Steelfiber experts - taper/parallel question

[wundej]

I’m going a bit crazy.

Do all of the taper .355 Steelfiber iron shafts have “cw” for constant weight printed on the shaft next to “i80 cw”, “i95 cw” etc? Or, are there some taper shafts that are just “i80”?

 

The reason I’m asking is that years ago I had a set built by a very reputable shop and they installed shafts that were just marked “i80” in Jpx825 Pro heads, which I believe are .355.

 

Someone else is selling a set of i95 that were in a set of 714 AP2 heads, they also don’t have the “cw” marking. I’m waiting for pics of the tips to see if they were sanded down, which I know you generally don’t want to do on the SF since you’ll sand through the steel.

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[mogc60]

As far back as I can remember all the .355 taper had the cw designation.

[wundej]

> @mogc60 said:

> As far back as I can remember all the .355 taper had the cw designation.

 

It’s very weird. I also picked up another set about a year ago from cally preowned (825 pro, just with a different flex) and those also didn’t have the CW on them. I was wondering if maybe OEMs got the all their shafts with the same branding for some weird reason, and that only true aftermarket shafts had the CW.

 

I guess the only real way to know is pull a shaft from one of the sets I have, but I find it odd that I’ve come across so many others like this.

 

 

[Nessism]

I don't think the i95 CW's have CW painted on the shaft.

[Yarra]

As far as I know, they only offer the tapered tip in CWs and have that 'cw' on the graphics. The rest are parallel tips. Hope this helps.

[wundej]

> @Nessism said:

> I don't think the i95 CW's have CW painted on the shaft.

 

This is what I was wondering...

Curious about the i80 to. Why can’t things be easy? ?

 

 

[myspinonit]

I suggest you phone Aerotech.

[Stuart_G]

> @wundej said:

> I’m going a bit crazy.

> Do all of the taper .355 Steelfiber iron shafts have “cw” for constant weight printed on the shaft next to “i80 cw”, “i95 cw” etc?

 

If memory serves, No. Pretty sure there were some exceptions. You may need to look at the labels under the grip to really get an answer to your question. Or ask for static weight progression of the clubs in the set.

 

 

> @wundej said:

> I’m waiting for pics of the tips to see if they were sanded down, **which I know you generally don’t want to do on the SF since you’ll sand through the steel.**

 

That's not true. Absolutely no issues adding a taper to the SF's.

 

 

 

 

[wundej]

@Stuart_G

Thanks for the input. I always read that you weren’t supposed to sand through the steel layer on the tips when prepping them. Taking the .015 off the tip to taper to.370 would definitely make it through the steel. Does that not matter because most of the section that is through the fiber would be below the top of the hosel and therefore not under stress like it would be if at/above?

 

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

@myspinonit

Will contact SF, but it was the weekend. Wanted to get some input from here first.

[Socrates]

> @wundej said:

> @Stuart_G

> Thanks for the input. I always read that you weren’t supposed to sand through the steel layer on the tips when prepping them. Taking the .015 off the tip to taper to.370 would definitely make it through the steel. Does that not matter because most of the section that is through the fiber would be below the top of the hosel and therefore not under stress like it would be if at/above?

>

> Thanks again for the feedback.

>

> @myspinonit

> Will contact SF, but it was the weekend. Wanted to get some input from here first.

 

You are actually only taking off .0075" since you are dealing with a round object (.0075" off the radius).

[mogc60]

Sanding the tip is fine. It’s below the hosel and encased in epoxy resin on install. I play golf a lot with a guy that owned a shaft company in the 80’s-early 90’s. He’s told me there is no issue with this.

[benno_r]

In the taper models, on the i110 and i125 have the "CW" designation on the shaft. The i70, i80, i95 do not. Exceptionally confusing.

[mogc60]

> @benno_r said:

> In the taper models, on the i110 and i125 have the "CW" designation on the shaft. The i70, i80, i95 do not. Exceptionally confusing.

I checked some of the shafts in my garage...my 125’s don’t have cw on them and they are taper tip .355. My 110’s have cw on them.

 

[benno_r]

> @mogc60 said:

> > @benno_r said:

> > In the taper models, on the i110 and i125 have the "CW" designation on the shaft. The i70, i80, i95 do not. Exceptionally confusing.

