FrankThong Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 (edited) Kamui 456 Silver 9.5° on Crazy Longest Yard LY01 SR Flex. Ryoma V-Spec 9.5° on Crazy Longest Yard LY01 Nero 6.9 Flex. As you can see, the drivers are built as similar as can be, other than the head -- identical loft, shaft, grip. Kamui Works lets you customize the lie on the 456, something that I consider very important, especially if your height/build makes you radically different from a 60° lie kinda guy. As far as I know, Kamui Works is the only company that offers lie customization for ordinary folks like me and in case you didn't know, you can't bend a driver after it's been made, which makes your personal Kamui driver even more special. The Ryoma packs a whopping 60g weight behind the face, which is supposedly a technological feat. Don't think I need to say any more about the Ryoma that's not already been said in recent times. I've heard/read about golfers of all skill levels experiencing tighter dispersions and distance gains anywhere from 5m to a mind-boggling 30m from their old drivers. However, I don't recall any of these old drivers was a customized Kamui. I was playing the Kamui for a few months before the Ryoma and hit some of the longest drives of my life. I don't think there is any extraordinary superiority about the construction, material, etc, so I am going to assume it's the custom lie that's behind the distance windfall. It wasn't difficult to hit; I needed only a couple of range sessions and rounds before getting really comfortable with it. The mis-hits were no worse than expected -- not particularly unforgiving in terms of distance loss or dispersion from other drivers. I have no complaints about the Kamui (other than the near unusable head cover) and honestly had no reason to get another driver. But I did anyway; don't ask me why, I don't know. When the Ryoma arrived, I was full of expectations from all the rave reviews. I fantasized about mis-hits being way long and straight and par-5s routinely within sight in 2! How quickly I fell back to Earth after the first couple of rounds. As forgiving as everyone has found it to be, I thought the Ryoma was harder to hit than the Kamui. I didn't experience any distance gains from the Ryoma off the sweet spot and I seriously didn't think the Kamui was worse off the mis-hits either. The only thing I thought the Ryoma was better -- the sound at impact; much better than the Kamui. Long story short, I have been using the Ryoma exclusively after shelving it after those first few rounds. I've sort of gotten more used to it; in fact, I now think it 'feels' better than the Kamui. That said, I still have not experienced any distance gains over the Kamui on the good hits, though some mis-hits are indeed longer (especially the balloons -- great carry, the Ryoma). I must also admit that the Ryoma makes ugly hooks and slices less aggravated. I've not gone OB or landed in adjacent fairways yet, which is a wonder in itself heh. My advice to golfers thinking about getting one of these drivers, first thing first -- either would be an excellent choice. If you are a good striker of the ball and a bit shorter/taller than Joe Average, go for the Kamui and get the full meal deal on the customization; face angle, lie and loft to 0.1 increments cannot be beat. At $600+ for the head, I'd say it's a frigging steal! On the other hand, if you are quite wild off the tee and want to increase your overall driving stats (length and fairways hit), Ryoma is your gun. I've not read a bad review of it yet, this is probably the worst. It's not cheap though; at $950 a head, it's at least 50% more than the Kamui but chances are, you will find it's worth it. Final word, if you do decide to get either of these drivers, invest in the best suitable shaft that you can afford. I can't stress enough how much a difference shafts play in the scheme of things. ;) Edited May 7, 2011 by FrankThong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbs Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 I think Frank and i share the same problem, we both own the Kamui and the Ryoma. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eca Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 That is an awesome review frank. Very much appreciated. Is the Kamui a conforming version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankThong Posted May 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 I think Frank and i share the same problem, we both own the Kamui and the Ryoma. LOL You know exactly how I feel then! ;) What are you presently bagging? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankThong Posted May 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 That is an awesome review frank. Very much appreciated. Is the Kamui a conforming version? T convinced me to get the conforming version, which I did. Imagine how much longer the non-conforming would be, hmph! