TaylorMade SpeedBlade Irons Review Thread

[mark blanchard]

Yes, our sales data uses every last piece of info.
Sales reports from places like Golf DataTech do not use manufacturer info.

So then the SB is losing marketshare and sales are slowing?

Has another later released product bumped it down? (Apex? BioCell?) Is it reaching the end of it's product life cycle? (Lord knows TMag products have the shelf lives of fruit flies.) Or did it lose momentum due to the release of the very fine and arguably somewhat similar sister-product Tour Preferreds? (This is where I would put my money.)

You probably can't repost your data because of copyrights and you have to subscribe to it, correct?

 

[JB]

So then the SB is losing marketshare and sales are slowing?

Has another later released product bumped it down? (Apex? BioCell?) Is it reaching the end of it's product life cycle? (Lord knows TMag products have the shelf lives of fruit flies.) Or did it lose momentum due to the release of the very fine and arguably somewhat similar sister-product Tour Preferreds? (This is where I would put my money.)

You probably can't repost your data because of copyrights and you have to subscribe to it, correct?

That is not really what I said.
And no, we do not disclose our data, but do share as much knowledge as we can. That is one of the major goals at THP.
I was just posting in response to the post insinuating that sales were on the rise.
As of right now, I am not seeing that.

 

[mark blanchard]

That is not really what I said.
And no, we do not disclose our data, but do share as much knowledge as we can. That is one of the major goals at THP.
I was just posting in response to the post insinuating that sales were on the rise.
As of right now, I am not seeing that.

I understand about the need to be clear and discrete.

Just so there is no confusion about what I said, I did not mean to imply that total SALES (either sales volumes or MSRP) were on the rise for the SB. I'm saying that average used club resale prices on Ebay for Speedblades have risen from November to now, indicating an increase in demand for these clubs relative to supply among bargain hunters looking for irons with buzz. That sales forum by its very nature is a trailing indicator. It shows you what the market is thinking after the dust starts settling.

Further cluttering our overall analysis, I just read at Golf Data Tech that the SB's category of irons (Game Improvement) has experienced an unprecedented rise in popularity all through 2013, with robust sales, and that this high tide that was continuing into November! What can be made of this high tide? Is the SB partially responsible for it? How should we measure a possible February ebb against a 2013 tsunami? All good questions.

 

[JB]

I think people overestimate ebay as a sales "regulator" compared to total golf sales. It makes up a fraction.

EDIT: To clarify, I believe what you read was a Golf Digest blurb that Golf Datatech has on its website. Golf Datatech does not really publish their own reports.

 

[brepublican]

Man, $350 is a hell of deal on the Speedblade! I'd snap it up at that price!

But was that price the norm, or did you just get a steal?? Ebay can sometimes be a crap shoot, even for determining resale value. I've heard of guys getting ridiculous prices because an item was misspelt and not easily searchable, or because the pics or description weren't the best...

I've been looking around eBay since my interest got perked earlier in the week, and around $500 for a 4 - AW brand new set seems to be the bargain price.

 

[GE4x4]

I got my set on the bay (4-pw,SW) for $475 shipped a little less the 2 months ago, but really haven't seen new prices like that in awhile. In fact I just saw a used 10 club set all stock sell for $785. So the prices are holding tight or slightly more since I got my set.

 

[O'Carroll]

For you guys that recently ordered/received them. Did you guys post any thoughts in this thread? I may have missed it, but I am curious as to what you are seeing from the irons on the course? Was it what you were expecting from them? Did you hit them prior to buying? Were you fit for them? Is there anything you like, or dislike, that maybe hasn't been mentioned in this thread? Etc.

Just wanted to add thanks again to many here for your thoughts, reviews etc.
picked up my speedblades today, 5 to PW + AW (which will arrive next week)
stock velox R flex shafts.
Tried a number of shaft configurations and also similar for the mizuno jpx ez, bio cells, ping g25 etc. speedblades came out most favourably on the monitor. High long and forgiving with a surprisingly good dispersion result.
just need it to stop raining. Can't wait to get out with them...
cheers all

Nice. I tried both myself multiple times before picking the Speedblades. They beat out the Tour Preferred CB's for me in every way possible performance wise. Just dont look as nice in the bag, but performance is more important.

Mine were ordered via Nevada Bob's with custom shafts and do not have the blue caps on the grips.

Yea, not sure I can back that up. On 10/22 I bought a 4-AW set from a reputable dealer (verified authentic) off ebay for $659.99, and I see he's now 4 months later he's selling the same set for $599.

I got my set on the bay (4-pw,SW) for $475 shipped a little less the 2 months ago, but really haven't seen new prices like that in awhile. In fact I just saw a used 10 club set a stock sell for $785. So the prices are holding tight or slightly more since I got my set.

