Any comparisons between dark speed ls and qi 10 ls?

[Pnwpingi210]

Has anybody hit these two side by side?  Any notable differences in forgiveness and “spinsistency”

[cmporto10]

 I saw a noticeable drop-off in ball speed when barely missing the center of the Qi10LS. It's a shame because I think it is the best looking driver of the year at address. The DarkSpeed yielded faster ball speeds for me despite swinging it slower than the TM. As always, YMMV. 

[Pnwpingi210]

 Update - I unintendedly had a chance to trial these on a gc quad after my post.

 

cobra -  wanted to go left/ draw on me a bit.  We adjusted the weights to be fade bias and that helped some, but not quite enough.  Spin on solid strikes was 2300-2600.  Heel strikes spin up over 3 k, but oddly still fell left.  Retained ball speed well on mishits.

 

TM -  spun a bit lower on good stokes with equal ball speed.  Wanted to go straight or a fall right.  Low on the face or heel strikes didn’t spun up much, staying well under 3k and not falling that far right.  Didn’t retain as much ball speed on mishits, but distance and dispersion was better due to lower spin.  One toe ball duck hooked.  Also average carry was 10 yards farther than the cobra
 

for me and my swing, the TM is a better fit.  Good ball speeds, management of spin without being too low,  better dispersion and distance

 

 

 

 

 

 

[crcunningham]

Was very close to pre-ordering Qi10 LS before my fitting having had a really great run with Stealth Plus the last year+, but held out for a proper fitting.

My experience was actually just opposite of yours above. Dead left with a shut face on the Qi10 LS and low spin baby cuts with the Darkspeed LS and great consistency across the face. Had two total balls out of ~25 outside of the 2000's in spin. Ended up being between DS LS and TSr4 for me, slight edge to the DS LS as it was better at protecting against the double-cross. However, being a Titleist fanboy and a true WRX'r, the TSr4 might be making an appearance later in the season. Different strokes I guess! 

 

Best of luck!

[Pnwpingi210]

1 minute ago, crcunningham said:

Was very close to pre-ordering Qi10 LS before my fitting having had a really great run with Stealth Plus the last year+, but held out for a proper fitting.

My experience was actually just opposite of yours above. Dead left with a shut face on the Qi10 LS and low spin baby cuts with the Darkspeed LS and great consistency across the face. Had two total balls out of ~25 outside of the 2000's in spin. Ended up being between DS LS and TSr4 for me, slight edge to the DS LS as it was better at protecting against the double-cross. However, being a Titleist fanboy and a true WRX'r, the TSr4 might be making an appearance later in the season. Different strokes I guess! 

 

Best of luck!

Very interesting.  I felt the Darkspeed ls setup closed, and the qi 10 ls sat open so I could swing away and not fear the left.  

[crcunningham]

11 hours ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

Very interesting.  I felt the Darkspeed ls setup closed, and the qi 10 ls sat open so I could swing away and not fear the left.  

great callout. I did not think that it necessarily sat closed, but the DS definitely has less bulge out towards the toe at address compared to the TM and Titleist and had a very straight topline. I could def see that looking closed to someone though, I actually like the look (until I snap hook one hahah).

[cmporto10]

On 2/5/2024 at 2:48 PM, cmporto10 said:

 I saw a noticeable drop-off in ball speed when barely missing the center of the Qi10LS. It's a shame because I think it is the best looking driver of the year at address. The DarkSpeed yielded faster ball speeds for me despite swinging it slower than the TM. As always, YMMV. 

Went back today and tested both again. Whatever ball I used last time may have been the issue for the discrepancy in ball speed. Today they were virtually identical. The DSLS maybe seemed a bit easier to hit, but that could also be down to the shaft itself. Both are great sticks and you can’t go wrong with either. 

[Lloyd_Christmas29]

On 2/5/2024 at 9:12 PM, Pnwpingi210 said:

Very interesting.  I felt the Darkspeed ls setup closed, and the qi 10 ls sat open so I could swing away and not fear the left.  

Interesting, I wonder if the loft was ticked up slightly because the face is definitely a degree or two open in the Darkspeed LS. Qi10 LS sits pretty square in the standard setting.

[Pnwpingi210]

27 minutes ago, Lloyd_Christmas29 said:

Interesting, I wonder if the loft was ticked up slightly because the face is definitely a degree or two open in the Darkspeed LS. Qi10 LS sits pretty square in the standard setting.

