Shimada K’s 3001 105 vs K’s 8001?

[autronicdsm]

Has anyone played both? Can you compare the feel and ball flight? I have 8001 and like them quite a bit. Need to pick up a set for some new heads and wonder if I should stick to 8001 or pick up something different (3001). I already have Tour Lites and 115 too so it’s between 8001 or 3001 🤷‍♂️

[nobmontana]

I've used the 8001 about 5 years ago....  did like them except they were a bit too spinny for me back then.   It might actually work better for my current swing speed... but I have been having a hard time sourcing a new set...  the two online vendors I bought from previously are all sold out.  

CPM wise,  Ks' 3001 - 105 (S flex)  is about 8 cpm higher compared the K's 8001 (Uniflex)  

I do know that K's 8001 is a bit flexier compared to other typical stiff iron shafts but if they are working well for you,  I'd stay with them.  K's 3001 105 S may feel almost a full flex stiffer.   I don't have experience playing with K's 3001 105, so I am not sure how they differ in trajectory and things but just thought I'd share what I know about their measured flex differences. 

 

[autronicdsm]

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I guess I'll need to jump on the lunch monitor to compare between different Shimada shafts I have, but didn't really notice 8001 were more spinny/shorter for me.

I just checked my vendor, same thing. 3001 is available except for 6 and W and they don't know when it'll be available. 8001 only in 3 and 4... G'dam pandemic 😒

 

[D22marshall]

Also take a look at the shimada nine is a very good option.

super smooth stable shaft

[autronicdsm]

11 hours ago, D22marshall said:

Also take a look at the shimada nine is a very good option.

super smooth stable shaft

I thought about it, but it's pretty light. I'm going through a bit of struggle right now. My swing speed is down and I've tried 80g PX Catalyst CW. Very bad results. Can't hit middle of the face to save my life. On another hand though I bought a used set of irons that had DG X100 and they are much more consistent for me, but I get wrist pain even on good shots. If I hit a bit fat though, call an ambulance LOL

 

So this morning I tested 8001 vs Tour 115 and indeed, 8001 spin more. Had no idea. I figured soft butt stiff tip would be spin reducing? At least for me difference is small and ends up helping me. 8001 being 5 yards longer.

[autronicdsm]

Here are the numbers. Like I said, I know my swing speed is down, but also these numbers seem pretty sad. Not sure if it's the lunch monitor or what. I have Ernest Sport Tour+ 🤷‍♂️

Forgot to mention, this was with a 4 iron.

Edited April 5, 2022 by autronicdsm

[Hutch]

Dean is right. On those numbers you would be better suited to Shimada 9 or similar. 

[autronicdsm]

I don't get how a lighter shaft will benefit me.

[Hutch]

Not much more to say. You know what works for you. Good luck. 

[bngolfer]

8 hours ago, autronicdsm said:

I don't get how a lighter shaft will benefit me.

Hey,

Well, with 66 mph swing speed in a 4-iron, I can totally see the benefit of a lighter weight shaft for you. Even if the launch monitor you are using is off by 10 mph, that would likely be the case. And as Dean mentioned above, the nine is smooth AND stable. And the stable part seems to be something you need. So, worth a shot I'd say.

I'm going down in weight too, to get somewhere close to where I once was. Still think that I hit my 7-iron 175 yds but I tend to come up short very often.. It is tricky to get the brain to understand that the speed is not there anymore. In the past, all I've looked for is consistency and I have relied on good ball-striking with heavier steel shafts. 130g range. But now I just bought a set of Oban CT-115, in X, that will go into my one set. And Modus 105 in S into another. I have Modus 120 S in one set already and a set of Modus 120 X too. But I'm quite convinced that a stable, lighter weight shaft, will help me with my iron play this season. Last year I played a Crazy Target Tour in S. It was way too whippy (not at all stable) and I could not control the draw and could certainly not hit a low cut shot at all. Thus, the Modus 105 S may not be for me, whereas the CT-115 in X could be spot on. But again, the launch monitor, when set up correctly, seldom lies. So I guess I'll find out.

[autronicdsm]

4 hours ago, bngolfer said:

Hey,

Well, with 66 mph swing speed in a 4-iron, I can totally see the benefit of a lighter weight shaft for you. Even if the launch monitor you are using is off by 10 mph, that would likely be the case. And as Dean mentioned above, the nine is smooth AND stable. And the stable part seems to be something you need. So, worth a shot I'd say.

