Maltby TS2

[AZstu324]

6 hours ago, Mordy said:

Whew, as someone who has recently discovered Maltby this thread (really a compendium at this point) has been eye opening. I've been reading for a few days now off and on and I still have 120 pages to go lol. 

I know there is no 1 to 1 comparison, but as someone who has no access to testing Maltby irons, what would be the closets OEM comparisons as far as playability goes? I really like the looks of the TS4, but not sure my game is up to playing a true blade anymore. I played Titleist 695MB in HS and Calloway X forged 2010 model in college and currently have a combo set of Adams cb2 and cb1's. Those 695s were sweet, but punishing, and I don't spend hours on the course every day anymore. Trying to decide if I should go TS4 or TE+. Also open to the TE3, but I'm not a fan of offset so they didn't appeal to me as much, but I'll defer to y'alls judgment on if im ruling them out too soon.

I'm going in for iron fitting sometime in the next 6 or so weeks and just trying to find something I can compare the playability too. Something in the i210 range with less offset would be the ideal iron for me I think. 

So if you've got a few weeks to spare, a certain YouTube person will be reviewing the TS4's. In fact he should be receiving them today. 

 

 

 

[mstuewe]

1 hour ago, Mako J said:

It’s a no brainer. TS4 all day in my opinion. Especially considering your prior experience with muscle backs. 
 

I recently built TS4 8-G and have TE+ in 4-7. I’ve been searching for my lost iron game for a few years and I’m hitting purer shots with the TS4 than any CB or GI club I’ve tested. I’m going back for the 6 and 7 and may even get the 5 if the results are similar. 
 

Have GW build you a test 6 or 7 after your fitting. You’ll likely know in a few swings.

can you get on a launch monitor when you build a TS4 7 iron and compare it to your TE+?  
 

I compared a te+ 7 iron against all the new Maltby irons and te+ won out.  I also compared the te+ 8 iron to a TS1 and it won out as well.  I’m curious if a ts4 might perform better for me with the shorter irons.  

Edited April 24 by mstuewe

[mstuewe]

31 minutes ago, AZstu324 said:

So if you've got a few weeks to spare, a certain YouTube person will be reviewing the TS4's. In fact he should be receiving them today. 

 

 

 

I hope he’s giving you a kickback

[AZstu324]

3 minutes ago, mstuewe said:

I hope he’s giving you a kickback

Ha ha .. nope. It's just all out of fun and for the love of the game and gear. He does cover all of the shipping so all I have to do is put them in a box. Quite honestly I doubt he even makes anything from these reviews. 

 

[wantacigar]

58 minutes ago, AZstu324 said:

Ha ha .. nope. It's just all out of fun and for the love of the game and gear. He does cover all of the shipping so all I have to do is put them in a box. Quite honestly I doubt he even makes anything from these reviews. 

 

He makes it back in revenue from the number of views, affiliate links and other ad revenue.  There are MUCH better companies other than Google AdSense that pay ALOT more for impressions.  These better companies won't even look at you unless you get a certain number of views per upload/monthly aggregate and can pay up to $20/view.  If a video gets 20K views you're looking at $400 for just one advertiser.  

 

I like Gabe and been a subscriber for years.

Edited April 24 by wantacigar

[AZstu324]

9 minutes ago, wantacigar said:

He makes it back in revenue from the number of views, affiliate links and other ad revenue.  There are MUCH better companies other than Google AdSense that pay ALOT more for impressions.  These better companies won't even look at you unless you get a certain number of views per upload/monthly aggregate and can pay up to $20/view.  If a video gets 20K views you're looking at $400 for just one advertiser.  

 

I like Gabe and been a subscriber for years.

Yeah my guess is that his view #'s, while decent, aren't substantial enough to earn the big bucks but probably just enough to keep the channel going, pay for rounds, equipment, etc. 

