Jbeam 10* with Labomba white 7.2 1st day Review

[Robb40]

Today was the day. My Jbeam Labomba combo was finally ready to hit. First I am glad it is 10* This head is a low launcher for sure. My goal was to find a combo that would produce a nice draw. Mission accomplished. I hit about 100 balls on the range before I ran out of steam. I hit about 20 balls with the launch lab. The LLab definitely flies higher with much less roll. My best hit with the Adams was 15 to 20 yards behind my best Jbeam. When I hit the Jbeam solid it was no contest. Even on the range I can tell the Jbeam has more roll out. Again on solid hits the Jbeam is flat out longer. I lost no carry distance with the Jbeam but gained more roll. Now the biggest surprise to me was the sound and feel. I do not understand the bashing this head has received for either category. When hit well I think it feels good. The sound is solid and lively. From the first swing I liked everything about it. I was expecting to hate it. I went into today's session planning on a bad experience. WRONG! Home run! I still hit the launch lab well but I just can't give up the draw bias and extra roll. Here's another surprise, I can hit a fade as well. I hit several on command and it was a nice ball flight. Hang on with the right hand and boom! A nice high fade, not a big fade that could be out of bounds. I know we all have honey moon periods but I am still shocked that it was so one sided the first time out. I know this head has a lot of detractors but I am excited to see how this plays out.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Robb40

[4dr.no]

I'm with you. Love mine too. Do you have the pearly white head as well?

[Robb40]

No it is gloss black. I may send it off to continental golf to get flat black or maybe white.

[4dr.no]

Love mine in pearl white.

[Mob]

No it is gloss black. I may send it off to continental golf to get flat black or maybe white.

Does Continental golf do a good job refinishing club heads? How much do they charge and what is the turn around time?

[Robb40]

They do great work. Cost is about $85 to do a driver. Turn around time was quoted as 1 to 2 weeks

[chiromikey]

robb, compared to modern usdm drivers the 435 doesn't feel too bad...actually compared to most it feels pretty good. however, compared to the recent forged jdm heads that are most popular the 435 has quite a different feel, nowhere near as soft.

regardless, very glad to hear your initial impressions were positive. it only gets better with this baby! i gamed my back-up 435 yesterday with a guy trying to make his way on the gateway tour. he kept talking about how his tm driver has the hottest face in golf. he probably had several inches in height and 50lbs on me and couldn't out drive the 435! i could see him eyeing my driver every chance he got trying desperately to figure out what it was without asking.

Edited April 9, 2013 by chiromikey

[wmclarenf1]

Today was the day. My Jbeam Labomba combo was finally ready to hit. First I am glad it is 10* This head is a low launcher for sure. My goal was to find a combo that would produce a nice draw. Mission accomplished. I hit about 100 balls on the range before I ran out of steam. I hit about 20 balls with the launch lab. The LLab definitely flies higher with much less roll. My best hit with the Adams was 15 to 20 yards behind my best Jbeam. When I hit the Jbeam solid it was no contest. Even on the range I can tell the Jbeam has more roll out. Again on solid hits the Jbeam is flat out longer. I lost no carry distance with the Jbeam but gained more roll. Now the biggest surprise to me was the sound and feel. I do not understand the bashing this head has received for either category. When hit well I think it feels good. The sound is solid and lively. From the first swing I liked everything about it. I was expecting to hate it. I went into today's session planning on a bad experience. WRONG! Home run! I still hit the launch lab well but I just can't give up the draw bias and extra roll. Here's another surprise, I can hit a fade as well. I hit several on command and it was a nice ball flight. Hang on with the right hand and boom! A nice high fade, not a big fade that could be out of bounds. I know we all have honey moon periods but I am still shocked that it was so one sided the first time out. I know this head has a lot of detractors but I am excited to see how this plays out.

Good to hear Rob. I have good news for you. Once you really get used to her and dial her in, you'll probably get even better results but again, so that you do not get dissapointed, expect not to :-). As for the sound, I think the comments made on sound and feel are comparative. On its own, its not that bad but compared to my old AF101, no fight in terms of sound and feel but for performance on carry, roll and outright distance, the AF101 can;t hold a candle. And as you have found out, the 435 is also workable.

It's the near complete destroyer for a better player which I of course am not. Congrats again and enjoy many straight long drives with her and low rounds!

Edited April 9, 2013 by wmclarenf1

[Ian-500]

Love mine in pearl white.

That is stunning.

