ProjectX Catalyst 100 graphite iron shaft review-Pretty impressive shaft

[Drivingrangehero]

14 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Appreciate all your detailed and longterm reviews. These were not even on my radar. Now they are going in the bag. Catalyst 100 6.0 in an Apex Pro/X Forged CB combo. The Catalyst got a lengthy tryout against other quality graphites and while I liked the MMT too, I found myself liking the Catalyst more. It really is a Project X profile that is a little friendlier than Rifles. And at 100 grams, it has the stability of a shaft 20 grams heavier. Whatever ISO-6 technology is, True Temper should stick with and even expand this lineup. It’s a winner. 

I found much the same with my Catalyst 80 6.0 that I put in my T-MB 2 iron.  
 

Great shaft, had I not went with Modus 105 in my irons (which I love) the Catalyst 100 6.0 would have been considered after hitting my 2 iron with the 80
 

suprised all the graphite love goes to MMT, Recoil and steelfiber’s  without much talk of the Catalyst ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Drivingrangehero
.fixed info 80’s

[dmeeksDC]

1 hour ago, Drivingrangehero said:

I found much the same with my Catalyst 80 6.0 that I put in my T-MB 2 iron.  
 

Great shaft, had I not went with Modus 105 in my irons (which I love) the Catalyst 100 6.0 would have been considered after hitting my 2 iron with them. 
 

suprised all the graphite love goes to MMT, Recoil and steelfiber’s  without much talk of the Catalyst ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

The 80 is awesome. Felt great. If it weren’t for the fact it would be a 30-gram weight drop all at once, I could see gaming a full set of them. And even then, I don’t think the adjustment would take very long because the 6.0 constant weight versions are not whippy — the torque is only 2.6. May go to them in a few years!

[jeffrey r]

1 hour ago, Drivingrangehero said:

I found much the same with my Catalyst 80 6.0 that I put in my T-MB 2 iron.  
 

Great shaft, had I not went with Modus 105 in my irons (which I love) the Catalyst 100 6.0 would have been considered after hitting my 2 iron with them. 
 

suprised all the graphite love goes to MMT, Recoil and steelfiber’s  without much talk of the Catalyst ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

I think Catalysts are still the new kid on the block.  I am yet to see one in the wild, which is frankly the same for the MMT.  I play Steelfibers, and also have Recoil 95s, but would love to give the MMT 95/105 and Catalyst 100 a go. 

 

I believe the consensus is that the Catalyst 100 plays stiff, so would a Catalyst 100 6.0 compare to say a Steelfiber 95 stiff?  I would figure that I would need to soft step the Catalyst 100 to play more like my Steelfiber 95 regular flex.

[Drivingrangehero]

34 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

 

I think Catalysts are still the new kid on the block.  I am yet to see one in the wild, which is frankly the same for the MMT.  I play Steelfibers, and also have Recoil 95s, but would love to give the MMT 95/105 and Catalyst 100 a go. 

 

I believe the consensus is that the Catalyst 100 plays stiff, so would a Catalyst 100 6.0 compare to say a Steelfiber 95 stiff?  I would figure that I would need to soft step the Catalyst 100 to play more like my Steelfiber 95 regular flex.

I haven’t hit the Catalyst 100, but the 80 6.0 is similar in feel to a Modus 105s. They have a nice smooth feel, and don’t feel loose. My friend has the 80 6.5 in his 2 iron and plays PX 6.0’s in his irons. He said the 6.5 felt less stiff than his PX 6.0’s..... a lot more like his dad’s PX 5.5’s which he was thinking of moving into, until he shafted his 2 iron with the Catalyst 80 6.5. He is now considering playing around with some sort of combo type Catalyst 100 6.5 and 6.0. He wanted to do a progressive set (flighted) with trimming if that was possible last time I talked to him, which was a few months ago.  
 

I have a slow tempo and easy transition, so I never think a shaft is too loose or soft. I only ever notice too stiff. The Modus 105x feels too stiff to me. My 7 iron swing speed is 93-94mph and driver is around 112mph. I prefer a PX 5.5, KBS tour 120, and Modus 105s for shaft feel and profile. The Catalyst 80 6.0 is probably more like a PX 5.0 in feel anyways. Feel is a very subjective thing, but I think they feel about 1 flex softer than their steel counterparts, but that is just a feel thing and has nothing to do with flex rating or CPM ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

 

[NRJyzr]

13 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

It really is a Project X profile that is a little friendlier than Rifles. 

