Tensei shafts M3 stock option made for?

Hi,

Last season I ordered a Titleist 917D2 driver with a Tensei Blue 60X shaft NON Pro, and it was all black with just a blue band around the shaft. But the Tensei shafts (Blue and White) as TaylorMade is offering in their M3/M4 Woods are another color https://www.taylorma...rivers#start=1 they are black and gray, so they match the gray color at the club head. Are they "made for" shaft or still the real deal?

But does that mean. They are offering Tensei White as stock no upcharge, but if I want the all black shaft just with a white band around, my only option now, is to order the Pro version which is $200 in upcharge, since the NON Pro version now is black and gray?

Anyone who knows this?

From my understanding, it's the real deal non pro model in different paint scheme.

I opened this thread the other day...some good info!

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1623158-are-the-mitsubishi-chemical-tensei-in-the-m3-real/page__pid__17206402#entry17206402

So that link is no longer working. So are the Silver Tensei shafts “made for” or just the non pro version?

Honestly many people would argue that the non pro versions ARE essentially made for. They are are made in china with cheaper materials. Just a way around the negative “made for” stigma. I still think they are good shafts, but they are definitely inferior to pro versions

I switched from the stock Blue to a Pro Orange in my M3 about a month ago and it's an upgrade. Let me tell you, haha!

From what I understand the White and Orange are both low-spin with the Orange being counter-weighted to some degree.

Well, the Pro Orange is definitely a more robust shaft than what I had. It knocks the spin down a bit. I was hitting the Blue pretty high and was curious if that was excess spin or just the driver head itself. I bought the Pro Orange and found I was still able to launch it high but could achieve a flatter ball-flight that carried further.

I've certainly picked up some distance. I noticed it immediately and can definitely poke it an extra 10-15 yards when I catch it just right on a flat(ish) fairway.

It actually made the difference in me being able to reach one of my longer Par-5's which is awesome for me. I am now in range for a fairway or hybrid whereas before I was always on the edge and needed a perfect lie and a perfect swing with my fairway.

I think the stock options are certainly a decent shaft but they are undoubtedly a generic offering akin to most "made for" shafts. So it's the same question as it's always been. Is it worth $300+ to gain a few yards? That is totally up to the individual.

Just keep in mind that if you buy a high-end shaft you can always keep it for yourself as you upgrade heads. So if you buy what works for you it may potentially be a one-time expense! That's how I view it.

And given that low-spin shaft tech seems more binary (you either have it or you don't) it's not like you're going to lose anything having an out-of-date shaft. There are loads of people here with 10-year old Whiteboards and Blueboards who are still bombing those because they're awesome shafts. So if you spend $300 on some cool CK Pro White/Orange Tensei and it works out for you, it may still be in your bag a decade from now. It'll probably do just about as good a job as anything on the market at that point.

But it's for certain that some day you WILL want to swap out that M3 for an M5 or an M7 or an M19 or the latest and greatest Aero-Rocket-Jet or whatever.

The same all blue non pro shaft that you had in the 917 is the same as the stock offerings in the M3/4 lines. MCA makes two “Blue” profile shafts. One is non pro and one is pro, differentiate the two by seeing “boron tip” on the pro model.

> @Pitchswag said:

> But the Tensei shafts (Blue and White) as TaylorMade is offering in their M3/M4 Woods are another color https://www.taylorma...rivers#start=1 they are black and gray, so they match the gray color at the club head. Are they "made for" shaft or still the real deal? ...

> But does that mean. They are offering Tensei White as stock no upcharge, but if I want the all black shaft just with a white band around, my only option now, is to order the Pro version which is $200 in upcharge, since the NON Pro version now is black and gray?

In golfdom, what is a custom shaft in Year 1 is often repurposed as a stock model shaft in Year 2. The repurposing often comes with minor tweaks or color changes. If the shaft maker sells 10,000 of shaft X in Year 1 but 300,000 in Year 2, the shaft X unit costs in Year 2 will be lower due to economies of scale.

