Royal Collection RC Forged

[Vegaman]

I've been thinking about getting blades, at least for 5-PW and then something more forgiving in the 3 and 4 irons. The RC Forged look really good, but I haven't seen any comments on it, seems very few people have tried these blades? Any input would be appreciated. And comparisons with other blades like Miura Baby blade and TB, Epon AF tours and Yonex MB would be superb.

[supo]

.nope

but ive been eyeing these of for long time.

they were really exxy.

get em, so i know!

[gocchin]

Jason JCMB got a set from us. A few members here do play them. Very nice blades, traditional and quite compact.

[Ara selai]

I hit these when I was demoing blades.

I went through a long list of contenders, including the RCs, AF-Tours, Miura's whole blade line-up (SB-01, SB-02, 5003, 1957LEs, and TBs), Tourstage 901 musclebacks, Yururi raw flatbacks, Mizuno MP-67 and 68, and a Vega anniversary blade. I also tried the 2011 Yamaha Tours (which are actually more of a CB); there are a few others you might want to consider in this semi-blade camp, like the Miuraism SC-01, Epon AF-302, and Mizuno MP-57 and 62 (but that's another topic).

After trying all the blades over the course of several weeks, I eventually went with the Miuraism SB-02s, which were unearthly good for me. I love the "chilled butter" (firm but soft) feel of Miuras, and the SB-02s are my preference of the bunch. In my case, I hit more towards the toe than the heel, and I had more fades and slices with the smaller heads, which have a centered impact spot closer to the heel. Honestly, though, I'd be happy with any of them, and am hoping I can eventually game the SB-01s as well as the 02s.

After the Miuras, I'd put the AFTs and Yururis ahead of the RCs, which would be ahead of the Vega, Tourstage and Mizunos. I really like the feel and heft of the RCs, and they are beautiful, clean clubs to look at, like Gocchin says. They're very consistent performers, and a truly excellent club in all regards. (I use RC utes and FWs, and love their products.) At the end of the day, though, I slightly prefer the classic "warm butter" softness and almost effortless feel of the AFTs and Yururis to the more straightforward feel of the RC irons. I want something that feels special, and I get that in Muira, Epon, and Yururi. For what it's worth, in comparing 7-irons, the Epons had the highest flight and longest carry of all the clubs I tried; the RCs and Tourstage were true to loft; the small-headed Miuras (SB-01 and 1957s) had the lowest flight. I didn't notice a huge difference in distance with any of the clubs - they ll went plus or minus 5 yards of my expected yardage for the 7-iron.

I can't comment personally on the Yonex blades, but I do know someone who bought a set after having them recommended over the RCs. He gamed the Yonexes once, tried his partner's AFTs in the same game, and sold the Yonex to buy his own AFTs. He's a long-time user of Miura 1957s, and he prefers the AFTs to both those and the Yonex. Completely converted. If you PM me your email address, I'll put you in touch with him.

You might check my other thread on this topic for more info:

Hope that helps get you started. I'll add more specifics another time.

[Vegaman]

I hit these when I was demoing blades.

I went through a long list of contenders, including the RCs, AF-Tours, Miura's whole blade line-up (SB-01, SB-02, 5003, 1957LEs, and TBs), Tourstage 901 musclebacks, Yururi raw flatbacks, Mizuno MP-67 and 68, and a Vega anniversary blade. I also tried the 2011 Yamaha Tours (which are actually more of a CB); there are a few others you might want to consider in this semi-blade camp, like the Miuraism SC-01, Epon AF-302, and Mizuno MP-57 and 62 (but that's another topic).

After trying all the blades over the course of several weeks, I eventually went with the Miuraism SB-02s, which were unearthly good for me. I love the "chilled butter" (firm but soft) feel of Miuras, and the SB-02s are my preference of the bunch. In my case, I hit more towards the toe than the heel, and I had more fades and slices with the smaller heads, which have a centered impact spot closer to the heel. Honestly, though, I'd be happy with any of them, and am hoping I can eventually game the SB-01s as well as the 02s.

