Aerotech SteelFiber FC Shafts

Does anybody have any experience with the new Aerotech SteelFiber FC (flight control) shafts? If so have/do/did you play the older i series and if so how do the FC's compare to the i series?

I'm looking for facts...as in how much more launch, spin, gain or loss in distance, etc. I don't want the vague marketing description. I've searched all over and just can't find anybody who has said anything about these newer version shafts and how they directly compare to the i series.

I currently play the i95's and am trying to decide if I'm going to get them again in another set of irons next Spring or if I'll move to the FC's. As a note, I struggle with hooks so I'm wondering if the more active tip section in the FC's would worsen that evil ball flight.

Any input is welcome. Thanks!

I know you are looking for facts, but from what I understand they are put together with the same method as the flighted rifles. I would imagine softer in the long irons and tighter in the short irons.

I’m currently gaming the FC90s and I’m pretty happy with the feel and performance. The tip section is MUCH more lively in the FC compared to i95. Night and day difference. Where the i95 might feel a little dead and boardy, the FC is a dream for my smooth transition. My gut says that if you have a quick transition these could get hooky, however.

As for how flight control-y the shafts really are... to my eye I hit every club about the same height and the flight control is really working to successfully raise the flight of the long irons, as opposed to lowering the flight of the shorter irons. Yes, you can flight these lower, but these launch high. I was hoping for a lower natural flight in the scoring clubs, but these go really, really high for me. I suspect you’d have to be playing something blade like to see a naturally lower flight, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Just got fitted and these were the ones. i90fc. Main reason was I needed higher launch in my long irons. Haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Will wait until spring

I’m currently gaming the FC90s and I’m pretty happy with the feel and performance. The tip section is MUCH more lively in the FC compared to i95. Night and day difference. Where the i95 might feel a little dead and boardy, the FC is a dream for my smooth transition. My gut says that if you have a quick transition these could get hooky, however.

 

As for how flight control-y the shafts really are... to my eye I hit every club about the same height and the flight control is really working to successfully raise the flight of the long irons, as opposed to lowering the flight of the shorter irons. Yes, you can flight these lower, but these launch high. I was hoping for a lower natural flight in the scoring clubs, but these go really, really high for me. I suspect you’d have to be playing something blade like to see a naturally lower flight, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Don't mind me asking what your is handicap?

I am debating throwing the flighted i90 into my IE1 irons but am also thinking of just getting a game improvement set. I am currently 8.1 with no golf for a while being in the north.

Does anybody have any experience with the new Aerotech SteelFiber FC (flight control) shafts? If so have/do/did you play the older i series and if so how do the FC's compare to the i series?

 

I'm looking for facts...as in how much more launch, spin, gain or loss in distance, etc. I don't want the vague marketing description. I've searched all over and just can't find anybody who has said anything about these newer version shafts and how they directly compare to the i series.

 

I currently play the i95's and am trying to decide if I'm going to get them again in another set of irons next Spring or if I'll move to the FC's. As a note, I struggle with hooks so I'm wondering if the more active tip section in the FC's would worsen that evil ball flight.

 

Any input is welcome. Thanks!

Thanks for starting this thread. I have actually been looking for something like this.

"I Series"? I assume you are speaking about Ping irons?

I currently play the IE1 irons and was fitted for the I95 Steelfibers but never pulled the trigger. I heard about what you are bringing up the flight control i90 that was released this summer and was debating in putting those in my irons from 4-9.

Or If I should I just buy a new set of game improvement irons instead.

Does anybody have any experience with the new Aerotech SteelFiber FC (flight control) shafts? If so have/do/did you play the older i series and if so how do the FC's compare to the i series?

Yes and yes.

I'm looking for facts...as in how much more launch, spin, gain or loss in distance, etc. I don't want the vague marketing description. I've searched all over and just can't find anybody who has said anything about these newer version shafts and how they directly compare to the i series.

First of all, the fact is that how much launch/spin/distance might change is very dependent on the person swinging the club. What type of swing you have and how you personally might respond to a different feel from the different stiffness profile. So no one here will be able to give you that specific information. Sorry but demoing the shaft or experience with testing shafts of various weights and stiffness profiles is the ONLY way to find that out for you and your swing.

