gocchin

The face on that driver definitely looks awesome... Tsuruya makes amazing clubs!

Chris will there be other lofts besides the 56?

Though we have to keep in mind that on some of the Japanese drivers they have closed face angles on purpose, to help the average golfer in Japan square the face. In the specs on Srixon's site for the XXIO HR (which is not listed here), they do state that it is 4.0* Closed!!!

I measured my Epon at my clubfitter's and it was pretty much as ordered. 1.5* closed and 1* flat on the lie. Chris warned me that closing the face that much might increase the loft slightly and it did but nothing extreme as it is just between 10.5* and 11.0*. Epon quality is pretty good. (^_^).

GDO picked up a bunch of retail drivers of the rack to see how the lofts and face angles measured out. It's interesting how we always wonder if drivers are true to loft and how the face angle really plays out. Here are some results. Remember this is just a sampling and actual lofts may vary even between similar models duet to variance in manufacturing tolerance. Titleist 907D2 8.5* Measured Loft = 10* Face Angle = Open 2* Tourstage X-Drive 430 9.5* Measured Loft = 10.5* Face Angle = Open 2* Tourstage X-Drive 430P 9.5* Measured Loft = 10.5* Face Angle = Open 0.5* Daiwa ONOFF Plus 10* Measured Loft = 11* Face Angle = Open 2.5* TaylorMade Burner TP 9.5* Measured Loft = 10.5* Face Angle = Square Titleist 907D1 9.5* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Open 2.0* Nike SQ Sumo 9.5* Measured Loft = 10.0* Face Angle = Closed 1.0* TaylorMade R7 425 TP 9.5* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Open 0.5* Ping Rapture 9.0* Measured Loft = 10.0* Face Angle = Square Mizuno MP Craft 425 9.5* Measured Loft = 10.0* Face Angle = Square XXIO Hard Spec 9.0* Measured Loft = 9.5* Face Angle = Closed 0.5* Yamaha Inpres X 425V 10.0* Measured Loft = 10.5* Face Angle = Closed 1.0* TaylorMade New R7 XR 10.5* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Closed 0.5* Nike Sumo Squared 9.5* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Closed 1.5* Honma Beres MG712 10.0* Measured Loft = 12.0* Face Angle = Closed 0.5* Miura Precious Edition MD390 9.0* Measured Loft = 10.0* Face Angle = Closed 2.0* Mizuno JPX E500 10.0* Measured Loft = 10.5* Face Angle = Closed 1.5* XXIO 460 10.0* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Square Yonex NanoV 10.0* Measured Loft = 12.5* Face Angle = Closed 1.0* Callaway FT-i 9.0* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Closed 0.5* Callaway Hyper ERC 9.5* Measured Loft = 11.5* Face Angle = Closed 1.0* Tourstage ViQ MX 460 10.5* Measured Loft = 12.0* Face Angle = Closed 0.5* Cleveland Hi Bore XL 9.5* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Open 0.5* PRGR T3 502 Silver 10.5* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Square Srixon ZR600 9.5* Measured Loft = 9.5* Face Angle = Closed 1.5* Yamaha Inpres X 460D 10.* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Closed 1.5* Callaway FT-5 9.0* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Closed 1.0* TaylorMade R7 SuperQuad TP 9.5* Measured Loft = 11.0* Face Angle = Open 1.5* MacTec NV-nx 10.0* Measured Loft = 10.5* Face Angle = Closed 3.5*

Give the Tourstage X-UT a try or the Royal Collection Td+, both of those are geared towards better players aiming to take the left side out of play. A nice Graphite Design Tour AD UT-85 shaft helps too.

Great review R!! The Roddio seems to be working out a lot for people. It definitely has a great kick and is very smooth on the downswing. I have the same sentiments as you do. I can really feel it load and kick on the downswing into impact. I'm glad to see so many people are enjoying the Roddio!

Where are the pics! Great feedback and review... I've never played vokeys... but seems like a lot of people do. You need to throw in a set of Epons in there for comparison!

