Xcaliber Pro X vs Paderson TS-1 vs Xcaliber Prototype

[Popeye]

In for some testing I have a really unique iron shaft that unfortunately I cant truly reveal the looks of. But let's just say it will be something that will make a few big waves.
Along with the Xcaliber Prototype I have the Xcaliber Pro X 85 S. I also have the Paderson TS-1 S. The Paderson is 88 grams and the Pro X is 85 grams. The Prototype is lighter still. For some sort of baseline I have a DG Tour 105 S300. All of these have been built with the PTM 6 iron head (which is 28°, modern loft but not super strong) and a Midsize CP2 grip. They were build to standard length and lie, checked for loft. The DG is built to standard length steel.
A few nights ago I had some very limited time in a simulator at Dicks. Unfortunately I did not have the Paderson with me.
As expected the DG was the shortest of the three with a slower SS and lower ball speed. The Pro X had a jump in both SS and ball speed. The Prototype had signs of a huge leap in both SS and ball speed but it was a limited sample size. Spin numbers were all very close and I'll call it negligible.
Hitting mat in Dicks is brutal so it was very tough to get a good handle on feel so I left that on the back burner.
Next post I'll cover what I found out on the course today..

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[Popeye]

On the course today I had conditions of 44° and very gusty winds. Hardly great testing conditions or so I thought.

The course was very quiet and I was able to get some open holes in front and behind me. I had three Pro V1s numbered 2, 3, 4 so I could tell which ones were which out ahead of me. Out of the tee box or dropping balls at 180-190 yards. I maintained the same hitting order. First the Pro X, the Paderson and then the prototype. Now,, hitting 3 different shafts with design differences back to back is not the easiest thing to do.

At first it was tough to tell a big difference between the three. Being so cold out it took a while to get comfortable. Flip a coin as to which one shone through. But as the holes wore on, things started to separate a bit. The first big thing I noticed was ball flight.

Both the Pro X and the Paderson were very similar. Strong medium/high flight that did well in the wind. The Prototype had a noticeably higher flight, even seemed as if it hit a spot and then takes off, wasnt effected by the wind as much as I would have thought. Distance wise the prototype was 3-4 yards longer and stopping in its ball mark or just releasing forward. Both the Pro X and the Paderson would release more, not horrible but definitely a bit more. The photo of the two balls is where the Pro X rolled on the green and the prototype hit and stayed.
If I didnt know which one I was holding before or after swinging I could not differentiate between the Pro X and the Paderson. Distance wise was near identical as was ball flight. I was tending to slightly push both of them. More of a tiny fade than anything. Again here is where the prototype stood alone. It flew on a nice straight line over and over again. Even when I wasnt sure I hit it that well it was still straight. Knowing ball flight of the other two I could easily compensate yet l really tried to have the same swing for all three clubs. I continued to seem to be able to find the face of the club the best with the prototype. On the holes into the wind the higher flight of the Prototype brought the distance to be just about exact for all three. There is a picture of three balls from off the tee. This was one of the windiest holes.

Feel wise it was no contest. An absolute dead heat with the Paderson and the Pro X. Off the toe or in the middle they felt the same. Good feedback, no harshness, even though it was so cold. Middle of the club face felt awesome. I could easily tell just where the ball met the face. Now,, where the giant gap was, is in the feel of the Prototype. If you ever had a club in your hands that you couldnt wait to hit again.. the prototype is it. The way the shaft loads and releases is unlike anything I have felt. Flex wise it feels a bit looser to flex than the others yet it launched the ball straight over and over. At times I had feelings like I would like it a bit stiffer yet it just works!! Hitting heavy gave a weird feel like the head didnt make it through the turf yet there goes the ball. Toward the end of the round I was hitting all three balls with the prototype and trying different things.

On the last hole I have a 505y par 5. It plays uphill. I had just under 195 for the second shot so I figured I would hit all three again. The Pro X and the Paderson were just short and to the right of the green. The Prototype was on the green.

Later this week I will have some extensive sim time and have a broad sample of numbers as well as having people hit all three. Not sure when the Prototypes will be released but I cant wait to have a full set of these.
I could play both the Pro X and the Paderson. They are both excellent and early results are that I could honestly flip a coin between them. They are that close.. but that darn Prototype is just different in a good way. A get excited about golf sort of way.

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[Popeye]

Today I got a good session in with a Flightscope today and had some interesting results.
I saw a little reversal in one aspect but a confirmation in another. The Paderson was by far the longest but it's not spinning as much. So there was a lot of posted roll out. The Prototype was flying the highest and spinning the most. A low spinning one killed the average. It was showing that it was flying 3 yards less than the Tour X and the Paderson. A compete reversal from the course. Carry distance for the Tour X and the Paderson were identical but the Tour x was spinning much better. The DG held it own but dispersion was a bit erratic as it was hard for me to hit 5 good shots in a row with it.
I need to do another session to back up my data and I'm struggling to get time lined up before I go back out to sea.
Here are some of the numbers from today.
Sort of baffled on the reversal from outdoors. The dispersion of the prototype was the best indoors and out.
I let my buddy the Pro hit the prototype and he was killing it. A shot of his numbers are on the bottom. Plus even with the monster distance, he was still getting great spin numbers.

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[Art M]

Im looking forward to reading more about your experiment here

 

[Popeye]

Im looking forward to reading more about your experiment here

I'm working a long stretch and wont be back till the 5th. I'll have data from a few others to post when I get back. Will test right through December.

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[Popeye]

Im looking forward to reading more about your experiment here

I'm working a long stretch and wont be back till the 5th. I'll have data from a few others to post when I get back. Will test right through December.

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[Thornton Melon]

Is the prototype something that is going to be released retail?

 

[Popeye]

Is the prototype something that is going to be released retail?

Yes it is and hopefully fairly soon. There are also driver shafts that have been awesome. I'll have 4 of those to test in December as well.

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