What I can tell you is that the fc-series steelfibers are noticeably softer than the i-series steelfibers - even before you consider that they are flighted. So there is a potential for a bit more launch and spin if the one has a late enough release. As a reference, I might play the i95's stiff's soft stepped x1 or even x2. I might even consider playing the reg flex but haven't had a chance to demo one to verify that yet. For the FC series, I'm playing the fc90 stiff's hard stepped x1 and they are still have a bit more loading to them than the soft stepped i95's. To me they are even softer than the UST Recoil 95 F4's and Aldila VS-proto 100's or older Rip Tours reg flex. FWIW, to me it's softer but still not enough to get overly loose. Still feels like I have all the control I need. Obviously, when it comes to judgements about feel, YRMV.

Best advice is that if you like the feel if the i95's, or prefer stiffer tipped shafts in general, you're probably better off staying with the i-series. If you're the type that find the i95's a bit harsh or stout, then the fc's certainly might be worth a try.

As for the flighting of the shafts, I'd say it's noticeable but very subtle. Not really that big a difference in feel between the short and long irons. Never played any other flighted shafts so can't give you any kind of comparison there.

 

Thanks for starting this thread. I have actually been looking for something like this.

 

"I Series"? I assume you are speaking about Ping irons?

 

No, by i series I mean the i95 or i110 SteelFibers. I currently play the i95's in Regular flex.

Does anybody have any experience with the new Aerotech SteelFiber FC (flight control) shafts? If so have/do/did you play the older i series and if so how do the FC's compare to the i series?

 

Yes and yes.

 

 

I'm looking for facts...as in how much more launch, spin, gain or loss in distance, etc. I don't want the vague marketing description. I've searched all over and just can't find anybody who has said anything about these newer version shafts and how they directly compare to the i series.

 

First of all, the fact is that how much launch/spin/distance might change is very dependent on the person swinging the club. What type of swing you have and how you personally might respond to a different feel from the different stiffness profile. So no one here will be able to give you that specific information. Sorry but demoing the shaft or experience with testing shafts of various weights and stiffness profiles is the ONLY way to find that out for you and your swing.

 

What I can tell you is that the fc-series steelfibers are noticeably softer than the i-series steelfibers - even before you consider that they are flighted. So there is a potential for a bit more launch and spin if the one has a late enough release. As a reference, I might play the i95's stiff's soft stepped x1 or even x2. I might even consider playing the reg flex but haven't had a chance to demo one to verify that yet. For the FC series, I'm playing the fc90 stiff's hard stepped x1 and they are still have a bit more loading to them than the soft stepped i95's. To me they are even softer than the UST Recoil 95 F4's and Aldila VS-proto 100's or older Rip Tours reg flex. FWIW, to me it's softer but still not enough to get overly loose. Still feels like I have all the control I need. Obviously, when it comes to judgements about feel, YRMV.

 

Best advice is that if you like the feel if the i95's, or prefer stiffer tipped shafts in general, you're probably better off staying with the i-series. If you're the type that find the i95's a bit harsh or stout, then the fc's certainly might be worth a try.

 

As for the flighting of the shafts, I'd say it's noticeable but very subtle. Not really that big a difference in feel between the short and long irons. Never played any other flighted shafts so can't give you any kind of comparison there.

Thank you very much for this response, it's excellent. I do currently play the i95's in Regular flex. I don't find them harsh or stout but in all honesty I don't have a ton of experience with a lot of other shafts so my frame of reference is limited. Before I decided on the i95's I had a pair of single irons with the i95 and a Recoil 95. I did find the i95 to feel a little stiffer if that's the right word but the main difference I saw was the Recoil seemed to launch higher and spin more and therefore I lost a little bit of distance so I decided to go with the i95's instead. If the new FC's would be comparable to the Recoil 95's then I'm sure I'd be better served sticking with the i95's but since the SteelFibers felt different than the Recoils I figured they might still act like the i95's.

I know trying to demo them would be ideal but I don't really have that luxury. I've been trying to find a cheap single iron somewhere with a FC90 in it but haven't ran across anything yet.

Again, appreciate the response. At this point I suppose I'm leaning towards sticking to the i95's but was just thinking it might be nice to get a little more height on the 4 and 5 irons.

If anybody else has any more input on the new FC shafts please contribute.

If the new FC's would be comparable to the Recoil 95's then I'm sure I'd be better served sticking with the i95's but since the SteelFibers felt different than the Recoils I figured they might still act like the i95's.

I'd say chances are they might be a touch higher/spinnier than the Recoils for the same flex. Hard to say what might happen if you went to the fc90's in stiff.