T, Look forward to your feedback once they get shafted up. You've got the drivers I want to add, the 502, Hyper ERC and ONOFF. Those are amazing. I can't to see how they perform. Glad to see you did the custom thingy... the 1* flat seems to be good for us little guys as it doesn't have the toe up in the air as much. You will love the Roddio man! T

Hi B, There isn't a retail one that I know of. Chris would have to ask Roddio directly but since they are under Daiwa, any staffers using Roddio are carrying the ONOFF bag.

My previous 2 epons were both 197g which is the standard Epon weight, interestingly this customized closed face angle and flatter lie Epon was 201g. I need to ask Chris if there's a reason for that.. The Epon is a favorite here and for good rason... I think it's time you got one. (^_^)

Ajay, performance is definitely the number one factor. I left that out of this post in particular because I can't compare all the different lofts and shafts fairly. But I do agree with you whole heartedly and many others when we say that the Epon is the complete package, feel, looks, performance. I do still enjoy playing a club with feel though, otherwise I might just be hitting a sumo or that cobra driver Troy (808hack) was hitting. (^_^) The ViQ I guess may have more of a tink than the X-drive line. So the DFI+ is still around in Canada eh? It definitely has a dead feel but a bit of tink... like it's trying to make a tink... ^^

One of the great things about discovering quality JDM equipment has been the feel that they provide. Feel I think is something everyone should want in their equipment. Too many times before discovering TSG would I feel like my equipment was dead to me, or just a piece of steel smacking a ball. One great thing about trying lots of different equipment, using different manufacturing processes and materials is the different feel and sound that they produce. While feel is something people love, sound is a definitely a personal thing. The high quality tink, the tin can tink, the subtle tink, the thwock, the muted thwock, everyone has their own preference. I have not hit any of the new high MOI US OEM drivers, like the Sumo or FT-i but they sound LOUD like tin cans. Do they perform? Maybe, do they have feel? I don't know, but they are a bit too loud for me. A few members here have said that they have no feel. I've been hitting at least 20+ drivers since last summer. Started with TM, Callaway, Nike, Ping.... but am now all JDM. I have 7, actually 8 drivers here (but the Nike DFI+ is at my brother's) that all have different feel and sound. But they all have feel. I will try and give some feedback for people who don't have the chance to hit this many side by side. FEEL 1. Epon 460 2. Srixon WR Middle of the pack: G-Field Proto 1 and 2, XXIO, Yamaha, X-Drive Last: Nike DFI+ (no wonder it's at my brother's!) Okay the standouts are the Epon and Srixon. NO Driver comes close to the Epon for me in feel. When a ball meets the face of this driver it is still a feeling I have a hard time describing but makes me grin from ear to ear. I still say it's like a trampoline affect, where the ball is absorbed by the Epon face then shot back out at super high rebound speeds. Many people seem like they have not experienced this feeling until they hit an Epon especially coming from US OEM stuff. I will never forget the first time my clubfitter hit my epon. He thought he caved the face on that first shot because he had never experienced that feeling before. He is in love with the Epon and it is his favorite driver. The Srixon is second in feel. Srixon is a very underrated company outside of Japan but they are tops in Japan. I am VERY happy with the WR and if I did not have an Epon it would be my first choice. Not quite the same soft feel as the Epon but still very good feel and a beautiful head and face shape. Even more forgiving than the Epon. Those two are the standouts and the rest fall kind of the middle of the pack except for the DFI+ which is last probably due to old technology. It had more has more of that steel feel with less feedback. You hit it and it goes but the feel is not there for me. The other four are more muted and which could make me think they have less feel as sound and feel happen at the same time, right at impact. SOUND (for me based on my personal preference): 1. Srixon WR 2. Epon 460 3. XXIO 460 4. DFI+ Yamaha, G-Field 1 and 2 and X-Drive Okay I've determined the muted thwock is not for me. The Yamaha and X-Drive are not as muted as the two G-field's one of which is foamed and the other hot melted. They definitely do not fall in the head turning catagory category. The top four drivers all make a tink of some kind. ^^ DFI+' tink is a little artificial sounding, I guess it's all about the quality of the tink. The XXIO was a little better, but the two standouts again are the Epon and Srixon. The Epon has a very high quality tink, one that screams "I am made of the best forged titanium" but what won me over for the Srixon was that while it has a pretty loud tink on impact it is one that lets you know you've ripped an awesome drive. It borders on the head turning level but, I don't know, I kind of like it. All the drivers here perform well (I didn't compare performance because they all have different lofts and shafts), each with different qualities feel and sound. Having them all at once makes me realize the difference in manufacturers, and just how different a driver can be from one another. So what kind of sound and feel do you like!??

