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Kuro Kage, Disappointed!

Nippon Shafts
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Dunce Cap For A Bit
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I bought the attached shaft for a great price. I had it cut to typical TM playing length, installed a head (M1 2016 430), and hated it. It felt loose as all get out. I typically play as stout of a shaft as I can, both from swing speed and from poor mechanics, and universally spin them too high. On a GC2, my tee ball screams to 265 then drops out of the sky. I should get 40+ yards more total distance based on my SS that's how bad the spin is. I heard the KK DC Tini was the cats whiskers so bought (what I thought to be) one.

Anyways, this shaft was bendy as all get out. I've always wanted to try a -2.00" or so shaft so I had it cut down -1.75" from standard since it bent like a toothbrush bristle and thought I'd be good. No way Jose. Still terrible, spinning mid 4k's for me despite playing at 3w length. Same flight as I usually see, scream to 265 then drop like a duck that's hit with a load of tungsten. Maybe even worse.

First time on the course with it, 3rd hole my driver head flies 125 yards. I think I had great follow through to get it there, lol. Clean strike too. It was shaft shear and not an epoxy issue.

I won't name the seller as they've reached out to me and have made things right. I will blame Kuro Kage/MRC. I'm not the 100% most knowledgeable person here. But I know more than 99% of golfers. I though I was buying a totally different shaft since they've decided to brand it under a similar name and market it to the same audience. This isn't the same profile shaft at all. It's mid/high launch and mid/low spin. I bought it thinking low/low, per their other similar named shaft. It's more bendy at 42" than a R flex 42" stock 3w shaft I bought on a 2016 HL 3w M2 that I got for the kids. Buyer beware on these. They're a decent shaft for a smooth transition 100 SS golfer. For someone that violently attacks the ball on the tee they are 100% worthless. Again no slam on the guys that sold it. The error is on me 90% and MRC 10% for puting a similar named shaft out there. Terrible marketing and if a fairly knowledgeable golfer messes up because of it, the average one has no prayer.


Can't post pics on mobile, sorry. Will try to edit it from desktop version. The shaft read "Silver Series TiNi dual core", opposing side "60 Flex TS 'proto' "

It's not what you think it'll be. Why MRC did this I have no idea. Hopefully I can add some pics once I post this...
 

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Don't know if anyone can see this but my PSR is done for the night, lol.

Sorry if I messed this up. I tried:)

If the pics show up than the dirt in the adapter was from my M1 clubhead flying 100 yards without the shaft attached.

Good luck guys.
 
Gotta admit, I'm confused about how it's the companies fault? Being serious, sounds like a bad fit for sure but what exactly was the error on the shaft labeling itself?
 
Jman said:
Gotta admit, I'm confused about how it's the companies fault? Being serious, sounds like a bad fit for sure but what exactly was the error on the shaft labeling itself?
Click to expand...

Curious to know this, also.
 
How do you know this issue was not caused by the guy installing the adapter? It looks like the break was inside the adapter which leads me to believe that the installation process couls have been faulty. If the break were above the ferrule, then it would likely be an issue with the shaft. As far as the numbers you were seeing, just sounds like a bad fit for you.
 
Sox Fan said:
How do you know this issue was not caused by the guy installing the adapter? It looks like the break was inside the adapter which leads me to believe that the installation process couls have been faulty. If the break were above the ferrule, then it would likely be an issue with the shaft. As far as the numbers you were seeing, just sounds like a bad fit for you.
Click to expand...

The OP mentioned his aggressive transition and like you noticed where it broke, seems more of an install issue than shaft performance issue.

If I know I’m going to be hard on a particular product, I’m buying a product to withstand what I throw at it, it what I “think” it can handle.
 
Sure, the name/line confusion is not very kind to the educated golfer and I get that, but the picture of the break leaves a lot of questions, very few of which go in the direction of MRC. A shaft break in the adaptor points to 1 of 2 places: the previous owner if the tip was installed when purchased or the person who installed the adaptor (may be one in the same). Despite a quick transition and whatnot, a shaft should withstand most anything short of digging to China.


Try out Project X HZRDUS Black if you want another suggestion.
 
I'm very uneducated on shafts so this is just a question for me not an indictment. Might the word 'proto' imply it's not quite the same shaft as retail?
 
If I remember correctly, don't you swing at 120+ mph?

I would assume any stiff or ts profile would be whippy for a guy with that kind of move.
 
Don't see how it is the manufacturers fault the head came off. Also, I think you have to try a shaft before you buy it-go on TrackMan, GEARS etc.
 
Lol!

