chiromikey Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) decided to test some drivers now that i have a few. the ryoma vspec is 9.5* and shafted with the crazy la bomba at 46.5"...just how it came from eca. the kamui works ray 9* (non conforming) and the jbeam 435 9.5* are shafted with ust mamiya tour red 69 to the same length as the ryoma. i know this shaft well so i shafted these heads up for comparison purposes until i decide which ones i'm going to keep and what shafts to put them on. they're all stiff flex and my average ss is 105mph. to my eye, the ryoma easily looks the most comfortable and pleasant at address. the kamui sets up well also but just not as well as the ryoma. the 435 looked odd. it's face seemed really tall and the head much more compact. i honestly didn't like the way it looked at all and immediately decided i probably wouldn't be keeping it for that reason. because of that i think it took me a few extra swings to get comfortable with it. all three drivers were very accurate and forgiving for me. however, it seemed the 435 had a slightly more upright lie angle than the kamui or ryoma and i believe because of that it was easier for me to put a draw on the ball when i wanted to. it also made it easier to have slight low pull on my misses rather than than a high fade as with the ryoma. i can't say i'd really give the advantage to any one here. feel. here's where the kamui ray shines. it feels so much better than the others. the ryoma is good, but the kamui just feels like the ball smashes against the face and stays there a bit longer. the ryoma sound is the normal sound i'm used to with my old ping i15. the kamui is still a metalic sound but a bit more muted and soft. not a dull thud that some drivers have but a good sound that definitely aids the perception of a soft feel. the 435 is horrible! it felt like an old ping ti-si tec and sounded every bit as bad. totally metalic like the face does not give one single ounce. they all gave me comparable trajectories so i don't think the minimally stronger loft of the kamui ray played a factor. the 435 and kamui ray were both the longest, indiscernible overall distance between the two but at least 10-15yds past the ryoma. i was a bit surprised by this, one because the ryoma has the much better shaft and two because the 435 easily kept up with the non conforming kamui ray. the distance the 435 gave actually pissed me off me because i really wanted to hate this thing due to the way it set up, it's unruly sound, and it's gawd awful feel. anyways, that was my morning. i thought i'd have some things sorted out after my range session but now i'm more confused than ever! Edited June 26, 2012 by chiromikey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodo Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Thanks for the review on off centre hits which one is more forgiving the Ryoma or the Jbeam (is this the FX435?). As these 2 are conforming which would you play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corky3 Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Do it again another day, sometimes your swing will vary on a day to day basis and also looks can change...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Also your using a VSpec those have a more firm feel than the non V version. And to dodo's question Ryoma much much more forgiving. Yes both have conforming and non conforming versions avail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted June 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Thanks for the review on off centre hits which one is more forgiving the Ryoma or the Jbeam (is this the FX435?). As these 2 are conforming which would you play? yes, the fx435. the ryoma is said to be the most forgiving but i was fortunate enough this session to not get far enough off center to really say which was better. as far as playing, before the test i would have said hands down the ryoma but i'll be taking the 435 with me in my golf trip this weekend! Do it again another day, sometimes your swing will vary on a day to day basis and also looks can change...... totally agree and i will absolutely do this and report back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 i have gamed all those drivers and found good aspects about each one.....the non conforming ray gave me the most cary distance while the 435 gave me the longest total distance but a shorter carry, and the ryoma gave me the best average driving distance, i found the Kamui NC to be too loud and the 43 a bit harsh....the ryoma was pretty darn good but the lie angle was a bit too flat for me. I found the Yamaha 4.6V to be the best in terms of all categories except forgiveness.....Its a bit weird with the yammy, the ball still goes great when i hit it off center but the hit will feel terrible......I am amazed at how far the yammy goes even though the hit felt terrible, the ryoma and Kamui are exact opposites, they feel great even on mis**ts and the distance suffers a bit more than the yammy ! My V201 plays similar to the 4.6V and im hoping the V202 is my new gamer......and maybe just maybe the epon af101 !!! The 9.5 had too much spin so i went to 10.5 deg which sounds crazy and counterintuitive but im hoping to catch the 10.5 on the upswing ala Bubba Watson.....hitting drives on the upswing works better with lofted clubs in my experience ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 hahahahahahahh wanted to hate it immediatly and dispose of it............., how many times have i sad that only to wind up with egg on face. the distance on the 435 just gets ya . oh nad its forgiving. the ultiamte driver is this head wit hthe epon zero feeling game over if that ever happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 I think the yamaha v202 is as close as i can get to nirvana......longest overall distance and best