Jump to content

The Honeymoon is Over!!! Reviewing the Jbeam 435


Robb40

Recommended Posts

We all know how it is sometimes. You get a new driver and for a few weeks it seems like the best club ever. Sometimes it is a bust right away but most of us do have that honeymoon period. I gamed the Adams launch lab for several months. It was sharp in all black. I really liked the club but after the honeymoon was over I began struggling more and more to turn it over. now it was long but I knew I did not get all of the distance out of it due to the ball flight. I do not have a 280 yard power fade. Mine was more like a 245 yard fade with almost 0 roll. After some soul searching I thought about getting a driver with a neutral face. I have gamed many other JDM drivers and it was a bust all 6 times. Good models with great shafts - Crazy,Quadra,Bangvoo etc. Expensive to. The best was the Crazy 460 but it was a high launch head and after 3 or 4 shaft tries I had to dump it. Before the JDM my best driving days were with a Callaway RHT 8.5 with a stock RIP stiff shaft. But like the LLab it was an open face and there were days that I could not control the ball. After hearing about the Jbeam 435 for several years I thought it was worth a shot. I have in 11 rounds and several long range sessions with this club. For me it is the best driver that I have ever owned. I like the feel, far better than any US club. Does it rival an Epon in terms of feel, heck NO! To me it is forgiving in terms of distance lost. Does it feel like crap on bad mis**ts??? Yes and it should. Most clubs do. My biggest surprise has been the workability of this combo. I have a 7.2 Labomba shaft in it. I have NO interest in trying another shaft. For me this combo seems like a perfect fit. The launch is perfect for me and I am getting more roll than ever. I was amazed that I could achieve a 12 to 13 degree launch and still get a lot of roll out. Never happened before for my swing. My biggest complaint is the price but that is a non issue now, its paid for so who cares? I love the smaller head. Looks awesome at address and no one that I play with has a clue as to the make. My playing partners have noticed a distance and accuracy increase. yesterday I hit 12 out of 14 fairways. A playing partner told me that the driver seems like a perfect fit. I agree and now truly believe that I have a gamer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

congrats. i have to agree...there's not anything out there that i've tried that can beat it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice Rob! I'm a fan of jBeam drivers. I tried many other drivers, but it's hard to find another like it. Its not the most forgiving, but I like how it gives me great feedback. When hit well, it's like no other... feel, distance,...When I first tried jBeam drivers, few years back, I immediately noticed the extra roll on my good shots!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guess I'm the only one who plays 435Hi (Hi Cor of 435R) around here. Maybe it gives more distance than the Ryoma ST does, but I never put the same shaft in both heads.

Since I also got normal jB435, I can confirm that this 435Hi gives more distance for sure, and the feeling is as soft as Ryoma.

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i didn't know there was a 435hi and i can't imagine anything longer than the 435...a hi-cor version would render most courses obsolete!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep. http://www.jbeam.co..../BM-435Hi.html#

Embarrassing I'm not 40 yet but my club profile is like that of 60-70 yr old man, especially the drivers

I hear you... will jump at a hi cor whenever I get the chance for my aging swing. (^_^)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep. http://www.jbeam.co.jp/products/driver/BM-435Hi.html#

Embarrassing I'm not 40 yet but my club profile is like that of 60-70 yr old man, especially the drivers

lol, i developed nerve damage in my hand last year so my recent iron build is senior specs too...graphite shafts with super spongy winn grips. but it's knocked the symptoms in half so i'm happy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got my Crazy 435 back from a rebuild. Found the hosel height and deeper bore stiffened up the shaft too much so had to do a swap. Put a Diamana X 60 S in it and am going to start alternating between in and my 388 with the QFE Proto 65X. Oddly, the QFE that got pulled from the Crazy head only played to 44" in the SYD even though it was playing to 44.5" in the Crazy...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ooh nice, been waiting for a 435 vs 388 showdown!

I just don't go to the range, so it will be on course. Also I only carry one driver in a round so it will take several days...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just finished a 5 day run of golf. I played 3 different courses and never played better. My driver was true. I shot solid scores that were only hurt by a few poor chip shots and a few putts that got away from me. This combo is a winner. I was able to hit both straight and fade shots when I really needed them. My challenge now is to leave well enough alone. I have heard a few members on this site speaking of different shafts that may yield more distance. I am always searching for more distance for certain. But as it stands right now this combo is killer for me. Many times this week I was 20 to 40 yards ahead of my playing partners and I am not a big hitter. I will certainly listen to feedback concerning other shafts but this head is my gamer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So no need to change to a Quadra? This combo feels great for me so I doubt a change is coming without a lot of info of more distance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i can't say the quadra will give you any distance worthy of spending the dough...i just found it had a bit workability over the crazy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well that was what I needed to hear. I can work the Labomba any way I need to. Big power fades are not easy but doable. Thanks for sharing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just finished a 5 day run of golf. I played 3 different courses and never played better. My driver was true. I shot solid scores that were only hurt by a few poor chip shots and a few putts that got away from me. This combo is a winner. I was able to hit both straight and fade shots when I really needed them. My challenge now is to leave well enough alone. I have heard a few members on this site speaking of different shafts that may yield more distance. I am always searching for more distance for certain. But as it stands right now this combo is killer for me. Many times this week I was 20 to 40 yards ahead of my playing partners and I am not a big hitter. I will certainly listen to feedback concerning other shafts but this head is my gamer.

Congrats again Robb. If you want to try different combos, best you get another head and leave this alone.

Edited by wmclarenf1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, if it is working that well, don't mess with it. I am still working back into swinging form, but I took my Crazy 435/ 80LS Noir 7.4 combo out the other day and hit some really good drives in tough conditions. I am currently getting used to the Callaway RFX with the Diamana X 70s and I am seeing some pretty big potential here as well. When it warms up and dries up, I will pull the 435 out and see where these drives are really ending up. I find that the sweet spot is fairly small, but when you hit it, boy does it feel hot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The pure sweet spot is a little small but I have seen big drives towards the toe as well. I hit one today on a short 365 yard par four. It was pure and I knew it was pretty good. I get to the ball that was maybe 35 or 40 yards away. I have not been that far in a few years. This thing is the real deal. I would love to pick up another head to try a few different shafts. I cannot in good conscience mess with this gamer. No way!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...