Raw Wedge Question

I'm looking at getting my first raw wedge, usually go chrome but looking to change it up to something different and I love the looks/ other benefits. It'll be fairly expensive so it's something I really don't want to have to replace for a while. I don't play a ton, maybe a dozen times a season. Do raw wedges last a lot less time than finished? Is there a point where they can rust past being usable?

No and no. They're great. Don't stress.

... I have my Vokey SM8 Jet Black 58.8*sitting in white vinegar at this moment. One night and a steel wool scrub, then a 2nd night with another steel wool scrub and I have a raw wedge.

Just make sure you clean them post round to reduce the chances of oxidation.

Depends on the climate where you live. Somewhere dry will have less of an impact, while a moister or marine environment will accelerate the effect. I have 2 raw wedges, one is a decade plus old, I wipe it down after every shot, it gets kept in a dry environment and the club is still plenty usable. If you leave it for years in a moist environment, yes it will rust, but it would be years of total neglect before it becomes unplayable or un-salvageable.

Raw steel is softer than chrome plating, so raw wedges will scratch and scuff more than chrome, and potentially wear faster. But if you keep them clean, you should easily get 10 years or more out of them at 12 rounds/year.

If you don't want them to rust, clean and oil them after each round.

They actually last much longer. Most people change when chrome face wears off. Grooves are usually good well past that. So raw you can keep going without the appearance of “ worn out “. CLR or white vinegar will also make raw look new again in a short time.

Thanks for the replies, good advice!

to me Raw wedges seem to come with so many theories and to me I have no idea what is the truth.

Some folk intentionally rust their wedges; other say that harms them.

Some folk say you get more spin; others say don't be stupid.

Artisan are verdant slating on three wedges, think they have only done one set and that was as a favour.

My last two sets have been raw! and it think most wedges I have bought myself have been Raw over the years.

I bought the 1st one raw unintentionally, the 2nd one was to match the 1st one. I suspect zero measurable performance difference, but i like the way they look. Plus, with the raw 50*, satin 56*, and raw 60* visual variances, I am less likely to grab the wrong club in a moment of mental napping. ;)

So true. So much folk lore around raw wedges. More than anything else it is a look people are after. Initially you get tight edge tolerances as all manufacturers cut the grooves before any plating. They will wear a touch faster due to not having a plating. They will wear even faster if you intentionally patina your wedge. Rusty grooves 100% spin less. It is basically the same as having sand on the face. New clean grooved raw wedges potentially spin more because of better groove edges but how much is up for debate.

... Yup, over the years I have grown to love the look of a raw wedge. Dull finish that doesn't reflect the sun. I think the only performance advantage is I can re-groove my raw wedges at the beginning of the season and not ruin the finish.

Nailed it.

To me I look at it as a better investment from multiple stand points. First, there have been multiple tests that have shown that a rusted face will spin more than a non rusted face. See Rick Shiels video on the Taylormade MG2 wedges for evidence. Second, as normal wedges wear their spin fades period whereas a raw wedge natural spin will fade based on usage but a raw wedge will add spin via rust pitting over the course of time. So in theory they should hold a higher amount of spin for a longer period of time than a standard finish. Third, and this is the most important because I'm a club ho and we are all club hos, Raw wedges have a higher resale value. So when you decide to sell them for new wedges you will get more in return.

Rick Shiels is a bad person to go off of. Rusted faces do not spin more. New raw wedges that are not rusted spin more. That is where everyone gets confused. It is not the rust that adds spin. That is like having dirt on the face. it breaks away, and creates bad contact surface area.

Why raw wedges spin more initially is that tolerance of the edge when new. It is as sharp as it can be to the legal limit. Now take that same edge and plate it. It will automatically soften that edge.

https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/videos/gear-video/truth-rusty-wedges

I've had raw, mirror chrome, and brushed chrome for carbon steel and

polished stainless, tumbled stainless, and natural stainless; the finish or metal alloy never made a dime's worth of difference to me.

I'm simply saying for me...not looking for an argument!

There were plenty of other factors that did make a difference, but not finish...for me.

My main reason also. Plus use this little tool to rough the face a little.

