new for 2020 Aldila NV iron shafts (small update)

[NRJyzr]

Seeing what I think is a new Aldila NV iron shaft in the GolfWorks catalog. They range from 46g in A flex to Stiff flexes in 74g to 95g. They're .370 tip.

Anyone tried these, know anything about them beyond the Aldila or GolfWorks blurbs on their websites?

[Stuart_G]

Interesting.

But to answer your question no. First I've heard of them. Been a long time since we've seen any new Iron shafts come from Aldila. The development of the Rogue Pro iron shafts seems to have stalled when MRC aquired Aldila. These obviously aren't in the same category but hopefully it's a sign of more things to come.

Not crazy about the descending weight, but I'm thinking the 95 gm might be worth getting one to test out when the winter comes to an end.

 

[Bad9]

What are thosae Rogue pro iron shafts like. GW Canada has them on a pretty hefty discount.

[Stuart_G]

Sorry, no idea. The ones that actually got released were too light for me. They were supposed to be followed by a Rogue Tour iron shaft for the heavier weights - I think 3 different weights from between 95 gm to maybe 125 gm. There were a few rare sightings of the heaviest version but as far as I could tell, the 95 and 110-115 gm models never made it out the door.

[NRJyzr]

 

I had a feeling I was seeing a product that was largely completely new, but one never knows. :)

Personally, I'd prefer options in the over 100g weight class, even up to 125g, but it seems pretty obvious I'm not in the fat part of the bell curve with that wish. The retail Recoil 125s appear to be no more, Steelfiber 125s can be found but aren't listed everywhere, etc., etc. The added irony is, I'm not even sure I'm fully ready to go down the graphite-in-irons road. LOL

Constant weight and taper options would be nice, also. Not sure I quite trust my skills to try tapering the shafts myself.

A mildly related side note: the NV105 was still available at Hireko for quite a while, which I didn't quite understand as they'd disappeared from every other shaft source. I was able to do a full set, 2-LW, with them. Some time during 2019, they've largely disappeared; you can only get tapered S flex wedge shafts, and a couple tapered X flex shaft options (6i, 8i, 9i).

[Stuart_G]

If you're not having any pain issues, there is little incentive to move to graphite. And if you do have pain issues, the heavier weight can be aggravating factor even when switching to graphite. So the very heavy weight graphite really don't have a very large customer base so it's tough to maintain a commercial product line.
@NRJyzr said Constant weight and taper options would be nice, also. Not sure I quite trust my skills to try tapering the shafts myself
If you ever do want to give it a try, send me a PM and I'll walk you through it. It's really not that hard if you take it slowely the first couple of times. Then once you get a feel for how much (or really how little) material you have to remove, it starts to go by a lot faster.

[NRJyzr]

 

That's very kind of you, Stuart. If I decide to go down that road, I will drop you a line.

I mentioned my NV105 set earlier. Played them for three or four months, once I'd put them together. Though I felt I had only mild pain issues at most, I discovered exactly how much over these months. It was the absence of the aches I didn't quite realize I had that gave me that realization. Not unlike the old Buddy Hackett joke about his mother's cooking, LOL. It's not to the level that I need to go graphite to be able to play, but I could see myself heading down that road in the next few years.

It never hurts to have options, either.

[RR58]

They are also listed in the Hireko catalog so they aren't just something created for Golfworks.

[ode1]

Black finish looks good.....95 might work well for those looking for a more cost friendly DI or hybrid shaft with some more weight to it!

[PhlashPhace]

I installed one in a driving iron and if you're needing something heavier than what they produce this is not the shaft for you. I'm actually surprised they even make them in an S Flex. They are pretty loose and high torque and seem to be typical of a graphite you'd find in an OEM set of irons. Nothing special hence the price.

[autronicdsm]

Just out of curiosity, do you know how much weight do you loose between 4-iron and PW after trimming the shafts (typically)? Head weight goes up by 6-7g per head. Shaft weight might be going down, but club weight is still up? I have one set of irons somewhere with parallel shafts but no scale to check.

[Stuart_G]

Thanks for sharing.

But can't say I'm all that surprised. Even the older NV105 and VS-Proto iron shafts retailed in the $35 range - although frequently could be found closer to $30.

