KBS S Taper Lite versus KBS C-Taper Lite

[Jtalberda]

Could anybody explain the difference in these shafts? I am still really new at the whole club making process and am trying to decide between these two shafts. Just wondering what people see as pros and cons.

[sshadow2]

I had the C-Taper Lites for most of 2019 and now have the $-Taper Lites since the start of 2020. Regular Flex in both.

Callaway Apex 19 with CTLs.

I was fit for them and later for my current set: Cobra Forged Tec with $TLs.

I loved the mid flight of the CTLs and they felt great and generally managed vibrations well. Good dispersion and consistent feel. The brushed finished was very attractive to me as well, and I would have kept them too if it wasn't for playing around with a used Cobra Forged Tec 6i (stock with the $TLs).

At the close of 2019, I started to develop tennis elbow in my lead arm (mostly from all the range work). In my playing with the Cobras, my arm hurt less. The $TLs felt so smooth and handled vibrations even better. The CTLs are noticeably stiffer. The flight seems similar or maybe a touch higher than the CTLs. Spin characteristics are also similar. I feel comfortable playing with the $TLs in stiff but not really the CTLs.

I personally chose the regulars because I consistently had a much tighter dispersion circle over stiff.

Both are great. The choice is based on your swing characteristics. Get fitted and try them both out side-by-side head agnostic.

(Note: there was a weight difference too of 5g ($TLs are heavier) in my example, but the CTLs still felt stiffer to me.)

$TLs are also more expensive .

[mitchdoc]

Just ordered the forged tec irons. Given the pandemic I can't demo different shafts.

I am not a hard releaser of the club. 7 iron swing speed is around 84iirc.

I usually fall or prefer between regular and stiff. In KBS tour standard the R+and stiff are good for me in the past. In dynamic gold I prefer dgr300. My Srixon Irina have stuff Nippon nspro980gh shafts and they are fine for me but can hook if I go after it so likely age a bit soft.

Do you think $taper lie would be good shaft for me and if so in regular or stiff?

I read on one review site that they play about half a flex softer than the standard $taper. If true that would fit my tweener preference. It's that you experience? It would I be better in a mixture shaft or dg105?

[sshadow2]

@mitchdoc
If asking me...I couldn't tell you (last question).
I'm most satisfied with KBS steel. I personally never got along with TT DGs. And although I really like the Nippon 950s, I don't like the Modus for example.
Speaking only of the $TLs, they are closer to the Nippon 950s than the TT DGs in feel in my humble opinion. Stiffer though.
I fight a block rather than a hook and the regulars helped straight me out according the the launch monitor. My iron swing is about 82 so it works out.

[mitchdoc]

When you say regular you mean the regular $ taper or regular flex?

I just want to be sure the money taper lite stiff won’t be stiff. I love tweeter flexes and hoping this fits the bill.

[Pepperturbo]

C-Taper Lite - Stiff, which I have in the garage is a high bend mid-trajectory shaft. Also have a few KBS $-Taper Stiff test shafts, which are mid-mid-high bend depending on mechanics, mid-high trajectory. IN my hands, C-Taper lite is just a lighter version of C-Taper. Same is true with $-Taper lite. Tweener flexes can be found by soft or hard stepping. I tried hard and soft stepping but they didn't feel right to me.

One last thought, when you get into lite shafts, regardless of the bend profile, MOST, not all of them have a higher trajectory than their normal counter-parts because people swing them faster. I tried lite 95-105 gram shafts and tended to overswing them, couldn't feel the club head at the top of my swing. So I went to 110 gram STIFF shafts in 6-2i and 125 gram STIFF in 7-LW and all is good.

 

[sshadow2]

Flex.

[mitchdoc]

Well I agree my rhythm is better with heavier but dg heavy is too much. Another option is to go R+ in the non lite version. Is 11t grams and meets my tweeter needs. Am hoping to have these clubs a while and am in my 50s now so keeping swing speed up will be important as you apparently lose 1mph per year.

[WristySwing]

C-Taper lite has the typical C-Taper feel and torsional stabilty. It will feel stiffer, harsher, and although the CTL is supposedly more of a mid-higher flight, many report it is quite low spin and lower launching, ala C-Taper (myself included). The C-Taper Lite is 10g heavier per flex compared to the $-Taper Lite.

$-Taper Lite is kind of a hybrid design. It is for the people who needed C-Taper launch and spin but hated the feel. $-Taper has the feel and renowned kick of the KBS Tour. So they've made a shaft that is both lower launch and spin and better feel, basically to try and tackle DG and Nippon who have perfected this much earlier. $-Taper Lite takes this and then drops 15-20-25g of weight depending on flex, they have also softened the tip some and made it a bit easier to launch. Because, honestly, someone who would fit into a 100g stiff or 105x probably doesn't need that low launch anyway as their swing speed won't be that high, maybe 90-92 tops.

[mitchdoc]

When you say 90 to 82 do you mean iron or driver swing

[WristySwing]

Iron.

[Pepperturbo]

@mitchdoc - Don't know WHO authored that 1 mile per year loss, but it's not true/fact. I am 70, still playing Stiff 125g shafts in 620MB irons, playing to a "4-5" index. Dam I love how technology has influenced our game.
Back when I was in late 40's early 50's two fitters told me, due to age, I should be playing "R" flex. I was a single-digit then as well. When I was finally fit by someone in the know, I ended up in X flex. My point is people make a lot of assumptions without verifying first. There are many good reasonably priced 105-120 gram shafts that will fit you. True Temper has inexpensive 129gr S200 shafts that I played for a while, that are fine shafts. My favorite shaft for many years was 120gm PX 6.0 played from 2006-2019. They also come in 5.0, 110gm and 5.5, 115gm.) I can no longer play 130 gram shafts regardless of material, but I am doing fine with 125gram graphite/steel shafts. Anyhow, good luck on the shaft hunt. If anything it's fun.

[mitchdoc]

Wish I could demo things but pandemic has shut that down for forseeable future.

Ordered $taoer lite in stiff think will give me some distance with lighter weight but still tight dispersion with better feel than c taper

[Rbsiedsc]

Kbs tour 120 stiff in my irons. Debating a DI. Leaning $-taper lite but also maybe c taper lite. Any idea what would deliver bullets from a DI?

[Kujonas]

Hi folks.

 

I am interested in buying a pre-owned Forged Tec iron set and where told by the owner that they where with stiff shaft...

 

On photos it says:

$ Taper Lite W and not a weight..

 

Does anybody know what this W stands for?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.