TourSpecGolfer

AF Tour CB will be the players CB. AF302 grows in size.

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Back when Roddio first re-launched ( separate but actually still a part of globeride ) a limited series of CB's were made half by Miura the other half by Zodia. This year Roddio has contracted both to do MB's, I'll start with the Zodias TSG has acquired 2 sets of each, I'm betting both will be sold within hours of posting this... More pics to come...

This is the AF Tour he is talking about, he just wasn't aware it's now a CB.

I thought Epon fans would like this :) even though TSG no longer sells the brand due to their 1980's policy of no Internet selling we thought this info is valuable as we have known about it for almost a year now and it's time to spill the beans before others do... AF-303: It's coming in February and isn't the predecessor of the 302 actually, it's got a deeper cavity and is a little larger for more forgiveness. AF-Tour CB: This one is the successor to the AF-302 or what many thought would be the AF-303 ( players CB ) AF-903 Hybrid: Smaller deeper faced hybrid more athlete. ZERO Driver: New 440cc version of the zero driver for the better player

Wow thanks for the review and very nice pictures! That extra punch you mention I have noticed as well as how the ball takes off with a gorgeous ball flight. I know if I had a full bag of these I could make the game eaiser and shave a few strokes due to stability of flight and some extra distance it's just so hard not always going for the more compact forged iron.

Yes UST makes great shafts they own a factory in Bangladesh which is interesting as no other golf maker produces anything there this has allowed them to make some pretty excellent shafts and keep the price down. Their top of the line models the My ATTAS are handmade in Japan though.

Just sayin, you want to choose a brand that rolls their own. Crazy TRPX Seven Dreamers Mitsubishi Graphite Design Quadra Waccine etc... If the brand is ordering it from a shaft manufacture we are noticing a few things ( can't get into it ) the exception is Muziik because they are basically making the best Fujikura shafts using the best materials and latest tech from Fuji i.e MVC80 is what I consider the MCI/MCH for drivers.

Yoro is handmade as it requires a skilled grinder of many years, but you can also consider it partially mass produced because a portion of the heads are mass produced but not fully completed so they are left heavy with the ability for crafters to manipulate grind. This is ideal for the brand as they can produce in mass with consistency at a better cost yet still offer customizations for the client.

Just wanted to open this up for discussion as you all know we have quite a few customers and inquiries on a whole variety of topics especially quality, materials, where it's made and "is it handmade". One of the things that really helps TSG's service is the feedback you guys provide for example when a member emails me about a driver I have not only my own impressions of the club but the reviews written in the store/forum to look at and I often ask customers with similar swing characteristics and buying habits who have purchased the same club their feedback on it. This helps a ton! We basically pull from the collective opinions of our customers. I can say 20 guys loved it while 3 guys hated it and the 3 that hated it all swing 110mph.. just an example. One topic that has been coming up more and more is Hand Made vs Mass Produced, I'm not sure if there is a thread on another forum talking about this that is increasing the amount of questions we receive but I figured I'd open it up for discussion here in the forums. I'll start by providing some basic about both: Handmade: The process is usually raw heads are forged or purchased in a particular mold that can facilitate the shape and design the manufacturer or grinder needs. For example the same head can't be made with a lot more offset or zero offset different molds are created and sometimes need to be purchased which is not cheap. There are many open model heads that can also be selected to use and adjust but same goes for mass produced there are molds that are often adjusted as well. If there is a complicated cavity it's often CNC milled which costs a lot extra per head over pressed. The Ginder then grinds to shape and has to constantly go back and fourth measuring bounce, adjusting lie, and following a shape template and sample wedge by eye and hand they must also maintain the head weight which again based on design can be limiting. Because it's handmade no 2 clubs can be 100% identical 98-99.9% but it's not noticed because usually there isn't multiple sets or an eye discerning enough to find the differences. Let's take Miura for example, ( don't ask me about spin welded :) Miura is handmade no doubt no 2 wedges are exactly the same even if they appear identical and it's personal preference if you see that as a positive or negative. Grooves are stamped or engraved or milled, logos the same, the heads are sometimes put a tumbler that smooths out some edges, they are finished and plated in smaller quantities and polished then paint fill then QC and assembly done by hand. Thats handmade in a nutshell but overall it's 2-6x more expensive per head to make while mass produced the investment is in tooling/mold and quantity. Think Himeji when thinking handmade. Most boutique JDM brands are handmade Mass Produced: Think Endo or China/Taiwan when thinking mass produced Most off the rack or big brands are mass produced, little grind experience is necessary, it's press to press to press etc.. then tumbled then stamped and finished then sometimes polished by hand then paint fill by hand and QC checked The tooling/die must be purchased, one for each shape but after that you can really crank out thousands upon thousands quickly until the tooling breaks. The look of inside the cavity is more rounded because the cavities are pressed vs CNC'd and the cost per head is far lower although the quantity is much higher so total investment is more. Some prefer this look of consistent perfection, usually the fit and finish is a little bit better. So what do you prefer? Handmade or Mass Produced? There is no right or wrong answer it's all preference. What sort of imperfections have you noticed with either? what sort of feel or performance benifits? We gotta exclude multi piece iron heads as those only can be mass produced. I will say on the PGA tour many top players have clubs that are handmade yet the retail version of the same club is mass produced.