After the Miuras, I'd put the AFTs and Yururis ahead of the RCs, which would be ahead of the Vega, Tourstage and Mizunos. I really like the feel and heft of the RCs, and they are beautiful, clean clubs to look at, like Gocchin says. They're very consistent performers, and a truly excellent club in all regards. (I use RC utes and FWs, and love their products.) At the end of the day, though, I slightly prefer the classic "warm butter" softness and almost effortless feel of the AFTs and Yururis to the more straightforward feel of the RC irons. I want something that feels special, and I get that in Muira, Epon, and Yururi. For what it's worth, in comparing 7-irons, the Epons had the highest flight and longest carry of all the clubs I tried; the RCs and Tourstage were true to loft; the small-headed Miuras (SB-01 and 1957s) had the lowest flight. I didn't notice a huge difference in distance with any of the clubs - they ll went plus or minus 5 yards of my expected yardage for the 7-iron.

I can't comment personally on the Yonex blades, but I do know someone who bought a set after having them recommended over the RCs. He gamed the Yonexes once, tried his partner's AFTs in the same game, and sold the Yonex to buy his own AFTs. He's a long-time user of Miura 1957s, and he prefers the AFTs to both those and the Yonex. Completely converted. If you PM me your email address, I'll put you in touch with him.

You might check my other thread on this topic for more info:

Hope that helps get you started. I'll add more specifics another time.

Wow, excellent info here. Thanks a lot.

[ant]

Can you comment regarding RC head size compared to Miura 5003 or 1957 ? You also say RC felt hefty. Did they feel noticeably heavier to you based on head weight or total club weight or they just simply felt heavier because of heavier swing weight build compared to other demos ? Would appreciate any info on this. I'm thinking of building a very heavy but compact set and ideally would want the weight to come from natural components weights and not artificially added ad hoc.

I hit these when I was demoing blades.

I went through a long list of contenders, including the RCs, AF-Tours, Miura's whole blade line-up (SB-01, SB-02, 5003, 1957LEs, and TBs), Tourstage 901 musclebacks, Yururi raw flatbacks, Mizuno MP-67 and 68, and a Vega anniversary blade. I also tried the 2011 Yamaha Tours (which are actually more of a CB); there are a few others you might want to consider in this semi-blade camp, like the Miuraism SC-01, Epon AF-302, and Mizuno MP-57 and 62 (but that's another topic).

After trying all the blades over the course of several weeks, I eventually went with the Miuraism SB-02s, which were unearthly good for me. I love the "chilled butter" (firm but soft) feel of Miuras, and the SB-02s are my preference of the bunch. In my case, I hit more towards the toe than the heel, and I had more fades and slices with the smaller heads, which have a centered impact spot closer to the heel. Honestly, though, I'd be happy with any of them, and am hoping I can eventually game the SB-01s as well as the 02s.

After the Miuras, I'd put the AFTs and Yururis ahead of the RCs, which would be ahead of the Vega, Tourstage and Mizunos. I really like the feel and heft of the RCs, and they are beautiful, clean clubs to look at, like Gocchin says. They're very consistent performers, and a truly excellent club in all regards. (I use RC utes and FWs, and love their products.) At the end of the day, though, I slightly prefer the classic "warm butter" softness and almost effortless feel of the AFTs and Yururis to the more straightforward feel of the RC irons. I want something that feels special, and I get that in Muira, Epon, and Yururi. For what it's worth, in comparing 7-irons, the Epons had the highest flight and longest carry of all the clubs I tried; the RCs and Tourstage were true to loft; the small-headed Miuras (SB-01 and 1957s) had the lowest flight. I didn't notice a huge difference in distance with any of the clubs - they ll went plus or minus 5 yards of my expected yardage for the 7-iron.

I can't comment personally on the Yonex blades, but I do know someone who bought a set after having them recommended over the RCs. He gamed the Yonexes once, tried his partner's AFTs in the same game, and sold the Yonex to buy his own AFTs. He's a long-time user of Miura 1957s, and he prefers the AFTs to both those and the Yonex. Completely converted. If you PM me your email address, I'll put you in touch with him.