I know trying to demo them would be ideal but I don't really have that luxury. I've been trying to find a cheap single iron somewhere with a FC90 in it but haven't ran across anything yet.

I understand. I think I have about 5-6 single irons (7i or 6i) hanging around from when I just bought a single shaft to test combined with whatever component head golfworks.com happened to have on sale at the time.

At this point I suppose I'm leaning towards sticking to the i95's but was just thinking it might be nice to get a little more height on the 4 and 5 irons.

If it's just those two irons you want to tweak, you're better off just tweaking the lofts a little higher. The result are the same regardless of whether the extra dynamic loft comes from the shaft or from the head. And changing the lofts on the head is a LOT more predictable and dependable way to tweak your ball flight.

At this point I suppose I'm leaning towards sticking to the i95's but was just thinking it might be nice to get a little more height on the 4 and 5 irons.

 

If it's just those two irons you want to tweak, you're better off just tweaking the lofts a little higher. The result are the same regardless of whether the extra dynamic loft comes from the shaft or from the head. And changing the lofts on the head is a LOT more predictable and dependable way to tweak your ball flight.

That's a solid answer/thought. I do have a Mitchell L/L machine so I could always just bend those lofts a little. I actually have all my irons (4-PW) bent -2 strong. I could bump those 2 irons back a degree or two and that would probably do what I need and my distances would still be where I need them for those clubs.

Thanks for that nugget!

Any time :-)

I’m currently gaming the FC90s and I’m pretty happy with the feel and performance. The tip section is MUCH more lively in the FC compared to i95. Night and day difference. Where the i95 might feel a little dead and boardy, the FC is a dream for my smooth transition. My gut says that if you have a quick transition these could get hooky, however.

 

As for how flight control-y the shafts really are... to my eye I hit every club about the same height and the flight control is really working to successfully raise the flight of the long irons, as opposed to lowering the flight of the shorter irons. Yes, you can flight these lower, but these launch high. I was hoping for a lower natural flight in the scoring clubs, but these go really, really high for me. I suspect you’d have to be playing something blade like to see a naturally lower flight, if that’s what you’re looking for.

 

Don't mind me asking what your is handicap?

 

I am debating throwing the flighted i90 into my IE1 irons but am also thinking of just getting a game improvement set. I am currently 8.1 with no golf for a while being in the north.

Handicap currently is a 14, but usually get it to between 10-12 during the meat of the season.

I’m currently gaming the FC90s and I’m pretty happy with the feel and performance. The tip section is MUCH more lively in the FC compared to i95. Night and day difference. Where the i95 might feel a little dead and boardy, the FC is a dream for my smooth transition. My gut says that if you have a quick transition these could get hooky, however.

 

As for how flight control-y the shafts really are... to my eye I hit every club about the same height and the flight control is really working to successfully raise the flight of the long irons, as opposed to lowering the flight of the shorter irons. Yes, you can flight these lower, but these launch high. I was hoping for a lower natural flight in the scoring clubs, but these go really, really high for me. I suspect you’d have to be playing something blade like to see a naturally lower flight, if that’s what you’re looking for.

 

Don't mind me asking what your is handicap?

 

I am debating throwing the flighted i90 into my IE1 irons but am also thinking of just getting a game improvement set. I am currently 8.1 with no golf for a while being in the north.

 

Handicap currently is a 14, but usually get it to between 10-12 during the meat of the season.

How do you like Z585 irons?

Lots of great information here. I will share my experiences.....

I have installed both Steelfiber i95s and fc90s, most recently in my i500 4 iron.

-- i95 Stiff soft-stepped x 1 = 304 cpms using 5" clamp

-- fc90 Stiff straight in = 302 cpms using 5" clamp

These cpms indicate that the fc90 stiff (butt flex) plays between an R and S flex, while the i95 stiff plays to a true stiff or even slightly stronger.

As other have indicated, the tip stiffness is different also. The fc90 tip is much less stiff than the i95, and more lively.

Fairways and Greens

LB

Lots of great information here. I will share my experiences.....

 

I have installed both Steelfiber i95s and fc90s, most recently in my i500 4 iron.

-- i95 Stiff soft-stepped x 1 = 304 cpms using 5" clamp

-- fc90 Stiff straight in = 302 cpms using 5" clamp

These cpms indicate that the fc90 stiff (butt flex) plays between an R and S flex, while the i95 stiff plays to a true stiff or even slightly stronger.

