HZRDUS wood shaft experiences: finding the correct shaft flex

[RolandofGilead]

The Project X HZRDUS shafts are hugely popular. Since each shaft brand has its own flex definitions, choosing the correct flex can be difficult. I would like to use this thread as a repository for WRXers to share their experience with different HZRDUS models and finding the correct flex.

 

I would also like some thoughts on recommended flex based on my swing. I swing driver at 110-112 and a video showing my tempo and transition is below (with 3 wood). I have been playing the 76g Yellow 6.0 in my driver or a few years and think I get best results when I swing at about 80%. Spin and dispersion increase quite a bit at higher effort levels. Thoughts on moving up to 6.5? I don’t have great access to demo this combo. I am going to have my current shaft tipped 1” and will report back.

https://youtube.com/shorts/BTXvjXs5zxQ

Edited February 21, 2021 by RolandofGilead

[third-times-a-charm]

There is no standard for flex, so it varies from OEM to OEM. One's S can be another's X and etc - but generally speaking all the companies are on a relative close scale.

 

For HZRDUS, the 6.0 is pretty stout. Most here call it a Stiff+ rather than Stiff. The 5.5 is closer to 'other OEM' stiff from what I recall.

[Bakes0]

4 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

For HZRDUS, the 6.0 is pretty stout. Most here call it a Stiff+ rather than Stiff. The 5.5 is closer to 'other OEM' stiff from what I recall.

Will co-sign this. I play a Hzrdus yellow 5.5 with a swing speed around 105. It’s plenty stout. Most other shafts if I try and throw a “regular” shaft in it’s a disaster, but the 5.5 yellow works well for me.

[sadclevelandsports]

I think it also depends on which Hzrdus shaft, because I've found yellow 6.0 to play pretty close to what I consider "stiff." Hzrdus black on the other hand.......

[SugarPenguin]

@RolandofGilead im in the same wheelhouse as yourself in regards to swing speed. If you are talking about the Original HZRUDUS yellow i did game a 6.5 but in the 63g (?) version. Found it pretty stout feeling in all honesty and struggle to close the face up at impact. Really low spin and launch but a bit of action in the tip. I have tried the black in 6.0 and 6.5 and once again - little to no feel. 

 

The smoke lineup is completely different though. Just more feels throughout and the Yellow Smoke is much more friendly. Very similar launch characteristics and spin too.

 

I find the entire HZRDUS lineup pretty vibration central and the feel is not for me. They are mainly spin killers for aggressive swingers. 

 

I would stick to what you have I think or go smoke Yellow 6.5 if you like the feel.

[RolandofGilead]

2 hours ago, SugarPenguin said:

@RolandofGilead im in the same wheelhouse as yourself in regards to swing speed. If you are talking about the Original HZRUDUS yellow i did game a 6.5 but in the 63g (?) version. Found it pretty stout feeling in all honesty and struggle to close the face up at impact. Really low spin and launch but a bit of action in the tip. I have tried the black in 6.0 and 6.5 and once again - little to no feel. 

 

The smoke lineup is completely different though. Just more feels throughout and the Yellow Smoke is much more friendly. Very similar launch characteristics and spin too.

 

I find the entire HZRDUS lineup pretty vibration central and the feel is not for me. They are mainly spin killers for aggressive swingers. 

 

I would stick to what you have I think or go smoke Yellow 6.5 if you like the feel.

Thanks for your feedback. Did you try the Smoke Yellow or Black in 6.5 by chance? That sounds like it could be a sweet spot.

 

I actually have the Smoke Black in my new 3W and definitely prefer this feel to the counterbalanced Yellow profile. I am going to stick with the Yellow 6.0 for now and tip trim. If that doesn’t work out I’ll probably buy a new Smoke Black, potentially in lighter weight and stronger flex.

 

Another twist: my 3W is 6.0 flex but tipped 1”, which is 1/2” above the HZRDUS standard for 3W (the club is technically a 4/5W but I play it at 16* as a 3W, hence the standard 5W tip trim). It feels pretty good but I am going to trim another 0.5” shortly. If the Yellow and Smoke Black in 6.0 feel good after tipping 1” more than standard, that would make sense.

[nsxguy]

22 hours ago, RolandofGilead said:

The Project X HZRDUS shafts are hugely popular. Since each shaft brand has its own flex definitions, choosing the correct flex can be difficult. I would like to use this thread as a repository for WRXers to share their experience with different HZRDUS models and finding the correct flex.