Both were set to standard.  For whatever reason the tm plus/ls models always look more open to my eye.

[London424]

Sorry for the silly question but here goes. 
 

when people say a driver is closed/square/open what is it in reference to? Is there a standard definition?
 

For example is it the club on a flat floor? Where is the shaft pointing (belt buckle? Left thigh?)? Standard loft setting on the sleeve only?

 

Depending on loft sleeve setting or where you’re pointing the shaft I can make the same driver look very different.

 

thanks!

Edited February 8, 2024 by London424

[Pnwpingi210]

Thats

1 minute ago, London424 said:

Sorry for the silly question but here goes. 
 

when people say a driver is closed/square/open what is it in reference to? Is there a standard definition?
 

For example is it the club on a flat floor? Where is the shaft pointing (belt buckle? Left thigh?)? Standard loft setting on the sleeve only?

 

Depending on loft sleeve setting or where you’re pointing the shaft I can make the same driver look very different.

 

thanks!

That’s a great question.  There likely is a standard, but I think you are hitting on why the same driver looks different to different people.  Posture, hand position height - all play factors.

 

 

[The Ultimate Hack]

I don't think there's a hotter driver this year than the cobra.

 

But it's just so freaking wild.

 

I have a tough time controlling it.

[crcunningham]

On 2/8/2024 at 9:54 AM, London424 said:

Sorry for the silly question but here goes. 
 

when people say a driver is closed/square/open what is it in reference to? Is there a standard definition?
 

For example is it the club on a flat floor? Where is the shaft pointing (belt buckle? Left thigh?)? Standard loft setting on the sleeve only?

 

Depending on loft sleeve setting or where you’re pointing the shaft I can make the same driver look very different.

 

thanks!

 

There might be, but for me it is very much just dependent on my personal reference. 

For me, I would say that it is based off of how the club face (or topline) is aligned to the shaft axis, not dependent of the setup or how it sits on the ground.  to me I want it to be as square as possible since I will try to manipulate my release to counter-act what I think is happening at the face.

[chewiemf]

Can anyone compare the Darkspeed X to the TSR2?  Thx.

[drvrwdge]

Interested in this as well. Currently in the Paradym TD but the DS LS and QI10 LS have caught my eye. 

[TJ83]

21 hours ago, drvrwdge said:

Interested in this as well. Currently in the Paradym TD but the DS LS and QI10 LS have caught my eye. 

Me too! I'm itchy and I need to decide between these 2. Also using Paradym TD currently. 

[Pnwpingi210]

21 hours ago, drvrwdge said:

Interested in this as well. Currently in the Paradym TD but the DS LS and QI10 LS have caught my eye. 

 

15 minutes ago, TJ83 said:

Me too! I'm itchy and I need to decide between these 2. Also using Paradym TD currently. 

They are fantastic.  I’ve hit both and I think what it comes down to is do you fade it (qi 10ls) or draw it(darkspeed ls).  I would also say don’t sleep on the qi 10 core head if you like the draw it off the tee.

 

 

[drvrwdge]

16 minutes ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

 

They are fantastic.  I’ve hit both and I think what it comes down to is do you fade it (qi 10ls) or draw it(darkspeed ls).  I would also say don’t sleep on the qi 10 core head if you like the draw it off the tee.

 

 

I primarily play a cut off of the tee. Assuming I can mess with the weights or lift to change face angle. 

[Lord Helmet]

So TM and Cobra are 2 drivers that I tend to go back and forth with, depending on my mood, swing, etc.  From OG LTD w/ the spaceport to M series, to Sim, LTDx, Stealth 2, Aerojet, etc...

 

These 2 current models are very similar to me and my swing and represent what I usually see when playing them.  The TM, when centered, goes a long way.  Driving par4s, just explodes off the face.  Off center, performance is dramatically reduced.  And Im talking just out of the center, anything else is punished.  Glass cannon for me.  The Cobra is 10yds behind the TM on centered strikes, but everything else on the face is much more playable to me.  Low heel, toe, you name it.  Since I dont play golf for a living I use the Cobra more since it keeps me alive on the course.  

 

But it sure is fun to drive par4s, so I keep farting around with TM drivers.