 

Maybe one day I'll ask him 😬

[Mordy]

1 hour ago, AZstu324 said:

So if you've got a few weeks to spare, a certain YouTube person will be reviewing the TS4's. In fact he should be receiving them today. 

 

 

 

Not a big golf youtube guy so I don't know who you're referring to, but I'll definitely be searching for it in a few weeks!

[Mako J]

1 hour ago, mstuewe said:

can you get on a launch monitor when you build a TS4 7 iron and compare it to your TE+?  
 

I compared a te+ 7 iron against all the new Maltby irons and te+ won out.  I also compared the te+ 8 iron to a TS1 and it won out as well.  I’m curious if a ts4 might perform better for me with the shorter irons.  

Full disclosure I haven’t built the TE+ 5-7. I only built the 4 because I’ve gamed a set of DBM for years and wanted to see if the + in the long irons would perform better. I also wanted to test the TS4 8 iron first to see if I could game them in the mids. I’m not seeing much difference in the DBM and TE+ 4 iron. 
 

With that being said, we’re talking a 4 iron so it’s mostly user error and I fully expect the TE+ would absolutely outperform the DBM in the mid and short irons due to the changes in sole and COG. 
 

tl/dr = the TS4 short irons have led to improved ball striking over the DBM and the TE+4 iron has not. I doubt I’ll be building the TE+ 5-7. I’ll likely end up in 6-G in TS4 and experiment with a hybrid to cover the 4-5 iron gapping.

[Mordy]

2 hours ago, Mako J said:

It’s a no brainer. TS4 all day in my opinion. Especially considering your prior experience with muscle backs. 
 

I recently built TS4 8-G and have TE+ in 4-7. I’ve been searching for my lost iron game for a few years and I’m hitting purer shots with the TS4 than any CB or GI club I’ve tested. I’m going back for the 6 and 7 and may even get the 5 if the results are similar. 

Well, it's been 15 years since highschool and a decade since college so my days of MB are behind me. That's the only thing that worries me about the TS4s. If they play closer to an i210 or a zx7 I'll be okay, but if they are true MB I'll have a rough go of it. Kids are wonderful, but they are golf game killers, and I just don't have the practice time to devote to playing true blades. Need something where my misshits are still playable instead of 20 yards short and 12 yards offline lol. 

Will probably end up ordering a test iron, but I'm just a cheapskate and doing my best to figure out if they will even work me before I drop $100.

[Mako J]

2 minutes ago, Mordy said:

Well, it's been 15 years since highschool and a decade since college so my days of MB are behind me. That's the only thing that worries me about the TS4s. If they play closer to an i210 or a zx7 I'll be okay, but if they are true MB I'll have a rough go of it. Kids are wonderful, but they are golf game killers, and I just don't have the practice time to devote to playing true blades. Need something where my misshits are still playable instead of 20 yards short and 12 yards offline lol. 

Will probably end up ordering a test iron, but I'm just a cheapskate and doing my best to figure out if they will even work me before I drop $100.

I understand. I just can’t imagine a scenario where you wouldn’t be thrilled with the TS4. IMO they’re the perfect club for golfers that want to try a MB for the first time as well as golfers that think they have to move to something more forgiving but don’t want to give up their “blades”. 
 

Hey @Popeye64 are you still building and sharing test clubs for small fees? 

[Mike_C]

5 minutes ago, Mordy said:

Well, it's been 15 years since highschool and a decade since college so my days of MB are behind me. That's the only thing that worries me about the TS4s. If they play closer to an i210 or a zx7 I'll be okay, but if they are true MB I'll have a rough go of it. Kids are wonderful, but they are golf game killers, and I just don't have the practice time to devote to playing true blades. Need something where my misshits are still playable instead of 20 yards short and 12 yards offline lol. 

Will probably end up ordering a test iron, but I'm just a cheapskate and doing my best to figure out if they will even work me before I drop $100.

