Recap: AEROTECH LIVE Q&A: Tuesday, July 17, 1pm ET/10am PT. Bonus giveaway! Ask questions now!

Aerotech · July 17, 2018

How symmetrically balanced are these shafts versus other pure graphite or steel shafts?
Would having them spine-aligned be of further benefit?
-Stan

Good question Stan.

There is certainly some debate on the topic, but you can expect a high level of performance regardless of installation orientation.

Aerotech shafts are extremely uniform and consistent at any orientation due to our proprietary filament winding process which yields a seamless construction (vs. sheet wrapping with overlapping layers which can result in wall thickness variation, aka. spine). Due to the absence of a spine, spine alignment is not applicable. Both the inner carbon fiber and the outer steel fiber layers are filament wound with the steel surface layer being applied in a hoop wind orientation (carbon fiber hoop layer on non-steel fiber shafts like the Volant). The hoop wind is used on all the shafts we produce. This construction results in extremely consistent rotational frequency and radial symmetry. That being said, it is impossible to yield a perfectly symmetrical shaft 100% of the time in mass production. SST PURE provides their shaft alignment system for many players on the major tours around the world. This process by SST Pure utilizes a very advanced method to map the shaft in fine detail and can be performed on any shaft regardless of the existence of a spine.

And just a note regarding SteelFiber shafts, there is no 'made for' shaft or a specially sorted tour issue version. The shafts in play on tour, the shafts sent to any manufacturer for custom options, shafts sent to our club fitters and distributors are the exact same shaft.

There is certainly some debate on the topic, but you can expect a high level of performance regardless of installation orientation.

Aerotech · July 17, 2018

What brought the company to create the FC line? What are it's benefits and what type of golfer should give this shaft consideration over the original steelfiber?

Thank you for the question. The introduction of the fc series was due to player feedback and is a great compliment to the existing SteelFiber I series. The progressive reduction of tip stiffness of the fc series will be a great fit for players looking for additional launch in the mid to long irons vs the I series which has a firmer tip section.

Aerotech · July 17, 2018

I would like to start off by saying how wonderful the Aerotech product line is and that they have been in my bag for over 10 years. As golfer with terrible arthritis, your products have been able to keep me active in the game at a respectable level (no longer scratch but still a single digit handicap). I started off with the Steelfiber i95, dabbled with the Players Spec AMI 99 and currently have the 110cw in the bag.

Are there any plans to bring a Players Spec type shaft back into the lineup? I would have loved to see them with a lower trajectory offering.
For the FC115cw shafts how do you describe the trajectory using the same guidelines as the i series (70 through 125)? It would be ideal to see a chart showing the trajectory for each specific iron shaft to see how the progression is dialed in through the set.

Thank you in advance and love your products!

Thank you for the support and glad to hear you are able to get some relief with the SteelFiber!. With the recent surge in popularity of ascending weight shafts, we may consider another version of the Players Spec. The fc115 is most comparable to the i110 which was the baseline for the design. We appreciate the advice on the chart suggestion. All the best.

Aerotech · July 17, 2018

How does the TI Fiber 70(big fan!) compare to the hfs780? I'm looking for something around 80g, with a little higher launch than the driver shaft for a fairway wood.

Thank you for the question.

The hfs780 is softer in the tip section than the TiFiber tour 70 and should have the launch characteristics that you are targeting. Thank you for the support.

tr881430 · July 17, 2018

What would a comparable shaft be to the KBS C-taper lite?

Aerotech · July 17, 2018

Where do you see your lineup expanding to in the future?

We will continue to push the envelope on iron shaft technology utilizing new materials. The use of titanium fiber has great potential for iron shaft application and we expect to have a TiFiber iron shaft in the future line up for Aerotech. The TiFiber wood shaft is now available. Thank you.

Aerotech · July 17, 2018

is a putter shaft on the radar?

Not at this time, but we have produced private label putter shafts in the past. I have the fc115 .370 tip in my Ricky Johnson center shaft putter! So they can be used for this application assuming the putter shaft is straight. Thank you for the question.

Aerotech · July 17, 2018

I want to personally thank everyone who participated. The members of the WRX community are obviously very well informed and you all posted some great questions.

We apologize that we could not get to everyone's posts but please feel free to contact our technical team with any questions you might still have. We would love to hear from you.

Thanks again Everyone!

Chris Hilleary

jokerusn · July 17, 2018

Thanks for your answers so far!

Oops! Thank you for your time!!!

cardoustie · July 17, 2018

thanks for participating, good info

adfrick · July 17, 2018

I have been in a search for shafts that will help my elbow pain, and also help with my fatigue during 18 holes. I had ProjectX rifles, and have now switched to a lighter shaft with an insert to help dampen vibrations. The problems I seem to be having now is a bit of a ballooning ball flight.