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 Frank great and honest feedback. Both are certainly wonderful drivers and you said it yourself. The Ryoma has kept the ball in play, made hooks and slices much less hooks and slices, and even on overly high shots carries greatly. In the end this is what counts...consistency. We all don't have our best days especially when it comes to driving the ball all the time and the Ryoma makes up for it. For me the Ryoma has certainly given me some of my longest drives ever but more importantly it has been extremely easy to hit and has kept me in play more consistently and I think this is what most are finding as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbs Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 You know exactly how I feel then! ;) What are you presently bagging? i am bagging the Ryoma atm as certainly i need the consistency rather than bombing my drives everywhere. Singapore still raining all the time. Will be there next week thinking of a game. but not sure whether i should be carrying my bag as the missus would not be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbs Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 T convinced me to get the conforming version, which I did. Imagine how much longer the non-conforming would be, hmph! ;) i never had the conforming . certainly the Non-conforming are mute and springy. not sure what's yours like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankThong Posted May 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 Frank great and honest feedback. Both are certainly wonderful drivers and you said it yourself. The Ryoma has kept the ball in play, made hooks and slices much less hooks and slices, and even on overly high shots carries greatly. In the end this is what counts...consistency. We all don't have our best days especially when it comes to driving the ball all the time and the Ryoma makes up for it. For me the Ryoma has certainly given me some of my longest drives ever but more importantly it has been extremely easy to hit and has kept me in play more consistently and I think this is what most are finding as well. T, I've found the Kamui not to be too far off the consistent track than the Ryoma under normal circumstances. However, my tendonitis is getting worse and I am not hitting the ball as well -- it is this experience that made the Ryoma better than the Kamui for me. Which brings me to the conclusion that good strikers of the ball would benefit more from the Kamui than the Ryoma. Conversely, for the Tarzans of the tee box, the Ryoma would be driver of choice for keeping the ball long and on the short stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankThong Posted May 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 i am bagging the Ryoma atm as certainly i need the consistency rather than bombing my drives everywhere. Singapore still raining all the time. Will be there next week thinking of a game. but not sure whether i should be carrying my bag as the missus would not be happy. Nah, not so much rain now, mostly in the late afternoon if at all. Play in the morning if you want to stay dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankThong Posted May 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 i never had the conforming . certainly the Non-conforming are mute and springy. not sure what's yours like. Comparatively speaking, the Kamui (my conforming one, that is) is certainly more mute than the Ryoma. Not sure I'd say it's springy though. It doesn't feel or sound bad really, just perhaps not as nice as the Ryoma. What courses are you planning to play in Singapore? Bring the Ryoma for tighter courses and the Kamui for wide open ones. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danapu Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 nice review !!! where i can find in Singapore Ryoma or Kamui driver?!? Thanks, Daniele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatMan Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) nice review !!! where i can find in Singapore Ryoma or Kamui driver?!? Thanks, Daniele Daniele, You can order the drivers from the TSG proshop. Edited January 12, 2012 by FatMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I found the Kamui Ray to be a bit longer than the Kamui 456 Silver......I really dont like the sound of the Kamui Ray but it hits some soaring bombs and is super forgiving......As for the Ryoma, i am tempted but i have the jbeam or crazy II 435 in my lineup......The Kamui Ray is an absolute beast but man it sounds horrible.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankThong Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 nice review !!! where i can find in Singapore Ryoma or Kamui driver?!? Thanks, Daniele Daniele, talk to Tario from TSG. He'll be able to fit you with either of these drivers suited to your game and ship it to you. It's better than buying from a store, if you ask me. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmclarenf1 Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Daniele, talk to Tario from TSG. He'll be able to fit you with either of these drivers suited to your game and ship it to you. It's better than buying from a store, if you ask me. ;) Hi Frank, I don;t think you can buy Ryoma or Kamui in SG can you? Is there an authorised dealer in SG? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 It's better to buy it from us anyway. We can get you custom built heads from Kamui to your spec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hi Frank, I don;t think you can buy Ryoma or Kamui in SG can you? Is there an authorised dealer in SG? As far as I know there are no dealers for either in SG. Which is why Frank got both from us. (^_^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankThong Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Hi Frank, I don;t think you can buy Ryoma or Kamui in SG can you? Is there an authorised dealer in SG? Hey there, Tario is right, you can't pick up either driver from a store in SG. Speak with Tario/Gocchin, the customization is important to get the most of the club and so far, all of Tario's recommendations have been spot on for me. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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