Blade users thread (NO DEBATING CLUBHEADS! NO Buy Sell Trade!)

[Mitchell]

10 hours ago, Ger21 said:

Looking to get a new set of blades for next year.

If these are your 3 options, which do you choose?

New Sub 70 659?

PXG 0317ST?

Bridgestone B-Limited 220MB?

 

 

 

 

Bridgestone, of course I may be biased toward the Bridgestone since J33B is one of my all-time favorites. 

[Yoshifan151]

11 hours ago, Ger21 said:

Looking to get a new set of blades for next year.

If these are your 3 options, which do you choose?

New Sub 70 659?

PXG 0317ST?

Bridgestone B-Limited 220MB?

 

 

 

 

Between these 3, Bridgestone for sure lol

[toastinato]

I don’t even need to respond to the post above. Everyone saying Bridgestone answers the question perfectly. lol 

[Ger21]

9 hours ago, toastinato said:

Everyone saying Bridgestone answers the question perfectly. lol 

I think everyone here is a bit biased, lol.🤣

[Ger21]

OK, I bought them. When my wife asks about them, I'll blame you guys.

 

 

 

 

 

[toastinato]

26 minutes ago, Ger21 said:

OK, I bought them. When my wife asks about them, I'll blame you guys.

 

 

 

 

 

Let us know how they are! I have a backup set of j15 mbs and they are the only set that’ll never be sold. I’m on a blade journey at the moment and wanting to build a set so these intrigue me quite a bit! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts. 
 

Any chance you could post some address pics? These look awesome. 

[Ger21]

10 minutes ago, toastinato said:

Any chance you could post some address pics? These look awesome. 

They are coming from Japan, and I just purchased on Ebay an hour ago, so I don't have them yet. Based on previous purchases from Japan, I might have them by the weekend though. But it looks like these are being sold through a broker, so they might take a little longer? This exact set was listed by at least 5 different sellers.

 

Sure, I'll post some pics when I get them.

Unfortunately, I most likely played my last round of the year last week. So I won't likely even hit these until April.

Edited November 25, 2024 by Ger21

[toastinato]

8 minutes ago, Ger21 said:

They are coming from Japan, and I just purchased on Ebay an hour ago, so I don't have them yet. Based on previous purchases from Japan, I might have them by the weekend though. But it looks like these are being sold through a broker, so they might take a little longer? This exact set was listed by at least 5 different sellers.

 

Sure, I'll post some pics when I get them.

Unfortunately, I most likely played my last round of the year last week. So I won't likely even hit these until April.

Oh nice! I’ve purchased a few sets from eBay that are from Japan and haven’t had any issues. It’ll be a nice treat come April! 

[Moarbutter]

@Ger21 Congrats on the Bridgestones! Lol, I was absolutely going to vote for them as well as everyone else.

 

 

Has a really cool surprise over the weekend.A buddy of mine is super into playing classic clubs from the 80s and 90s, and is the only person I've met who plays persimmons on a regular basis. We have a great time talking about classic clubs, playing blades, etc. Over the weekend we wanted to try a course a little further out and ended up playing Swan Point, which I absolutely LOVED. If you're in the DMV looking to play publicly available courses, it's immediately become my favorite course in the area. The architecture is absolutely fantastic. All holes flow tee to green with no more than 100 yards between, tons of variation in the architecture, really beautiful and memorable holes; and most importantly, the course makes you think. For almost every shot, you have to balance risk vs. reward. The par 5s tempt you to go for them in 2, but you have to REALLY hit an excellent shot to do so. There are better and worse lines to play all the way around, and you really have to think about where you want to hit your next shot from. I LOVED it. Only caveat is that it's in Wetlands, and I suspect it would be absolutely intolerable on a hot & humid day in the summer. Definitely a spring/fall golf course

 

That wasn't the surprise, though. When we got to the course, my buddy had regripped a Persimmon driver he had lying around that perfectly fits my taste in clubs. From what I could find it's a Golf Works RM-880 (could be wrong on the brand) with a DG X300!!!!(hell yeah) steel shaft that he regripped with a Midsize MCC +4 and gave it to me as a present. ABSURDLY thoughtful gift, and I absolutely LOVED it. I love VERY heavy midsoft shafts, and this perfectly fits the bill Pictures below

[Moarbutter]

I'm also trying to solicit some ideas for a fun match play forfeit. My buddy and I kept stroke play for our personal score, but then played match play against each other straight up and had a blast. We ended up shooting within a stroke of each other, and I ended up winning the match 2&1. It was super evenly matched the whole way around with us trading the lead several times playing straight up. We want to continue playing match play against each other, and are trying to figure out some non-monetary forfeits to keep it interesting. Our two Initial ideas are the loser signs the ball they lost with to give to the winner, and to get a cool ball marker that the winner of the previous match gets to use until they lose a match against the other person.