 

[GE4x4]

I was only able to try mine at a range and they felt real good. They did everything that I was reading about them. So I found the set on eBay and then had them fitted for loft and lie. But as you know living in NY, we just have way to much snow for the course. But I have no doubt I will be well pleased once I get to really use them. I can't wait.

 

[mark blanchard]

Man, $350 is a hell of deal on the Speedblade! I'd snap it up at that price!

But was that price the norm, or did you just get a steal?? Ebay can sometimes be a crap shoot, even for determining resale value. I've heard of guys getting ridiculous prices because an item was misspelt and not easily searchable, or because the pics or description weren't the best...

I've been looking around eBay since my interest got perked earlier in the week, and around $500 for a 4 - AW brand new set seems to be the bargain price.

I agree with JB that total Ebay sales by volume of clubs are INSIGNIFICANT for the manufacturers. However it is, or should be, VERY SIGNIFICANT to savvy THP shoppers looking for screaming deals. Everyone in the country can buy there, as opposed to the few folks who can drive to say your local Edwin Watts and haggle with Joe the college golfer sales clerk. I'm happy that the manufacturers don't care about what's traded on Ebay, let them continue to not care, that way they won't police the retail stores who are dumping excess product on-line for undermarket prices. Anyone who wants to pay full retail at a pro shop can also continue not to care. The more who don't care, the better prices for me.

Brepublican -- You are correct, if you look on line right now $500 will be a very good price! That's what I'm saying. $500 - $600 is what they're going for now. Don't wait to pull the trigger, they are worth it at that price. I think they are worth it at full MSRP! Two months ago they were cheaper, I don't know why. I can only attribute it to higher demand and smaller supply right now.

Perhaps these observations have no value in a larger sense. Perhaps they are a market barometer. I don't really care as long as I can continue to buy what I want cheap.

You are also right about some of the tricks. One trick I use is the spelling variants. Look for folks who erroneously post an auction as "Speed blades" or "Speedbladez". Fewer people will find it and the price stays lower. I got very lucky with mine, I'll admit. Yes, I'm always hawking bargains, but in my case the brick and mortar store offering my clubs SOLD the "demo" set I won before they could ship it to me. Rather than cancel the auction as I would have done, they honored it with a matching set of unhit clubs. That's one stand up guy. I would never have done that. Another trick is to watch for auctions that end at odd times, mid week. They never get as much traffic. Also look for sellers who don't know what they're doing. If you see one bargain, check their store for other stuff on sale. (Yes, I have bought clubs from WIVES dumping their husbands clubs.)

There are many tricks, but the first trick is just to go look. It's just as easy as driving to your local Edwin Watts.

 

[mark blanchard]

I think people overestimate ebay as a sales "regulator" compared to total golf sales. It makes up a fraction.

EDIT: To clarify, I believe what you read was a Golf Digest blurb that Golf Datatech has on its website. Golf Datatech does not really publish their own reports.

If you read that Golf Datatech blurb closely you see that they are quoting a Golf Digest article that in turn quotes from their own (Golf Data tech) research.

I quote, "Through 2013’s first nine months, iron sales had their best performance since 2008, Golf Datatech reports." http://www.golfdatatech.com/2013/11/while-the-iron-is-hot/

 

[Golfever]

I was in Little Rock yesterday and stopped at Edwin Watts store. They still haven't received their fitting cart yet. But he did tape up a 7 iron and confirmed the same numbers I got at Dicks. 179 yard carry and total of 184 yard average out of ten shots. I still feel like the stock shaft feel lite but I am gaming a 130 gram DG S300 right now.

But after reading through the KBS C Taper Lite Thread, I am in ponder mode to get the CTL s put in the Speedblade.

 

[O'Carroll]

I was in Little Rock yesterday and stopped at Edwin Watts store. They still haven't received their fitting cart yet. But he did tape up a 7 iron and confirmed the same numbers I got at Dicks. 179 yard carry and total of 184 yard average out of ten shots. I still feel like the stock shaft feel lite but I am gaming a 130 gram DG S300 right now.

But after reading through the KBS C Taper Lite Thread, I am in ponder mode to get the CTL s put in the Speedblade.

I think the CTL is a good option for maintaining launch with added weight. Jman and #cookie really liked that combination. I took two swings with that combo, on a day I was hitting the ball terribly, so I'll leave my comments as is above.

 

[Porky]

The 3 iron is hard to hit.. Shaft is just too long...


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[brepublican]

Thanks for the tips Mark! I'll def be keeping that in mind!

And what d'you think of the stock stiff shaft on the Speeeblade? I currently game R11s with the stock KBS 90 in stiff, do you think they'd be ok? Bc I don't know if it'd be worth it to get the Speedblade, even at a bargain, then have to upgrade the shafts. Would Taylormade even do something like this, anyone know?



