TourSpecGolfer

Above is the text you mention, It really doesnt make much sense because products made in Japan and sold in Japan are not subject to duties. But products made in Japan and sent to the USA are charged duties. IMO and I will get clarification for you directly from Daiwa is that the products are assembled in Japan for the USA and assembled in China for the Japanese market. It could be due to shipping weight or other factors. I do think they mean assembled not manufactured.

NC-1 handmades are made in japan the NC-1 standard issue are made by dynamix in China. This is fact.

I dont know where you heard that but the ONOFF guys in Japan and USA clearly state that most of their items are not made in Japan. The CB247 is made in Japan.

Have your golds adjusted so its more to your liking. You have a sweet blank sole that can have some engravings done, hand grind on the lines if they are to sharp for your eye, you can re mill the face, ad or reduce weight and even change the finish and paint fill.

This PRGR is very easy to hit. I like the chink crunch tink type sound and feel it gives off. Its a bit dangerous in fluffy ruff if your misses are high and low on the face but for picking it from hard or tight lie's PRGR makes some of the best fairways.

When built correctly graphite in irons is lethal. When i used the I-10 by Roddio in MB5003 heads vs NS1150 the distance was almost a full club difference.

Thanks Duffer and T, Our cost is higher. Their cost is higher. The yen is very strong right now and the product due out around October is a full level up as far as tech, cost, and other factors. Other Epon dealers around the globe and the U.S have to comply with the new price policy starting Feb 1st. If you have any questions please PM me.

Thanks for sharing, was your improvement pure leader board or were you working on other things as well? The difference it made visually and from the vector readings are impresive.

48/53/58 for me When I carry four wedges its just to many options running through my head before the shot. Especially around the 80-90 yd range.

They look pretty equal, I would say the 2006 is a hair more forgiving but I may be wrong, I have not been able to hit both side by side and am making a comparison based on looks and how much meat the iron has in certain areas. I also dont think Miura Giken Japan will continue the passing point name much longer.

There are some older models that are very forgiving but dont look so hot. Of the latest and best looking models I suggest the CB-2006 but that is only if you are mid to low handicap.

I hear its a very easy to hit driver if you put a smooth swing on it. Early reviews in Japanese demo day's and shop feedback report a higher launching ball flight and that it comes off the face with "Super" distance and EXTREMELY little spin. Interesting design if you ask me and it appears to make sense as PRGR faces usually contain unreal ball speeds, feel, and forgiveness but the overall hitting area of the face usually appears more shallow with less lower heel and toe space. Smooth repeatable swings and good ball striking really maximize the benifits of owning this one. If your bad shot is high or low heel and toe then I suggest a club with a bigger striking zone.

Same thing different finish.

Geotech has many original designs. To many companies use catalog heads to list.

This is my best guess: They take a raw blank and hand grind it to the shape desired, they send it for CNC milling in the cavity then engraving and finally on to finishing, paint fill, and assembly. Let's take a look at Titleist, Nike, Epon, Yamaha, Tourstage, XXIO, Callaway and other top brands, they do not go the hand grind route they have top factories produce the die, press the head, and produce clubs that they design, this is the most consistent way to produce high tech and high end golf clubs.

I think your missing it X, It has nothing to do with years. Original designed heads a factory forges it out of a billet of steel using a custom die or tooling that they created using CAD. The design is a collaboration between factory and OEM but mostly OEM. Besides the product itself Tooling and R&D is some of the most expensive parts of building a original designed golf club. Open Model Heads is a term used in Japan quite often to describe blank designs that other brands can stamp their logo on. In this case Kyoei offers much of its collection to other brands that can't afford to go the original design route, It's up to the consumer if they want something like that. Personally if 2 irons are the same price one is original the other is open i will almost always go for the original. Catalog heads which is a term i pretty much invented belongs to some very old designs sold by most hand grind factories or small golf club manufactures not to mention low end component catalogs. For example take a look at Geotech, they sell a version of catalog heads unadjusted for about 300-400 for 8 to 10 clubs. You will also find other brands selling an adjusted version of the same catalog head for 1000+ Let me know if that makes sense to you.