[gocchin]

I personally liked the feel and sound of the 435. But as most say, its very subjective and goes for any club.

Glad it is working out for you\!

[Mob]

I have to admit, I was one of the guys bashing the feel of the 435. I still think the feel is harsh compared to a lot of other drivers, but I am finding that the feel is better when I hit the sweet spot. For some reason, I was hitting a lot of shots near the heel of the club but didn't realize it because it was still travelling a good distance. I am still undecided about this club, but I do not deny how long it is on well struck shots. I find the sweet spot to be small, but that may have to do with my swing.

[Robb40]

Okay yes if you hit the heel area it is Bad! My launch lab is the same way. But center shots and moving towards the toe shots were good in my opinion. I don't want a marshmallow soft driver. I don't want a brick (taylormade RBZ) either. The 435 is just fine by me. The new Ping g25 feels like a brick compared to the Jbeam.

[DaleUK]

Good shaft/club combo

Enjoy!

[Robb40]

Another solid session today. Still really liking this combo. This is officially the longest club that I have owned. The roll out seems great. I hope to play this weekend so I will see how it does with good balls and real conditions.

[chiromikey]

Another solid session today. Still really liking this combo. This is officially the longest club that I have owned. The roll out seems great. I hope to play this weekend so I will see how it does with good balls and real conditions.

very good to hear! looking forward to your on course review.

as you know, i have the same combo and fully agree that's it's the longest "legal" pairing i can imagine. unfortunately curiosity (or greed for distance) got the best of me and i'm shafting up my other 435 with a quadra to see if it can possibly do any better.

[4dr.no]

Another solid session today. Still really liking this combo. This is officially the longest club that I have owned. The roll out seems great. I hope to play this weekend so I will see how it does with good balls and real conditions.

Me too! I hit 3 of my longest drives ever on my home course yesterday, hitting wedge into greens that I normally hit 8 or 7 into. My playing partner was like wtf? The best part was flying fairway bunkers that I inevitably used to land in...

[wmclarenf1]

Reading all this made me decide to put my Black Widow in play again.

[Robb40]

Hey man I am a short hitter. Let me know if you gain any distance. I hit this flush several times yesterday and wound up at the far end of our number 2 hole behind the range. About 280 or so. Not bad with range rocks that are fairly beat up. The real test will be this weekend. I know my course very well so I will be able to tell if it is truly longer.

[RIduffer]

Instead of starting a new thread figured I would add here...

Build specs:

Crazy 435 10*

0.5* open face

Quadra FEX Proto 65x at 44.5" playing D2.5

The shaft insertion is deeper than on most drivers I have so the stiffness profile off the shaft is increased as a result, or at least that is my understanding. That also contributes to the launch and trajectory people tend to get with this head. I was not getting low drives nor was I getting high bombs out of it. Just nice mid flight drives, rollout was ok as we had rain last night and the fairways were already softish. Sound and feel at impact are fine, think I was prepared for the worst based on other comments here. I have had much worse sound out of a Vega driver that was passed along to EdGolf. Feel wise did not think it harsh at all, actually felt pretty good. At set up, I am a big fan of the small compact heads and this does not qualify. The Epon Zero has a much more compact look at address for what I believe is a similar sized head.

I tend to have a mental block or swing flaw, probably both when the heads get larger and end up with a fade. This was no different. Couple the personal issues with a slightly stiffer shaft profile and a slight open face, I am going to have to work harder to get this to be gamer considering the rest of my arsenal. Distance wise I would not say it was any longer than the Zero or T.388, but do need to give it some more play time before I make a final decision

On my course there are only 7 real driving holes and two of those don't even need drivers for me, so definitely still adjusting to this club.

[Robb40]

I put the Jbeam up against the new Ping Anser with an Ahina 70 stiff. No contest. The ping was solid but no longer than any other driver. It was short by 10 yards or more of carry. With the rollout it was not a real fight. On the launch monitor I was getting 2950 back spin with the Ping. This was the first time that I hit it out doors. I don't have the SS for an x flex shaft with a stiff playing tip. No way. I am not sure your set up will give the 435 a fair shake but there is no 1 driver for everyone. I think the 435 looks smaller and very compact at address. Different strokes. The Ping Anser looked huge after swinging the Crazy. Don't misunderstand me, my 4 year experience with JDM drivers until now has been a Major bust. I honestly thought you guys were nuts for spending that kind of money on a club that was no better than most US products in terms of distance. Now quality and feel has never been an issue with me. I always felt that JDM was far above in these areas.

