Review XCaliber Rapid Taper Iron Shaft Review

Played today. Love it when I bomb the 4-iron off the tee on a short par 4 ... a lot further than I usually do ... ended up about 215 off the tee. Guy standing behind me says "You're using an iron off the tee? (duh!) What kind of shaft is that? Very unique. And wow, I could really see it bend in your swing at the bottom." Started a whole conversation about the shaft and he was very interested to say the least. (y) Hit it a number of times really well. I thought he was going to ask me to hit it but he never did. (I don't offer up my clubs :sneaky:) it's really been a great club. I'm glad I decided to put it in that clubhead.

Now it's time to get some more shafts to make a complete set. ;)
Very cool feed back. It's certainly becoming a trend to make sure to let the club load and release... then it just goes. Leaving enough flex to let the shaft work.

What direction are you going with for your set makeup?

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Very cool feed back. It's certainly becoming a trend to make sure to let the club load and release... then it just goes. Leaving enough flex to let the shaft work.

What direction are you going with for your set makeup?

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I was thinking on the 95g stiff maybe soft-stepped in the 8, 9, PW & then have 75g maybe soft-stepped in the 5, 6 & 7. Not sure I want to remove the shaft from the 4-iron yet. :unsure:

What do you think?
 
I was thinking on the 95g stiff maybe soft-stepped in the 8, 9, PW & then have 75g maybe soft-stepped in the 5, 6 & 7. Not sure I want to remove the shaft from the 4-iron yet. :unsure:

What do you think?
That sounds like a pretty solid plan. I was very pleasantly surprised how well the S flex did when softstepped.
Leave the 4 iron where its at. In all this crazy testing I have done I have swapped around so many shafts. That includes pulling gamers apart to try something else. Leave that 4 iron alone and just enjoy the bombs. I'm obsessed with my 4 iron.
If that 7 iron is too high of a flyer for you the 85g when available would be the perfect call for that spot.

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That sounds like a pretty solid plan. I was very pleasantly surprised how well the S flex did when softstepped.
Leave the 4 iron where its at. In all this crazy testing I have done I have swapped around so many shafts. That includes pulling gamers apart to try something else. Leave that 4 iron alone and just enjoy the bombs. I'm obsessed with my 4 iron.
If that 7 iron is too high of a flyer for you the 85g when available would be the perfect call for that spot.

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That sounds like a good idea. Appreciate the feedback (y)
 
From some of the feedback suggests from hear and other spots 95S shafts are stout. Soft stepping or dropping down to an R flex should be in peoples mind who fall in between shaft flexs.
Some good news on the driver ahaft front. A 62 g version has been produced and will be in for testing in about 14 days or so. Previous version were mid to high 70g. So we will see but excited to see if things can work out for the driver. As that's what can drive a whole line of products.

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62g RT driver shaft sounds really appealing :cool:
 
62g RT driver shaft sounds really appealing :cool:
I cant wait... I have really enjoyed the heavier version as well as others below a 110 mph ss.. but at that weight it was would have a limited market. Hopefully this one being lighter will be as good but longer. Could be a flop though just as easily.
Butt section was 245 cpm tip is 925 cpm. Should be fun

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Played today and brought along a few of the softstepped S shafts. I really do love how they feel.
Missed my first hole in one with the PTM PW by a lip out.
Hit just past the flag and sucked back ever so slowly and around the cup. One of those shots that was so pure the second it left the club I knew it was perfect. That close....

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Played today and brought along a few of the softstepped S shafts. I really do love how they feel.
Missed my first hole in one with the PTM PW by a lip out.
Hit just past the flag and sucked back ever so slowly and around the cup. One of those shots that was so pure the second it left the club I knew it was perfect. That close....

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Same boat as you, never had an ace but have been close a number of times. I feel like it takes a bit of luck to get it to actually drop in those situations. Hopefully you can get one soon though!