You might check my other thread on this topic for more info:

Hope that helps get you started. I'll add more specifics another time.

[Ara selai]

I'll have to go back to the proshop to compare relative head size and whether the weight is in the head (that's what I recall) or entire club plus shaft. Unfortunately, it may not be for a couple of days.

Head size is definitely larger than the 1957s. It's not a small or compact head in that sense. It's no nonsense, though. Just you and the club, with a nicely weighted muscle. The reason I say I remember the heft as head weight is that it was very clear where the head was at all points in the backswing. Sort of like a well balanced hammer.

Edited December 2, 2011 by Ara selai

[ant]

Thanx! Based on specs they do seem to look (I cant read Japanese) significantly heavier than Miura. Their standard build is listed at D1 with S200 so if thats what you tried you definitely felt total weight not swing weight. I'm a little disappointed they are larger heads but I guess thats where the weight comes from. For some reason I thought maybe they made a small, dense head with alot of muscle to account for that. "Well balanced hammer" sounds very good to me tho.

I'll have to go back to the proshop to compare relative head size and whether the weight is in the head (that's what I recall) or entire club plus shaft. Unfortunately, it may not be for a couple of days.

Head size is definitely larger than the 1957s. It's not a small or compact head in that sense. It's no nonsense, though. Just you and the club, with a nicely weighted muscle. The reason I say I remember the heft as head weight is that it was very clear where the head was at all points in the backswing. Sort of like a well balanced hammer.

[Ara selai]

@ant.

Here's the Google Translate version of the RC website. Not much help....

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Droyal%2Bcollection%2Bgolf%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Dimvns&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&u=http://www.royalcollection.co.jp/lineup/index.php%3Fcontroller%3Dlineup%26action%3DshowDetail%26orderNo%3D00004040&usg=ALkJrhhLWK0jKgPiJkJK-mNVTH7q58Al8g

The RCs did not feel as special to me as the Miuraisms, but I have Shimada K's Tours in them, which are like a kidskin glove in terms of feel. Would have to guess that the ultimate heavy, compact set would be Miura 1957s or SB-01s fitted with your shaft of choice. Plainly and simply, the Miura small blades are MUCH smaller than anything else (see my other post), and are apparently the same weight as the larger heads in the respective series. Can't confirm that on the web, and I'm not sure how they increased the density, but I'll assume its the alloy. As long as your swing complements the sweet spot on the 1957/SB-01s (towards the heel), you'll be in high cotton, as we said back home.

@Vegaman. Do you have the opportunity to try any of these clubs, or is this going to be a "blind" purchase? I'd strongly recommend you try at least one Miura, the AFTs (and maybe the Yururi, which is harder to find), as well as the Yonex and RC. The subtle differences in feel will make your decision much easier, I suspect. Do you play Vegas now? If so, and you like them, you'll probably wet your pants over the AFTs or Yururis.

[ant]

unfortunately it doesnt translate the specs table tho its intuitive enough. problem is they seem to list total club weight with S200 shaft at specific length and the weight of S200 uncut and I have no clue what weight S200 would be in any given iron in their build. plus RC is known to build with weight plugs etc which makes it even more difficult to guess their real head weights. I'm somewhat familiar with Miura, have 5003 currently and had a chance to handle 1957 which are about the same weight as 5003 I would say. this is of course roughly as I havent ever seen full specs on 1957 and 5003 being produced in two diff weight specs (for steel/graphite). I'm not very familiar with metallurgy and forging techniques involved but my understanding is that they either hammer 1957 more or use more force/weight to make it more dense.

@ant.

Here's the Google Translate version of the RC website. Not much help....