 

This is really helpful.  👍    🤜🤛

 

[mogc60]

1 hour ago, NRJyzr said:

 

This is really helpful.  👍    🤜🤛

 

I played projectX satin for 7 years and then the chrome for a few more years. One of my first impressions of the Catalyst was “this is definitely a ProjectX” The feel and flight is very similar but yes a bit friendlier is a great observation. 

[dmeeksDC]

Received my Apex Pro/X Forged CB combo with the Catalyst 100 and Winn Dri-Tac grips. One session at the range and it went very well. These shafts are solid but not jarring, don’t feel loose at all. Excellent flight. Was able to hit them high or low. Best of all is the comfort. A 90 minute session. No soreness after or today. Looking forward to playing them. IMO they feel much better than the PX IOs they replaced. 

[mogc60]

2 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Received my Apex Pro/X Forged CB combo with the Catalyst 100 and Winn Dri-Tac grips. One session at the range and it went very well. These shafts are solid but not jarring, don’t feel loose at all. Excellent flight. Was able to hit them high or low. Best of all is the comfort. A 90 minute session. No soreness after or today. Looking forward to playing them. IMO they feel much better than the PX IOs they replaced. 

That’s great to hear. Keep us posted on them once you have a few sessions in. I’m interested to hear your experience with them. I found the more I used them the better they felt. 

[cardoustie]

Put the 80 6.5’s in my Callaway UT 27 and 30 heads ... it’s like cheating.  Thanks for reminding me I had these Phil. !!  High and no ballooning and rips thru even the 2.5 club wind I played in today

 

the 100 catalyst in 6.5 ... SS 1x ... just went in my zx7 7i for testing, will do 8-GW if it turns out as well as I think it will 

 

was a big fan of the catalyst shafts in the gen 2 Apex hybrids fwiw 

[SwingBlues]

Having a hard time deciding: Fujikura MCI 100 or Catalyst 100

 

MCI is suppose to be like MMT with metal down the tip. As far as I know Iso-6 does not have any metal involved with the Catalyst. Right?

 

I got the Catalyst 100 CW in my wedges, so impressed with them.

[cardoustie]

Catalyst 100 are the best graphite iron shafts I’ve played, and my testing list is loooooong

 

look

kick 

feel

balance

dispersion

great for punch shots 

 

all incredible for me

[mogc60]

9 hours ago, cardoustie said:

Catalyst 100 are the best graphite iron shafts I’ve played, and my testing list is loooooong

 

look

kick 

feel

balance

dispersion

great for punch shots 

 

all incredible for me

That’s been my experience for two years now. They just check every box for me. The ballflight and ability to control the ball flight is the best I’ve found in a graphite iron shaft. 

[cardoustie]

For me it is tricky because some graphite shafts feel DEAD and some feel really whippy and soft

 

I've found it hard to find a graphite set that kicks and unloads (or is activated as my one golf nerd buddy says) the way I want it to

 

Truthfully, I also like that they look like steel, 53 year old here

 

I have tried, since elbow(s) gate, if memory serves

 

Aldila NV105x .. BOARDY

Aldila VS Proto 85x and 100x blue .. best of Aldila for me

Aldila proto 125x (burgundy) STOUT

Steelfiber 95s and 110s (love the 125s in wedges)

Fujikura pro 115s

Fuji MCI 100s and MCI 120x

Recoil 95 f4, 95 proto f4 black, 110 f4, 780 f5

MMT 95s

UST Pro Force 95s

 

I would say for my swing the 2nd best fit has been Fuji MCI 100s and 3rd best (the bronze medal) the standard recoil 95 f4

 

I did have great results for the Kuro Kage 105x in a Titleist blade fitting but never pulled the trigger

 

I think the only two bigger brands I have not tried are KBS and Accra

 

I swing a 7i at 92mph fwiw

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by cardoustie

[Stuart_G]

@cardoustie   Have you had a chance to try the newer steelfiber fc series?

 

The blue vs-proto's were my favorite shaft as well before they became extinct (could have missed it but never heard of a blue nvs iron shaft - only blue ones I've ever seen were vs-proto's in 85 and 100).    Now i'm really liking the fc90's

[cardoustie]

11 minutes ago, Stuart_G said:

@cardoustie   Have you had a chance to try the newer steelfiber fc series?

