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EPON SUS316 Arrived - Full Review to follow

SuperStroke
Feel is totally subjective but quality of jdm equipment cannot be argued. Even my club guy has stated how well some of my drivers were made when doing work on them. If you order something to specs than you know that your getting it unlike clubs manufactured in china. Is that worth the extra money? Totally depends on the purchaser.
 
I think as a generalization JDM maintains tighter tolerances.

Are they better no I don't think so I think they have different things that are offered and many mistake that for being better. With that said my tour stages are some of the best feeling clubs I have ever hit. However I love the feel of almost all bridgestone irons which is what tourstage is.

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I just saw the prices of these things... holy smokes.
 
omg those are gorgeous. awesome!
 
adamw238 said:
Feel is all subjective and is going to vary person to person. There's a difference in sound with clubs that your brain perceives as feel, which is why there's so much tech going into vibration dampening and tuning. I'm not 100% sure on this, but it may be that JEMs have tighter tolerances and a more strict quality control over their products as opposed to mass produced global OEMs. But that's just a theory.
Click to expand...

I think you're spot on here on two accounts.

"Sound" plays a big part into what we perceive as "feel". It's the combination of senses that add together.

Secondly, when it comes to the boutique Japanese forging houses, they use different quality materials and manufacture to a set of specs as outlined by the client (club brand/producer). Endo forges clubs for a number of club brands, each to different specs, materials and tolerances. They make clubs for Epon, Tourstage, and a number of others. Epon is their boutique brand, so that's their showcase product. Miura forges their own. There are other forging houses, and some of them have locations in China and Thailand which lower costs over the Japanese locations and work with other companies to produce forgings at a lower margin.

As far as tolerances, take head weight. There's a targeted weight for any head produced. However, with mass production, there's going to be a good deal in discrepencies. Does it matter a lot? When a couple of grams determine swing weight, it does. For a club maker, it means an easy build rather than lightning heads or adding weight to balance them out or working from the shaft end. The end result is a less inconsistent feel across a set of clubs. Does it matter? Do you hit some clubs better than others? I thought I was good to go with my factory made Mizunos (Mizuno Yoro Craft withstanding as these are handmade to spec), but from the number of fitters I've talked to, even they can be way off on specs for the clubs they send out. Take two putters off the rack of the same make and model - does one feel better than the other?

The big question is, "So what? Does it matter?" and that comes down to the golfer. Golf is one of my passions. I play four days a week and want to make sure it's me and not my gear. Is there a reason I don't hit my 7i as well as my 6i and 8i? How important is how a shot feels if it comes "close" to the hole?

I'm not the best person to go into this, but if you get the opportunity to try Miura, Epon, TourStage, Royal Collection, Honma, Vega or other JDM equipment, give it a try. If you notice a difference, watch your wallet. If not, all is good. The first time I walked into a JDM store, I thought I was in an Asian wannabe store. Crazy names, funky designs and high prices. But once I started trying stuff out, I felt it was a different league than walking into a PGA superstore. Most of the JDM fitters in the US are top notch and will get you into something that's right for you, not following a big box memo of what the current promotion is.

Price is a factor. I hide my stuff from my bf who doesn't get it.
 
gingerista said:
I think you're spot on here on two accounts.

"Sound" plays a big part into what we perceive as "feel". It's the combination of senses that add together.

Secondly, when it comes to the boutique Japanese forging houses, they use different quality materials and manufacture to a set of specs as outlined by the client (club brand/producer). Endo forges clubs for a number of club brands, each to different specs, materials and tolerances. They make clubs for Epon, Tourstage, and a number of others. Epon is their boutique brand, so that's their showcase product. Miura forges their own. There are other forging houses, and some of them have locations in China and Thailand which lower costs over the Japanese locations and work with other companies to produce forgings at a lower margin.