 

As other have indicated, the tip stiffness is different also. The fc90 tip is much less stiff than the i95, and more lively.

 

Fairways and Greens

LB

Excellent info LB.

Thought I was surely going back to i95's but now I think I'm leaning towards the fc90's. Worst case they don't work out and I can just get my i95's swapped into the new clubs instead.

Just wanted to add my $.02... to give a little background...played professionally, worked in R&D/Tour for a major OEM...been taking apart, building, testing everything under the sun my entire life...have played AMT X100 since they first came out on tour maybe 5 years ago...driver swing speed is 120...quick tempo ...do not hit a high ball (not low) but feel that my long iron carry distances have always been shorter than what they should be for my clubhead speed...I carry a 7i 185-187 and then my 4i carries 219ish...i have tried other flighted shafts, tried modus 130...the soft tip sections never hold up for me and causes crazy dispersion...having communicated and worked with Chris Hilleary and Chris Jorgensen of Aerotechduring my R&D days, decided to reach out and see about getting a set...First off, awesome dudes...truly good people and it reflects in the way they run their business...quality product....they don't cut corners and truly want to produce damn good stuff...i built up the 9, 7, and 4 today with the FC115X...i was honestly hesitant about the lighter weight and reading that these play softer...i love a smoother feeling shaft but also need it to hold up to my clubhead speed and tempo...these things feel incredible but I could not get over just how tight the dispersion was. The 4 effortlessly loading...launching but on a flat penetrating trajectory...was landing the 4i around a target that looked further than normal on my regular range...no wind helping or hurting...lasered it at 237 and hit it on the fly once. Texted my buddy who is a scratch golfer and works in R&D/Tour at a major OEM, knowing he built up a set of these just last week, he said he played over the weekend and could not get over how tight the dispersion was as well. He said he is now going to go build up the Ti-Fiber Tour driver shaft and try that. Playing Olympic Club Wednesday and will be interested to see how these are out on the course when it is time to judge distance control, shape shots, flight trajectory...Also was sent the ti-fiber tour 70 and some i125 for the wedges...going to build these up tomorrow and take them all out Wednesday and will report back.

Veeb, So how did the road test go for the new shafts. Oops, sorry, I didn't notice you just posted your comment, so I'll wait for your update.

Had a Club Champion fitting yesterday and everything you mentioned is exactly what i saw yesterday. the dispersion is honestly mind blowing..... The C Taper Lite was awesome as well, but the 115fc results speak for themselves!

The royal blue, orange, and red are from the 115fc. The light blue is my current gamer (PX 6.5). I always felt like I had more distance to gain as well based on my swing speed. not only has the dispersion greatly improved, but my ball speed went up 6mph on average.

Sub 70 w/ PX 6.5 (gamer) ball speed 124.0, carry 184.4, spin 4436

z785 w/ 115fc ball speed 127.4, carry 189.1, spin 4502

New Level 623 w/ 115fc ball speed 131.2, carry 189.2, spin 5183

Mizuno mp 20 MMC 2/ 115fc ball speed 130.7, carry 194, spin 4681

Anyone have any thoughts on putting Steelfiber FC90 into a set of Titleist T300s, particularly in being too high?

The T300s I have, was fitted with the 55 Tensei CK shafts that are way too light for me.

I previously had Kuro Kage 85 that I loved in the 718 AP1s

I play to about an 8 index and have a driver SS 94- 97, relatively smooth transition, 7 iron a 150 carry.

The main thing that will determine if they are too high or not is how well the shaft feel (weight and stiffness) go with your particular swing and sensitivities. The particular heads play a very minor role at best in the shaft selection and fitting.

did you find any results with the FC115x??? Club Champion fit me in these about a month ago and tbh I kind of hate them.

I'll never dispute or argue with a fitter bc they are 10x more knowledgable than me. But like most mentioned in this thread the FC is definitely a softer shaft. Ive played PX 6.5 for years and loved the dispersion and feel, the FC in the fitting gave me 10 yards more carry and increased ball speed. hitting off mats outside in Chicago I know isn't the best way to judge but im hitting these shafts all over the place

I dont know if its the lighter weight or the more active tip, but im consistently hitting the ball thin. The good strikes I have are either pulled right away or huge 20 yard draws. I have a quick transition and aggressive tempo so form the beginning ive been shocked he fit me to these but I could not argue with the numbers initially. This weekend ill get my first actual course action at Torrey Pines so ill see how they work on grass. I used to think irons were my strongest/most reliable part of my game but right now im awful

There's a NEWER AeroTech than the i95? I only recently got the latter. They don't seem to play a lot differently than the Aldila NV Pro 105s that I had in my DCI 962s.