I've dug my own hole and I admit that I deserve it. I admitted this is 90% on me. The standard DC Silver Tini KK shaft is supposed to be just about as stout as they can be. Low spin/low launch. When I bought this that's what I thought I was getting. The company that sold it (they're not at fault, unless they installed something wrong, which I guess they did from the get go by installing a LH adapter. Shouldnt be a problem once I figured out that it was 180 different, but boy was I confused when I had it set at 6.5* and it looked like a PW loft at first!).

Heck I'm still a little confused myself at the designation. When I bought it it was labeled with an "XT" profile. In my error, admittedly, I thought it said TX-as in flex-otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. I've always wanted to experiment with a cut down driver shaft but this thing is super bendy even trimmed down. It is NOT the standard KK Dual Core Silver Tini, it's a 100% different profile shaft. Again, this is my fault. I'm just trying to warn others that there is an almost identically labeled shaft that is as opposite from the other as it's possible to be.

Again I made the mistake, but if I made it others will too. This shaft is supposed to be a TS flex. I thought It was a Tx. My mistake. I'm sure it probably is TS (which should mean halfway between S and X, no?) by whatever they use to measure these things. I have clubs for my teen kids in R flex that feel stouter, even when it was cut down significantly.

Yes I swing over 120. If you want to see the worlds worst flight characteristics imparted by a swing over 120, I'll buy your greens fees and we can play some day. You'll laugh. I'll cry. It'll be a good time. I've been on a mission to kill spin for 2+ years now. Good strikes are still in the 3500-4000 range with telephone pole profile shafts. Twice a round or so I'll unkork one that goes a crazy distance. The rest of them scream to 265 and fall straight down, and lots of times the only straight to them is the down, especially into any wind at all. All winter at least 2x a week I've hit on the range on an AboutGolf simulator. That thing is very humbling for a high spin player. I hit my average well struck 4i within 20 yards of my driver. I get a lot of lookie Lou's. I'll usually see them watching, then I hit a high spin monster that falls straight down, then see them walking away shaking their heads. A few sessions back there I found out why so many watch. Strikes at this SS range sound a lot different than others. I heard a "Crack! Pop!!" coming from the bay next to me so I became the Lookie Lou. I noticed his SS was 113, but his ball ended up about 310?? What? I watched him hit a couple more and they all went over 300 with a similar swing speed. Looked up and his spin was around 2k. He knows how to strike a ball. I don't. I just swing hard. Wind at my back and I'm golden though:)

TL;dr: MRC has a confusing shaft out there. I'm not sure those that are saying there's no confusion are familiar with this shaft. It really is confusing as it's not the same shaft at all but I don't know if anyone could tell them apart by sight, nor description. The wrong flex arriving from what I thought I was ordering was just a very small portion of it. It's not the same shaft at all. My mistake but it's marketed basically the same even though the profile and feel are night and day. I'm trying hard to be more positive and thought I'd post this as a PSA. If the standard "everyone knows it" shaft is even close to fitting you, this one will not at all.

At any rate, I hope you all have a pleasant evening.
 
I hit on an about golf simulator 2x+ a week. Kuro Kage has an nearly identically labeled shaft that is an entire different profile. Yes it's my mistake for sure, but talking with the shop that sold it to me, I'm nowhere near the only person to make that mistake when buying it and they even admitted it was confusing. Granted I don't own the other, but I do have several other Kuro Kage shafts in general. I'm not sure that everyone is getting that it's an entirely different shaft, not talking about the flex, than their standard one. This is supposedly a tour proto shaft and that there's not many out there. I'm 100% unsure what tour they're marketing it to since it's probably too bendy for the senior tour or even the LPGA.

Not looking to argue I'm just stating that I think I may not be the only one a little confused on this. It wasn't a matter of the flex being wrong really, trimming it down should have cured much of that. It's a 100% different shaft.

Have a pleasant evening!
 
Heck, I just read another thread somewhere else about these and I'm still confused (per usual, lol).

Forget it. I give up. :)

Now to find a Tensei Pro Orange. I heard that that ones the way to lower spin (not fixing my swing flaw that causes 2x normal spin...).
 
I didn't mind TiNi.. That's coming from the OG Kuro Kage profile which I felt was absolutely awful.

maybe take a look at the HZRDUS black already mentioned in the thread if you're looking for low/low? I swing at about 115-117 and can play functionally in stiff which is a pretty big compliment to the profile. Or even consider T1100 which is all kinds of stout.

Maybe Kuro Kage just isn't your thing?
 
I did a little research on this shaft myself. This was probably under $100, right? The TS designation stands for Tour Stiff, which is between S and X, bur closer to X. My understanding is that these are prototypes made for the Tour, and some retailers buy the lot of them when the testing is largely over. Torques of the KK Silver DC TiNi 60 in S/TS/X are 4.4, 3.7/3.4. I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that the DC TiNi X flex is really an XT construction, but I can't find it at this point. I agree with others that your break does not look like a shaft problem.

