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Bridgestone J815 Driver Review

SuperStroke
Great review Jman, man the power milled face really sticks out (and looks cool) in those pics. Glad to see the forgiveness was solid (12 yards isnt bad at all) and the overall distance was beyond your expectations.
While I did not love the J40 line (the lack of spin killed me), this one has me really excited to try out (probably 12* land).


Great job, covered all the bases as usual
 
I gotta be honest James, I'm one of those guys who never thought he could get past the graphics. Your review is making me rethink that. I'm hoping to try this club out this Thursday at a demo day and compare to the J715 i just test drove, and going to try and have a completely open mind about it.
 
Excellent review Jman. I had the pleasure of testing the J815 on the range at the THP Tampa Live Driver Testing. I will agree with Jman the crown is a bit distracting at first, almost distracting. However you forgot about all of that once you swing this bad boy. I loved how it performed on the range overall. My only regret is that I was not able to put it in play during the round as someone already beat me to it. I'm really hoping that the J815 is available for Bridgestone Staffers at #THPLegacy.
 
Great review, James. Definitely nailed all aspects of this driver that made me love it when I was able to hit it.
 
Nice review, James. I didn't think I'd be able to overlook the graphics. When I had the chance to swing it down at Mission Inn, I was pretty blown away by the results. It did take me a handful of swings to look past the graphics, and I still don't know if I'd be fully comfortable looking down at this on every drive, but the results were undoubtedly there.
 
Great review as always Jman. Graphics have never really bothered me before and these were no exception. They also help to align the club a bit for me. I have a tenancy to line up with the face open at address. This really made me aware of that. And the performance was incredible. Just wish I knew what they were thinking when they called it the 815.
 
Great review, I loved hitting this at the Bridgestone U. The discussion there was definitely about the graphics on the head. At least for me once at address I completely forgot about the graphics and really enjoyed hitting this club.
 
I'm not bothered by the graphics at all. (I do play the blue bio cell though)
 
I like everything about this driver and if I had the time would find a shaft that worked. The tech in these clubs is more and more like a fine tuned sport car than a shaped piece of metal.

Breaking it down, the way my man James does, makes it digestible by so many. Thanks for the review.
 
Great review Jman!
 
awesome job jman...i am in the group who likes the graphics then add on that the driver just flat out performs imo its a non issue.

like you i hope others can get past the look and hit the driver without any bias towards the look. this driver imo fits lots of people across all skill levels and those who give it a chance will definitely enjoy it.
 
Enjoyed the review James. I really did enjoy hitting this when you were down here. Great flight, dispersion was fantastic, and the forgiveness was there.
I would love to spend more time with this one.
To be honest, I never noticed the graphics while at address. They just blended together. I hope people get out and actually swing this club themselves.
 
Great review! I found this to be the best head Bridgestone has produced. The top of the head is little bold (it helped me with alignment) but once you start hitting great drives you don't even notice!
 


  • Very well done Jman! I like the amount of forgiveness this combo has honestly. We often find that drivers are more forgiving along a single axis where as this seems to achieve a pretty solid amount of forgiveness both vertically and horizontally. Huge for those of us who tend to miss all around the face.
    The graphics are bold, and I like that Bridgestone has dared to be different. I’m a believer in performance out ways esthetics everytime. Previous releases by another OEM had bold graphics but lacked performance across the board. Based on your review it seems this answers the mail quite well.

    I'm a fan of a solid sound at impact. For me it's a deal breaker and this one sounds solid based on your write up.
    Great job James, as usual give it to is straight and let the consumer be the final judge.
 
I really, really hope I get a chance to test out this driver before #THPLegacy. I know I can get over the graphics.

If this thing performs like I think it can, the graphics kind of fit. Exotic race car like bombs.
 
One of your best reviews IMO, James. Very well done. I had a hard ponder on the J715 for awhile and when the J815 came out, I couldn't get past the crown looking like the red Power Ranger. I really wish they'd consider releasing a black version. In the end, if it performs well enough, I think I could get over it. Again, great job. This was a good read.
 
Good write up. I love the color of the head and would have no problem with it. I however like and do better with a low spin low launch driver. It helps me cut down on the spin I put on the ball and my natural high launch. Not sure this would be the club for me in the Legacy.
 
Great read and review James. I had forgotten this one was 45" that's a plus in my book. I look forward to demoing it.
 
I'd really like to hit this bad boy. Great review! The "closed at address" admittedly concerns me a bit, but I love nearly everything else about it - except maybe the crown. But I could get over that for the right performance. And I love a 45" stock length, a la Titleist.
 
Enjoyed this one James.

Perfect driver to put a Club Crown on.
 
When I first saw this driver, I immediately thought "I couldn't look at that on every drive", but then I remembered how I felt about my Bio Cell+ the first time I saw it. I thought the same thing until I hit a couple bombs with it. Now I don't even notice it's horrible looks. Based on that, and this review, I'm going to have to give this one a swing.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
When I first saw this driver, I immediately thought "I couldn't look at that on every drive", but then I remembered how I felt about my Bio Cell+ the first time I saw it. I thought the same thing until I hit a couple bombs with it. Now I don't even notice it's horrible looks. Based on that, and this review, I'm going to have to give this one a swing.
Click to expand...

I had the exact same fear, but I got over it with just a few swings on the range. That's how good I think it is. It will take an adjustment to get use to the crown but I don't think it will take as long as people might think.
 
Great write up James! This driver is really really good and will keep surprising everyone who tries it. I hope everyone gives this a chance!
 
Great review James, really an enjoyable read. I don't think you can ignore the crown (aside from refinishing or covering it up) but you can turn it into a positive. It certainly got people talking about the club and stands out, mission successful.

It'll be interesting to see how many of the lucky Bridgestone staffers go with the 815 as it seems to fit a more amateur demographic.
 
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