I'm going down in weight too, to get somewhere close to where I once was. Still think that I hit my 7-iron 175 yds but I tend to come up short very often.. It is tricky to get the brain to understand that the speed is not there anymore. In the past, all I've looked for is consistency and I have relied on good ball-striking with heavier steel shafts. 130g range. But now I just bought a set of Oban CT-115, in X, that will go into my one set. And Modus 105 in S into another. I have Modus 120 S in one set already and a set of Modus 120 X too. But I'm quite convinced that a stable, lighter weight shaft, will help me with my iron play this season. Last year I played a Crazy Target Tour in S. It was way too whippy (not at all stable) and I could not control the draw and could certainly not hit a low cut shot at all. Thus, the Modus 105 S may not be for me, whereas the CT-115 in X could be spot on. But again, the launch monitor, when set up correctly, seldom lies. So I guess I'll find out.

I do agree 100% with you guys...in theory. It's why I got Catalyst cw  and like I said, my consistency suffers a lot with sub 100g shafts. While 95g IS pretty close, Catalyst cw is little bit lighter and it totally messes me up. I don't think 95g would be enough? Catalyst isn't loose or anything like that, just can't feel its weight. I'm actually pretty bummed out that I can't go down to lighter graphite, but whatever.

 

I do have some 950GH shafts around, I could do a little test.

[bngolfer]

4 hours ago, autronicdsm said:

I do agree 100% with you guys...in theory. It's why I got Catalyst cw  and like I said, my consistency suffers a lot with sub 100g shafts. While 95g IS pretty close, Catalyst cw is little bit lighter and it totally messes me up. I don't think 95g would be enough? Catalyst isn't loose or anything like that, just can't feel its weight. I'm actually pretty bummed out that I can't go down to lighter graphite, but whatever.

 

I do have some 950GH shafts around, I could do a little test.

The 950GH are a bit different though. To me they are very loose. Make sure you don't end up with C8 or something like that in swing weight. Try to keep them at D3 with a lighter shaft. 

[nobmontana]

On 4/5/2022 at 9:49 AM, autronicdsm said:

I thought about it, but it's pretty light. I'm going through a bit of struggle right now. My swing speed is down and I've tried 80g PX Catalyst CW. Very bad results. Can't hit middle of the face to save my life. On another hand though I bought a used set of irons that had DG X100 and they are much more consistent for me, but I get wrist pain even on good shots. If I hit a bit fat though, call an ambulance LOL

 

So this morning I tested 8001 vs Tour 115 and indeed, 8001 spin more. Had no idea. I figured soft butt stiff tip would be spin reducing? At least for me difference is small and ends up helping me. 8001 being 5 yards longer.

Spin is good as long it doesn't hurt your numbers.    From these comparison,  the 8001 is a better choice I think.    

For the other steel shafts you use, what flex are you using?   Slower swing speed does not immediately equate to lighter shafts..but perhaps you might do better with a softer flex?   Since 8001 only has a single flex and they have a huge inventory issue,  since Modus 120 S plays very similar to K's 8001 just slightly heavier...   I wonder if you'd fit well into a Modus 120 R ...   compared to a Modus 120,  105 are slightly spin reducing ( if that is what you need... )  perhaps Modus 105 R may be another one you could try....     Also if your local shop has the Mizuno shaft optimizer tool,  I highly recommend it.   It won't include Shimada shafts as options but TT, KBS & Nippon are among the shafts in the dataset.      

 

 

 

 

 

[nobmontana]

Also ... I don't think you are getting enough launch angle with either one of these 4 irons anyway...

Your descent angle of 28 deg is not going to stop your ball...my recommendation would be to ditch the long irons and go with Utes.     

my longest iron is now a 6 iron (30 deg) ...  4i & 5i have been replaced with hybrids so that the ball actually has a chance of stopping when landing on the green.  My descent angle with the hybrids are about 50 deg.    I also use the original Honma TW-U 4 driving iron in another set and that 4 iron goes as high as my hybrid with a Crazy STP 85 shaft in it so it plays more or less like a hybrid.  I love this TW-U/STP combo!!   

The other day I shot a 5 hybrid (Cally Apex Pro) from 161 yards to the pin and the shot landed 4ft from the pin and pretty much stopped there...   then I missed the birdie putt but that's another story 😞     My Apex Pro has an 85g UST LinQ Hybrid shaft which I really like.   

Oh and I am waiting on my next irons and the set is a 7-GW Mizuno Pro 225.   The 7 iron is 30 deg loft ....  which is enough to cover my iron distances.  

Edited April 7, 2022 by nobmontana

[bngolfer]

The wealth of knowledge from Nobs. Love it!

[nobmontana]

15 minutes ago, bngolfer said:

The wealth of knowledge from Nobs. Love it!

Product of all the agonizing personal trial and error of experiments!!  🙂   

[Hutch]

Indeed. So many opinions so much gear....haha.

[autronicdsm]

21 hours ago, nobmontana said:

Spin is good as long it doesn't hurt your numbers.    From these comparison,  the 8001 is a better choice I think.    