I've been playing Srixon for several years, but have a mixed set of TS-3 4-5 and TS-4 6-GW that should be here any day now, might be able to give you some feedback on how they compare to the ZX7  soon.   I hit all the current Maltby forged demo heads on a simulator, just something about the TS-4 was calling me.   TS-3 feels like absolute butter, TS-1 IM pretty good too, but that TS-4 had my name on it.   A few years ago I picked up a used set of Srxion 945 blades and had them reshafted with some Recoil Proto 95 F5s, loved the mid and short irons except the PW (the shaft was cut too short),  got rid of them foolishly, they were quite easy to hit for a blade.    Hoping the TS-4 is similar/better.....

[Mordy]

3 minutes ago, Mike_C said:

I've been playing Srixon for several years, but have a mixed set of TS-3 4-5 and TS-4 6-GW that should be here any day now, might be able to give you some feedback on how they compare to the ZX7  soon.   

Yeah, that would be awesome and much appreciated. I'm sure I could play the TS3 and be happy, but just not a fan of the progressives offset. Plus, the TS4 is probably the best looking iron I've seen in a long time. Just trying to make sure I'm buying for results and not for looks/ego.  

[PPhil]

21 minutes ago, Mako J said:I’ll likely end up in 6-G in TS4 and experiment with a hybrid to cover the 4-5 iron gapping.

haha great mind think alike - that’s what I did.   Loving them so far.  
 

TS4 6-G and KE4 tour UDI 4i bent to 24 degrees.  I look forward to every iron shot I hit.  The amount of forgiveness for a muscle back can’t be overstated.   If you have played muscle backs before, you will find these to be premier.  
 

if the come out in DBM finish, there is no question I will buy a back up set for my future self lol 

[AZstu324]

15 minutes ago, Mordy said:

Well, it's been 15 years since highschool and a decade since college so my days of MB are behind me. That's the only thing that worries me about the TS4s. If they play closer to an i210 or a zx7 I'll be okay, but if they are true MB I'll have a rough go of it. Kids are wonderful, but they are golf game killers, and I just don't have the practice time to devote to playing true blades. Need something where my misshits are still playable instead of 20 yards short and 12 yards offline lol. 

Will probably end up ordering a test iron, but I'm just a cheapskate and doing my best to figure out if they will even work me before I drop $100.

There's definitely been a lot of great feedback and suggestions here. The TS4's are phenomenal irons! I've been playing them for the past 9 months so I know them well. Like others have mentioned, they are extremely forgiving for what they are and you'd likely find your way into them just fine. 

 

That said, I just put together a set of TS3's because temptation got the better of me and I need a set to play while my TS4's are "traveling". For reference, I'm around a 8 hdcp and my iron play is pretty decent. I've got certain requirements and needs in a set of irons. From a profile standpoint, the TS3's are in no way a game improvement looking club. They are a player's profile. Offset really is quite minimal and topline is not much thicker than the TS4. Blade length is actually fractionally shorter on the TS3 so it adds to the disguise of the profile. 

 

I'm really considering using the TS3's permanently as they meet all of the aesthetics that I like, are extremely workable when needed, but just have an extra edge in the forgiveness department. 

 

Just food for thought. I know Maltby doesn't make it easy with their recent catalog 😜

 

 

[Cwebb]

26 minutes ago, Mordy said:

Yeah, that would be awesome and much appreciated. I'm sure I could play the TS3 and be happy, but just not a fan of the progressives offset. Plus, the TS4 is probably the best looking iron I've seen in a long time. Just trying to make sure I'm buying for results and not for looks/ego.  

 

They're easier to hit than A LOT of cavity backs, so you probably won't have any issue at all

[Mordy]

15 minutes ago, AZstu324 said:

There's definitely been a lot of great feedback and suggestions here. The TS4's are phenomenal irons! I've been playing them for the past 9 months so I know them well. Like others have mentioned, they are extremely forgiving for what they are and you'd likely find your way into them just fine. 