[drvrwdge]

Awesome, thanks for the input. I was kind of thinking the Cobra would generally be longer since from everything i have seen in reviews, club head speed seems to be consistently higher by 2 to 3 mph vs everything else. 

 

Looks like you are saying the opposite, interesting for sure. I pulled trigger on the Cobra but maybe I'll grab the QI10 LS as well. 

[TJ83]

Reporting back, I decided to give a 9* qi10ls a go. Ill swap my ventus tr black 6x over from my PTD. At least I know the paradym works well, just wish I had bought a 9 degree instead of 10.5*. I have a green dot adapter on set at -2, D 14 gram up front and I still launch the PTD pretty high. Hoping the QI10LS being a 9* and pretty low spin will help keep my flight down.  Maybe I'll set it a few clicks lower. 

 

Anyway. I'll report back once I get some range and course time with it when it arrives! 

[Albatross Dreamer]

On 2/8/2024 at 10:54 AM, London424 said:

Sorry for the silly question but here goes. 
 

when people say a driver is closed/square/open what is it in reference to? Is there a standard definition?
 

For example is it the club on a flat floor? Where is the shaft pointing (belt buckle? Left thigh?)? Standard loft setting on the sleeve only?

 

Depending on loft sleeve setting or where you’re pointing the shaft I can make the same driver look very different.

 

thanks!

To me it's just how it looks to each persons eye and can vary depending how they hold the club, set up, etc. Obviously there are clubs that many people generally agree tend to sit more open or closed, but personally wouldn't read much into other's opinions on this unless you're buying blind and have a specific preference.

Edited February 28, 2024 by Albatross Dreamer

[BirdieBob]

How about the Qi10 Core vs DarkSpeed LS?

 

 

[Pnwpingi210]

5 hours ago, BirdieBob said:

How about the Qi10 Core vs DarkSpeed LS?

 

 

Makes sense.  Qi core spun 500 ish more than the cobra ls model.  Ball speed was a wash.  

[mason82]

I was fitted on Monday, and tested both of these with my Ventus Blue TR 6x. The both look so good and felt identical. In the end, the TM spun too much on mis hits compared to the Cobra and was 16 yards shorter. Conra wins. 

[drvrwdge]

Anyone know what the raw shaft length adapter installed to get to stock length is?

[JoeFrigo]

On 2/28/2024 at 4:43 PM, Pnwpingi210 said:

Makes sense.  Qi core spun 500 ish more than the cobra ls model.  Ball speed was a wash.  

Ian nailed it when he said the Qi10 is the better on course driver and would be his pick. Cobra's every year seem to have that sneaky fast speed w/ very low spin. I have a good friend at Cobra who's sent be the last 3 LS versions and I cant keep them on the planet with bad strikes. Longest drives ever are with AeroJet LS but also the most penalties haha

Exact reason I have the core Qi10 this yer and am very happy with its speed and forgiveness 

[mogc60]

11 hours ago, JoeFrigo said:

Ian nailed it when he said the Qi10 is the better on course driver and would be his pick. Cobra's every year seem to have that sneaky fast speed w/ very low spin. I have a good friend at Cobra who's sent be the last 3 LS versions and I cant keep them on the planet with bad strikes. Longest drives ever are with AeroJet LS but also the most penalties haha

Exact reason I have the core Qi10 this yer and am very happy with its speed and forgiveness 

Shows why it’s so important to try for yourself. Everyone gets different results from different drivers. For me, I’ve never been more accurate than with the last 3 LS models and the performance on mis hits has been unbelievable really.  Watching the driver bracket I swear Ian whiffed every drive with the Cobra and commented on how well the miss performance was. You hear others and they say it’s not forgiving. It’s all just what fits and feels best to the individual 

[STank724]

6 hours ago, mogc60 said:

Shows why it’s so important to try for yourself. Everyone gets different results from different drivers. For me, I’ve never been more accurate than with the last 3 LS models and the performance on mis hits has been unbelievable really.  Watching the driver bracket I swear Ian whiffed every drive with the Cobra and commented on how well the miss performance was. You hear others and they say it’s not forgiving. It’s all just what fits and feels best to the individual 

This. FWIW I get nearly identical launch monitor numbers and dispersion when testing Qi10 (core) 9° vs Darkspeed LS 10.5° -1.