These are just terms that I use when talking about the 2. Catalog heads are available in a variety of catalogs that were designed and produced over 5-10+ years ago for brands to stamp their logo on make adjustments and sell. Almost everything is adjustable from the metal used to the offset, topline, etc... An open model Kyoei head is as high quality as Kyoei makes for themselves, they are made using Kyoei's techniques and are sold directly from the factory not from various 3rd party sellers or club crafting catalogs. The cost and price of what I call a Catalog head compared to these Kyoei Open model heads are very different with the Kyoei heads costing much more. I don't see dozens of brands using these same heads like dozens have used catalog heads. Bottom line is if your gonna pay top dollar for something you best be getting your money's worth.

You guys are right, I am not a big fan of adjusted aka open model heads but that is only one man's opinion. These are not exactly Catalog heads, they are open model Kyoei heads. I bash the heck out of Catalog heads usually due to pricing. Back to the ol why pay 1250 for a set of irons that could cost you 400. It is usually the smaller companies that must use them due to the cost of tooling not to mention the R&D that goes into a new club. I personally wish Gold's used heads that were an original design but there are many things I wish for that don't happen. Just know that they will perform, feel soft, and look good. The basics of this all would be 1025 Kyoei forged, ground & Stamped by Sasaya then finished in Japan. Now with Yururi, its a whole different story, some wedges had one grind & offset while the next wedge same model was very different, some wedges were legal grooves while others in the same line up were not. Add to the fact that they stopped honoring replacements for unhappy customers and we had ourselves a mess. Imagine you buy 1 Seida wedge and its perfect with almost no offset and a very nice profile, you like it so much you decide to order another from us and that one has a different grind, different amount of offset, and the mill marks on the face don't extend the same amount as your first wedge. You will not be a happy customer. IMO thats a no brainer the OEM should be replacing that wedge for one that matches your other club but when that problem is such a widespread one that the OEM can't afford to replace that many it simply puts strain on TSG as the seller who has to somehow satisfy that customer with discounts or refunds. It's not about me bashing on Catalog heads, its more so about exposing the fact that some brands are charging original design prices for Catalog Heads. Keep in mind a Catalog head and these Kyoei Open model heads are totally different.

We just sold out of our previous forged raw blanks and the new ones have arrived. Not sure how many of you guys enjoy grinding but it is a very rewarding experience using a wedge you made, even if your new to head crafting. These new ones are from Kyoei Golf in Himeji Japan and made of 1025. The heads are overweight and can suite a variety of grinds this particular model is what they use to make thin top line low offset wedges. These are the same raw heads that 2 other popular USA based wedge crafting companies use They will be listed in the proshop tonight or by the end of the week.

Every set we ordered was sold out before release. I have 1 left brand new 3-PW S200 and these ARE the holy grails of cavity backs! I put a set in the bag almost a month ago and to be honest I have no plans of switching, I have had the chance to compare these to the new TS 701's, CB-2006, ONOFF CB247, AF-TOUR and the last version of Yamaha Tour Limited Irons. For the most part they are the same as the previous version except this new one appears to feel and sound like it has more meat behind the head. Our very own bogeydog mentioned that they were more forgiving toward the toe and that was something i didn't notice off the start but 6-8 full rounds into these sick sick puppies I now understand what he is saying. This new found forgiveness can help and I welcome all the ease of use i can get. The one drawback to these having more meat around the toe is that they seem harder to hook intentionally. I haven't had many chances to test this shot but twice while under tree's due to a bad drive I really needed that #4 iron low hook runner to get me in front of the green. I know exactly what the older tour limited's did for me in this situation and the new version did pull it off well just noticeably straighter with less hook. Maybe it was my swing, I don't know. Have fun with the images bellow, I snuck in some comparo images next to the previous model of Tour Limiteds.

Feb 1st sir.

Adjustable hosel's are too heavy. Some OEMs will say otherwise but I know the factories that produce most of the hosels that are adjustable and almost all of the adapters to fit shafts in with no epoxy and all are heavier than what OEM's claim by almost double. When you add 8-10 grams at the neck not to mention upper heel side of a wood that is only 200 grams you just changed the dynamic and CG of the club. Upright fairway woods and hybrids are a modern trend that is widely used on the USPGA tour. Fourteen is actually a little bit behind on this and Im expecting to see them increase the upright lie angle in their woods. Just my 2 cents.

A TON of new Epon products are expected around late October 2009.

Yes when you purchase a GF USA putter and it says sold out It means no more will be produced The most made of any model is 1-2 pieces and they are numbered. They are pretty tweaked out with all the bells and whistles.