chiromikey

actually, jake's right...i wouldn't say the ball flight is significantly lower but it is noticeably different. instead of climbing to its peak then dropping off a shelf, the ball peaks quickly and arches through its trajectory. i also gained a club's distance over other shafts.

i wouldn't call it an improvement but for me the c-tapers definitely flight the ball lower than the tours so there is a noticeable difference.

the specs that were posted claimed that the personals did in fact have LESS offset than the af-tours. if i get these i'm planning on bending one degree stronger. i don't think i'd have any issues losing 1* of bounce after playing yururi flatbacks...those babies are like razor blades against the turf!!

i thought the kbs tours felt good but are too high and have too much spin for my game.

i want to hit these so bad!!

i've gotta suspect the appreciation for quality and craftsmanship we share for jdm gear must spill over into the watch world so i thought i'd find out. i'm sporting my all time fav...ulysse nardin marine perpetual. so...what are you wearing today???

awesome update carlo! these are growing on me by the second!!!

can't really see the differences from the pics but thes are all the things i was hoping for in the new blades!

it sounds like you like these as much as i do so shaft your wedges with a c-taper 7 or 8 iron shaft butt cut to length. it gives you consistent feel throughout the set and will bring your spin back up for better control on partial shots. some also say to go a half flex stiffer but i stayed with the same flex and it's working out very well. i can get them to stop on a dime or spin back 10 feet depending on the swing i put on them.

that's the thing, i totally agree! i'm more of a feel player than anything else. i just gave up wood woods this year because technology had finally made it worth giving up that feel (imho). on pure shots i feel completely rewarded with these shafts. i agree that the c-tapers may not give the same feel that most people interperet as "soft" or "smooth" but that "pure" feeling is definitely there! one thing for sure though, they'll let you know if you didn't find the center of the clubface...but that sure is incentive to not miss again! btw, i went down a half flex (and could possibly even have soft stepped after that) and i think that's part of the reason i get the feel i need from them.

i just gamed the pnt2 today and this thing is so small, compact, and solid that i may have found a keeper. i think it's about half the size of most hybrids! stu, pm me pics and prices...i may try them for the heck of it.

i absolutely love these shafts and can knock pins down all day long with them but they don't get much love around here...

took the 435 out today and good grief is it long...reached the green on a 328yd par 4 with a slight mis-hit. bad news is that even with my soft game ball it still has the feel of a bumper from a '69 cadillac. regardless, you can't argue with performance! i think it's time to mount this up to a serious shaft and really start dialing it in. time to look for a high launch/low spin shaft for a aggressive but smooth swing...

hmm......

i'm finding not many people get along with the c-tapers like i do. i have them in two sets of irons and i love them. i have a naturally high ball flight with a lot of spin so they really dailed in my game...and i actually quite like the feel. however, i will admit that on off center shots they can be harsh!

how do the monacos compare to the sp blues?

i did a quick search with no luck...can you post a link to the tom wishon post you're referring to?

lol, that's what i expected and already asked tario price it out for me...but since this thread came up i thought i'd ask anyways. i was able to hit the spb's in a miura tb over the weekend and i felt it was like a cross between the c-taper and s300...a nice lower ball flight with good feel, but not quite the mushiness of the s300. any other consideraions?

and what would you recommend for a low flight, low spin, high feel for these irons?

hey eric! the ryoma/rd combo is treating me well...i'm not at all surprised you miss it! on the 547yd par 5 18th of my home course this weekend i had less than 220 in (without cutting off any corners) so just because the ryoma isn't quite the weapon that the kamui or 435 are, it's still capable of some bombs. i've noticed this thing seems to offer more gear effect (similar to a wood driver) than most other drivers i've played...and the vertical gear effect is unreal. if i can catch it slightly higher on the face she sends the ball well past a perfect center hit!

how much different is the 435 vs the 435ii? i hear so many praises on the original but very little, if anything, about it's successor.

i like what i'm reading so far...and i'm glad to hear there's less offset than the af-tours. i'd love to see side-by-side pics between these and other compact blades.

the temp shaft i have on the 435 is a high launch shaft so i had no problem getting a good mid height trajectory. i'm looking forward to actually getting this on the course with my game ball. if that improves the feel enough over the range balls i may be stuck on this driver.

i like that you guys keep saying the new blade is more compact but besides a thinner top line (which i prefer) this pic doesn't seem to express a noticeable size difference...

damn...more offset is the deal breaker for me :(