 

Both of which are really fun, but definitely want to see if anyone else has any non-monetary forfeits that they like for an ongoing match play series. 

Edited November 26, 2024 by Moarbutter

[subrew]

Japanese Santa (DHL delivery guy) just dropped these off.  
 

 

[Ger21]

On 11/25/2024 at 8:57 AM, toastinato said:

Any chance you could post some address pics? These look awesome. 

 

Just showed up today. They look like they've only been hit off mats. 99% of the bag chatter is on the sole. But no real scratches on the sole. The short irons get a little boxy looking, starting at the 7 iron. They are taller in the heel area than I'm used to. It's weird, because they don't look like this from the back. They look tiny compared to my OnOff Kuro's.

 

4 iron (221CB)

 

 

5iron

 

 

6 iron

 

 

7 iron

 

 

8 iron

 

 

9 iron

 

PW

Edited December 3, 2024 by Ger21

[toastinato]

1 hour ago, Ger21 said:

 

Just showed up today. They look like they've only been hit off mats. 99% of the bag chatter is on the sole. But no real scratches on the sole. The short irons get a little boxy looking, starting at the 7 iron. They are taller in the heel area than I'm used to. It's weird, because they don't look like this from the back. They look tiny compared to my OnOff Kuro's.

 

4 iron (221CB)

 

 

5iron

 

 

6 iron

 

 

7 iron

 

 

8 iron

 

 

9 iron

 

PW

Wow thanks so much! These look amazing. Very similar style to my j15 MBs. Only thing I don’t love about the Bridgestone irons is they all have that weird neck to hosel transition. Maybe it’s just me

[Ger21]

On 11/25/2024 at 8:57 AM, toastinato said:

Let us know how they are!

Got a chance to get out this morning here in Michigan. 39°F, so not optimal conditions.

I normally play +1/2" and 2° up, so these are not my ideal specs.

My miss is usually thin, and these feel a bit harsh on thin hits. Part of that might have been the cold weather.

I was a little worried that I might lose some distance from my OnOff Kuro's, but distance seemed very good, even with the cold. Very powerful flight, with plenty of height. Pinpoint accuracy.

I hit some really good shots. First par 3, I hit a 6 iron inside 5 feet, but it bounced over the frozen green. Nearly got my first HIO (in 40+ years) on the last par 3. 5 iron was about to roll into the hole, and bounced off the stick.

Until I can play in some warm weather, I won't really know 100% what I have, but first impression is good. I most likely won't play again until April, so I'll pull these apart, and put my AMT White shafts in them, as soon as my BB&F ferrules come in. Probably after Christmas.

[DCCarpenter]

@Moarbutter Swan point is a great course, I played today, walked it in under 4 hours. It is actually not too bad in the summer because you have a nice breeze and a lot of shade areas, it is usually significantly cooler than the inner suburbs courses.

 

You are right about those par 5's, the one long one on the front is always tough but the other ones tempt you to go for it in 2. I played cautiously today but stuck 3 wedge shots within 10 feet. 2 birdies on the par 5's on the back and lipped out the other birdie putt on the first one on the front.

 

Played the course with Nike pro-combos ..and since I'm missing the pro combo 7 iron used a Wilson Staff model blade 7 iron to pair with the pro combo 8/9/PW blades.

 

If your down in Southern MD again checkout Breton Bay, not quite as nice as Swan Point but fun and affordable. The front lulls you to sleep,  nothing to carry and fairly flat and  it isn't too hard. I found the back 9 to be really tough.

[toastinato]

3 hours ago, Ger21 said:

Got a chance to get out this morning here in Michigan. 39°F, so not optimal conditions.

I normally play +1/2" and 2° up, so these are not my ideal specs.