In other news, fixed up the 6-iron with the 95S shaft so will be headed back out the range to hit a bucket shortly. Also planning on playing either tomorrow or Saturday to get some on-course testing as well.
 
From some of the feedback suggests from hear and other spots 95S shafts are stout. Soft stepping or dropping down to an R flex should be in peoples mind who fall in between shaft flexs.
Some good news on the driver ahaft front. A 62 g version has been produced and will be in for testing in about 14 days or so. Previous version were mid to high 70g. So we will see but excited to see if things can work out for the driver. As that's what can drive a whole line of products.

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I plugged the S in at standard tipping and they’re holding up more than fine to my higher SS
 
I plugged the S in at standard tipping and they’re holding up more than fine to my higher SS
That seems to be the trend. The 95 s shaft is stout enough for the big boys.
My driver SS is 105-108 and I actually prefer the softstepped 95 s. The 75 g, being a little livelier is a coin toss. I could play either one.

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That sounds like a good idea. Appreciate the feedback (y)

That 7I I hit was 75 stiff right? I'm used to heavier shafts and felt like I had to lay off a bit with it, which I know is the point with these, but I'm really curious what the heavier ones would be like. I kind of like the idea of going with different weights throughout the set. Could be a fun winter project... :unsure:
 
That 7I I hit was 75 stiff right? I'm used to heavier shafts and felt like I had to lay off a bit with it, which I know is the point with these, but I'm really curious what the heavier ones would be like. I kind of like the idea of going with different weights throughout the set. Could be a fun winter project... :unsure:
Fwiw, I go full bore into the 75 and even though mentally it’s hard to trust, it holds up. I swing a little big fast and aggressive too. :ROFLMAO:
 
That 7I I hit was 75 stiff right? I'm used to heavier shafts and felt like I had to lay off a bit with it, which I know is the point with these, but I'm really curious what the heavier ones would be like. I kind of like the idea of going with different weights throughout the set. Could be a fun winter project... :unsure:
That's what I was thinking :unsure:
 
Dusted off my old PTM's and they've performed so well the last month that they are now in the bag again. This thread has me intrigued by the new RT shafts. I'm a 95-100 mph driver with a moderate to smooth transition. Based on the comments here it seems like a R flex in either the 95 or 75 would be sufficient (or mix them up like @Popeye does)?
 
Got out to the range yesterday evening and had another good session with the new RT 95S shafts. Hit the 3-Hybrid and newly-built Maltby DBM 6-iron. I'm finding the 3-Hybrid to perform very well against my SIM 3-Hybrid with Hzrdus Smoke shaft. The RT shaft launches the ball a bit higher, and seems to be hitting further as well. Without being on a launch monitor or out on the course I can't be sure though.

The 6-iron was also really good. Contact was very solid and ball flight was penetrating for me. I've had a few people tell me they hit the ball overly high with the DBM, but did not see that at all yesterday.

All-in-all I'm really enjoying these shafts. I feel like I'm noticing a bigger difference in the hybrid shaft versus the 6-iron so far, but will be doing more testing over the weekend.

As mentioned previously, I'm finding the 95 S-Flex to be quite stout actually. I took a front-facing video to see if I could notice additional shaft lean compared to a normal shaft, and it really doesn't look much different:

 
I have a few thoughts on where the 95g shafts are with flex and ill try to articulate them as best I can. I will make a post up tomorrow am where I think trimming should be on the 95s.
The 75s plays pretty close to where it should be as an S. I think the 85,, with limited testing is close to how the 95 flexs. Ill elaborate more tomorrow

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Got out to the range yesterday evening and had another good session with the new RT 95S shafts. Hit the 3-Hybrid and newly-built Maltby DBM 6-iron. I'm finding the 3-Hybrid to perform very well against my SIM 3-Hybrid with Hzrdus Smoke shaft. The RT shaft launches the ball a bit higher, and seems to be hitting further as well. Without being on a launch monitor or out on the course I can't be sure though.