KK SIlver.JPG
 

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Just fyi, but that is not a break in the adapter. The TM adapters are two piece, the part remaining on the shaft is a short ferrule. I’ve had one seperate from a TM adapter.
 
Did someone pull the adapter from the shaft an twist which can lead to that break. No was you can play a S no matter the profile. Would look at T1100 or Synergy Black proto TX if I were you.
 
Thanks for the replies! I've got an M3 440 arriving tomorrow with the PX 1100 Black in it.... once again I've been told that it'll kill my bad spin... I don't really think it matters, I have some swing flaw that causes it, but this should be the equipment that kills it, lol.

I started this thread mainly to warn people that this shaft is not the same profile as the usual KK DC's. Regardless of flex, it's just not the same thing. I bought it in error thinking "XT" was "TX". That much is on me. But this shaft isn't even close in profile, so much so that I asked the seller if it was counterfeit. It's not, but even playing close to 43" its way too bendy, and I can usually get along with just about anything shaft wise, at least for feel so long as I temper expectations on its performance. I have a KK DC Tini in stiff that came with a driver I bought. It's much more stout than this TS flex shaft. I've also read that a lot of smooth swinging 105 SS guys really like this shaft I'm complaining about so I just don't know. Good luck if you buy it, my replacement will be thrown in one of the kids drivers. Probably my 12 year olds, my 14 y/o swings to hard for it if I get the same shaft back. Maybe I just had a bad one that led to the shaft shear? If the new one is better I'll certainly post here about it.

Anyways I appreciate the replies! Have a pleasant evening ladies and gents!!
 
Try a Fujikura 757 TS X tipped 1 inch or Speeder 8.2 TS X also. The sleeve is countersunk so it should break just inside the sleeve. I have seen many snaps, 'sometimes' powerful swings can slowly fatigue a tip. Some of my best shafts snap after 2-3 years of beating them. One was a year old and my buddy who is a very strong swinger snapped it. Try a 24hr epoxy the black stuff, it cures rock hard and will keep the shaft dead straight in the hosel so the shaft does not lean on a edge (maybe)...some of the 5min tour van epoxy is a bit softer and hardens more over days, yet holds, but that's a guess. Basically there could be a few factors to the snap, tip prep, even particles harder than the shaft mixed in the epoxy sitting between the shaft and the hosel can create wear like a pebble on a copper water pipe, I am careful when I add graphite saw filings to a sloppy hosel/shaft that their is no metal filings in there. I keep my mixing clean and the tip/hosel a final wipe before setting. Sorry it happened..been there too
 
If you are spinning everything that much it has to be terrible spin loft and a bunch of low face hits. You need to figure that out first honestly.
 
Probably more "terrible spin loft" than low strikes. I generally hit the center, and perfect strikes still spin 3k+ as confirmed by foot spray and impact tape. Most misses are high/toe and end in an ugly hook/snap hook.

I've only ever really known about spin for the past year. I always just knew that I've hit the ball VERY high, very hard, and if the wind was at my back I'd pop a few amazingly long drives a round. Strong Wind in my face and I'd kill it and it'd go 220-250 carry with no roll. I have a 3* LD driver that has a xxx-flex shaft and I can balloon that stupid thing. It's frustrating for sure. I don't know why my ball flight is what it is. I hit up 1-3* on the ball, I seem to have everything optimized, and in the last year I've changed my swing to go from a high fade to a high draw. Nothing I do, nor any equipment I try seems to have any effect.

I've spent a fortune on clubheads and shafts in the past year and they all do the same for me. Doesn't matter the shaft or the clubhead or the loft. They all spin crazy numbers.

That wasn't the purpose here though, I just wanted people to know that there is some confusion on the profile of this shaft. I'm still confused by it in all honesty. I should have the replacement soon and from what I've seen I may have just got a bad shaft with flaws in it. I'll post results here once it arrives.

Thanks again to all the replies. Have a great evening folks!
 
What’s a PX t1100 Black?
 
If different clubs dont seem to remedy situation maybe a couple visits to local golf pro could help get you going again. If you are playing 4x shafts (does that exist?) and you are scratch you should be getting out there in the 270+ carry range pretty often.
 
While I lost the plot somewhere in here I do tend to agree with one thing.
I've always hated how there can be two shafts with the same paint job and same name but actually be two different shafts. It has nothing to do with one being higher or lower quality in my mind but it's just plain wrong IMO.
AFAIK this has become less and less prevalent and may be a non issue these days?
 
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