Guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Was supposed to play today but the round got cancelled :mad: Having been keen to try the irons out, I went to the range even though I hate mats. First impressions - these blades are as good as any out there. They felt comfortable from the get go. Being quite similar in shape to my current X-Blades, there was no visual adjustment. Brought along the 3, 6, and PW from my X-Blades for comparison. Feel - definitely close to a Mizuno feel rather than Tourstage. Pity I don't have any Mizunos left lying around but I'm sure they feel very similar. The X-Blades are not as soft so the GFs were already putting a nail in the TS coffin. Distance - the GFs are shafted with NS Pro 1050 stiffs and the X-Blades have *gasp* UST Rv2 115 stiffs. Make no mistake, the USTs flex out stiffer than the NS Pro 950 WF stiffs which came with the X-Blades originally. I actually do love those UST shafts. Anyhow, the GFs were certainly a little longer than the X-Blades. It's always hard to be accurate about distances on the range - off mats, and with range balls. This range is also well exposed with usually swirling winds. Nonetheless, there's a 165 yard green that I aim for with my usual 6 iron. The X-Blades were going 160-165 but the GFs were going 165-170. On the course my X-Blade 6 iron carries 170 on average so I will have to deduce that the GF 6 iron should give me an average of 175. We shall see when I actually get to play on course. So far, 2 nails in the TS coffin... Forgiveness - all high end blades these days are very forgiving. To test for forgiveness, I start rifling balls where I'm sure to put a few bad swings together. My usual mis**ts are towards the toe and/or thin. In this category, there was a net advantage to the GFs. There was little to tell on thinned shots but on the toe shots, the GFs still took off at a decent angle with good enough carry and didn't veer too far offline. The toe shots on the X-Blades went lower and shorter, also not too far offline. At this point, the X-Blades were gasping for air as the 3rd nail was hammered in! Trajectory - NS Pros are known to hit the ball higher than DGs and the 1050s held true to form. The ball takes off on a high angle but with a nice penetrating result. No discernable tendency to balloon at this point. In comparison, the UST Rv2s had a slightly lower launch angle with a similar ball flight. Perhaps this could account for the slight additional yardage I was getting for the GFs. Workability - I won't delve into this too much since I like hitting a straight ball and am only decent at hitting fades. I have always had problems hitting a consitent draw and I will only try when absolutely necessary. I did go for a few of each with both clubs and one didn't seem superior to the other. I hit good fades with both and the occasional good draw but both seemed similar. Wedges - didn't take anything for comparison. The GFs are rounded (my preference) and set-up nicely. The finish is very, very nice. You can almost imagine Sasaya sitting there finishing these by hand as they truly have a superb finish to them. It's a darkish, greyish matte finish but polished to such a degree that they do display reflective characteristics. Anyhow, the feel is sweetness. Again it's hard to gauge much from range balls with the wedges but they were extremely consistent. The gap 52* carried about 100 yds and the lob 58* carried about 80 yds. Nice trajectory, beautiful feel and feedback. They will definitely displace my RACs next time out (although it's always a risk to hit new wedges the first time you play with them - have to dial in the yardages and short pitches are all about feel). One thing I can state is that these wedges managed to tear some cover off the range balls! Not sure if I'll be happy with that since I already spin the ball quite a bit. Will just have to see on the course. I would have liked to provide more accurate information about spin but this is a city range with tons of balls on the ground so to tell how much they would have spun back is impossible. All in all, a decent day at the range. I'm very happy with the new irons and wedges. You can recognize the quality in Sasaya's workmanship and I have no doubt that the entire set will be true to ordered specs once I have them checked. This guy is a real clubmaker judging by the actual clubs and his reputation. At this point I can't say that they're superior to any club I've ever hit but I can certainly say they're as good as anything I've ever hit. X-Blades will have to go now...but not until I have a day on the course with the GFs. Btw, I got to test out my Fourteen JC371 a bit more as well (have only played it twice so far). All I can say is that I'm liking the driver more and more. If you have any question about it, shoot me an email. This is as much as I can give you from a range session. Anyone looking at ordering a set cannot be disappointed with them. Hold out for an on-course review if you're still unsure. They're also priced reasonably for such a limited production / high quality set of blades. Any questions, just shoot me an email (not a PM). Didier :love: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornyjuan Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 The JC now this...great reviews. I envy your equipment :sad: I was interested in the NS Pro 1050 shafts, how do they play in comparison to DG, PX Rifle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 The JC now this...great reviews. I envy your equipment :sad: I was interested in the NS Pro 1050 shafts, how do they play in comparison to DG, PX Rifle? Now I'm still looking for a 3 wood... The 1050s have a much nicer feel than DGs or Rifles to me. Launch higher than DGs but ball flight is better. Trajectory more attune to TFRs but with no ballooning effect which sometimes occurs with the TFRs that I've played in the past. Have yet to hit the PXs but Chris states that the ball flights are identical between the 1050s and the PXs. He plays the 1050s in X - I have them in S. He has told me that the Xs feel and play like 6.0 PXs and the Ss feel and play like 5.5 PXs. I have a smooth tempo so I'd rather go for the slightly softer feel and the yard or so more out of the Ss over the Xs. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfdr Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Great review - how did you like the long irons ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Great review - how did you like the long irons ? Didn't hit too many balls with them but so far so good. The last green on the range is 165 away and the back net is probably 180. Can only get a gauge on trajectory and ball flight. The 3 iron was carrying nicely with plenty enough height. More forgiving than the X-Blade I think. Will let you know more once I play with them or get to a bigger range (there aren't any bigger ones except for 2 of the courses which I would only go to if I were playing there!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shabuwu801 Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Great review... I am trying to figure out whether to go for the Fourteen proto blades. I think its called the TB-001!??? :o But it sure is nice to see the pics of your new toy!!!! :love: :love: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Great review...I am trying to figure out whether to go for the Fourteen proto blades. I think its called the TB-001!??? :o But it sure is nice to see the pics of your new toy!!!! :love: :love: I've seen the Fourteens in a store here and they're nice. Very different to the GFs in appearance - satin finish and a thinner profile. Definitely a nice blade - ask Chris for his impressions since he's hit them before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 The Fourteens are very forgiving, even more than the MP33s. They have a great feel to them but are not forged, instead they are some fancy cast style that they selected over forged steel. If you like blades I suggest the Srixon Pro 100's and the Fourteen TB1000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shabuwu801 Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 The Fourteens are very forgiving, even more than the MP33s. They have a great feel to them but are not forged, instead they are some fancy cast style that they selected over forged steel. If you like blades I suggest the Srixon Pro 100's and the Fourteen TB1000. Chris, The fourteen blades are not forged? What type of fancy cast style is it? Even softer than forging steel?? :o The fourteen's appearance does look very VERY nice!! I am definitely thinking to get them once I settle down since I'm in the process of moving. :money: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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