And I would NOT be alone!!

Well one thing I've determined is that the Roddio is the shaft to beat for me. So I can gauge the performance of different heads by keeping the same shaft in them all.

I was at the range this morning with the wife and spent significant time hitting just the two wedges and the Epon roddio combo. The driver is as always amazing feeling, great kick and I know there are some that don't get roll with their Epon but with this Epon Roddio combo I am getting 20 yards of roll. It just lands and keeps going! The drives were straight and long for sure and I'm never ceased to be amazed by the feel of the epon driver. Paired with the Roddio, it's just unbeatable for me. Sound, feel, looks, performance, the complete package. The two wedges are fantastic. I also had the Epon X in NiCr20 which were soft but the Copper 52* feel is the softest I have ever felt. Pure butter. And the Tour AD graphite, very very smooth... they are very comparable to the axiv and play a bit stiffer which is why I have them in the wedges. Very good feedback and especially on chips with the 58* Technity. Dispersion is as good as Nippon 1050GH which I had previously in my Epon wedges. There is this green at the range with a pin I practice full out wedges shots to and the graphite is just as accurate. I'm able to hit them 5-10 further due to the lighter weight but still deadly accurate. With the JDM offerings in graphite iron shafts now, there is so much to choose from and a wide variety of weights and kickpoints. Axiv, GD Tour AD, Roddio... I can't see myself playing steel anymore because they do not lose to steel in anyway, at least for me. As others have noticed, the Technity puts on crazy spin, more than the X. I will need more time to see how they play on a course and compare to each other. I could have gone with two X copper wedges or two Technity wedges but I decided to mix and match to experiment. Also I go 2-4* flat on my wedges... I find it's very versatile that way.

Thanks to Chris as always for making the best available JDM gear available to us all here at TSG. Picked up my stuff this morning, but didn't put the Axiv in the Srixon WR so that will have to be next time! Can't wait to hit them all tomorrow and give some feedback!! Custom Epon 10.5* 1.5* Closed 1* Flat + Roddio W5BA!! (my bad shot is right and this combo will definitely help)!! The Roddio rocked in my Yamaha and now it's in my favorite head! XXIO HR 460 11* + Diamana White D63!! G-Field Proto 10.5* + GD Tour AD PT-5!! Srixon WR 11.5* + Axiv V5054 (not yet installed)!!! Epon Technity 58* + GD Tour AD AD-75!! Epon X Copper 52* + GD Tour AD AD-75!!

Great review D! Make sure you get back to us after you have them tuned up and hit the course with them. How did the irons feel on impact compared to your mizuno's when hit flush? Soft?

Great feedback! Got some pics of that proto? (^_^)

Chris can get it, he carries Matsumoto. Just send him a PM.

K just go for the Roddio setup, the I-10 sounds like it might fit your needs. You can NOT go wrong.^^ I'm so happy with my Roddio that I am getting another one plus the iron shafts.

Find the Tour AD plays the stiffest to flex so far. The axiv's are very smooth but if the Roddio irons can kick like the driver shaft, which is by far the best shaft I have ever used than Roddio has another winner!!

If I'm having trouble I switch to my Leap M and that is usually the drastic change I need.... ^^ Yes R, I know you think that the "batman" is one of the ugliest putters alive... (^_^)

No need to apologize R. ^^ I also think Bettinardi's are awesome but if you can find me one for around $200-250 which are what many of the g-field's and gauge's originally retailed for that roll the ball as well then I'll be pleased. I do love some of the Studio B anser putters, simply beautiful! I've been grabbing any Gauge that is 340g or more but I've stopped collecting putters for now... moved on to wedges... (^_^)

So I have the chance to get some used Tourstage wedges. Should I grab the Maru 2004 US Spec, Maru 2005 X-Wedge, or the 2006 X-Wedge Ai-chan model? Tempted to grab them all but if you had to choose one, which would it be? All three are supposedly great wedges and soft.