Which one of your shafts would give me a lower ball flight, ease the stress on my elbows and still be light enough to play 18 holes relatively comfortably.

Thanks in advance
Good question. Since the answer will be based, to some degree, on the exact shaft you are currently playing, we should probably discuss this over the phone. Any of the SteelFiber shafts will provide wear and tear relief for your elbow, but it is the specific model we would need to narrow down. The i95 is generally good choice for many players. Feel free to give CJ a call in the tech/fitting dept.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Would be interested to hear what your crystal ball tells you about the future of iron shafts:
1) Will steel stay with us or shall the future be dominated by graphite and composites?
2) Some high end driver and wood shafts contain exotic materials ranging from kevlar to graphine. Do you see them as curiosities or as something that will eventually trickle down to iron shafts as well?
3) With the development of fitting and manufacturing techniques, are we going to see a day when regular golfers can order custom made shafts optimised for their swing characteristics?
1. Although the benefits of graphite were first realized in the driver shaft due to the light weight properties which revolutionized driver performance, the industry has been a little slower to adopt graphite shafts in irons. There are just too many advantages to composites and we are now seeing the shift of even the best players in the world moving to graphite in most clubs. I am a firm believer that graphite will take over the iron shaft category. It’s just a matter of time.
2. Aerotech is widely known for our varied use of materials. Our SteelFiber shafts are designed by adding higher density steel fiber material to the surface of the graphite golf shaft allowing us to achieve unique playing characteristics that cannot be achieved using graphite alone. The use of other exotic materials will certainly have a part to play in the future of iron shaft construction.
3. To some degree this is already part of modern shaft fitting and construction. This will continue on to a much greater level in the future as shafts continue to evolve.

What is Aerotech's competitive advantage over other brands turning out new graphite shaft offerings for irons? Secondly, do Steelfiber shafts need to be "pured" or because of the steel content do they not have a spine?

Thanks for the opportunity!
Great question.
Aerotech continues to innovate utilizing new material such as the titanium filament used in our TiFiber wood shaft. The major boon for Aerotech’s product is player success on all the major tours in the world.
Aerotech shafts are extremely uniform and consistent at any orientation due to our proprietary filament winding process which yields a seamless construction (vs. sheet wrapping with overlapping layers which can result in wall thickness variation, aka. spine). Due to the absence of a spine, spine alignment is not applicable. Both the inner carbon fiber and the outer steel fiber layers are filament wound with the steel surface layer being applied in a hoop wind orientation (carbon fiber hoop layer on non-steel fiber shafts like the Volant). The hoop wind is used on all the shafts we produce. This construction results in extremely consistent rotational frequency and radial symmetry. That being said, it is impossible to yield a perfectly symmetrical shaft 100% of the time in mass production. SST PURE provides their shaft alignment system for many players on the major tours around the world. This process by SST Pure utilizes a very advanced method to map the shaft in fine detail and can be performed on any shaft regardless of the existence of a spine. And just a note regarding SteelFiber shafts, there is no 'made for' shaft or a specially sorted tour issue version. The shafts in play on tour, the shafts sent to any manufacturer for custom options, shafts sent to our club fitters and distributors are the exact same shaft.
There is certainly some debate on the topic, but you can expect a high level of performance regardless of installation orientation.

Thanks Aerotech for doing this. I've been playing the shaft for 6 years now and I LOVE them!

easyyy · July 22, 2018

Chris,

I have been a fan of the i95 stiff straight insert playing irons at D2 standard length for years. I go between these and DGs300 and more recently DGs300 AMT.

These are the 2 shafts I play all my sets in and I get a lot of them.

They feel like each other. Meaning the i95 stiff feel very similar to the DGs300 AMT to me. Not exactly but darn close.

The i95's feel lighter (because they are)
The i95's allow me to "more easily" get a little extra pop to them when I give want it. Meaning I can swing a touch harder and they snap easier than the DGs300.

The i95's are a PERFECT fit for me. Great trajectory and performance. I have a real easy tempo and transition and hit a forged blade 7 iron say 165 stock and swing a driver 100mph all day.

Given that set up what is the comparable flex in the fc 90? And would they need to be soft or hard stepped to match the straight insert i95 stiff?

Richard

Hello Richard…thanks for chiming in.

Sounds like you have a good fit in the i95s but if you wanted to try the fcs then I suggest the fc90 in the f4 flex (stiff) straight in. I think what you’ll find is an even easier load and “pop” sensation” in the mid and long irons than you’re experiencing with the i95.

Thanks again Richard…let me know if you want to test a set. We would love to get your feedback.

Sounds like something that I would want. Higher long irons... I will be in contact to try these asap.