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[StanTheCaddy]

Thanks for the tips Mark! I'll def be keeping that in mind!

And what d'you think of the stock stiff shaft on the Speeeblade? I currently game R11s with the stock KBS 90 in stiff, do you think they'd be ok? Bc I don't know if it'd be worth it to get the Speedblade, even at a bargain, then have to upgrade the shafts. Would Taylormade even do something like this, anyone know?



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I have the R11's with the KBS 90's in them. I had no issues with the stock shaft when I demoed the Speedblades but if you order from TaylorMade directly the KBS 90 is a free upgrade.

 

[O'Carroll]

Thanks for the tips Mark! I'll def be keeping that in mind!

And what d'you think of the stock stiff shaft on the Speeeblade? I currently game R11s with the stock KBS 90 in stiff, do you think they'd be ok? Bc I don't know if it'd be worth it to get the Speedblade, even at a bargain, then have to upgrade the shafts. Would Taylormade even do something like this, anyone know?



Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

I have the R11's with the KBS 90's in them. I had no issues with the stock shaft when I demoed the Speedblades but if you order from TaylorMade directly the KBS 90 is a free upgrade.

FWIW, I've been told that the shaft profile of the stock 85 gram SpeedBlade shafts is very similar to the KBS Tour 90. However, a free upgrade is a free upgrade IMO.

 

[mark blanchard]

They offer the KBS 90 so do it, but I gotta say like many others here -- I think the stock 85's are just dandy. I just changed my two wedges BACK to stock 85's after a failed experiment with DG Spinners.

 

[mark blanchard]

The 3 iron is hard to hit.. Shaft is just too long...


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Ya wanna sell it? I'm thinking of buying one.

 

[Thedoswells]

For you guys that recently ordered/received them. Did you guys post any thoughts in this thread? I may have missed it, but I am curious as to what you are seeing from the irons on the course? Was it what you were expecting from them? Did you hit them prior to buying? Were you fit for them? Is there anything you like, or dislike, that maybe hasn't been mentioned in this thread? Etc.

Hi.
I was fitted for mine, and ended up just making the decision to only go to a 5 at one end and AW at the other. Took them to the range yesterday for their first outing.
having had some surgery at the end of last year my swing is still restricted, but the clubs did feel pretty special. The longer irons flew long and high as people mention, but the 2 main surprises for me are:
A. How easy, buttery and sweet the wedges feel
B. The longer irons seem to fly with a different flight path. They seem to fly penetrating and far then drop more softly on to the target. Obviously I was on a range with range balls but this appears to indicate that they should hold the greens well compared to my current sticks.. Which are king cobra ssi irons.
Nothing to dislike yet, can't wait to get them on the course but too cold and wet here still.
best of luck to you...
steve

 

[mark blanchard]

Hi.
I was fitted for mine, and ended up just making the decision to only go to a 5 at one end and AW at the other. Took them to the range yesterday for their first outing.
having had some surgery at the end of last year my swing is still restricted, but the clubs did feel pretty special. The longer irons flew long and high as people mention, but the 2 main surprises for me are:
A. How easy, buttery and sweet the wedges feel
B. The longer irons seem to fly with a different flight path. They seem to fly penetrating and far then drop more softly on to the target. Obviously I was on a range with range balls but this appears to indicate that they should hold the greens well compared to my current sticks.. Which are king cobra ssi irons.
Nothing to dislike yet, can't wait to get them on the course but too cold and wet here still.
best of luck to you...
steve

I think that the "different path" that you mention is just the fact that the apex of the ball's height on the long irons is stretched further away than you are used to seeing, making them appear penetrating. I have a hard time judging how far my long irons are going because they get out farther than I can accurately judge distance with my eyes.

 

[Thedoswells]

I think that the "different path" that you mention is just the fact that the apex of the ball's height on the long irons is stretched further away than you are used to seeing, making them appear penetrating. I have a hard time judging how far my long irons are going because they get out farther than I can accurately judge distance with my eyes.

Hi. You're probably right. It just appears the the flight with my current irons is more of a parabola, whereas with these the flight seems drill straighter and higher and then fall more steeply. May well be an illusion, but anyway I'll be interested to see what happens on the course with proper golf balls etc..
cheers

 

[Philly Golf Guy]

Hi.
I was fitted for mine, and ended up just making the decision to only go to a 5 at one end and AW at the other. Took them to the range yesterday for their first outing.
having had some surgery at the end of last year my swing is still restricted, but the clubs did feel pretty special. The longer irons flew long and high as people mention, but the 2 main surprises for me are:
A. How easy, buttery and sweet the wedges feel
B. The longer irons seem to fly with a different flight path. They seem to fly penetrating and far then drop more softly on to the target. Obviously I was on a range with range balls but this appears to indicate that they should hold the greens well compared to my current sticks.. Which are king cobra ssi irons.
Nothing to dislike yet, can't wait to get them on the course but too cold and wet here still.
best of luck to you...
steve

This could be the low spin high launch characteristic of the irons. That's what I noticed with them and it does help hold greens for sure.