For the other steel shafts you use, what flex are you using?   Slower swing speed does not immediately equate to lighter shafts..but perhaps you might do better with a softer flex?   Since 8001 only has a single flex and they have a huge inventory issue,  since Modus 120 S plays very similar to K's 8001 just slightly heavier...   I wonder if you'd fit well into a Modus 120 R ...   compared to a Modus 120,  105 are slightly spin reducing ( if that is what you need... )  perhaps Modus 105 R may be another one you could try....     Also if your local shop has the Mizuno shaft optimizer tool,  I highly recommend it.   It won't include Shimada shafts as options but TT, KBS & Nippon are among the shafts in the dataset.      

 

 

Varies... KBS Tour R, K's Tour 115 in R and S, Tour Lite in R, ATTAS FF 95 hard stepped once I think and Aldila VS Proto 100 in S. Honestly I like Tour 115 the most (both flexes), it's the heaviest shaft that feels ok. DG would be up there but I get some joint pain from it.

 

[cuistot]

I just changed out S200 S in a set of PRGR IDBL 5-PW to NSPRO Zelos 7.  Broke 80 for the first time since last Summer. I play 3-4 times per week. In another set TR500 I have NSP SP Blue R2 which are very noticeably lower launch. My builder swears by Shimada and Oban shafts btw but Im quite impersed by the Zelos. Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i 

[autronicdsm]

22 hours ago, nobmontana said:

Also ... I don't think you are getting enough launch angle with either one of these 4 irons anyway...

Your descent angle of 28 deg is not going to stop your ball...my recommendation would be to ditch the long irons and go with Utes.     

my longest iron is now a 6 iron (30 deg) ...  4i & 5i have been replaced with hybrids so that the ball actually has a chance of stopping when landing on the green.  My descent angle with the hybrids are about 50 deg.    I also use the original Honma TW-U 4 driving iron in another set and that 4 iron goes as high as my hybrid with a Crazy STP 85 shaft in it so it plays more or less like a hybrid.  I love this TW-U/STP combo!!   

The other day I shot a 5 hybrid (Cally Apex Pro) from 161 yards to the pin and the shot landed 4ft from the pin and pretty much stopped there...   then I missed the birdie putt but that's another story 😞     My Apex Pro has an 85g UST LinQ Hybrid shaft which I really like.   

Oh and I am waiting on my next irons and the set is a 7-GW Mizuno Pro 225.   The 7 iron is 30 deg loft ....  which is enough to cover my iron distances.  

I'm really perplexed by my swing speed. Probably a year ago I was swinging my driver ~95mph and irons in high 70s. Then I started hitting into a net in my garage and now in the house and I got very slow. I think I might have picked up some bad habits because I don't feel comfortable going full tilt 🤷‍♂️Nice weather can't come soon enough...

Edited April 8, 2022 by autronicdsm

[Hutch]

2 hours ago, autronicdsm said:

I'm really perplexed by my swing speed. Probably a year ago I was swinging my driver ~95mph and irons in high 70s. Then I started hitting into a net in my garage and now in the house and I got very slow. I think I might have picked up some bad habits because I don't feel comfortable going full tilt 🤷‍♂️Nice weather can't come soon enough...

There's so much more than just speed as a factor on what you produce overall. Finding the right shaft is a start. But will it be the right fit at the finish once you have ironed out the bad habits. 25 years later and I'm still changing shafts at least twice per year. Experiment with some some sub 100g shafts. You might surprise yourself. 

[bngolfer]

A good friend of mine that I've played with regularly for 30 years (damn I'm old!) has always hit the ball at least a club and a half longer than me. He has a really smooth tempo but a big turn. Plays at a +3.7 hcp and shot - 60 - last summer. When I picked up his clubs that day he had just received a new set from Ping. The irons had XP 95 in stiff. To me they felt way too light, but for him they are spot on. I would estimate his driver speed to 110-115 but it all looks so slow and smooth. Distans says something different. Telling this as I would have put him in Modus 130x, not XP95s. 

[Hutch]

32 minutes ago, bngolfer said:

A good friend of mine that I've played with regularly for 30 years (damn I'm old!) has always hit the ball at least a club and a half longer than me. He has a really smooth tempo but a big turn. Plays at a +3.7 hcp and shot - 60 - last summer. When I picked up his clubs that day he had just received a new set from Ping. The irons had XP 95 in stiff. To me they felt way too light, but for him they are spot on. I would estimate his driver speed to 110-115 but it all looks so slow and smooth. Distans says something different. Telling this as I would have put him in Modus 130x, not XP95s. 

Yes. Exactly…Timing Tempo Rhythm. Bobby Jones. Freddy Couples. Adam Scott. Not exactly explosive but classed as pretty long in there day. Long and Lazy. Stress free. 

 

[autronicdsm]

I think I'm just going to wait and see how I swing on the course. Since I can't buy Shimada anyways, might as well try not to go down another rabbit hole.