 

The blue vs-proto's were my favorite shaft as well before they became extinct (could have missed it but never heard of a blue nvs iron shaft - only blue ones I've ever seen were vs-proto's in 85 and 100).    Now i'm really liking the fc90's

whoops I meant to put VS Proto and not NVS ,, will edit

 

I have not tried SF fc, don't send me down another rabbit hole

[SwingBlues]

1 hour ago, cardoustie said:

For me it is tricky because some graphite shafts feel DEAD and some feel really whippy and soft

 

I've found it hard to find a graphite set that kicks and unloads (or is activated as my one golf nerd buddy says) the way I want it to

 

Truthfully, I also like that they look like steel, 53 year old here

 

I have tried, since elbow(s) gate, if memory serves

 

Aldila NV105x .. BOARDY

Aldila VS Proto 85x and 100x blue .. best of Aldila for me

Aldila proto 125x (burgundy) STOUT

Steelfiber 95s and 110s (love the 125s in wedges)

Fujikura pro 115s

Fuji MCI 100s and MCI 120x

Recoil 95 f4, 95 proto f4 black, 110 f4, 780 f5

MMT 95s

UST Pro Force 95s

 

I would say for my swing the 2nd best fit has been Fuji MCI 100s and 3rd best (the bronze medal) the standard recoil 95 f4

 

I did have great results for the Kuro Kage 105x in a Titleist blade fitting but never pulled the trigger

 

I think the only two bigger brands I have not tried are KBS and Accra

 

I swing a 7i at 92mph fwiw

 

 

 

Thats a lot of shafts. So what pushed you to the Catalyst from the Fujikura MCI 100 (2nd)? Both shafts I have a keen eye for

[cardoustie]

Number one I had not tried them in overlength and my heavier swingweights (my irons are d9.5).  I had tried them once in the new Apex a few years back. 

 

(They still CPM between S and X fwiw so very true to flex which is nice)

 

My fitter had a set of pulls 1/2" over and soft stepping would give me my needed +1" (and he wanted my MCI 120 pulls)

 

Also I have had success with PX hb6 and hc1 hybrid shafts and also recently a green smoke driver shaft

13 minutes ago, SwingBlues said:

 

 

Thats a lot of shafts. So what pushed you to the Catalyst from the Fujikura MCI 100 (2nd)? Both shafts I have a keen eye for

 

[cw1209]

@mogc60 Looks like you have MMT 125 shafts in your wedges. How would you compare MMT to Catalyst 100? Recently shafted a 4 iron with a MMT 105 TX.  Really like what the club does. Distance, spin, and trajectory are all good. My only issue is timing. The handle section feels a little soft. I like the way project X steel feels and I am looking for a graphite iron shaft to compliment the rest of my irons. Should of started with Project X graphite right? Hindsight is 20/20. 

[mogc60]

1 hour ago, cw1209 said:

@mogc60 Looks like you have MMT 125 shafts in your wedges. How would you compare MMT to Catalyst 100? Recently shafted a 4 iron with a MMT 105 TX.  Really like what the club does. Distance, spin, and trajectory are all good. My only issue is timing. The handle section feels a little soft. I like the way project X steel feels and I am looking for a graphite iron shaft to compliment the rest of my irons. Should of started with Project X graphite right? Hindsight is 20/20. 

I love the feel of the Catalyst shaft and to me it has all the characteristics of the Project X steel without the weight and vibration. I used them in my wedges for about a year and liked them but they were just a little light hence the switch to the MMT 125 in my wedges. They are very good but being honest I haven’t been tempted to switch my iron shafts to them. My son has the 125 in his irons and I’ve hit them and they are a great shaft as well. Very well balanced and great feel. I’ve gotten used to the lighter weight in my irons and prefer it now. 

[cw1209]

On 11/22/2021 at 7:10 PM, mogc60 said:

I love the feel of the Catalyst shaft and to me it has all the characteristics of the Project X steel without the weight and vibration. I used them in my wedges for about a year and liked them but they were just a little light hence the switch to the MMT 125 in my wedges. They are very good but being honest I haven’t been tempted to switch my iron shafts to them. My son has the 125 in his irons and I’ve hit them and they are a great shaft as well. Very well balanced and great feel. I’ve gotten used to the lighter weight in my irons and prefer it now. 

 

Quick follow up. Pulled the MMT 105 TX and replaced it with a Catalyst 100 6.5. Best graphite iron shaft I have ever hit. Great feel the whole way through the swing. The big win was feeling like the same swing worked for Catalyst in my 4 iron and PX steel in the rest of my set.  Handle feels solid and the entire shaft feels very stable. I think MMT may be slightly more tip stiff, but Catalyst feels much more stable in the mid and handle. 

 

I don't always play graphite in my irons, but when I do I prefer Catalyst. 

