TourSpecGolfer

The standard V forged is bigger than the AF-302. I consider the 302 to be a player CB while the standard V-Forged sit's slightly outside of that category. The GN502 is a players CB but also sits on the verge. Yamaha Tour Model Irons are very players CB and less forgiving than the 302's yet IMO more forgiving by a small margin when compared the TR500 Limiteds by PRGR. PRGR pretty much considers the TR500 a blade I think.

PRGR Spoon 13*! My #5 is an 18* PRGR Egg. The feel is a bit clinky and hollow but so far I can't find an easier more user friendly fairway wood.

It's smaller and more compact vs the 302. It also has less offset and a thinner top line than the 302 does. I was able to hit the TR500, its for the guy who wants a soft muscle back that has more forgiveness than a traditional MB. I could make this set work if my ball striking was spot on. I will leave the TR500 Limited irons for those who can handle a blade.

In Ari's tests from MSI the results don't show 1018 they show 1015 or S15C. What's odd is we have never heard the term "American 1018" used by Scratch. S15C is JIS grade material so in those tests he may be using something of a higher quality than 1018. If that's the case he should run with that because 1018 is a clear downgrade over S15C. Then again this 1018 thing was just my hunch. Based on both Ari's MSi test and our METL test still nothing came in at 1018 as Scratch advertises. That still doesn't explain the 1010 rating we had in the METL test. I still can't find 1018 being offered by any foundry in Japan. It is highly unlikely that Scratch has been purchasing 1018 from the USA or China and shipping it to Japan because thats a huge extra expense they have to pay to use inferior metal. Importing 1018 from the USA or China and using a middle company like Ishihara-Shoten would in theory add a lot to the products wholesale cost. Their margins are too good for that. I doubt they were sourcing 1018 from the USA and shipping it to Japan when things first started. What would prove me wrong is a past invoice dated from the American foundry showing that 1018 heads were shipped to the factory in Japan. I can however find S15C in Japan similar to what Miura has used for wedges in the past. It's about the same price as S25C and available from a couple of factories. It just so happens that one of the two factories that supply S15C is the same one that Ari claimed supplies Scratch & Miura back in 2006. Both of those factories do not supply 1018. S15C is no longer used by wedge companies in Japan because the hardness rating becomes the same as S20C and S25C after heat treatment. S15C is able to be forged using lower heat and a less pressured press. Golf Engineers still do not suggest S15C for golf club use over S20C & S25C. Ari's MSi tests show 1015 or S15C not 1018. His own evidence goes against his claim of 1018. I didn't think the public would get held up on the 1018 thing as much as they did. I thought that Ishihara not being a foundry was the big deal.

Hi X, Lot's of brands are made at Endo Japan. Myself and Gocchin were able to witness this first hand on several occasions. Sometimes a certain allocation for a single brand is made both in Japan & Thailand. I guess it depends on the factory capacity but I have also heard that for tax, shipping, and duty reasons they produce some stuff in different countries or their own.

The new bags look really solid! I'm expecting them to sell out really fast like all Epon bags in the past. If anyone needs to preorder let us know asap.

1018 Wedge EZ-1 Iron Just an update here for those who have not read the post on WRX. Ari has had some testing done of his own for several wedges and the company that did the testing is legit no doubt. It's a surprise to me that the testing was in favor of them using 1018 in their wedges yet the suspicious thing was Scratch did no testing on their irons and in our testing the irons came out in the S25C range dispite Scratch's official claim that their irons are produced of 1018. Here are the results of Ari's testing: Scratch 50* Scratch 58* TourSpecGolf Wedge He also says that our test was done with a 2004 Scratch Wedge but that shouldnt make a difference they have been advertising 1018 even back then. In a nutshell he is distancing himself from the Ishihara Forged claim and now admits that his heads are open model designs that have been adjusted. Anyway this really doesn't change my stance on anything. I did some digging in our very own forum and his own statements contradict his recent claims. Example 1: He is basically saying where they get the raw heads from ( Tada Mfg. ) and that both Miura & Ishihara get's their heads from here. Example 2: Everyone including myself is led to believe that his products were produced by Ishihara of MOZ. Example 3: More confusion portraying an affiliation with Ishihara MOZ. In the past he has stated Ishihara Foundry forges Scratch Golf Clubs yet Above he also says that Ishihara purchases the Raw heads from the same place Miura does. Then they switch to using Ishihara-Shoten as their Foundry later and now that it's 100% that neither Ishihara or Ishihara-Shoten were a foundry he is conveniently saying that Ishihara-Shoten no longer forges due to the Japanese Golf Economy. Well the only problem with that is we know without doubt that they were never a foundry to begin with. I'm pretty much done on this topic. If you guys want to pool together 10 scratch heads for testing I will pony up the cash for it from METL or MSi. I feel the truth has been set free and proof of that is how Ari is distancing himself from past claims while staying away from the other questions. In the end there are those who really don't care if the brand mislead them as long as the product performs well, then there are those who will loyally support the side they are on guilty or not, and then there are those who get upset when mislead and actually want to know if the product they are purchased is worth the money paid. I will say that Scratch does make a good product and Ari is a good person. He has a very nice and always positive attitude but beware of the false advertising that comes with it.

