KBS Tour Shafts - Hard Step Stiff or Soft Step X???

[iacas]

I've read about 20 threads here and on some other forums and I've yet to find much conclusive evidence.

 

I'd like to get some KBS Tour shafts in some new Miura irons and I'm just a bit unsure about what flexes to get.

 

For awhile I have played the Project X 6.0 shafts in my irons. I like the trajectory and spin, but I'd like a bit of a softer feel (particularly on partial shots). If I were to hit the DG shaft it'd be the S300 or the X100.

 

I'd like the right flex but I'm also concerned about the swingweight (Miura's heads are all the same weight I guess).

 

The shafts I've mentioned so far tend to spec out in stiffness like this, I believe:

 

DG S300 (130g, ~5.75), PX 6.0 (120g), DG X100 (130g, ~6.25), PX 6.5

 

I've heard the KBS Tour Stiff is about a 5.5 and the KBS Tour X Stiff is around a 6.5. I've heard the KBS Tours feel softer than they are, though, so I have considered the KBS Tour 6.5s (likely soft stepped once) but I'm concerned about the swingweight since the shaft weighs 130g. I like to feel the clubhead a bit more than they may allow...

 

So am I wrong in anything I've said?

 

And in the end, what do you recommend: hard stepping the Stiff (~5.5) KBS Tours or soft-stepping the X-Stiff (~6.5) KBS Tours???

[jsjmp]

It is my understanding that KBS stiff = 6.0 but feels more like a 5.5 and the X is a 7.0 but feels more like a 6.5.  Sounds like a straight in stiff might be the way to go.  That's what I use.  For me 8 iron= 150-155 yards.  

[iacas]

[quote name='jsjmp' date='19 June 2010 - 12:20 AM' timestamp='1276921223' post='2518889']
It is my understanding that KBS stiff = 6.0 but feels more like a 5.5 and the X is a 7.0 but feels more like a 6.5.  Sounds like a straight in stiff might be the way to go.  That's what I use.  For me 8 iron= 150-155 yards.  
[/quote]

Thanks. I think a straight in stiff might not be quite enough. A KBS X soft-stepped once should play to about a 6.2 or so which is right around the X100... I'm not sure I want a club that feels like a 5.5, especially as the PX 6.0 is more like a 6.5 on the original Rifle scale, right?

I'm stuck pretty much exactly in the middle. Hard stepping the KBS isn't a great alternative because you end up with an 8-PW with the same shaft. Soft stepping the X I worry about the ball flight getting too high... I'm right in the middle it seems.

Thanks... but I'm still really confused. :-) The PX 6.0 feels fine to me, but I think if I had a slightly stiffer shaft (the KBS X) that still FELT good (maybe soft tipped once) that might be the best of everything... but I'm cautious because I don't want to just convince myself.

[bluequail]

I've tested three different shaft (KBS)all in the same type of head a i10. A stiff, a X soft steped, an a X. The only differents that I could really tell was the ball flight. I end up going with the X

[78blades]

What I found was if you like a very smooth shaft, KBS; if you like a firm kicking shaft, PX. Personally I perfer PX. As for stepping what I found was that I don't like to hard step b/c its hard finding a shaft or shafts, depending on how many times you hard step, to match the others shafts in the 9i or pw. My higher irons are money clubs so I don't like to mess with them. So, for that fact alone, if I step its soft stepping only. I also found that the spines on KBS are very subtle and the spines on PX's are getting much more noticable, almost like DG's.

[bob86gn]

For what it is worth I hit my 8 iron 150 and after a while with the kbs stiff it tried the kbs x and it was awesome. Way better ball flight and much tighter dispersion. I saw no loss in distance between the shafts only a slightly lower trajectory. I think all of tm stuff is actually soft stepped anyway so I think softstepped is the way to go. If you did want to hard step you could go wedge flex in the 9 and pw.

[XYB34A]

I called and talked to the KBS people on the phone when I had my shafts put into a new set of Ben Hogan Redlines. Dont ask where I got them. They told me, that the X flex 130 gram shaft was actually 7.0 on the rifle scale. So soft stepped one time, it would make it a 6.7 on the actual rifle scale. OR basically the same as a Dynamic Gold X100. Or close, the DG is actually 6.8 on the rifle scale.

They say 6.5 but they are actually 7.0 on the rifle scale. Project X 6.0 on the rifle scale is 6.5 and Project X 6.0 on the rifle scale Hardstepped is 6.7.

The KBS shaft is a completely different animal than either of the other's mentioned. DG, and Project X all do something different.

If you can hit an 8 iron 155-160 yards and it is just a normal swing. AND you dont mind a heavy weight, then softstep the KBX X flex. They will be slightly stiffer than the Project X 6.0 you have played, and feel quite a bit better. They may feel like they arent as stiff, but they are. KBS shafts are counterbalanced, so they will take some getting used too.

[ws6]

KBS must have a lot of interest in this. I read they made the Tour shafts in + flexes so I sent them an e-mail and asked about the + shafts. This is the response I received:

"The + series are essentially in between flexes meant to fit players between an R and an S. Believe it or not, many of the fittings we discuss require sets be soft or hard stepped to get players to their optimal fitting. Thus, we’ve produced a limited number of mid-flex sets to test the market."

[slalomdude]

KBS has a great facebook page , you can ask questions on fitting suggestions. From what I read on there, they advise soft stepping vs hard stepping

[bhamgolfer]

Soft step the X.

[iacas]

[quote name='bhamgolfer' date='19 June 2010 - 10:39 AM' timestamp='1276958366' post='2519334']
Soft step the X.
[/quote]

That's the way I'm leaning. I'm slightly worried that the ball flight will really jump, though. But if the shaft's already a bit stiff (i.e. lower) and they're soft stepped the trajectory might be right in the window I'd normally prefer.

I'm 85% of the way towards agreeing with you... and this thread is helping a bit. Thanks.

[DTown3011]

[quote]For awhile I have played the Project X 6.0 shafts in my irons. I like the trajectory and spin, but I'd like a bit of a softer feel (particularly on partial shots).[/quote]

If you like the trajectory and spin of PX 6.0 but want a slightly softer feel, go with the KBS X softstepped once.

I have been playing KBS shafts for almost 3+ years. Best shafts IMO in terms of ballflight and feel. Almost went back to X100's recently but realized how brutally harsh and inconsistent they felt.

I prefer the X's straight up and giving you my distances isn't going to help because I play at 5,000+ feet up in Colorado but my driver swingspeed is in the area of 108-110.

[bgoody]

I had a similar dilemma recently when shafting my new Mizuno mp-68 / mp-57 mixed set. I went with the S shafts hardstepped one time and couldn't be happier. The ball flight is beautiful and I like the slightly lighter shaft compared the X. Should be noted that the shafts are +1/2" which has various minor effects on the overall product.

Also tried and liked the PX 6.0 but these just felt like they loaded up so much easier.