No this guy nailed it. 1. No sun glare. 2. No wear spots (which is just the rust raw face poking through). 3. Longer and I mean much longer life expentancy. 4. Hugher resale value than when a rust spot is showing from chrome/satin wear. 5. They look bad a$$ 6. More spin. 7. Softer feel

If you like the look of rust, go raw. But all grooves get duller. Titleist tested that groove wear at 75 rounds loses significant spin, so if you have a trusted wedge getting on in rounds then think about replacing it.

That being said, Vokey heat treats the face for 2x the life (as of SM7) and they're overcut so the plating brings it back to conforming. Fresh raw wedge grooves are already at the conforming limit (and no, rust doesn't add more spin - the older method of plating just made the grooves less sharp).

Be careful with groove sharpeners, it may make your club non-conforming if you get carried away.

Again, it depends on what golf you're playing. Non-competition, very receptive greens, playing for roll out normally in your game... Older grooves may do just fine, especially if you buy your wedges second hand normally.

Otherwise - if you're used to a certain performance or play greens where spin and trajectory are a premium, then predictable wedge distances can keep your score lower due to closer proximity to the hole and less putts.

Bang! Above quotes nailed it. I have Cleveland RTX-3 Tour raw soaked in vinegar for a few days......instant patina! Have done this for prolly 10+ years going back to vokey oil can.......wedges and putters all raw carbon patina!

The only reason for raw finish? Custom grinds and appearance....thats it. Anything else is hearsay. The grooves wear faster and rust does not add spin. They look cool though.

For years I have bought chrome wedges and have the chrome stripped off to make them raw.

So I had three SM7 wedges, all the blacked out finish. Two of them came out the perfect raw steel light grey. The third (60) is like this weird goldish bronze color. All soaked overnight twice in vinegar, wire brushed after.

Any idea why the one doesn't match the others?

I’m still playing my Ping Tour-S raw wedges. I play 70+ rounds a year and spin the @#$% out of them.

I just picked up a ping glide 2 stealth at 54° with the es sole. I think it is cast in a carbon steel so I wonder if it will change over time Looking forward to finding out

It's also a really good way to make an old wedge (non plated) look and perform like new again. Just did these black vokeys last night. An hour in vinegar and a scrub with light steel wool and good to go.

if you have an oil can finish you can put them in coke overnight followed by CLR and a little elbow grease. This will give you the same finish as vinegar.

On 3/11/2020 at 10:08 PM, chisag said:

... I have my Vokey SM8 Jet Black 58.8*sitting in white vinegar at this moment. One night and a steel wool scrub, then a 2nd night with another steel wool scrub and I have a raw wedge.

Could You maybe explain a bit more, which vinegar you use or which other liquid would work as i am from Germany and plan on doing the same?

Would i need to look after something specific too?

On 3/11/2020 at 1:38 PM, Mainehacker21 said:

I'm looking at getting my first raw wedge, usually go chrome but looking to change it up to something different and I love the looks/ other benefits. It'll be fairly expensive so it's something I really don't want to have to replace for a while. I don't play a ton, maybe a dozen times a season. Do raw wedges last a lot less time than finished? Is there a point where they can rust past being usable?

Given how much you play, don't concern yourself.  @TigerInTheWoods is right.  Having said that, "Raw" wedges do wear a touch faster than plated heads, because there's no protected surface. 

I am still playing Vokey SM6 wedges bought in 2016, and I play +/- 200 times per year.

Regarding whether raw wedges have measurable benefits versus the aesthetic placebo effect, I think it’s more of a question of plated faces versus non-plated faces (I.e. raw). 
 

On the average dry-lie shot, there will be no real difference. However, unplated/raw wedges do have measurable benefits for wet lies/wet balls because the average chrome plating greatly reduces spin and increases launch angle. That said, PING’s Glide 3.0 hydro-pearl finish has proven in tests conducted by multiple outlets to have the best wet condition performance. 
 

i would say another likely point here is that the average chrome wedge is now performing better in wet conditions than its 10 year old counterpart.  So, the discrepancy in wet condition performance for raw wedges was likely greater in the past. Given the frequency of at least slightly wet lies for short game shots in most climates, this would have a substantial impact that would support some of the anecdotal opinions on raw wedges.