feel combo.....certainly not the longest but very long, not the best feeling but very very solid, and one of the best looking with lots of forgiveness and good workability......not perfect but damn close ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 am i the only one that did not get along with the 435? robbie that 435II did not get any height at all. played with a guy that is a 6cap 108mph swing and he could not make decent height with the driver. took petethepilot awhile before he got it dialed in but still lacked the height. is it the head or the 9.5 loft of the club? i beleive the difference in height is large coming from 9.5 and going into 10.5?? now the v202 tour 2012 and kamui ray are next on my list. im just in a yammy streak right now, would be hard pressed to try something else maybe a more forgiving zero driver with zero feel with yamaha performance! game over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted June 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 the temp shaft i have on the 435 is a high launch shaft so i had no problem getting a good mid height trajectory. i'm looking forward to actually getting this on the course with my game ball. if that improves the feel enough over the range balls i may be stuck on this driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Great post mate Some great replies too Can't wait to read further testing Might have to dust the cobwebs off my Yamaha Also good to see the 101 talked about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 with the crazy 435 II, it was not the easiest to get airborne if you had a flat angle of attack... I teed the ball up and hit the ball up into the sky....I could hit bullets into the air that would carry forever.....my playing partner who is a +2 and has 120 swing speed could not get that combo airborne either, but i had no issues with that.....i would prefer it higher but on windy days that setup is perfect.....trust me the 9 deg Yamahas launch at about the same height !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted June 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 how much different is the 435 vs the 435ii? i hear so many praises on the original but very little, if anything, about it's successor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eca Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Great Post M. I have had 2 rounds with the "ordinary" drivers the Ryoma forgiveness is really evident on the 1-2 yuck swing per round. It definitely costing me a stroke or two. Maybe this also has to do with the shaft quality too. I will be interested on your on course testing in terms of balls in play and acceptable misses. I'm still here b/c... U only miss things when they're gone lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 I actually didn't like the Ryoma first time I hit it with the stock shaft. 3 rounds in I was able to dial it in and steady the whip. I'm finding I need break in time with all my drivers so I don't really comment until I have a few rounds under my belt with anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted June 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 hey eric! the ryoma/rd combo is treating me well...i'm not at all surprised you miss it! on the 547yd par 5 18th of my home course this weekend i had less than 220 in (without cutting off any corners) so just because the ryoma isn't quite the weapon that the kamui or 435 are, it's still capable of some bombs. i've noticed this thing seems to offer more gear effect (similar to a wood driver) than most other drivers i've played...and the vertical gear effect is unreal. if i can catch it slightly higher on the face she sends the ball well past a perfect center hit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eca Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 I wasn't lying about the eagles I have gotten with the help of that black beauty.. Who knows.. I might Own one again someday.. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted June 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 took the 435 out today and good grief is it long...reached the green on a 328yd par 4 with a slight mis-hit. bad news is that even with my soft game ball it still has the feel of a bumper from a '69 cadillac. regardless, you can't argue with performance! i think it's time to mount this up to a serious shaft and really start dialing it in. time to look for a high launch/low spin shaft for a aggressive but smooth swing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Do it again another day, sometimes your swing will vary on a day to day basis and also looks can change...... i was able to take the drivers out to the range again today. results were really pretty similar. i've been gaming the kamui for the last 2 rounds and it's easy to fall in love with it's feel, not to mention it's performing extremely well. because of that, i really wanted it to significantly outperform the 435. damn that awful sounding, horrible feeling 435...it just keeps right up!!! i was able to get the ryoma to close the gap a bit by putting a nice draw swing on it but this club is set up to keep the left side out of play so that's not something i would want to try very often when it counts. like a few have said, if we could get the performance of the 435 with the feel of...well just about anything else...it would be game over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 what shaft u got in the 435? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 crazy ly02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb40 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Why does it always seem like the longest distance heads feel and often sound the worst. Must be a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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