[jus4kiks]

On 11/22/2021 at 9:10 PM, mogc60 said:

I love the feel of the Catalyst shaft and to me it has all the characteristics of the Project X steel without the weight and vibration. I used them in my wedges for about a year and liked them but they were just a little light hence the switch to the MMT 125 in my wedges. They are very good but being honest I haven’t been tempted to switch my iron shafts to them. My son has the 125 in his irons and I’ve hit them and they are a great shaft as well. Very well balanced and great feel. I’ve gotten used to the lighter weight in my irons and prefer it now. 

Thank you for the detailed information on these shafts.  I have them being put into a set of irons as we speak.  I came from PX 6.5, my elbows just can't take those anymore.  I tried them with the ProSoft inserts - still painful.  I have PX 6.5 in 3 wedges with inserts and wooden dowels - hoping I can keep those, if not will go to MMT 125TX wedge shafts.. 

 

I also used Modus 120X shafts, I liked the feel and those surprisingly didn't hurt my elbows very much, they were the best of the steel iron shafts I've played.  But the Modus 120x shafts were just a little soft for me, they were not point and shoot as the PX shafts are.

 

I have Recoil 125 F5 shafts in another set, they're okay but just a bit flimsy - not sure how to explain but they're just not quite right for me.  I liked reading the Catalysts were a bit more sturdy.  

 

Will report back after trying the new set, having them built to D2.  Love my PX 6.5 or 7.0, just hoping they're anything similar and don't hurt!! 

 

Also going from an interlock grip to an overlap, that didn't take any work and noticed less stress on the inside elbow of my right arm.  

[cw1209]

19 hours ago, jus4kiks said:

Thank you for the detailed information on these shafts.  I have them being put into a set of irons as we speak.  I came from PX 6.5, my elbows just can't take those anymore.  I tried them with the ProSoft inserts - still painful.  I have PX 6.5 in 3 wedges with inserts and wooden dowels - hoping I can keep those, if not will go to MMT 125TX wedge shafts.. 

 

I also used Modus 120X shafts, I liked the feel and those surprisingly didn't hurt my elbows very much, they were the best of the steel iron shafts I've played.  But the Modus 120x shafts were just a little soft for me, they were not point and shoot as the PX shafts are.

 

I have Recoil 125 F5 shafts in another set, they're okay but just a bit flimsy - not sure how to explain but they're just not quite right for me.  I liked reading the Catalysts were a bit more sturdy.  

 

Will report back after trying the new set, having them built to D2.  Love my PX 6.5 or 7.0, just hoping they're anything similar and don't hurt!! 

 

Also going from an interlock grip to an overlap, that didn't take any work and noticed less stress on the inside elbow of my right arm.  

I think you will like the Catalyst shafts a lot coming from PX steel. Just a word of caution regarding swingweight. If you are coming from a 125 gm shaft to a 100 gram shaft, you may want a higher swingweight to put some of that missing weight back into your hands. Just because you liked your PX steel irons at D2, doesn’t mean you will like your graphite irons at D2. Have one built up and trial with lead tape to get things right before you do a whole set. You may also not be able to easily control the swingweight since taper tip graphite does not accommodate tip weights. 

[SwooshLT]

Coming across this thread........ help for the slower guy? I'm currently modus 105R 1/2" over ...... would love input on 80 or 100 in softer flex 5.5 or 5.0 even 

[jus4kiks]

On 5/31/2022 at 2:41 PM, cw1209 said:

I think you will like the Catalyst shafts a lot coming from PX steel. Just a word of caution regarding swingweight. If you are coming from a 125 gm shaft to a 100 gram shaft, you may want a higher swingweight to put some of that missing weight back into your hands. Just because you liked your PX steel irons at D2, doesn’t mean you will like your graphite irons at D2. Have one built up and trial with lead tape to get things right before you do a whole set. You may also not be able to easily control the swingweight since taper tip graphite does not accommodate tip weights. 

I like hearing that, I am hoping these feel good. 

 

Thank you for the heads up it would have been much smarter if I did exactly what you said but unfortunately I dropped them off to be done a little while back, lol oops.  They're finished tomorrow and will be around D2.  I am ordering some more lead tape just in case, I will definitely tinker around with it and see what feels best.   If higher SW is better, I am not bothered by adding some strips of tape to each iron, even though the blades look good I am about functionality.  

 

Hoping D2 feels good and playable...  

 

[ChipNRun]

In a move to graphite, I got MAX irons shafted in PX Catalyst 65 in 5.5 flex.