 

I would also like some thoughts on recommended flex based on my swing. I swing driver at 110-112 and a video showing my tempo and transition is below (with 3 wood). I have been playing the 76g Yellow 6.0 in my driver or a few years and think I get best results when I swing at about 80%. Spin and dispersion increase quite a bit at higher effort levels. Thoughts on moving up to 6.5? I don’t have great access to demo this combo. I am going to have my current shaft tipped 1” and will report back.

https://youtube.com/shorts/BTXvjXs5zxQ

 

That's a fairly quick tempo. And surely not 80%.

 

Personally I believe weight is more important than flex (so long as the flex is close) but with your tempo you might be better off with the Hzrdus Black. Yellow is (supposedly) for "smooth" tempos.

 

While I swing nowhere as fast as you do I do have a quick tempo and played the Black in my Cally Fusion a few years ago. The Black transformed the club compared to its stock shaft.

 

I bought an Epic Flash with a Hzrdus Yellow 2 years ago and it worked very well as well, even with a quick tempo.

 

But you swing considerably harder than I do hence the Black possibly being a better fit for you. And as I swung the 6.0 in both shafts I expect you could go 6.5 if you wanted to.

 

Good luck. 👍

[ScottHutch2]

I think this is a good thread idea. Thanks for kicking it off. I swing around 110-112 most days, have gotten up to 114/115 in season, but im far from that at the moment. Probably a quicker transition and a late release.

 

I have tried a bunch of the different Project X offerings and the shaft that spent the most time in my bag of any other was the Evenflow Black 6.5.. I had the same shaft in 6.0 originally, it worked but i was leaving some on the table. In all honesty the X doesn't feel much different in my hands, but the tip is a lot more stable which helped me tremendously. Still has that signature evenflow feel.

 

I have a Smoke Yellow 6.5 60g that I have experimented with, but I just don't enjoy the counterbalanced feeling, so it is sitting in my garage collecting dust. 

 

I did also have the OG black and smoke black in my bag for smaller stints. both in 6.5 (X). Between the two I honestly got better results from the Black, which was surprising since I did not think my swing had enough in it to game that shaft. The smoke black had a weird feeling to it, I preferred either the 1 piece feel of the black or the smoother feeling of the evenflow black to the smoke black. It kind of fell into a no mans land for me.

[LeoLeo99]

Average Joe here.  I'm about 98 mph with driver.  I find Black Smoke HZRDUS 5.5 equivalent to a Blue Board stiff.  

[SugarPenguin]

@RolandofGilead yes I have tried the smoke black but really hated it. It actually felt less stout than the yellow and I was really inconsistent with it. Not sure if it’s because I was using the stock offerings from titleist. 
 

the Handcrafted version from the original lineup play much stouter than the mass produced ones. They give much better feedback and less vibration too. 

 

I really think smoke yellow 6.5 could be the one for you though if you like that counterbalanced feel. Helps you swing within yourself at 80% too rather than the OG black where you are like - I MUST murder this tee ball. 
 

[RolandofGilead]

6 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

That's a fairly quick tempo. And surely not 80%.

 

Personally I believe weight is more important than flex (so long as the flex is close) but with your tempo you might be better off with the Hzrdus Black. Yellow is (supposedly) for "smooth" tempos.

 

While I swing nowhere as fast as you do I do have a quick tempo and played the Black in my Cally Fusion a few years ago. The Black transformed the club compared to its stock shaft.

 

I bought an Epic Flash with a Hzrdus Yellow 2 years ago and it worked very well as well, even with a quick tempo.

 

But you swing considerably harder than I do hence the Black possibly being a better fit for you. And as I swung the 6.0 in both shafts I expect you could go 6.5 if you wanted to.

 

Good luck. 👍

That swing was a normal effort 3W, definitely more than the 80% that is best suited for my Yellow 6.0. Do I ever actually dial back to 80%? Ha! 

3 hours ago, ScottHutch2 said:

I think this is a good thread idea. Thanks for kicking it off. I swing around 110-112 most days, have gotten up to 114/115 in season, but im far from that at the moment. Probably a quicker transition and a late release.

 

I have tried a bunch of the different Project X offerings and the shaft that spent the most time in my bag of any other was the Evenflow Black 6.5.. I had the same shaft in 6.0 originally, it worked but i was leaving some on the table. In all honesty the X doesn't feel much different in my hands, but the tip is a lot more stable which helped me tremendously. Still has that signature evenflow feel.

 

I have a Smoke Yellow 6.5 60g that I have experimented with, but I just don't enjoy the counterbalanced feeling, so it is sitting in my garage collecting dust. 