The 6-iron was also really good. Contact was very solid and ball flight was penetrating for me. I've had a few people tell me they hit the ball overly high with the DBM, but did not see that at all yesterday.

All-in-all I'm really enjoying these shafts. I feel like I'm noticing a bigger difference in the hybrid shaft versus the 6-iron so far, but will be doing more testing over the weekend.

As mentioned previously, I'm finding the 95 S-Flex to be quite stout actually. I took a front-facing video to see if I could notice additional shaft lean compared to a normal shaft, and it really doesn't look much different:

I have a 75g stiff in a TE 7i as a demo that doesn't fly too high either. Its actually putting out great numbers compared to the other 7 irons that have stronger lofts.

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I have a few thoughts on where the 95g shafts are with flex and ill try to articulate them as best I can. I will make a post up tomorrow am where I think trimming should be on the 95s.
The 75s plays pretty close to where it should be as an S. I think the 85,, with limited testing is close to how the 95 flexs. Ill elaborate more tomorrow

Looking forward to your thoughts! For reference, I did not cut down the shaft in the 3-hybrid at all. For the 6-iron, I tip-trimmed 1.5 inches, and butt trimmed down to 38" overall.

I have a 75g stiff in a TE 7i as a demo that doesn't fly too high either. Its actually putting out great numbers compared to the other 7 irons that have stronger lofts.

I'm currently testing Ping Blueprint irons in the power spec lofts (6-iron is 28.5*) versus 30* in the Maltby DBM. Shafts are DG120 X100 in the Blueprints. Ball flight was actually slightly higher in the Blueprint. Distances were similar though, and both had great ball flights. I thought I'd notice a bigger difference between the weights (+25 grams for DG120) but not really a huge difference in practice.
 
I have been thinking about how the 95g shaft falls in the flex spectrum non stop for the last few days.
The Hogans have the mixed weights and the short irons are certainly stout. Not a harsh feel by any means but you know its a big boys flex. I have to work the shaft rather than letting the shaft work for me. I have the PTMs softstepped and with those I let the shaft work and I get all the wonderful feel benefits and still all the performance.
I did realize this morning the big difference in hosel length might play a small role. See picture. Other 95s shafts in PTM heads did not need to be worked as hard as the Hogans. The hosel is almost a 1/2" taller in the Hogans. You might think this may not matter but these shafts are VERY stiff in the lower section. So this possibly may be of impact. The taper plays a big role in how these shafts react also. So now its a 1/2" higher. I will be reshafting some of the Hogans and seeing what I get to test my theory.
So with all of that disclaimer... I still need some more testing but I feel pretty strongly that this is how these shafts play out in flex.
95s tipped 1 1/2" for 6 iron is an S/X flex. Big hitters seem to be very happy with that setup. @Jman is a perfect reference. Even tour speed. Yet its not something a regular S flex player can not enjoy.
95s tipped at 1" for 6i, or softstepped if you will, plays like an S flex. Maybe even an ever so slightly soft S flex. Feel greatly improves and I find I'm swinging them effortlessly to get the results i want.
I may even tinker with an in between the two tipping of 1 1/4" for 6i.
I know this is long but you should see what goes on in my head..... non stop inner discussions.
The 85s seem to play just like the 95s. I have such limited time with those as I only have 3 of them, they went straight into the Hogans. I can't quite just softstep them as I would be without a 6i shaft but could as an experiment.
The 75s play as they should. They play true to flex. Even though they spec out exactly the same CPMs as the other two do, the lack of mass has them playing differently. In a hybrid, or my Hogan 4i they are amazing. But still hold up to a crushing the ball swing. I have gone down as far as the 7i with the 75g shaft. I find that they still work very well. A higher type of ball flight but not in a bad way at all. I don't think I have had a balloon ball with any Rapid Taper shaft.
If you are still reading ill tell you about the flight difference of the 75g and the 85g. On a dogleg par 5 there is a tree that will block out any short drive. Its enormously wide and very tall. I dropped a few balls at 175y. (Very elevated green) and took a PTM 6i with a 75g softstepped S vs A Hogan 6i 85g S. PTM is 2° stronger. First ball with the 75g launched right over the tree and pin high. Second ball was with the Hogan and I could not clear the tree. Every ball with the PTM went right over yet I could not clear the tree with the Hogan after many tries. So the lower flight with the higher weight shafts really plays out. A difference of 8-10' in height between those two clubs
Boy you can really burn through some shafts with testing......
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Great stuff Popeye, Arthur is lucky to have you doing all this real world testing for him.
 
