Aerotech SteelFiber Test Club - Ready

gvogel · April 29, 2013

how is it that you guys are trying 110 gram and 125 gram Steelfibers, and the guys on Tour are playing i95's?

Is the trick with these shafts to take a 3/4 swing for control, and let the lighter weight produce the distance? Perhaps when you have to play four days in a row, the i95's with a reduced backswing produces the best results?

I am just asking the question. As players have gone from wood shafts, to steel, and now to graphite, shorter backswings have become more common. Bobby Jones (hickory) was way past parallel; Rory McIlroy is to parallel, perhaps the "swinger" of tomorrow will be shorter? Like Villegas or J B Holmes?

I am curious. You guys are talking 110 and 125 grams, and Snedeker is playing i95's. The reason I am curious is that I have some i95 R's, and some Player's Spec R's, and I am trying to make them work (driver speed about 94ish).

Maybe I need to try i80's?

Hstead · April 29, 2013

Personally, I liked the feel of the i125, which is obviously heavier, but also stiffer in the butt than the 110. I didn't try the i95 myself. I actually hit the i110 shorter than my C-tapers and the i125s are as long or longer than the C-tapers. For me, the i125 absolutely killed the side spin and I found the center of the face more. I really would not have cared if they were 75 grams as long as they did all of the things I wanted them to do, it just so happened it was the i125 for me. I really do not know why. I am the same way with a driver, can't play 60+ gram shafts very well, I need the extra weight I guess for feel of the release or something.

MrFlapjack · May 14, 2013

Well I finally got out on the range and had a good chance to demo the three shafts I have been interested in. I have a Steelfiber i125s in a J38 DPC 6 iron, a Recoil Prototype 125 F5 in a J38 DPC 6 iron, and a C-taper S+ in a J40 CB 6 iron.

Not sure I can offer any ground breaking information, but will share my thoughts.

They seemed quite comparable in terms of flex, with the C-taper feeling a touch stiffer than the other two. All three felt quite stable, and for my limited testing the launches seemed quite comparable. I will try to do more testing as far as spin, launch, and carry into the wind when I get a chance. I had a touch of a draw going on with my swing with a slight right to left wind, but did have several shots with each club that held the line nicely.

As others have said the C-taper can feel harsher at times, whereas the i125 felt like a very smooth iron shaft, and the Recoil feels even smoother, and approaches the feel of graphite but not in a bad way. The Recoil did seem to have a livelier feel to it, some I think have called it a "kick", another word might be "springy", and might just be due to it's graphite roots. I had no issues with this however, and after several shots it felt very normal.

To sum up my thoughts, personally I am going to rule out the C-taper due to the slightly harsher feel. I have a small bone spur on my elbow that at times causes some pain, so am going to steer towards one of the other two. The i125, and the Recoils both felt great, and I would game either shaft without question. I would say that for those that want to keep the closest feel of steel (very smooth steel), but want some shock reduction the i125's are a fantastic choice. On the other hand, if you are looking for maximum shock reduction along with just a touch more of a graphite feel, the Recoils are your shaft.

On a side note, today I ordered up a set of stiff Steelfiber i125's for my J40 DPC's. I think these are going to work very well for me, and due to the fact I can get these done locally, and even save a few bucks, made my decision easy. Who knows though, when I look for my next set I may jump over to the Recoils as they are obviously a great shaft.