wmclarenf1

Tario, nothing i between the lines but is this fact? If yes, why does their website not state as such but instead puts "Assembled in Japan" as opposed to "Made in Japan"? Anything outsourced from forging right down to finish or all heads (irons, wedges, drivers, woods etc) 100% done at Endo Japan and not Thailand or any other plant that may exist? Also, any word on the same issues for the likes or Ryoma, Romaro, Kamui and smaller boutique brands which I read somewhere (not sure how much truth) use manufacturing plants in China?

Jay, I see what you are saying. The mainland Chinese (there is a difference) are evolving and have different standards just as the Koreans did in manufacturing and the Japanese before. But mind you.. anyone who dismisses the Chinese as good at copying only (just as the Japanese were labeled that maybe 2 decades ago) does so at their peril. I have seen their iphones and not only have they managed to break code and reverse engineer, they have successfully added more features that work without a hitch (in many cases that is :-) But this is OT and I see your point.

Very well expounded on Tario! In not so many words, that is what I was tryng to find out and I believe your info is factual based. One thing I would say is the smaller brands are probably better off coming out and saying what you said.. i.e. while it may not be made in Japan, the same standards are applied as if they were done in Japan. I personally see nothing wrong in that.

I think this is a key point as well. I am ok with made Not made in Japan if all the process and QC are as tight and religiously followed but is the steel for those made in japan same as the steel for those not made in Japan. This I am guessing will have a big impact in feel and performance.

:-) I am sure there are some made in Japan but I know that there are indeed some Srixon models (and the player's range not the entry level) made in China. Same with Mizuno, Tourstage.

i started the thread about the possibility of the ryoma maxima which i read about from an inpresx post there. would be good to know. i spoke with a friend today in the club fitting business and he is the authorised fitter for 2 boutique japanese brands often mentioned here and he says he has heard from good sources as well that boutique japanese brands do indeed outsource production to china.

I think Mizuno and Tourstage have them but on an indent basis. Miura makes them as well.

I used to be a tour ad freak. The gd stiff will play Quite a bit stiffer than your ly02 r flex as a reference point. Sounds logical I know but flexes are not really equal across the board. It will launch higher though I suspect.

It's already a 10.5 and while Thomas are now known to launch lower and spin lower, in this particular case as it is a 10.5, I suspect the shaft is more the culprit in this instance for Jules.

For me, the FEX 55 SR plays a tad softer than the ly02 6.7 or SR flex, loads a lot better, feels better and flat outperforms the ly02 consistently. As discussed, I am far from rory and still miss fairways but my misses with the FEX is a lot more predictable whereas with the ly02' it can be anywhere. Solely between these 2 for me, the FEX is a given.

Well, my only experience with 80T and less from the same brand would be the FW80, LY-02 and RD of which the latter 2 are not 80T I think. And if I throw on the FEX 55 both FW and driver shafts of which I play, for ME, the 80T did not do anything much more. I have not hit 80T shafts from Quadra so my comment about 80T not doing anything is restricted to Crazy shafts and my very limited experience.

Hi Jules, Many have expressed that it may be too light in stock form but the light weight comes from 3 areas, head weight (which interestingly weighs MORE than the new Egg HD although the HD is supposed to be heavier), the shaft which is a 55 +/- gram shaft and stock grip which is only 42 grams I think. My logic path for this club when changing shafts was to stay with what the PRGR engineers initially thought is right (and probably still think is right) and meant for this head and that is a 50+ gram shaft and hence the FW55 for me. They now have for this model head a 60+ gram upgrade in the form of the fubuki as well. Given this and if you want to stick with the FEX, then perhaps the high 60+ gram FEX FW65 may be something for you to think about. I personally find the original intended weight of 50+ gram in the shaft ok for this head and if I do top the ball, well, it stems from me... LOL. Also, I'm not a fast swing big hitter so I figured I would struggle less with heavier weights. I have not hit the FEX FW65 but if the FW55 is anything to go by, I'd say that's a good bet. Also, the FW55 I think is a 50+T shaft. THe 65 and upwards are all 80T shafts according to Quadra.

I wouldn;t bother going down Frank.

Really surprised no one picked up this great set. GLWS on ebay.

Have not hit the S flex in any FEX but I think over the course of 18 holes and more, the S would start to be a bit more than I can load consistently in the latter stage. FEX 65 is an 80T shaft though.

That's a given I believe. Add in construction quality.

I find quadras great and I believe crazy gets their carbon sheets from quadra as well. Will be trying a FEX fw in my egg I+ 19* which replaces a crazy super light iron shaft. Hope that won't be a mistake as the I+ crazy combo is working well but as I am so much more comfortable with the quadra in my driver and egg spoon, I think this may be a good calculated switch.

My experience with the fw80 and the FEX fw55 is that it plays in between a crazy 6.4 and 6.7 which is great for ME. Same thing with the driver shaft. FEX 55 driver shaft is slightly softer than the crazy ly02 SR flex of 6.7. A few guys I chat with in Japan also concur that the quadra fexes seem to play a tad softer than the crazys flex for flex (don't factor in the royal decos which for me play up to a full flex softer than other crazys). Feel wise, I also find the FEX a lot better. Crazys for ME, except the royal deco, tend to dull feel and that was my experience with the ly02, fw80 and ly01. Again, just me.

Hi Jules, I have played the m43 and the fw80 r flex in this head. I would say they load and feel the same flex wise. Dispersion, the fw80 is better... But for ME, the Quadra FEX FW55 in SR flex is best. Best feel of all 3, as good or better dispersion than the FW80 and a tad longer. In terms of raw weight, I think the FeX 55 is just 2 grams lighter than the FW80.

Sandee, Golf republic is a Singapore golf site run by dgman i think and who is in the club fitting business. He just brought in the diamana x and sells it. He does not sell crazy, quadra etc. What he says about mrc making for crazy MAY be true... I do NOT know. What I do know is that site is heavily biased towards whatever he sells ... He has his own house brand as well... And I take whatever I read there, especially from him, with a quarry of salt especially with regards to product recommendations as his views understandably can very very biased as it is a business for him. I have seen his club fitting before and there are some instances which prompt me never to use him. Just me of course and there are some who are very happy with his services and they tend to be the more frequent posters on his site where I think active posters are not that many.

Sometimes we can caught up in the latest and "greatest" which may be anything but.. LOL.

What is the grind on this 60 called and what is it supposed to help with? Thanks.

The 460ZR for me is the softest of the lot. 101 felt more solid. I would agree with yourpressed that the ZR spins a bit less. 102 did nothing for me performance, feel and sound wise.

I am hoping to try the sdj when I visit Bangkok later this year.

This and the AF101 are legends as far as Epon drivers go. Bump for you.