 

[brepublican]

FWIW, I've been told that the shaft profile of the stock 85 gram SpeedBlade shafts is very similar to the KBS Tour 90. However, a free upgrade is a free upgrade IMO.

Thanks for this info. I'll be making the trek to go and demo these this upcoming week hopefully. Then I'll give Taylormade a call to see if they'd still upgrade the shafts for free if I bought a brand new set but not from them. Hopefully I hit the stock stiff shaft well and it doesn't come to that, but it doesn't hurt to find out

 

[captaincaution]

More distance, higher launch, (mostly) straight shots, and forgiveness low on the face. I played 3 rounds with the SpeedBlades this weekend, and these are the things I saw out of them.

This being my first time out with the SpeedBlades, I was having some trouble clubbing for the correct distance. I was getting close to a club more length in the shorter irons, and easily a club with the longer irons. This mostly led to me clubbing for the center of the green and ending just off the back, which turned out to not be all that bad.

These clubs promise to offer higher launch even with lower loft, and I would tend to agree that this is the case. It is hard to make a comparison without being side by side, but I can easily say the height I was getting from these irons was higher than I saw with my old Nike clubs. Even with the 5 and 6 iron, I was able to get a higher shot out of the SpeedBlades. One shot that stands out was a 5 iron from just under 200 out that I got high and straight, with the non-urethane ball stopping 3 or 4 feet from the pitch mark. Long high and straight.

We all make bad swings from time to time, and that's definitely the case with me. If I got a little too quick or handsy, I would put the ball off line. My misses were some hooks, and only one slice. More me than the clubs, but would say it was easier to hit them straight than other clubs. Even when there was some wind later in the rounds we played, the shots I hit with these irons didn't seem to get affected by the wind much. Must be the lower spin these irons are supposed to produce.

Low on the face, the SpeedBlade shines. The miss low didn't seem to lose too much height, and the distance loss wasn't very severe either. I ended up overcooking a shot out of a fairway bunker that I caught in the low grooves with a high flight.

I also have the AW, SW, and LW with the set, and once I got some of the short game touch back, they performed well. Even the 60 degree LW was easy to hit. TM hit the nail on the head with the ATV grind on these wedges.

My swing is improving, and I'm excited to keep seeing good results with these irons.

 

[mark blanchard]

More distance, higher launch, (mostly) straight shots, and forgiveness low on the face. I played 3 rounds with the SpeedBlades this weekend, and these are the things I saw out of them.

This being my first time out with the SpeedBlades, I was having some trouble clubbing for the correct distance. I was getting close to a club more length in the shorter irons, and easily a club with the longer irons. This mostly led to me clubbing for the center of the green and ending just off the back, which turned out to not be all that bad.

These clubs promise to offer higher launch even with lower loft, and I would tend to agree that this is the case. It is hard to make a comparison without being side by side, but I can easily say the height I was getting from these irons was higher than I saw with my old Nike clubs. Even with the 5 and 6 iron, I was able to get a higher shot out of the SpeedBlades. One shot that stands out was a 5 iron from just under 200 out that I got high and straight, with the non-urethane ball stopping 3 or 4 feet from the pitch mark. Long high and straight.

We all make bad swings from time to time, and that's definitely the case with me. If I got a little too quick or handsy, I would put the ball off line. My misses were some hooks, and only one slice. More me than the clubs, but would say it was easier to hit them straight than other clubs. Even when there was some wind later in the rounds we played, the shots I hit with these irons didn't seem to get affected by the wind much. Must be the lower spin these irons are supposed to produce.

Low on the face, the SpeedBlade shines. The miss low didn't seem to lose too much height, and the distance loss wasn't very severe either. I ended up overcooking a shot out of a fairway bunker that I caught in the low grooves with a high flight.

I also have the AW, SW, and LW with the set, and once I got some of the short game touch back, they performed well. Even the 60 degree LW was easy to hit. TM hit the nail on the head with the ATV grind on these wedges.

My swing is improving, and I'm excited to keep seeing good results with these irons.

The only thing I don't like about the wedges is that the metal block on the back seems to catch in the rough more than it did with the ATV's. I find myself having to hover a lot of chips.

I let a college golfer who plays some old Hogan blades hit my SB's today. We had one par 3 that scoped at 220 to the stick. I hit 4 iron to the front. He was going to hit his own 4 iron, but he tried mine instead. He hit it 240, way over the back, super high. "That's way too high" he said, and he was right as his was maybe twice as high as mine. When we checked the lofts of our sets, his 2 iron was about the same as my 4. That's technology for you.