> I checked some of the shafts in my garage...my 125’s don’t have cw on them and they are taper tip .355. My 110’s have cw on them.

>

 

Just going off the discussion I had with Chris at Aerotech - having said that, our discussion wasn't on the complete history, only the current line as of a year ago.

[https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/product/steelfiber-i125/](https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/product/steelfiber-i125/ "https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/product/steelfiber-i125/")

 

edit: according to website pictures, looks like i70 might say "CW" now too.

[mogc60]

> @benno_r said:

> > @mogc60 said:

> > > @benno_r said:

> > > In the taper models, on the i110 and i125 have the "CW" designation on the shaft. The i70, i80, i95 do not. Exceptionally confusing.

> > I checked some of the shafts in my garage...my 125’s don’t have cw on them and they are taper tip .355. My 110’s have cw on them.

> >

>

> Just going off the discussion I had with Chris at Aerotech - having said that, our discussion wasn't on the complete history, only the current line as of a year ago.

> [https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/product/steelfiber-i125/](https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/product/steelfiber-i125/ "https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/product/steelfiber-i125/")

>

> edit: according to website pictures, looks like i70 might say "CW" now too.

 

I wasn’t disagreeing with you in any way just sharing what I found. This thread got me to go look at my stash.

[wundej]

Thanks all. It at least clears up a little for me. There is no definitive rhyme or reason. I really hate when companies aren’t consistent. I hate even more relying on people I’m buying used stuff from to be educated enough or have a set of calipers to actually measure what they are selling.

 

At least I know that there are some taper shafts that didn’t have the CW on them. I guess the only way to be sure is to measure them. If I get a chance I’ll reach out to Aerotech and see if they can clarify what shafts has which markings over the years.

[Stuart_G]

> @wundej said:

> @Stuart_G

> Thanks for the input. I always read that you weren’t supposed to sand through the steel layer on the tips when prepping them. Taking the .015 off the tip to taper to.370 would definitely make it through the steel. Does that not matter because most of the section that is through the fiber would be below the top of the hosel and therefore not under stress like it would be if at/above?

>

 

That is a big part of it. The other is that there is nothing really all that important or special about how the steel mesh contributes to the structural integrity of the shaft. Steel isn't being used because of it's strength but rather because it's weight.

[myspinonit]

> @Stuart_G said:

> > @wundej said:

> > @Stuart_G

> > Thanks for the input. I always read that you weren’t supposed to sand through the steel layer on the tips when prepping them. Taking the .015 off the tip to taper to.370 would definitely make it through the steel. Does that not matter because most of the section that is through the fiber would be below the top of the hosel and therefore not under stress like it would be if at/above?

> >

>

> That is a big part of it. The other is that there is nothing really all that important or special about how the steel mesh contributes to the structural integrity of the shaft. **Steel isn't being used because of it's strength but rather because it's weight.**

 

Interesting, Stuart. Thanks. I've been using steelfibers since 2012 mostly for the lack of vibration due to basal arthritis. The steel added for weight makes sense but till now I always figured the steel was mostly for stability as suggested on the Aerotech website. I see that there are a couple of new (to me) videos on the site that I found interesting and I think are worth a view for anyone looking at info on steelfibers. One in part goes to your "added weight" comments, explaining that adding the steel keeps total shaft weight down but is much less boardy than if the same weight was graphite only. Also I found the explanations on construct of the steelfiber strands and graphite shafts just plain interesting.

[Big Ben]

> @Socrates said:

> > @wundej said:

> > @Stuart_G

> > Thanks for the input. I always read that you weren’t supposed to sand through the steel layer on the tips when prepping them. Taking the .015 off the tip to taper to.370 would definitely make it through the steel. Does that not matter because most of the section that is through the fiber would be below the top of the hosel and therefore not under stress like it would be if at/above?

> >

> > Thanks again for the feedback.

> >

> > @myspinonit

> > Will contact SF, but it was the weekend. Wanted to get some input from here first.

>

> You are actually only taking off .0075" since you are dealing with a round object (.0075" off the radius).