[sandee11]

So how does JDM vs USDM? My take :-- JDM "last" longer than USDM. USDM driver seem to lost distance compare to when it was new, but JDM driver will not have this problem. That what I found.

For some reason, I found JDM head/shaft combo gave ME more consistent result. USDM, unless you are getting your issue head ( for specific specs), don't think will get the same result as JDM driver. I think JDM driver spec is right on compare to USDM. USDM retail heads mostly are way off( non adjustable heads). So I think the specs on the head determine the distance.

[Robb40]

I finally got in 27 holes with the Jbeam yesterday. It was not my best day. I was late and had no time to warm up so the first 7 holes were not good. Nothing terrible just hitting the club on the bottom groove. It still went straight but the distance was just so so. On the second nine i still struggled but managed to keep the ball in play. I knew that this was not a good day to judge the Jbeam's distance. On the last nine i did hit a few in the center and it was nice. Maybe 10 yards further than my Launch lab. it rained a lot Thursday so I knew the rollout was minimal. I hit one on a short Par 4 that I thought was killed and it was only 265. It had some mud on it so I will not place any real judgement on the club after yesterday. It was the most solid tee shot of the day. BUT I did not have one shot go WAY right on me. That was a nice change especially considering that my swing was way off. I was able to place the ball back to the middle of my stance and hit several fades. I like that I can work this driver when needed. What was missing yesterday was solid contact with the big draw that I have been getting on the range. I have another 27 holes to go today and the course should be better than yesterday. I still believe that I may have my gamer. The big anti right is a big plus for me. No snap hooks yesterday either.

[wmclarenf1]

I finally got in 27 holes with the Jbeam yesterday. It was not my best day. I was late and had no time to warm up so the first 7 holes were not good. Nothing terrible just hitting the club on the bottom groove. It still went straight but the distance was just so so. On the second nine i still struggled but managed to keep the ball in play. I knew that this was not a good day to judge the Jbeam's distance. On the last nine i did hit a few in the center and it was nice. Maybe 10 yards further than my Launch lab. it rained a lot Thursday so I knew the rollout was minimal. I hit one on a short Par 4 that I thought was killed and it was only 265. It had some mud on it so I will not place any real judgement on the club after yesterday. It was the most solid tee shot of the day. BUT I did not have one shot go WAY right on me. That was a nice change especially considering that my swing was way off. I was able to place the ball back to the middle of my stance and hit several fades. I like that I can work this driver when needed. What was missing yesterday was solid contact with the big draw that I have been getting on the range. I have another 27 holes to go today and the course should be better than yesterday. I still believe that I may have my gamer. The big anti right is a big plus for me. No snap hooks yesterday either.

As with everything, it takes time and some familiarity to bring out the best more consistently. That said, I don't think you;ll need that much time with the 435. Its not the most forgiving but definitely friendly enough. Just need to get the right tee height and position for your swing.

[Robb40]

Another 27 holes in with this combo. First the Cons - At this point I can say that this is not the longest ON COURSE driver that I have gamed. Sorry to say that this honor goes to a Taylormade RBZ with a Motore tour spec speeder shaft. Terrible sound and a worse feeling club than any that I have ever hit. Just awful. But it was still wet yesterday in places so I still want to keep going until it gets dry. The rollout of this club cannot be discounted. I can see the added rollout on the range but the range is thicker and a little dryer than our course with a close cut fairway. I hit a few draw bombs that I thought would be way down the pipe and it was still in the 265 to 270 range with some mud on the ball when i arrived. I can tell that I am still not turning the club over with a free swing like I am doing on the range. Too much junk in my head about a snap hook. This is where the distance is for me so I hope I can get to that point soon. It was frustrating on a few straight drives to still be behind a few of my playing buddies 5 yards with their stock RBZ drivers. They both hit big draws so again I think that I have not done the club justice yet. I like this club in terms of feel and sound. I want it to work. I did hit one big fade that go me into trouble. That was a first and clearly not the fault of the combo. I got really lazy trying to be cute and hit a big cut that lead me to a double bogey. Pros - Killer looking club with a good sound and feel. In my heart I still feel like it is a bomber if I can get my swing going on the course. So far I have not hit one drive anywhere near the distance that I am seeing on the range. At this point it is a 20 to 25 yard difference. Very frustrating. My fault but I hope I can work this out soon.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Robb40