 

That said, I just put together a set of TS3's because temptation got the better of me and I need a set to play while my TS4's are "traveling". For reference, I'm around a 8 hdcp and my iron play is pretty decent. I've got certain requirements and needs in a set of irons. From a profile standpoint, the TS3's are in no way a game improvement looking club. They are a player's profile. Offset really is quite minimal and topline is not much thicker than the TS4. Blade length is actually fractionally shorter on the TS3 so it adds to the disguise of the profile. 

 

I'm really considering using the TS3's permanently as they meet all of the aesthetics that I like, are extremely workable when needed, but just have an extra edge in the forgiveness department. 

 

Just food for thought. I know Maltby doesn't make it easy with their recent catalog 😜

 

 

I may end up doing a combo of ts3/te+ and te4. I'm a goofy player who doesn't really work the ball unless I absolutely have to so the workability of blades is lost on me, but I'm extremely picky about turf and rough interaction so I've mostly played MBs and tiny CBs. But looking at the TS3 spec sheet they are fairly comparable to the i210 except in the 9-G where they have more which is sort of odd, and they actually have less than the Titleist t150s.

And yes, Maltby's catalog is killer. I don't know how I played golf for so long and never heard of them, but better late than never!

Edited April 24 by Mordy

[WasatchBogey]

Been playing Mizuno 923 HMP’s for the past couple seasons, originally shafted with Recoil 460 ESX, then I put Nippon 850 Neo’s in. 
 

I really have liked these, but had the itch to try something a little different. Was familar with Golfworks, but had not dived in too deep. I really like the clean look of the TS4’S & TS1 IM’s. One thing I’ve never loved about the 923’s is the space in the cavity around the badge for water & gunk to lodge in. I know, not a performance thing but anway….

 

After a lot of reading (this thread & others), ordered a TS1 IM 9 iron head & Recoil 780 ES Smacwrap shaft. Built that up a week or so ago & just subbed it into the 9 iron slot in my bag. The TS4’S are beautiful but I need a little distance help being a 67 yr old slow-moderate swinger.

 

Without any range time with it, I’ve hit some of the best 9 iron shots of the season with it so far.  Enough that I ordered the only other TS1 IM heads available right now (other than the 3i), a 7i & PW, with the same Smacwrap shafts.

 

Gonna build those up today & put’em in the bag, then grab the missing 8i & GW when they are back in stock, possibly slot in a TS3 at 6i.

 

Too early to judge the “feel” difference, but the results work well for me. I hit the 9i about 120-125, which is great for me. Great flight, a little lower than my HMP’s, but that may be shaft differences. 
 

Overall really impressed with the TS1 IM so far, gonna put my HMP’s on BST after I get these other two irons built.

 

I’ve played GI or SGI irons since I restarted golf about 5-years ago & was a little cautious about moving to a more “players style “ iron, but so far it seems at least as easy to hit as the HMP’s.

 

For reference, 67 yrs old, carry driver maybe 200-210, average score 80-84.

 

Edited April 24 by WasatchBogey

[Mako J]

49 minutes ago, PPhil said:

haha great mind think alike - that’s what I did.   Loving them so far.  
 

TS4 6-G and KE4 tour UDI 4i bent to 24 degrees.  I look forward to every iron shot I hit.  The amount of forgiveness for a muscle back can’t be overstated.   If you have played muscle backs before, you will find these to be premier.  
 

if the come out in DBM finish, there is no question I will buy a back up set for my future self lol 

Dude! 
 

That is awesome. They look great. Same shaft in the FDI?

[Klubster]

I see a lot of posts asking which Maltby head is closest to Brand X clubs.  Probably your best friend is the Maltby MPF data on their site.  Besides the MPF number rating, trying to closely relate the C Dim, MOI and actual VCOG will get you pretty similar playing characteristics.  Of course, aesthetics play a big part too. 