I'm perfectly happy with them.

Joe-I, too, swing very quick and aggressively and found my dispersion to struggle on the course. Feel and trajectory and distance were awesome, but I do think this shaft plays soft to flex and will work better for somebody with smoother tempo/transition. I still think it can work for fast clubhead speed, but may not be the best for quick tempos. Incredibly penetrating trajectory and consistent distance control, but just not as tight of a dispersion pattern as I need. Hitting thin does make sense as a softer shaft will droop more throughout the swing, shortening the effective shaft length once you get back to impact. Before completely giving up on them, try them for a few more rounds....maybe have them pulled and tipped slightly, and then extended. I am curious, what were you looking for in results in a new shaft from your previous PX 6.5?

I felt I had room for more distance and to optimize spin. I tend to launch higher with a higher peak height but slightly lower spin. Holding greens isn't a problem for me due to the height of my shots, but I know I should be spinning the ball more than I do at my speed. Ive never done a custom fit with irons before so I was mainly curious if im lacking behind in anything

These were my results after the fitting so I could not argue with them. The light blue were my gamer with PX 6.5. He left that bad miss to the right in. My miss is typically left. The other 3 colors were with the FC115x. On average I picked up 6mph ball speed, raised spin by 600rpms, and carry distance by 11 yards. Launch angle stayed the same but peak height went up by 20 feet

what ive seen so far from range time outside is not even close to my fitting day

Mentally I think im thrown off too with these. The setup feels nothing like the day of the fitting. For whatever reason they built the irons to D6 and they felt like Ctaper 130x hard stepped. My SS was down 3mph. I hit the build in front of the fitter (Club Champion) and he agreed they're too heavy. CC took them back and rebuilt them to D1. I feel they're too light and have added 3 strips of lead tape to the head. With the heavy D6 setup I was chunking and hitting everything fat. With the lighter setup ive been very thin and striking it low on the face. I'm assuming D3 is the sweet spot

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think your concept of what the ideal spin should be with your irons is a bit misguided. For irons spin is ALL about distance control and managing the roll out on the greens. If you really don't have any problems with roll out on the greens or holding them, then you really don't need any more spin. There is no one single optimal amount of spin, it will always depend on other aspects of your swing and results, such as your particular trajectory and ball speed.

However, as it relates to the topic at hand (shaft selection), even if you did have any issues with spin, it's much more effective to tweak the spin with loft changes than it is with shaft changes. It will always be best to first and foremost pick the shaft based on feel (weight and stiffness) and the consistency of the results (accuracy and dispersion), not to tweak the launch numbers.

no offense taken at all.. youre point is very spot on. Ive gotten numbers more in to my head the last few years with the accessibility of launch monitors. Ive always been a high ball hitter. On approaches with 5iron - 9iron my ball mark is usually 1-2 inches in front of the ball. PW and wedges spin back more but im definitely not spinning it 20 feet

90% of my rounds in Chicago I tee off before 6:30 am so I usually play on softer greens. I guesss what my philosophy was if I ever play somewhere with firmer/dryer greens I wouldn't be able to hold the greens as well

The feel of the shaft really hits home now! With the FC shafts I notice the softer tip on my takeaway. Tempo is something I want to work on this offseason, but when I takeaway the club I visually see the shaft bend slightly and in my head I already think the shaft is loose for my liking. C taper lite X was the other option and I think those felt better. Results were better than my PX shafts, but not as good as the FC. After this experience I very much agree "feel" is the most important. I got too wrapped up in numbers vs feel

Is there anything more to the FC (flight control) than the 5/8th tipping which would make each club progressively stiffer than the normal 1/2?

FC is a different profile (less soft mid ultra strong tip, more linear with a softer tip) than standard Steelfiber throughout the set, so along with the additional flighting, there is a much smoother / softer feel.

I accidentally ordered a set of I80 CW shafts instead of the I90 FC. Are the I80 CWs closer in feel to the 90 FC's? I can't return so I am hoping since it is a lighter shaft it may play softer thus comparable to the 90 FC.