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KBS Tour One Step Putter Shaft Review

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Jman

Jman

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Regardless of what you think about upgraded putter shafts they are here to stay, and frankly, it’s about time that the shaft evolves to catch up with the change of putter head weight over the decades. The issue many have, is price. Enter KBS and their new One Step Putter Shaft hoping to add some competition at a lower price, but does it perform? Let’s find out.

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Just recently got a Stability shaft. Will be interesting to see how this compares, at a lower cost. It's tough to swallow several hundred dollar upgrades when putters are already expensive.
 
Great write up @Jman and looks pretty nice in your new Mizuno putter. I can’t help but wonder by getting slimmer does it maintain throughout the entire shaft all the way to the tip? I am sure it does as you say but personally this is something my mind would have to get over as I think a straight (same diameter) shaft would just be more stable. I guess it is just something you have to experience.

Are you going to leave in your putter for awhile and are early indications it will it stay?
 
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Jimmy3864 said:
Great write up @Jman and looks pretty nice in your new Mizuno putter. I can’t help but wonder by getting slimmer does it maintain throughout the entire shaft all the way to the tip? I am sure it does as you say but personally this is something my mind would have to get over as I think a straight (same diameter) shaft would just be more stable. I guess it is just something you have to experience.

Are you going to leave in your putter for awhile and are early indications it will it stay?
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The taper is what creates the stability, it’s a key part of the design.

As it’s the one of only two over hosel options out there, it’ll stay for the time being. I’ve enjoyed it for almost two months now.
 
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Tywithay said:
Just recently got a Stability shaft. Will be interesting to see how this compares, at a lower cost. It's tough to swallow several hundred dollar upgrades when putters are already expensive.
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It’s the ultimate decision for the individual. It can be looked at that way by some, but for others it could be that after the cost of the putter, the shaft is a drop in the bucket.
 
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I really do believe they’re hitting a price and performance point here that gives them an advantage. But, ONE of these companies need to be able to produce a single or double bend product, because right now Stability is the only one that can do that.
 
I ordered a One Step and it should arrive soon for me to test it out. I do feel a noticeable difference in feel from the KBS CT Tour putter shaft compared to stock putter shafts whether they are a Stoke Lab shaft or traditional stock steel. Well worth the $25-$35 and I now have put the CT shaft in 6 putters. When I go back to one of my other putters there is a noticeable difference in feel and I’m more confident with the CT shaft. As @JB said, the $65 price point of the One Step is a big deal as price is not a barrier from people trying it like it is with many of the $150+ putter shafts released in the past couple of years.
 
Jman said:
It’s the ultimate decision for the individual. It can be looked at that way by some, but for others it could be that after the cost of the putter, the shaft is a drop in the bucket.
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That's a valid point. If you're spending $500 on a putter, it's worth it to some to squeeze out every bit of performance to get the value. But if I can spend $65 and get even 75% of the same results as a $250+ Stability Tour, or similar results as the $129 Stability, it's definitely worth considering. At that cost, any improvement over the stock option is a pretty reasonable value.
 
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Well, the shaft looks cool. Granted I haven’t messed around too much with other shafts, I haven’t noticed too much difference either between a full steel shaft or a multi material shaft.

Edit: excellent use of ballyhooing, by the way
 
Jman said:
I really do believe they’re hitting a price and performance point here that gives them an advantage. But, ONE of these companies need to be able to produce a single or double bend product, because right now Stability is the only one that can do that.
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Need the bend! Would try it out instantly
 
troyefl said:
Need the bend! Would try it out instantly
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I’d love to know why it’s not an option. I’m betting it has to be with not being able to keep the stability up
 
Having seen this shaft in person I can say it does look fantastic and if you want a black shaft its definitely an option. I'd love to know if its really more stable though. I guess at that price it's not a terrible experiment though I'm guessing many will be fine with a stock shaft.
 
Following @Jman I ordered one of these to try out in my putter.
 
JB said:
Following @Jman I ordered one of these to try out in my putter.
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This is awesome. It’s maybe the most “normal” of the different putter shafts, which is strange given the shape. But again, it falls into the fact that it is indeed very stable, but impact on performance will be for the individual. I’m really enjoying my time with it in the V
 
I reached out to KBS a few days ago actually and they said there will be a single bend and 0.355” tip diameter option coming out but he said it could be awhile.
 
Is the large branding badge a sticker that can pretty easily come off? Reminds me of the Orvis Helios 3D fly rods. Great rod, but the whole River knows you have one in your hand with the branding.
 
Scooby45 said:
Is the large branding badge a sticker that can pretty easily come off? Reminds me of the Orvis Helios 3D fly rods. Great rod, but the whole River knows you have one in your hand with the branding.
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It’s a sticker. Also, installed logo down like I did for the review, it’s not visible at address, at all.
 
TheLutesMamba said:
I reached out to KBS a few days ago actually and they said there will be a single bend and 0.355” tip diameter option coming out but he said it could be awhile.
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This is very good news. They had a chance to corner a segment, the longer they wait though, the more that slips away potentially.
 
Went to buy one of these for my Ping Redwood Anser and sadly realized it is a .370. Apparently the Redwood is .355, so picked up the CT putter shaft to try out.
 
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DNice26 said:
Went to buy one of these for my Ling Redwood Anser and sadly realized it is a .370. Apparently the Redwood is .355, so picked up the CT putter shaft to try out.
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CT is good, I believe this is more competitive in the segment though. But, they definitely need to get other tip diameters out sooner rather than later.
 
Can anyone compare the One Step with the Stroke lab?
 
I’m intrigued by this one, I have a Stability Tour and an LA Golf shaft in other putters, but may grab one of these to compare.
 
Going to install one of these in an Odyssey I have been rolling a bit lately.
 
I just got word the one step I ordered has shipped.. I am trying to decide if I should put it in an old head or get a new one..
 
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