chiromikey

i know you've disliked this suggestion in the past, but bending 2* stronger in loft should also give you that extra distance. but i know (and admire) your m/o and you can't help trying something new. ;)

just make sure you get the original 435 instead of the 435ii this time ;)

i love to torture you but i wouldn't tear apart this combo even for that! ;) i typically prefer the feel/performance of low loft heads paired with high launch shafts but i'd bet in 10 or 10.5* head it could work.

congrats brotha!! give it a month of undivided attention. don't even bring anything else to the range until you get comfortable enough with it to realize it's so forgiving that you can go after it every swing. then you'll understand what all the fuss is about! ;)

i'm not sure there's a shaft that wouldn't work in the 435!

if it helps...my ss right now us 105-108mph and i LOVE my ly02 in 7.2.

lol, i love teasing you about the 435! unfortunately, i don't. i still laugh at how much i tried to hate this thing and almost sold it after the first couple of range sessions!

i will be selling off all my extra stuff this year but i will be keeping two drivers... ryoma/crazy royal deco and jbeam 435/crazy ly02. if i could only keep one...it's the 435 without question!

whoa...that's a heck of a find!

uh-oh...bst prices just went up!

lol...the 435 is going to haunt you forever! stew, i couldn't agree more with your ryoma/435 findings. for me the ryoma/crazy isn't the most forgiving but it's definitely the most accurate and the most penetrating...not just a fairway finder but a fairway dissector. the 435 is just a beast, the most forgiving and the longest of long!

well, i have yururis and epons and i'm not excited enough about the mizunos. so that leaves romaro or zestaims...unless something else comes up on the radar screen.

i love the feel of the yururi raw flatbacks so i know i like the feel of kyoei forgings. include the fact that i can get the zestaims in strong lofts and raw heads also has my interest. the other blade i'm drawn to at the moment is the romaro...but the same level of customization isn't there.

do you think the new models will give the forgings the feel they lack? any hint as to when the new models will show up?

there's no real reviews and very few people that have even talked about them? i know kyoei makes some of the best forged irons so i'm surprised there's no real following around here. there was a recent (and overly brief) mention that there will be a new zestaim model coming out this year but nothing about type or when. anyone have any info on their current models, especially their mb/blade version (fi-2)?

looking forward to the showdown!

i thought everything out of endo was s20c?

yep, the kamui i have for sale was ordered with a. 57* lie angle. one of the best around!

lol, sorry brotha! i just can't get over how much i tried to hate this club...especially since i've always given the edge to feel over all-out performance. i'm definitely a convert!

pics!!

don't let the sound and feel deter you from moving forward with this combo. i not only hated the same aspects you do but i hated the looks of the 435 as well (and i posted plenty about my ill feelings too). i too saw it's potential and committed to get comfortable with it. it wasn't long before i realized it's definitely the best and longest driver i've tried. i play with a softer ball (penta tp5) and once i got comfortable to go after this club all the time i realized the feel is actually pretty good. i haven't dared to say this but i can say it's more forgiving than my ryoma v-spec. now the ryoma is definitely straighter and it can disect fairways like no other driver but i'll still block one out right at least once or twice per round. however, there have been several rounds with the 435 in which i've not missed a fairway! so i say again, stick with this combo to get used to the sound and feel as long as it takes!

they play stiff to flex at standard length. at 1" over you should be pretty good...

unless you play your irons 1/2" over standard length 38" 5iron, if you go c-tapers (or even steelfibers), i'd recommend going 1/2 flex softer than your typical choice...even if your fitter says otherwise based upon your ss.

nice write up stew ;)

the c-tapers aren't for most players...but if they're a match for your swing, they will be one of the best feeling shafts you'll find. i know i'm the small minority but i've found them to be far superior in feel than monacos, sp blues, and steelfibers.