've had in a wedge. There's no sign of wobble or torque, even on mishits. Distance is very consistent.
I've never had such consistency from a wedge before. The razr x AW was too lively with the OEM shaft. The DG Spinners better, but not so great on full shots IME. The Accra SP is also great in every way, but a little heavier than I preferred. The aerotech seems perfect.
- light, but not too light.
- accurate in both line and distance
- shock free, while retaining feel
Any decent swing, full, or not launches a dart. It's really very satisfying and confidence inspiring. It won't turn a bad swing into a good one, but holds up its end very well. I'm really enjoying this shaft and will soon upgrade my other wedges.
Great performance at a reasonable upgrade price. So even though I didn't expect a shaft to make a significant difference in a wedge, I do think they are worth the $ for a club that I use so often.
I've never had such consistency from a wedge before. The razr x AW was too lively with the OEM shaft. The DG Spinners better, but not so great on full shots IME. The Accra SP is also great in every way, but a little heavier than I preferred. The aerotech seems perfect.
- light, but not too light.
- accurate in both line and distance
- shock free, while retaining feel
Any decent swing, full, or not launches a dart. It's really very satisfying and confidence inspiring. It won't turn a bad swing into a good one, but holds up its end very well. I'm really enjoying this shaft and will soon upgrade my other wedges.
Great performance at a reasonable upgrade price. So even though I didn't expect a shaft to make a significant difference in a wedge, I do think they are worth the $ for a club that I use so often.
golfinFF
Active member
Zenger, or anyone else that may have some thoughts.
how do you think theses would fit into my ci11's?
Would these bring the ball flight down to a mid-flight?, compared to the high flight I'm seeing out of the stock flighted shaft?
how do you think theses would fit into my ci11's?
Would these bring the ball flight down to a mid-flight?, compared to the high flight I'm seeing out of the stock flighted shaft?
Zenger
Gunga... Gunga Galooga
Certainly. I think you'd be very happy with them.
golfinFF
Active member
I know I liked the feel of them when I hit your J-38's and liked the ball flight as it seemed lower than my current ball flight. My current flight isn't helping me in the wind.
Debating on going with a xtsiff or possibly hard stepping the stiff once.
Debating on going with a xtsiff or possibly hard stepping the stiff once.