[PPhil]

@Mako J yup, same shaft gap-4 udi.  Nippon pro modus3 120x.  Helps the 4 udi really feel like part of the set, from a flow standpoint.  

Now that I have 8 maltby clubs in the bag (including putter) next up is the wedges……..  and trying to nail down shafts for those.  
 

Can anyone comment as to Ho Jo’s 8i spinner trick?     and do you think reshaft 10 year old wedges makes sense? or go full send and wait for the new maltbys wedges to come out? Could always re-re-shaft the shaft pulls into new maltby wedges when those come out.  
 

nippon 125 wedge specific shaft has my attention too……
 

with stock 56 Clevland wedge/shaft I can send in low zippers or aerial assault, tendency to draw and 115/120 with a 3/4 firm swing. 
 

 

[brew4eagle]

4 hours ago, AZstu324 said:

Yeah my guess is that his view #'s, while decent, aren't substantial enough to earn the big bucks but probably just enough to keep the channel going, pay for rounds, equipment, etc. 

 

Maybe one day I'll ask him 😬

Looks like the TS1 IM video has 98k views, that translates to around $1750 based on averages

[AZstu324]

39 minutes ago, brew4eagle said:

Looks like the TS1 IM video has 98k views, that translates to around $1750 based on averages

Hmm.. maybe I need to send him a bill for this next one 🤔😜 

 

Granted, a few thousand of those are probably from me alone checking the comments multiple times per day to help answer questions. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Edited April 24 by AZstu324

[brew4eagle]

11 minutes ago, AZstu324 said:

Hmm.. maybe I need to send him a bill for this next one 🤔😜 

 

Granted, a few thousand of those are probably from me alone checking the comments multiple times per day to help answer questions. 🤦🏼‍♂️

He also has multiple sponsors (shipsticks, some golf ball I haven't heard of, others?).  Seems like his channel is a solid income flow.

[TheJas]

8 hours ago, AZstu324 said:

So if you've got a few weeks to spare, a certain YouTube person will be reviewing the TS4's. In fact he should be receiving them today. 

 

 

 

 

So you're saying I should buy them now instead of later.

[AZstu324]

13 minutes ago, TheJas said:

 

So you're saying I should buy them now instead of later.

Ha ha 🤣 yeah.. pretty much. Or just don't let the grass grow after he releases the video. 

[Cwebb]

5 hours ago, Klubster said:

I see a lot of posts asking which Maltby head is closest to Brand X clubs.  Probably your best friend is the Maltby MPF data on their site.  Besides the MPF number rating, trying to closely relate the C Dim, MOI and actual VCOG will get you pretty similar playing characteristics.  Of course, aesthetics play a big part too. 

 

Yeah, these are the characteristic details that matter.  Not whether it has a cavity back, an under cut thing, or is a muscle-back "blade"

[Mako J]

6 hours ago, PPhil said:

@Mako J yup, same shaft gap-4 udi.  Nippon pro modus3 120x.  Helps the 4 udi really feel like part of the set, from a flow standpoint.  

Now that I have 8 maltby clubs in the bag (including putter) next up is the wedges……..  and trying to nail down shafts for those.  
 

Can anyone comment as to Ho Jo’s 8i spinner trick?     and do you think reshaft 10 year old wedges makes sense? or go full send and wait for the new maltbys wedges to come out? Could always re-re-shaft the shaft pulls into new maltby wedges when those come out.  
 

nippon 125 wedge specific shaft has my attention too……
 

with stock 56 Clevland wedge/shaft I can send in low zippers or aerial assault, tendency to draw and 115/120 with a 3/4 firm swing. 
 

 

Are you playing it at standard 4i length? I’m thinking if I play it a little shorter I wouldn’t need to adjust the loft.