My miss is usually thin, and these feel a bit harsh on thin hits. Part of that might have been the cold weather.

I was a little worried that I might lose some distance from my OnOff Kuro's, but distance seemed very good, even with the cold. Very powerful flight, with plenty of height. Pinpoint accuracy.

I hit some really good shots. First par 3, I hit a 6 iron inside 5 feet, but it bounced over the frozen green. Nearly got my first HIO (in 40+ years) on the last par 3. 5 iron was about to roll into the hole, and bounced off the stick.

Until I can play in some warm weather, I won't really know 100% what I have, but first impression is good. I most likely won't play again until April, so I'll pull these apart, and put my AMT White shafts in them, as soon as my BB&F ferrules come in. Probably after Christmas.

Very cool! And also very tough to get an idea on clubs in 39° weather! Haha. Wish you got that HIO. Would’ve been awesome. Excited to hear your thoughts come April time. Enjoy them before the snow! 

[Ger21]

11 hours ago, toastinato said:

And also very tough to get an idea on clubs in 39° weather!

First impression is that they are not as soft as my last 3 sets of Endo forged irons (VR Pro blades, Z965 blades, OnOff Kuro's), but it could have just been the weather.

[Excelsior75]

Blade-buyers from Japan:  were your purchases through eBay or private, independant sellers?

Edited December 9, 2024 by Excelsior75

[Ger21]

6 minutes ago, Excelsior75 said:

Blade-buyers from Japan:

Do you mean buying blades from Japan?

If so, I bought mine from Ebay. Just some random seller.

[lefthack]

On 11/25/2024 at 5:29 AM, Ger21 said:

OK, I bought them. When my wife asks about them, I'll blame you guys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damn I wish these came in lefty, they look awesome. Simple, clean, thin top line. They do good work. 

[Excelsior75]

43 minutes ago, Ger21 said:

Do you mean buying blades from Japan?

If so, I bought mine from Ebay. Just some random seller.

Yes.  I only ask because often Ive seen multiple eBay sellers from Japan who use / share the exact same photos when offering a set of blade irons...

[Maine Golfer]

14 hours ago, toastinato said:

Very cool! And also very tough to get an idea on clubs in 39° weather! Haha. Wish you got that HIO. Would’ve been awesome. Excited to hear your thoughts come April time. Enjoy them before the snow! 

ha ha ha for sure 

[Ger21]

15 minutes ago, Excelsior75 said:

Yes.  I only ask because often Ive seen multiple eBay sellers from Japan who use / share the exact same photos when offering a set of blade irons...

The set I just bought was listed by at least 4 different sellers on Ebay, and I bought them from the seller offering the lowest price. Shipping did take maybe 2-3 days longer than what I'd consider normal, but they still arrived in about a week.

 

[subrew]

57 minutes ago, Ger21 said:

The set I just bought was listed by at least 4 different sellers on Ebay, and I bought them from the seller offering the lowest price. Shipping did take maybe 2-3 days longer than what I'd consider normal, but they still arrived in about a week.

 

 

What he said ^^^

 

I've purchased multiple sets of heads/irons off ebay from Japanese sellers.  I think what happens is there is a shop that has the clubs, they take the photos, and act a bit as a clearing house.  The ebay vendors use the photos, put their price on it, and sell it.

 

One tip on ebay, add a set you are looking at to your watchlist.  About 50% of the time, the Japanese vendors will send you an offer within 24 hours.  Sometimes it is only 5%, sometimes 10% off.  I've had as much as 20% off before. 

 

I've purchased from 5+ different vendors, and have had zero issues.  They often communicate quicker and better than USA based stores, and for me being west coast, I'll see clubs leave Japan, arrive in SF the next morning, and DHL delivers them to me the next day.  Essentially 2-3 day shipping for most of my purchases. 

[Excelsior75]

3 minutes ago, subrew said:

 

What he said ^^^

 

I've purchased multiple sets of heads/irons off ebay from Japanese sellers.  I think what happens is there is a shop that has the clubs, they take the photos, and act a bit as a clearing house.  The ebay vendors use the photos, put their price on it, and sell it.

 

One tip on ebay, add a set you are looking at to your watchlist.  About 50% of the time, the Japanese vendors will send you an offer within 24 hours.  Sometimes it is only 5%, sometimes 10% off.  I've had as much as 20% off before. 

