TaylorMade SpeedBlade Irons Review Thread

[Kujan]

Compared to my 712 AP1s the SBs have very similar offset, but the shaft is lighter, and the lengths are a little longer from the 6-iron to the 4-iron, and the lofts are dramatically lower except for the PW and AW. Not sure if these differences alone account for most of the increase in distance.

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[Porky]

Technology is there, the slot will help get the ball in the air. So in theory, a SB 7 iron is easier to launch than a regular 6 iron (same club shaft length and loft).




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[NoLine]

I've tried the SB on and off and never got along with the stock steel. A trip down the path with the KBS C-Taper was OK but not enough to move the needle. Over the past week I've been swinging a 7 irons with a PX 5.5 shaft in it and the club is night and day different then my previous attempts. The distances are reliably accurate, the weighting slots me into a great compression point and dispersion is basically a straight ball. I've probably going to reshaft the rest of the set I have lying around into these shafts to see if I've found something or if it's just fools gold. Either way I'm looking forward to some trial and error.

 

[#troy]

Saw this on twitter this morning. The Speed Pocket World Challenge is happening today in several locations. Looks pretty cool

 

[ShanksaloT]

Was at the range last night and demoed a 7 iron to compare to my Burner 2.0s and while I liked the sound, the feel felt different. But not bad

I felt the distance was very similar to my burner 2.0s but the speed blades maybe about 5 yards longer or so. (Also, when put down next to each other at address they look the same and wee the same length which I thought was awesome)

however, what really stood out was how even on misfits the ball on the speed blade went almost as far as a well struck shot, just not as high...definitely very forgiving.

I just might be looking on this forum in a few months for a set in stiff flex if anyone is looking to part with them!

All in all, I enjoyed hitting these.

 

[Martsy]

just picked up an extra 6i and a 680 F4 Recoil shaft. Going to do side by side testing with the stock shaft to see what if any different results i get. they're roughly the same weight (82v85g)


edit: and no sooner did i do that, i get an email from TM saying I've been chosen to test their 6i with Velox Shaft...looks like I'm going to get a 3-way comparison.

 

[GE4x4]

That's a real good price right now. Go get that AW though. You're going to need it. My gap between my SW and PW is 45 yards.

Ordered one today. http://Intheholegolf.com has a 15% sale in which the SB irons were accepted. Most sales still won't take the SB's.

 

[Golfever]

My irons are being shipped also. Should arrive on Monday. I've decided to play these for awhile to get a good idea on distances before I put the C Taper Lite shafts in them. I also received an Email from Taylormade saying I won a 6 iron. I will put this up for ThP members to try. Just pay for shipping.

 

[brepublican]

Can I have it please? I don't live close to where I can try these and this would be a great help! Thanks!

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[Golfever]

It is yours brepublican.:act-up:

 

[captaincaution]

Has anyone else used the wedges in this line? Tonight I was working on some bunker shots in a pretty wet bunker, and the SB sand wedge made these shots effortless. Commit to the shot and let the bounce do its work. Very pleased with that tonight.

 

[baldguy]

I am currently gaming the 55* and 60* from the speedblade set. I'm not totally sold on them, but I love the PW. I kind of wish the leading edge was a bit sharper on the wedges to cut into the turf better. From the sand though, they both have been great.

 

[captaincaution]

I am currently gaming the 55* and 60* from the speedblade set. I'm not totally sold on them, but I love the PW. I kind of wish the leading edge was a bit sharper on the wedges to cut into the turf better. From the sand though, they both have been great.

That ATV grind on the wedges is the real deal. I've found them to be quite versatile.

 

[KellyBo]

I just received a Taylormade SpeedBlade 6i in graphite "M" flex (senior). I thought OG was going to cry because I got something from Taylormade and he didn't. I must have signed up for the demo club a while back. Looking forward to giving it a try.

 

[ddec]

I just received a Taylormade SpeedBlade 6i in "M" flex (senior). I thought OG was going to cry because I got something from Taylormade and he didn't. I must have signed up for the demo club a while back. Looking forward to giving it a try.

show him out to hit it KB!

 

[mark blanchard]

Has anyone else used the wedges in this line? Tonight I was working on some bunker shots in a pretty wet bunker, and the SB sand wedge made these shots effortless. Commit to the shot and let the bounce do its work. Very pleased with that tonight.

I started out with ATV wedges mated to my Rbladez set, then I got the SB's and had to get the SB wedges too. I kept the AW since it's only used for full shots, but I have to confess that while the SB wedges were okay, I didn't like them as much as the ATV's that they replaced. I liked the 60 degree LW least of all.

Ruing my error and hasty resale of the ATV's, I purchased some Japan-only carbon steel ATV's and now I'm happy again. They have a smoky finish, unlike the bright chrome of the normal U.S. chrome Atv's and this matches the look of the SB's nicely. (They also have milled faces, not micro-etched and are forged, not cast.) In comparing the "ATV" grind of the SB wedges to real ATV's, I found that the soles aren't quite as wide on the SB's and the heels aren't ground down as much. The SB's have too much blocky and sharp edged mass on their heels for me. This wasn't so much of a problem on full shots or out of the sand, but on hard-pan open-faced flops it was. The true ATV slides back on the grass and under the ball, but the SB's seemed to "catch" or "snag" on the turf going back and bounce too much going through.

Just my two bits. If you do go back to true ATV's though, remember that they will have shorter shafts and not go quite as far. You might try bumping the degrees up a notch or two as I did, going to 54 and 58 ATV's vs. 55 and 60 SB's.