As far as tolerances, take head weight. There's a targeted weight for any head produced. However, with mass production, there's going to be a good deal in discrepencies. Does it matter a lot? When a couple of grams determine swing weight, it does. For a club maker, it means an easy build rather than lightning heads or adding weight to balance them out or working from the shaft end. The end result is a less inconsistent feel across a set of clubs. Does it matter? Do you hit some clubs better than others? I thought I was good to go with my factory made Mizunos (Mizuno Yoro Craft withstanding as these are handmade to spec), but from the number of fitters I've talked to, even they can be way off on specs for the clubs they send out. Take two putters off the rack of the same make and model - does one feel better than the other?

The big question is, "So what? Does it matter?" and that comes down to the golfer. Golf is one of my passions. I play four days a week and want to make sure it's me and not my gear. Is there a reason I don't hit my 7i as well as my 6i and 8i? How important is how a shot feels if it comes "close" to the hole?

I'm not the best person to go into this, but if you get the opportunity to try Miura, Epon, TourStage, Royal Collection, Honma, Vega or other JDM equipment, give it a try. If you notice a difference, watch your wallet. If not, all is good. The first time I walked into a JDM store, I thought I was in an Asian wannabe store. Crazy names, funky designs and high prices. But once I started trying stuff out, I felt it was a different league than walking into a PGA superstore. Most of the JDM fitters in the US are top notch and will get you into something that's right for you, not following a big box memo of what the current promotion is.

Price is a factor. I hide my stuff from my bf who doesn't get it.
Click to expand...

This is about the best way i could have explained it, i started just because i loved the looks, then i was able to test a few brands out, and that is why i took the plunge and picked up a set of Epon which i played for almost 7 years.
 
gingerista said:
I think you're spot on here on two accounts.

"Sound" plays a big part into what we perceive as "feel". It's the combination of senses that add together.

Secondly, when it comes to the boutique Japanese forging houses, they use different quality materials and manufacture to a set of specs as outlined by the client (club brand/producer). Endo forges clubs for a number of club brands, each to different specs, materials and tolerances. They make clubs for Epon, Tourstage, and a number of others. Epon is their boutique brand, so that's their showcase product. Miura forges their own. There are other forging houses, and some of them have locations in China and Thailand which lower costs over the Japanese locations and work with other companies to produce forgings at a lower margin.

As far as tolerances, take head weight. There's a targeted weight for any head produced. However, with mass production, there's going to be a good deal in discrepencies. Does it matter a lot? When a couple of grams determine swing weight, it does. For a club maker, it means an easy build rather than lightning heads or adding weight to balance them out or working from the shaft end. The end result is a less inconsistent feel across a set of clubs. Does it matter? Do you hit some clubs better than others? I thought I was good to go with my factory made Mizunos (Mizuno Yoro Craft withstanding as these are handmade to spec), but from the number of fitters I've talked to, even they can be way off on specs for the clubs they send out. Take two putters off the rack of the same make and model - does one feel better than the other?

The big question is, "So what? Does it matter?" and that comes down to the golfer. Golf is one of my passions. I play four days a week and want to make sure it's me and not my gear. Is there a reason I don't hit my 7i as well as my 6i and 8i? How important is how a shot feels if it comes "close" to the hole?

I'm not the best person to go into this, but if you get the opportunity to try Miura, Epon, TourStage, Royal Collection, Honma, Vega or other JDM equipment, give it a try. If you notice a difference, watch your wallet. If not, all is good. The first time I walked into a JDM store, I thought I was in an Asian wannabe store. Crazy names, funky designs and high prices. But once I started trying stuff out, I felt it was a different league than walking into a PGA superstore. Most of the JDM fitters in the US are top notch and will get you into something that's right for you, not following a big box memo of what the current promotion is.

Price is a factor. I hide my stuff from my bf who doesn't get it.
Click to expand...
Hmm, my pops has a set of honmas in the garage that's collecting dust. Maybe I'll give them a whirl.

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