Yup I have, lower ball flight and firmer feel at impact was my experience. Oh yea lots of roll as well for me.

Only 358pcs Made, one of the best drivers I've ever hit! Review posted in blog Pics:

The Torque answer is basically they don't want to disclose torque because it has a different relation with the design & materials so it will confuse the client who thinks of torque is a big factor. This is true, higher tonnage carbon or more complicated designs or weaves have higher torque because torque no longer reduces shaft deformation as the materials/design does. To me this means it's very high torque but doesn't play that way as guys who swing 125mph+ have them in their Jbeam or TRPX heads like Yamazaki-san from Japan.

RMX MB is for sure the smallest of the bunch, the most firm with pure feedback CB358 is next, top line is sharp and edgy supposedly for improved focus with the eye and angle or something, it's shorter heel to toe than the Kuro, feel is very nice between soft of the kuro and pure of the RMX MB. Kuro wins for forgivness, it's also the longest iron vs iron distance wise due to lofts and design, it's very soft at impact. CB-358 vs Kuro can appeal to the same type of player. Shingo likes forgiving stuff so the 358 isn't that hard to handle.

I would suggest to skip both, the Ryoma is forgiving and straight across most of the face which is nice, it's also light weight which helps for super fast greens imo but it lacks feel and heft if thats what you are after in a putter. GSS = nothing. SUS303 from Japan is the same as GSS when we sent it into a metallurgy lab. I think putting together a golds mallet or getting a modart mallet, or upgrading a mallet you already like by GF are all stellar options.

Generally waccine's heavier shafts play very tight. Also the new Fire Express Prototype does as well although I have not hit it many faster aggressive clients are telling me this. Seven Dreamers would be my top choice as everyone seems to like them as they do what they say, control, distance or blend of both.

I'm asking Sekine-san who designed this shaft and rolls them. Hope to have a reply soon. After more evaluation and customer feedback these shafts do play soft so I suggest going up 1 flex. Also some have claimed 15-20yds more distance. Some initially say it's too soft and wild, then they tip and thats when they get results. Smoother swingers seem to like it more with no tipping whatsoever. My friend plays a XXX flex TRPX Air and has a 130mph swing speed and bombs it on the long drive tour so it can' stand up to the speeds.

Hey Craig, sorry about that I take responsibility for that as well. I will make sure to make it up to you :)

Endo makes the Z Irons. XXIO is not and while I'm not entirely sure on the new XXIO forged I believe it is as well. ( don't quote me on that :)

Do let us know how they go, imo the Tataki is among the very best.

Congrats Mark!

Hey idrive happy new year man :) Yes it was long neck to start off with but we cut it down. Yes it's face balanced.

No sir.

Merry Christmas Gang!

I looked at your suggestions and thought you were french! You must do well with the ladies :)