 

[Evok]

Sorry for skimming guy's, but is anyone using kbs tour or tour 90s in these? Comparison to stock shaft for you personally? Ive only been able to hit the stock stiff and kbs tour reg which I didnt like. The stock stiff was giving me much better numbers and the feel was great. I thought perhaps the softer flex and heavier weight would feel good but it was awful. Just curious on how you liked the other shafts. Im hoping to try the kbs tour again but in stiff this time or even the tour 90 in stiff.

 

[captaincaution]

Sorry for skimming guy's, but is anyone using kbs tour or tour 90s in these? Comparison to stock shaft for you personally? Ive only been able to hit the stock stiff and kbs tour reg which I didnt like. The stock stiff was giving me much better numbers and the feel was great. I thought perhaps the softer flex and heavier weight would feel good but it was awful. Just curious on how you liked the other shafts. Im hoping to try the kbs tour again but in stiff this time or even the tour 90 in stiff.

I'm gaming these with KBS Tour stiff. I went through a fitting at the TMPL in my area, and the Tours were giving me the best results. The stock was just too light for me. I'm really enjoying these clubs. Trust them to do the work, and you will be in for a treat. Obviously, results will vary based on your own swing.

 

[Evok]

I'm gaming these with KBS Tour stiff. I went through a fitting at the TMPL in my area, and the Tours were giving me the best results. The stock was just too light for me. I'm really enjoying these clubs. Trust them to do the work, and you will be in for a treat. Obviously, results will vary based on your own swing.

For sure. I fall into the category right between reg and stiff so I was experimenting with the heavier and softer but couldn't get along with it. Hopefully the stiff will feel better.

 

[mark blanchard]

Sorry for skimming guy's, but is anyone using kbs tour or tour 90s in these? Comparison to stock shaft for you personally? Ive only been able to hit the stock stiff and kbs tour reg which I didnt like. The stock stiff was giving me much better numbers and the feel was great. I thought perhaps the softer flex and heavier weight would feel good but it was awful. Just curious on how you liked the other shafts. Im hoping to try the kbs tour again but in stiff this time or even the tour 90 in stiff.

I hit them in both KBS 95 stiff and stock 85 stiff. The biggest difference for me was a noticeably lower ball flight with the KBS.

 

[mark blanchard]

One more word on the SB wedges. I also note that they DO NOT have micro-etched or milled faces as the ATV's do. Just plain smooth faces. Personally, I'll take the extra spin that a roughed up face (either Micro or Milled) will give a wedge.

Here's a pic of an ATV I currently play, custom painted to match my SB set. The bothersome block or ridge on the heel of the SB doesn't show so well in this photo but the face differences are pronounced.

 

[ezellmer]

I was fitted for SB at the TMPL in Madison last fall. Ordered them in January and finally played 3 outdoor rounds in Florida with them last week. I have the Dynamic Gold Superlite S300 shafts in them which are I guess about 107 grams. I typically hit the ball very high and these shafts were to bring my ball flight down.

In 3 rounds I can say I absolutely love the feel at contact with these irons. The added weight of the shafts seems to allow me to bring a much smoother swing and better tempo. 8 iron was absolutely money and approaching the distance of my former 7 iron (150-155). The launch is lower and seems to be more efficient in getting more distance compared to my Burner 2.0s with stock stiff 85 gram shaft. I still can't hit a 5 iron to save my life but that has nothing to do with the clubs.

 

[captaincaution]

One more word on the SB wedges. I also note that they DO NOT have micro-etched or milled faces as the ATV's do. Just plain smooth faces. Personally, I'll take the extra spin that a roughed up face (either Micro or Milled) will give a wedge.

Here's a pic of an ATV I currently play, custom painted to match my SB set. The bothersome block or ridge on the heel of the SB doesn't show so well in this photo but the face differences are pronounced.

Thanks for those photos Mark. The way I understand it, though is that face milling doesn't really affect spin that much. Can anyone who knows more about that offer up any info?

 

[cbill]

After a few weeks flirtation with my old irons (lessons, and practice, and I'm stupid) I put these back in my bag for my simulator round tonight and I absolutely could not be any happier. I am two full club lengths longer with the SpeedBlades, and my mishits are definitely not as penal. I struggle to find words to describe how much better of a fit these irons are for me than my last set--and I was convinced I'd never replace my last set. I'm no longer pondering a shaft change or even having them bent to my specifications, they simply worked that well for me tonight. In love all over again.....

Those are my thoughts almost exactly! I received my 6i last Friday, and took it to the range to test it against my Bladez that barely have the new worn off. I firmly felt I would never need another iron set. Now I am deeply confused. That 6i just seemed to fit me perfectly. The swing was effortless, contact was consistently good, and the dispersion pattern was considerably tighter than my Bladez 6i. Now I am in a dark yet delightful ponder. Should I be mad or happy. All I know is I can't wait to swing that 6i some more. Hope the rain ends before tomorrow.
,

 

[Texasbrons]

Thanks for those photos Mark. The way I understand it, though is that face milling doesn't really affect spin that much. Can anyone who knows more about that offer up any info?

I was going to say the same thing. I saw a video once with a guy hitting a milled wedge and a perfectly smooth faced one and he was able to draw the ball back the same with both. The important thing is swing plane, hitting down on the ball, and how you make impact. That being said, that may be true for pros or really really consistent players, but for us regular hacks, who don't have perfect swings, I would think that the grooves and milling would help, but I could be wrong.