 

I would venture a guess that’s all Aerotech would do as well. Played these for years and years, best shafts in golf hands down

[Stuart_G]

> @myspinonit said:

> > @Stuart_G said:

> > > @wundej said:

> > > @Stuart_G

> > > Thanks for the input. I always read that you weren’t supposed to sand through the steel layer on the tips when prepping them. Taking the .015 off the tip to taper to.370 would definitely make it through the steel. Does that not matter because most of the section that is through the fiber would be below the top of the hosel and therefore not under stress like it would be if at/above?

> > >

> >

> > That is a big part of it. The other is that there is nothing really all that important or special about how the steel mesh contributes to the structural integrity of the shaft. **Steel isn't being used because of it's strength but rather because it's weight.**

>

> Interesting, Stuart. Thanks. I've been using steelfibers since 2012 mostly for the lack of vibration die to basal arthritis. The steel added for weight makes sense but till now I always figured the steel was mostly for stability as suggested on the Aerotech website. I see that there are a couple of new (to me) videos on the site that I found interesting and I think are worth a view for anyone looking at info on steelfibers. One in part goes to your "added weight" comments, explaining that adding the steel keeps total shaft weight down but is much less boardy than if the same weight was graphite only. Also I found the explanations on construct of the steelfiber strands and graphite shafts just plain interesting.

 

It gets even more interesting when you understand that the added weight of the steel fibers and how it effects the cross sectional weight distribution of the shaft is a big part of the basis for the improved hoop strength and stability.

[dlow206]

Out of curiousity, how do the Steelfiber parallel vs CW play in terms of flex/profile compared to each other?

[Stuart_G]

2 hours ago, dlow206 said:

Out of curiousity, how do the Steelfiber parallel vs CW play in terms of flex/profile compared to each other?

 

Parallel are a bit softer, particularly in the longer irons.

[dlow206]

10 minutes ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Parallel are a bit softer, particularly in the longer irons.

Thanks. I was fit into the Steelfiber 95 parallel shafts yesterday so that's what i am buying. was just curious

[ChrisBello]

So. I bought the steelfiber i95cw. Having the PGA store install them. I think they cut them short. What is the stand length for this shaft. Also. Each shaft was precut and labeled for each iron. Will it make a difference if you put the 7iron shaft in the 8 iron then cut it to fit. 

[Stuart_G]

5 hours ago, ChrisBello said:

So. I bought the steelfiber i95cw. Having the PGA store install them. I think they cut them short. What is the stand length for this shaft.

 

The wording of the question is a little off so there might be some confusion.  Just make sure you don't confuse shaft length and playing length - they are not the same thing.   

 

There is no such thing as a "standard cut shaft length".   What cut shaft length you'll need to get a particular playing length completely depends on the iron model used.   But it will most commonly be in a range between 1" and 1.5" shorter than the desired playing length for irons.

 

As far as standards for playing length - there is not a single standard - there are several different "standards" for iron playing length.  The most common would be a 38" playing length for a 5i - with 1/2" increments at least through the 9i.   The increment between 9i and lower can vary quite a bit, sometimes 1/4",  sometimes 1/2".

 

Neither cut shaft length nor playing length depend on the shaft model.  So "this shaft" would be the same as any other shaft.   Only thing that might differ for different shaft models is the uncut shaft length - which helps one figure out which iron it should go into.

 

You say "I think they cut them short."   Why is that? 

Did you actually measure the playing lengths? 

If so, what length(s) do you actually get? 

How are you measuring the playing length?  (yes there are multiple different ways the playing length can be measured). 

What length did you actually request?

 

If you haven't measure them, you really need to.

use the "most common" or USGA Method described here:

 

https://www.hirekogolf.com/how-is-the-length-of-a-golf-club-measured

 

 

5 hours ago, ChrisBello said:

Also. Each shaft was precut and labeled for each iron. Will it make a difference if you put the 7iron shaft in the 8 iron then cut it to fit. 

 

Yes.   In a CW shaft, each iron has a particular shaft designed for that iron's head weight.   If you move them around it will change how the shaft plays a little bit.  It's called "soft stepping".    And it can also have a small effect on the cut shaft weight.     Stepping one time is not uncommon and the effect is usually small - so it does make a difference - it's just not a very big difference for most.

 

But another issue with lengthening them is that it can potentially mess up the swing weight.   Just something that you'd have to keep an eye on if you moved the shafts around.

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Stuart_G