So, the **real deal** concern is a false worry, unless the Year 1 model has a slightly stiffer tip or something else the golfer wants - such as color match in long club shafts.

> @AG12 said:

> The same all blue non pro shaft that you had in the 917 is the same as the stock offerings in the M3/4 lines. MCA makes two “Blue” profile shafts. One is non pro and one is pro, differentiate the two by seeing “boron tip” on the pro model.

All the Tensei shafts say "CK" on the side. All models feature a silver "C," but the Pro models have the "K" written in the color of the shaft: orange, white, etc.

While there are other slight differences which include some text on the tip and butt sections, I think that might have changed with the different iterations of the various shafts.

I could be wrong but I think the colored "K" is the easiest way to spot a Pro?

I could be over-complicating it.

> @MelloYello said:

> > @AG12 said:

> > The same all blue non pro shaft that you had in the 917 is the same as the stock offerings in the M3/4 lines. MCA makes two “Blue” profile shafts. One is non pro and one is pro, differentiate the two by seeing “boron tip” on the pro model.

>

> All the Tensei shafts say "CK" on the side. All models feature a silver "C," but the Pro models have the "K" written in the color of the shaft: orange, white, etc.

>

> While there are other slight differences which include some text on the tip and butt sections, I think that might have changed with the different iterations of the various shafts.

>

> Is that not correct?

As for the lettering I guess I really never payed attention to that but it makes sense now that I think about it.

> @AG12 said:

> > @MelloYello said:

> > > @AG12 said:

> > > The same all blue non pro shaft that you had in the 917 is the same as the stock offerings in the M3/4 lines. MCA makes two “Blue” profile shafts. One is non pro and one is pro, differentiate the two by seeing “boron tip” on the pro model.

> >

> > All the Tensei shafts say "CK" on the side. All models feature a silver "C," but the Pro models have the "K" written in the color of the shaft: orange, white, etc.

> >

> > While there are other slight differences which include some text on the tip and butt sections, I think that might have changed with the different iterations of the various shafts.

> >

> > Is that not correct?

>

> As for the lettering I guess I really never payed attention to that but it makes sense now that I think about it.

Yeah, I could be wrong but I recall reading that there is some inconsistency in the other graphics you're talking about which have to do with whether it's one of the earlier models or not. I think there have been a few different iterations of each color.

> @MelloYello said:

> > @AG12 said:

> > > @MelloYello said:

> > > > @AG12 said:

> > > > The same all blue non pro shaft that you had in the 917 is the same as the stock offerings in the M3/4 lines. MCA makes two “Blue” profile shafts. One is non pro and one is pro, differentiate the two by seeing “boron tip” on the pro model.

> > >

> > > All the Tensei shafts say "CK" on the side. All models feature a silver "C," but the Pro models have the "K" written in the color of the shaft: orange, white, etc.

> > >

> > > While there are other slight differences which include some text on the tip and butt sections, I think that might have changed with the different iterations of the various shafts.

> > >

> > > Is that not correct?

> >

> > As for the lettering I guess I really never payed attention to that but it makes sense now that I think about it.

>

> Yeah, I could be wrong but I recall reading that there is some inconsistency in the other graphics you're talking about which have to do with whether it's one of the earlier models or not. I think there have been a few different iterations of each color.

Gotcha, I remember for a while the MCA website under CK Blue had both the Silver/Black color scheme and the all black color scheme as a photo example of the shaft. It appears they now just show the Silver/Black color combo for CK Blue

Why are you even "bumping" this old post? So weird. But let me tell you. If I had spent several hundred dollars on a "made for" pro version of a shaft, I would also argue hardly that it had improved my game, even though I know deep inside that it doesn't mean a damn thing for me. Maybe you gain some extra yards, but that's not the shaft, it's you having more focus to hit the ball correct since now you have to with your 300 dollar shafts since otherwise you will look like a fool.

But let's close this old post again, thanks.