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Droyal%2Bcollection%2Bgolf%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Dimvns&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&u=http://www.royalcollection.co.jp/lineup/index.php%3Fcontroller%3Dlineup%26action%3DshowDetail%26orderNo%3D00004040&usg=ALkJrhhLWK0jKgPiJkJK-mNVTH7q58Al8g

The RCs did not feel as special to me as the Miuraisms, but I have Shimada K's Tours in them, which are like a kidskin glove in terms of feel. Would have to guess that the ultimate heavy, compact set would be Miura 1957s or SB-01s fitted with your shaft of choice. Plainly and simply, the Miura small blades are MUCH smaller than anything else (see my other post), and are apparently the same weight as the larger heads in the respective series. Can't confirm that on the web, and I'm not sure how they increased the density, but I'll assume its the alloy. As long as your swing complements the sweet spot on the 1957/SB-01s (towards the heel), you'll be in high cotton, as we said back home.

@Vegaman. Do you have the opportunity to try any of these clubs, or is this going to be a "blind" purchase? I'd strongly recommend you try at least one Miura, the AFTs (and maybe the Yururi, which is harder to find), as well as the Yonex and RC. The subtle differences in feel will make your decision much easier, I suspect. Do you play Vegas now? If so, and you like them, you'll probably wet your pants over the AFTs or Yururis.

[Vegaman]

@ant.

Here's the Google Translate version of the RC website. Not much help....

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Droyal%2Bcollection%2Bgolf%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Dimvns&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&u=http://www.royalcollection.co.jp/lineup/index.php%3Fcontroller%3Dlineup%26action%3DshowDetail%26orderNo%3D00004040&usg=ALkJrhhLWK0jKgPiJkJK-mNVTH7q58Al8g

The RCs did not feel as special to me as the Miuraisms, but I have Shimada K's Tours in them, which are like a kidskin glove in terms of feel. Would have to guess that the ultimate heavy, compact set would be Miura 1957s or SB-01s fitted with your shaft of choice. Plainly and simply, the Miura small blades are MUCH smaller than anything else (see my other post), and are apparently the same weight as the larger heads in the respective series. Can't confirm that on the web, and I'm not sure how they increased the density, but I'll assume its the alloy. As long as your swing complements the sweet spot on the 1957/SB-01s (towards the heel), you'll be in high cotton, as we said back home.

@Vegaman. Do you have the opportunity to try any of these clubs, or is this going to be a "blind" purchase? I'd strongly recommend you try at least one Miura, the AFTs (and maybe the Yururi, which is harder to find), as well as the Yonex and RC. The subtle differences in feel will make your decision much easier, I suspect. Do you play Vegas now? If so, and you like them, you'll probably wet your pants over the AFTs or Yururis.

I actually play bridgestone J38s, ha ha. But I have a pretty decent ball strike, and I have tried various blade irons with good results, since I hit the ball pretty high, sometimes too high I feel. And that's with SP Blues in Xstiff. A friend had Vega blades that I hit very well, and I have tried Mizunos like the MP 33 and Titleist MBs and hit them well too. I live in Phuket and don't have much of a chance to try blades SBS, but I'm planning on going up to one of the larger driving ranges in BKK next time I pass through there and try some stuff. Never hit Yururis, AF tours or Miura blades. And the Yonex MBs seem really difficult to even get to SEE let alone hit. But they do look really really good..Maybe the best looking of the bunch.

The Baby Blades seem like a step too far somehow, even though I've never seen them in person, this because I've held a Miura TM and thought they looked pretty compact..So can't fathom how a baby blade looks! I actually held a Wilson FG59 that looked pretty small to me, the 3-iron looked almost unhitable, terrifying..And the Baby Blades are much smaller than those again? Hmm..Actually had a look at the Baby blades on sale here at the BST but feel a bit unsure.

I've been looking at getting a mixed set too, but the Baby blades come as a full set only, whereas Yururis can be bought 5-PW, same for RC forged and the Yonex Mbs.

So, flying a bit blind for sure. Plus I will need to get them lie adjusted, since I need a bit of upright. This is something I have to fix myself at the clubmaker here in Phuket, when I fit the heads to my SP Blues that I really love. So sets that come in head only are better for me too.