 

I've purchased from 5+ different vendors, and have had zero issues.  They often communicate quicker and better than USA based stores, and for me being west coast, I'll see clubs leave Japan, arrive in SF the next morning, and DHL delivers them to me the next day.  Essentially 2-3 day shipping for most of my purchases. 

Ok got it.

So if you see photos of say, a set of Miura irons - that look in tip-top condition - but four sellers are using the same photos, are those the irons you’re gonna get or do you go by the sellers description of the condition-of-clubs out-of-10?

[Moarbutter]

Throwing my hat in the ring here, My suspicions are that they aren't local resellers to any one shop, but are resellers from yahoo.jp. I've seen the same thing w/ multiple ebay postings, and the original on yahoo.jp - this actually happened when I bought my Kyoeiis. Watched the posting because I was curious as to what happened, and the ebay listing was pulled a day or so later. 

 

It's definitely a bit of a pain to figure out how to navigate it (google translate is for sure your friend), but going with Yahoo.jp/buyee.jp is definitely the move IMO. They don't do a great job of showing you what shipping is going to be, but my experience is that it's roughly $100. However, w/ the price discount and strength of USD/JPY, you can still usually get a better deal going that route if you're willing to put in the work. My experience w/ buyee has been nothing short of spectacular, and I couldn't recommend it more. The other cool thing is that you get a lot more selection, and can possibly find some really cool JDM brands as well.

 

Happy to answer any questions you have about my experience

[tomc262]

On 11/25/2024 at 7:29 AM, Ger21 said:

OK, I bought them. When my wife asks about them, I'll blame you guys.

 

 

 

 

 

Well done!!!  Fairways and greens!!

[TiScape]

15 hours ago, toastinato said:

Very cool! And also very tough to get an idea on clubs in 39° weather! Haha. Wish you got that HIO. Would’ve been awesome. Excited to hear your thoughts come April time. Enjoy them before the snow! 

Just wanted to say, love ur avi pic toast. What a great lookin pooch! 

[Moarbutter]

16 hours ago, DCCarpenter said:

@Moarbutter Swan point is a great course, I played today, walked it in under 4 hours. It is actually not too bad in the summer because you have a nice breeze and a lot of shade areas, it is usually significantly cooler than the inner suburbs courses.

 

You are right about those par 5's, the one long one on the front is always tough but the other ones tempt you to go for it in 2. I played cautiously today but stuck 3 wedge shots within 10 feet. 2 birdies on the par 5's on the back and lipped out the other birdie putt on the first one on the front.

 

Played the course with Nike pro-combos ..and since I'm missing the pro combo 7 iron used a Wilson Staff model blade 7 iron to pair with the pro combo 8/9/PW blades.

 

If your down in Southern MD again checkout Breton Bay, not quite as nice as Swan Point but fun and affordable. The front lulls you to sleep,  nothing to carry and fairly flat and  it isn't too hard. I found the back 9 to be really tough.

 

Thanks for the tips, both about Breton Bay and Swan Point not being terrible in the summer. I figured based on how swampy it is in places and all of the reeds in sections that it would be the world's largest mosquito breeding ground. 

 

My buddy and I were back in MD yesterday to try to take advantage of that fluke 60* day. We played Queenstown Harbor River course and really enjoyed it. I didn't like it nearly as much as Swan Point (which to me is in a class of its own), but it's still right near the top of my list of courses in the DMV that I've played. Did like how long you have to go from tee to green around it, but the course still had a lot of interesting features and made you make some very interesting choices when trying to get around it. It also had some truly spectacular view including #10 with a gorgeous plateau green and super challenging green complex set against the bsy so that you don't have anything behind it. If you haven't played it, definitely recommend it. Definitely worth the hour long trip to get out there

[Nard_S]

2 hours ago, Excelsior75 said:

Blade-buyers from Japan:  were your purchases through eBay or private, independant sellers?

I've done both ebay & Yahoo.JP (Buyee?). Never realized these guys might be brokers of some sort but I've always gotten nice stuff. In general, they are very particular about condition and the shipping, communication is very transparent. eBay can be pricier than Buyee in my experience but JDM buys have been more trustworthy than my USD buys.