The test wasn't cheap but we can send in more heads for testing if there is any doubt. I want to thank the guy's that donated their heads for the testing.

Results are in! Visit the Blog to read the full article! www.golftoimpress.com

It's the same stuff. Many of the International product is older generation Miura Giken product. The Miura International blade is not the same as the Miuraism series. It may be based off the same raw blank but that I can't be sure of. Both products are of the same Miura quality.

Hi Shambles, Usually Japanese golf clubs are not faked because they don't have the mass market appeal like big popular brands.

All wedges were expected to show up today, plated and non plated. They didnt pop up so tomorrow will be the day!

Taken by our very own gocchin!

I'm excited to see the raw heads, they should arrive tomorrow and go out to you as well.

Think you could have managed with a softer flex?

They are good irons but there are many others we suggest over them. Vega USA & Vega Japan use the Kyoei open model heads, nothing wrong with that but I personally suggest spending a little more to get something unique of a newer design. Miura MB-5003, AF-Tour are both excellent blades as well.

Those are NC-1 irons. I have never heard of RC-1's before.

I can only guess what material and it should be S25C. I can't source a single set to sell but we could find the maker if we wanted to produce it. I figure don't ask unless we are serious about doing so.

Is he really still saying this? That's not really even in question anymore. Ari could be trying to confuse people by saying the Mr. Ishihara of Ishihara-Shoten who he talks to is still alive but the one Scratch promoted their company off of the "founder of MOZ" has passed away and he wasn't even a foundry nor did he speak english. I spoke to Ari about this years ago, he acknowledged it. I guess the direct question to Ari should be: Is the Mr. Ishihara founder of MOZ still alive? Ari has openly admitted to dealing with Ishihara-Shoten. These guy's are middle men to help companies with no Japanese connections. C'mon Ari tried to pass them off as a foundry, he tried to pass off his irons as original designs and 1018 as the softest steel in all of golf and now he is trying to word himself out of trouble. What irk's me the most is he is making personal attacks against me instead of trying to talk facts and info. Ishihara-Shoten is ordering the product for scratch, no one know's who Ari is in Japan because he doesnt deal direct with the manufactures of his own product. Anyway update on the metal testing is we are waiting on a Tour Department wedge to arrive, should be tomorrow. We have a standard wedge, Tour Dept Wedge, and EZ-1 iron going in for testing. I think we are about 10 days out from an answer on the 1018 question.

Yup we miss Brett! I have no idea where he has gone!

Not a dumb question at all. The ones in the images are non conforming. Another cool thing is the person who grinds this wedge is Master Sasaya's former pupil. They are not affiliated or working together any longer but it's still an interesting tid bit.

Open model head with the word prototype stamped on it.

Drop us a PM we can get what you need. DW sold to a textile company and things have changed quite a bit but we can still get it for you.

There is a fairly large gap between the technologies used in TourStage vs Bridgestone. It's about 2 years IMO and even when released the Bridgestone stuff doesn't have a lot that the TourStage had. A better way of going about it is looking for clearance sales in the TourSpecGolf ProShop. For example the TourStage 701 & 903 irons as well as the 701 & 701G drivers are at an outstanding close out price right now. The closeouts sell quickly.