 

I did also have the OG black and smoke black in my bag for smaller stints. both in 6.5 (X). Between the two I honestly got better results from the Black, which was surprising since I did not think my swing had enough in it to game that shaft. The smoke black had a weird feeling to it, I preferred either the 1 piece feel of the black or the smoother feeling of the evenflow black to the smoke black. It kind of fell into a no mans land for me.

Nice intel here - I have seen a lot of reports saying that the Black is an unpleasant beast of a shaft. Good to know it can work for mortal swing speeds with the right tempo.

1 hour ago, SugarPenguin said:

@RolandofGilead yes I have tried the smoke black but really hated it. It actually felt less stout than the yellow and I was really inconsistent with it. Not sure if it’s because I was using the stock offerings from titleist. 
 

the Handcrafted version from the original lineup play much stouter than the mass produced ones. They give much better feedback and less vibration too. 

 

I really think smoke yellow 6.5 could be the one for you though if you like that counterbalanced feel. Helps you swing within yourself at 80% too rather than the OG black where you are like - I MUST murder this tee ball. 
 

You might be right but I think I will be moving away from the Yellow family if I buy a replacement shaft. Hitting the Smoke Black opened my eyes to how relatively lifeless the CB profile feels to me - moving to the Black family is likely if I buy new. Honestly, I got the HZRDUS Yellow in the first place because I loved the paint job paired with matte black driver head (who doesn’t like a good looking club?). It just happens to be a pretty good fit for my swing and I have really gotten used to it over the few years I’ve had it. Hopefully the tipping will get spin and dispersion down so I can get a little more roll out and save some dough.

[mgoblue83]

Look at the 6.5 flex 62g version of the HZRDUS Black or Yellow. the 76g 6.0 is hard to swing fast because the weight requires a powerful transition but the flex can't hold up. I swing 118mph with a HZRDUS Black 6.5 62g but I can only swing 112 with the 76g version. I also have a better strike pattern and better launch numbers with the lighter 6.5 than the heavier 6.0. 

[RolandofGilead]

I just got to hit my clubs with 6.0 shafts after tip trimming and I am really happy with the initial results. The updated specs are:

 

Driver, Yellow 6.0: 1” tipped and 43.5” length (up from 1/4” tipped)

3W, Smoke Black 6.0: 1.5” tipped and 42” length (up from 1” tipped)

 

These are quite short now. But I am only 5’ 8” and the shorter lengths felt pretty good. It seems likely that there is some synergy between the shaft adjustments and reduced club length.

 

As far as the shaft stiffness goes: both shafts feel so, so much more stable through the downswing. This was particularly noticeable even on dry swings with the Smoke Black 3W the night prior. Harder to feel on the counterbalanced Yellow in driver, but that is somewhat expected. On well struck shots: ball flight was much more consistent and slightly lower with both clubs. Curve was less on mis-hits. With the flatter trajectory the ball still flew through the apex rather than falling from the sky. I am really looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the future. If you are stuck with weak HZRDUS shafts, tip trimming 1/2-1” can make a huge difference.

Edited March 1, 2021 by RolandofGilead

[RolandofGilead]

Here is a long-term follow up on this thread. I’ve been tinkering more with wood shafts and ended up with Smoke Black 60g 6.5 in driver and it is a world of difference over the 1” tipped Yellow 6.0 (driver) and 1.5” tipped Smoke Black 6.0 (4W). Turns out, I really prefer the non-counterbalanced profile. The extra tip stability of the straight-in 6.5 flex (over the tipped 6.0) really gives confidence to swing hard and helps my dispersion on marginal strikes. For the record my driver ball speed is in the 160-165 range, though I always feel like I hit it thin on the simulator. So perhaps a tad higher on-course.

 

 

As for the 4W, I switched back and forth between the extra-tipped Smoke Black 6.0 and standard-tipped Grafalloy ProLanch Platinum X for awhile and never got comfortable. Meanwhile I have been playing a PROFORCE V2 in my hybrid at F5 (X) flex for a few years. I had a lightbulb moment one day after hitting the 4W and hybrid back-to-back on the range and decided to take a chance and buy a PROFORCE V2 wood shaft in 7F5 flex. It’s money. Here are averages of 5 or so swings on each. I was longer but more offline with the Smoke Black than the ProLaunch, while the PROFORCE combines the best of both.

 

Smoke Black 6.0 / ProLaunch Platinum / PROFORCE V2

Ball speed: 150 / 148 / 148

Launch angle: 13.5 / 13.4 / 13.7

Backspin: 3480 / 4070 / 3700

Height: 38 / 38 / 42

Carry: 240 / 230 / 248

Offline: -48 / -17 / -1 

Edited October 12, 2021 by RolandofGilead