[gdb99]

2 hours ago, Cwebb said:

 

Yeah, these are the characteristic details that matter.  Not whether it has a cavity back, an under cut thing, or is a muscle-back "blade"

I agree that these are the dimensions that matter. The only thing holding me back from buying Maltby is the MOI dimension. Even though Maltby doesn’t think it matters much. 
Some of their designs are much lower than the competition. 
Example: Titleist T100 MOI is 13.5. TS3 is 11.7. 
I would probably be in a T200 or T350. T200 is 13.8, T350 is over 16. 
How much does that matter? All Maltby designs are around that upper 11 MOI, except the Max irons, where other OEM “player” irons are in the upper 13 to 14 range. 
I have a set of MMB-17 irons. Not forgiving enough for me. I tried DMB irons, they went high and not very far. Same with a set of older KE4 irons. 
I just bought a TS3 and Max 7 iron head, and not sure if I want to shaft them or just send them back. They look great though. Just really confused.

[ode]

15 minutes ago, gdb99 said:

I agree that these are the dimensions that matter. The only thing holding me back from buying Maltby is the MOI dimension. Even though Maltby doesn’t think it matters much. 
Some of their designs are much lower than the competition. 
Example: Titleist T100 MOI is 13.5. TS3 is 11.7. 
I would probably be in a T200 or T350. T200 is 13.8, T350 is over 16. 
How much does that matter? All Maltby designs are around that upper 11 MOI, except the Max irons, where other OEM “player” irons are in the upper 13 to 14 range. 
I have a set of MMB-17 irons. Not forgiving enough for me. I tried DMB irons, they went high and not very far. Same with a set of older KE4 irons. 
I just bought a TS3 and Max 7 iron head, and not sure if I want to shaft them or just send them back. They look great though. Just really confused.

MMB is still a blade.  The TE Forged although forgiving has a super low COG and flies high.  I was uncomfortable with the flight and I'm a low ball hitter.  I also hated the sharp leading edge....but it didn't turn me off to Maltby.  Kudos to you for trying but if OEM is your thing, nothing at all wrong with that.  No use trying to fight it.  Single iron purchase is the way to go for testing.  If you do end up shafting them up, use your favorite, tried and true shaft to give it the best shot.  The KE4 Max is really forgiving.....to my eyes has a Ping G series like look to it with less offset.  About as SGI as it gets IMO.  If I were to get something new it would likely be the TS3, but I am back to the STi2 after playing the Max most of last year.

[Cwebb]

3 hours ago, gdb99 said:

I agree that these are the dimensions that matter. The only thing holding me back from buying Maltby is the MOI dimension. Even though Maltby doesn’t think it matters much. 
Some of their designs are much lower than the competition. 
Example: Titleist T100 MOI is 13.5. TS3 is 11.7. 
I would probably be in a T200 or T350. T200 is 13.8, T350 is over 16. 
How much does that matter? All Maltby designs are around that upper 11 MOI, except the Max irons, where other OEM “player” irons are in the upper 13 to 14 range. 
I have a set of MMB-17 irons. Not forgiving enough for me. I tried DMB irons, they went high and not very far. Same with a set of older KE4 irons. 
I just bought a TS3 and Max 7 iron head, and not sure if I want to shaft them or just send them back. They look great though. Just really confused.

 

In my opinion, MOI is overrated for irons.  A longer "C-dimension" or horizontal COG contributes more to making an iron easier to hit than a higher MOI does.

 

It sounds like the designs with lower AVCOG's don't fit you as well, so you just need to try something a little higher,.... but not too high, as in near the center of the ball or higher, which will generally make an iron more difficult to hit in the vertical aspect of impact.

 

The MMB irons have a C-dimension at 1.391".  The Ke4 Max are at 1.659", which is as long as you will find for that profile and face length.  In other words, they have a lot of area to work with across the face....and they have an AVCOG at .758", which is "mid" within the optimal zone below the center of the ball and not likely to be too low.

 

I'd try the Max first.  Then go from there