Demos available
Ts-2 6 I. 1- 75 S 1- 75 R
M890 8 I. 1 75 A
TS-1 7i. 1- 95 S. 1- 75 S
PTM 6i. 1- 95 S ss 1- 95 S 1- 95 R 1- 75 S.
PTM black 7i 1- 75 S ss, 9i 1- 95 S ss.

Basically $20 to demo a single club. Includes shipping to you. Shipping back is on you. 7 days to test.

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Popeye,

Finally got the RT's installed in my demo 7 irons (TS2, PTM, STi2 and M890) , 3 Hybrid iron and the Mystic 55 in the TC. I took a picture but having trouble getting it to load. The TS2, PTM and Hydrid iron had 75S and the STi2 and M890 had 95 S. Robin forgot to send me the R shafts so they are on the way. I took them to the range this afternoon for a quick test run. I think I hit the PTM the best and really liked the feel of it although I didn't really feel the shaft release like others have. I think your theory on the flexes seems about right. Will find out more when I get the R shafts made up. Distance wise, the PTM and TS2 went the furthest. For me, I just hit the PTM more consistent than the TS2. I also hit the STi2 pretty good but it didn't go quite as far as the other two with 95 shaft in it. The one club I couldn't really hit at all was the 3 hybrid iron for some reason. I was disappointed in that but will keep working on it. I did love the mystic 55. It was hard to tell exact distance on the range because it was hitting into the sunset but I was hitting dead center of the club face most of the time and it was going straight. I am going out to the course for a round tomorrow and put them all into play to test them out some more.
 
Demos available
Ts-2 6 I. 1- 75 S 1- 75 R
M890 8 I. 1 75 A
TS-1 7i. 1- 95 S. 1- 75 S
PTM 6i. 1- 95 S ss 1- 95 S 1- 95 R 1- 75 S.
PTM black 7i 1- 75 S ss, 9i 1- 95 S ss.

Basically $20 to demo a single club. Includes shipping to you. Shipping back is on you. 7 days to test.

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Do you have the black PTM 95S back yet.
 
Popeye,

Finally got the RT's installed in my demo 7 irons (TS2, PTM, STi2 and M890) , 3 Hybrid iron and the Mystic 55 in the TC. I took a picture but having trouble getting it to load. The TS2, PTM and Hydrid iron had 75S and the STi2 and M890 had 95 S. Robin forgot to send me the R shafts so they are on the way. I took them to the range this afternoon for a quick test run. I think I hit the PTM the best and really liked the feel of it although I didn't really feel the shaft release like others have. I think your theory on the flexes seems about right. Will find out more when I get the R shafts made up. Distance wise, the PTM and TS2 went the furthest. For me, I just hit the PTM more consistent than the TS2. I also hit the STi2 pretty good but it didn't go quite as far as the other two with 95 shaft in it. The one club I couldn't really hit at all was the 3 hybrid iron for some reason. I was disappointed in that but will keep working on it. I did love the mystic 55. It was hard to tell exact distance on the range because it was hitting into the sunset but I was hitting dead center of the club face most of the time and it was going straight. I am going out to the course for a round tomorrow and put them all into play to test them out some more.
I missed this post. Glad to here you have them in hand and getting to know them.
Don't give up on that 3 hybrid. I assume you have a 75g shaft in that?

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