 

I kept my three MD wedges, and got them reshafted in the Catalyst 80CW 6.0 (85 grams). The lighter 80CW is a lively but solid shaft. Those wanting lighter wedge shafts might consider it.

[jus4kiks]

On 5/31/2022 at 2:41 PM, cw1209 said:

I think you will like the Catalyst shafts a lot coming from PX steel. Just a word of caution regarding swingweight. If you are coming from a 125 gm shaft to a 100 gram shaft, you may want a higher swingweight to put some of that missing weight back into your hands. Just because you liked your PX steel irons at D2, doesn’t mean you will like your graphite irons at D2. Have one built up and trial with lead tape to get things right before you do a whole set. You may also not be able to easily control the swingweight since taper tip graphite does not accommodate tip weights. 

I played 9 with the clubs today and they're amazing!  As the OP said, the profile and feel is extremely similar to the PX 6.5 /7.0 LZ I was playing.  My fitter got me to D2, liking them for now, I can tinker in the future with D3/4/5 etc.. if needed. 

 

Pretty stunned how good they are, they do not feel flimsy at all.  I feel like the hunt is over!  Thank you and everyone who posted, this info was incredibly helpful.  Only 1 round in but they felt great, loving the ball flight.  Now if I can heal my tricept tendinitis I am smooth sailing 🙂

 

Thank you again for the helpful posts.  WIll play some more rounds and circle back sometime to add any feedback to help others.  

[jeffrey r]

Can confirm, Catalyst 100 still an awesome shaft.  I tried these out last summer in a Callaway iron set that I wasn’t sold on, so I returned the iron set to Callaway despite being very impressed with the Catalyst 100.

 

Fast forward to now, I had some Callaway credit, they had a 50% trade-in bonus, so I ordered an Apex 21 iron set with the Catalyst 100 ss1x.  Got them in last week, and have taken them out for about 18 holes.  Aside from the fact that the Apex 21 are very nice irons, the Catalyst 100 are just great. I generally play Steelfibers i110 R, i95R and fc115 (ss1x), and the Catalyst 100 more than hold their own with the mighty SF.

 

I don’t generally find the SF harsh, though they are of course known to be pretty stout even in R flex.  Catalyst 100 feel smoother than the SF, soft-stepped at least. I’ve never tried the Catalyst 100 straight-in, though I suspect they would be fine.  Soft-stepped seems to work well for me, so no concern there. Still firm, but very smooth and stable. Just great shafts, and minimal up-charge with Callaway.  YMMV. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by jeffrey r

[Drivingrangehero]

27 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

Catalyst 100 are just great. I generally play Steelfibers i110 R, i95R and fc115 (ss1x), and the Catalyst 100 

 

What Catalyst 100 are you referring to, 6.0 or 6.5? 

 

Also Fc115 f4 ss/x1?

Edited June 3, 2022 by Drivingrangehero
.

[jeffrey r]

49 minutes ago, Drivingrangehero said:

 

What Catalyst 100 are you referring to, 6.0 or 6.5? 

 

Also Fc115 f4 ss/x1?

 

6.0 in the Catalyst 100, and f4 (stiff) in the fc115.  Each soft-stepped once.  Catalyst 100 in the Apex 21 set, fc115 in a set of PXG Gen2 P irons.  Was out this morning with both sets switching off, and like them both.  I’ve had the PXG’s for a while now, just never really played them regularly.  Ping G425 with Steelfiber i110 R is my “regular” set such as it is, which now may be superseded by the Apex 21 set due to better look, feel, etc.

 

I can definitely feel the extra heft in the fc115 as compared to the Catalyst 100.  Similarly, the i110 is heftier than the Catalyst 100.  Catalyst 100 is a nice sweet spot of not too heavy, not too light.  YMMV.

[Drivingrangehero]

6 hours ago, jeffrey r said:

can definitely feel the extra heft in the fc115 as compared to the Catalyst 100.  Similarly, the i110 is heftier than the Catalyst 100.  Catalyst 100 is a nice sweet spot of not too heavy, not too light.  YMMV.

Thanks. 

 

I had a catalyst 80 6.0 in my 2 iron which was nice. I think 6.5 ss/x1 would have been better or the 100 6.0 would be nice, but I like the 115g range in my irons 

 

So the SF i110R , FC 115 F4 ss/x1, and Catalyst 100 6.0 ss/x1 are similar in flex or feel, just different in weight? 

 

I found the i95R to be similar to the Catalyst 80 6.0. I think the Catalyst had a bit more action (kick) threw the hitting zone. 

 

.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Drivingrangehero
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