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Xcaliber Rapid Taper 105 Iron Shaft Review

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Jman

Jman

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When Xcaliber is brought up in conversation, the brand can elicit responses all over the map, some good, some not so good, but the constant is the man behind the brand knows his stuff. Robin Arthur has been in shaft design from the beginning and has his name on some of the most successful creations of all time. He founded Xcaliber around the basis of doing something different and outside the box, but still high performing and accessible. Have there been ups and downs? Sure. But it would appear that a solid direction is finally on the horizon, which is welcome news.

There is no better example of that than the company’s Rapid Taper iron shafts. We have reviewed the initial version, the 75, here on THP, and since that time the company has created 85g and 95g iterations as well. Constantly, the feedback has been nothing but impressive, so when Xcaliber announced they were releasing a 105g version of the Rapid Taper, we just had to get our hands on them.

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Great review @Jman. Very interested in hearing what others have to say on this! Do you know how these compare to the MMT in terms of launch and spin?
 
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hadi05 said:
Great review @Jman. Very interested in hearing what others have to say on this! Do you know how these compare to the MMT in terms of launch and spin?
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Reviewed the MMT here a couple years ago;
www.thehackersparadise.com

Mitsubishi MMT Iron Shafts Review - The Hackers Paradise

Mitsubishi has entered the world of graphite iron shafts and their new MMT Iron Shafts are discussed in this review, and we were quite pleased with them.
www.thehackersparadise.com www.thehackersparadise.com

But, these launch easier in the long irons and spin a touch more, though they are in irons that spin more than Forged Tec. With that said, these I have absolutely no problem saying create a much much more efficient energy transfer. They are more stout the harder they’re swung, but they’re extremely comfortable, where the MMT are still imo a little stout and at times blurred on the feedback.
 
Jman said:
Reviewed the MMT here a couple years ago;
www.thehackersparadise.com

Mitsubishi MMT Iron Shafts Review - The Hackers Paradise

Mitsubishi has entered the world of graphite iron shafts and their new MMT Iron Shafts are discussed in this review, and we were quite pleased with them.
www.thehackersparadise.com www.thehackersparadise.com

But, these launch easier in the long irons and spin a touch more, though they are in irons that spin more than Forged Tec. With that said, these I have absolutely no problem saying create a much much more efficient energy transfer. They are more stout the harder they’re swung, but they’re extremely comfortable, where the MMT are still imo a little stout and at times blurred on the feedback.
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Thanks @Jman!
 
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I also want to add, I really really hope people take the time to read this one. There is 100% something to these shafts and it’s not at all smoke and mirrors. The data is enough that I’m leaving them in the T100S, add in them hitting that growingly popular 105 weight range, and there is a whole lot to like for those thinking graphite.
 
Fascinating, lots of info. Thanks for being so thorough. I'm surprised the look isn't off putting at address.
 
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AnthonyC said:
Fascinating, lots of info. Thanks for being so thorough. I'm surprised the look isn't off putting at address.
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Thanks my friend!

Yeah, it’s something I’ve tried to showcase in my other review of the previous weight RT’s as well, the taper isn’t at all obnoxious or off putting. But, I think that’s why their graphics are important, and why I’ve long pushed against using the rings on the taper portion visually.
 
Great review James! That rapid taper certainly does make for an interesting look. These look good and sound like they perfrom quite well also.
 
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Sox_Fan said:
Great review James! That rapid taper certainly does make for an interesting look. These look good and sound like they perfrom quite well also.
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They’re eye openers for me, the performance is all there for sure.
 
The theory behind them sounds like it should work for most golfers. I’d try them if the chance presented itself. The 105 addition adds a great deal of golfers to the mix.
 
Great review as always. This line up of shafts may need to be checked out. Did you see any big differences in the 105s vs the 95s. How do launch and spin on these compare to the ballistic shaft.
 
Great review for these shafts @Jman, I bought a set of these and put them in my Hogan PTXPro/Icon irons and i play them currently as my regular set. the weight is fantastic as a graphite and the feel is awesome. I find them to play just a hair stiffer than my normal stif shafts and love them that way. The long irons get UP and land soft but i can also put them back a bit and run them out. playing the CS LS and the flighting of them in the wind is phenominal
 
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Great review @Jman , that is a great shaft.
 
Jman said:
I also want to add, I really really hope people take the time to read this one. There is 100% something to these shafts and it’s not at all smoke and mirrors. The data is enough that I’m leaving them in the T100S, add in them hitting that growingly popular 105 weight range, and there is a whole lot to like for those thinking graphite.
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You’re not kidding, anyone can say they picked up 2 to 3 miles an hour of ball speed, but your data actually supports it. That’s pretty impressive
 
Jman said:
I also want to add, I really really hope people take the time to read this one. There is 100% something to these shafts and it’s not at all smoke and mirrors. The data is enough that I’m leaving them in the T100S, add in them hitting that growingly popular 105 weight range, and there is a whole lot to like for those thinking graphite.
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Having seen the driver shafts the design is definitely shall we say different and the 105g is a range I will be trying out myself this year. While I am not a fan of the gold rings the matte black looks good and I agree could at the very least get people to take a look, especially if gaining some speed, who doesn't want more speed?? Will you have these in the bag later this week? I'd love to try them.
 
jdtox said:
Having seen the driver shafts the design is definitely shall we say different and the 105g is a range I will be trying out myself this year. While I am not a fan of the gold rings the matte black looks good and I agree could at the very least get people to take a look, especially if gaining some speed, who doesn't want more speed?? Will you have these in the bag later this week? I'd love to try them.
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They will be making the trip to Ohiotopia!
 
@Jman where can you buy these shafts? What are your thoughts about using one in a driving iron?
 
@Jman how about the 105 in hybrids
 
jdtox said:
@Jman where can you buy these shafts? What are your thoughts about using one in a driving iron?
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They’ll be up in July through the XCaliber site and I think maybe some other fitters, but that picture should get more clear soon.

I’ve got one in my TEE C722 4U you can hit as well.
 
bbutler said:
@Jman how about the 105 in hybrids
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Not something I’ve tried as I go UT into UW and it takes a .335 shaft. But, it should be doable, but 105 is HEAVY in a hybrid for most golfers. The 75 and 95 though I’ve tried there and they work very well.
 
Nice write as usual! I've been curious about these since @Popeye started talking about them in a thread, maybe as a result of your earlier tests. You have nice gains in the data presented. Do you have any dispersion analysis? How do they stack up in this regard to the steel they replaced?
 
jhtr20 said:
Nice write as usual! I've been curious about these since @Popeye started talking about them in a thread, maybe as a result of your earlier tests. You have nice gains in the data presented. Do you have any dispersion analysis? How do they stack up in this regard to the steel they replaced?
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Better than what I was getting from the PX LZ’s in them. Any dispersion issues one would see are definitely on the user, which happens.

As for dispersion on my data, tight groupings all with a nice little right to left draw action on them. 👍
 
jdtox said:
@Jman where can you buy these shafts? What are your thoughts about using one in a driving iron?
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I have the Matte Black 105g version he tested in stock. But the retail with cosmetics will be available in late July on the website XcaliberShafts.com


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MWard said:
You’re not kidding, anyone can say they picked up 2 to 3 miles an hour of ball speed, but your data actually supports it. That’s pretty impressive
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One of Robin's claims all along has been in writing. 2-3mph ball speed increase. I always thought it was dangerous to publish that as it's a tough standard to live up to. But it's not BS.
Some of the slower swing speed guys have seen massive gains. It's a big claim but it's been proven over and over.

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