[Stuart_G]

It can vary from shaft to shaft, but Yes, even with the heavier shafts (e.g. TT DG parallels) the total shaft weight progression will typically still be ascending. Maybe at worst a couple grams lost per club as you go from club to club with the parallel shafts. But it's not really difference jumping from one club to the next that's all that noticeable. Rather it's the cumulative effects over the whole set and difference between comparing say the PW in the CW set vs the PW in a decending weight set where the difference become more noticeable with the heavier weight shafts. Playing a PW from a 125 gm descending weight parallel shaft would be similar to playing a PW from a 110-115 gm CW shaft weight.

 

 

[PhlashPhace]

The NV MLTi Comp and MLTi Pro were much better products than this. They were 85 grams and 105 grams with lower torque ratings and they also were discrete length sets in both .355" and .37". I think the bulk of the sales of this new version is going to be for someone who broke a single iron and just want to plain black graphite shaft that kind of matches what they got from the OEM. This is definitely a product that is targeted to the more casual golfer.

[r2edline]

Bumping up a slightly old thread - curious if anyone else out there has done any testing with these new black Aldila NV shafts? 

 

I hit these at a fitting earlier this week, and they came away to be a potential winner for me.  I found the 95-Stiff to be quite stable, I'm moving down from an X to an S due to age and loss of speed, and didn't notice the shaft to be loose or whippy at all.  Dispersion was the tightest of all the shafts I've tested.  Feel was good, I thought there were other shafts I tested that felt a bit better but marginal at best, these were up there.  Given the price point I think this could be a real contender for those in the graphite iron shaft market. 

 

I tried to do a bit of research but there is really limited information out there.  Spoke to a guy at Golfworks who was familiar with them, he told me that these are newer technology than the old-school NV Green iron shafts from back in the day, which seems to be correct from what I can tell. 

I think part of the issue with these shafts is the lack of marketing, reviews or any kind of detailed information about them.  They've been in the market for over a year now and the fitting was the first time I'd ever seen or heard of them.   I contacted Aldila on social media but no response thus far.

[jeffrey r]

2 hours ago, r2edline said:

Bumping up a slightly old thread - curious if anyone else out there has done any testing with these new black Aldila NV shafts? 

 

I hit these at a fitting earlier this week, and they came away to be a potential winner for me.  I found the 95-Stiff to be quite stable, I'm moving down from an X to an S due to age and loss of speed, and didn't notice the shaft to be loose or whippy at all.  Dispersion was the tightest of all the shafts I've tested.  Feel was good, I thought there were other shafts I tested that felt a bit better but marginal at best, these were up there.  Given the price point I think this could be a real contender for those in the graphite iron shaft market. 

 

I tried to do a bit of research but there is really limited information out there.  Spoke to a guy at Golfworks who was familiar with them, he told me that these are newer technology than the old-school NV Green iron shafts from back in the day, which seems to be correct from what I can tell. 

I think part of the issue with these shafts is the lack of marketing, reviews or any kind of detailed information about them.  They've been in the market for over a year now and the fitting was the first time I'd ever seen or heard of them.   I contacted Aldila on social media but no response thus far.

 

I have nothing to add on the Aldilas, as I've never hit them, let alone seen them.  But curious what shafts you tested these against.  The usual suspects, like Recoil 95, Steelfiber 95?  If you preferred the NV 95 against shafts like those, then that is saying something.  Thanks.

[BogeyParBogey]

I like the Aldila NV hybrid shaft for what its worth.  I have the regular flex in a Maltby TC Tour hybrid.  I think it plays to flex and doesn't balloon.

 

Dave

[r2edline]

4 hours ago, jeffrey r said:

 

I have nothing to add on the Aldilas, as I've never hit them, let alone seen them.  But curious what shafts you tested these against.  The usual suspects, like Recoil 95, Steelfiber 95?  If you preferred the NV 95 against shafts like those, then that is saying something.  Thanks.

 

I've played Steelfiber 110 for years, but have lost some speed due to injuries.  Tested them against Recoils (never liked them/nor do they fit me), Steelfiber 95 still felt great definitely an option for me, OT110 felt the best very nice and could have been a fit.  Accra, KBS, lots of good graphite options out there right now.   NV felt good, not softest or most explosive but stable and they were the most consistent/best fit for me.   

[Sparky14]

I am playing the NV85s stiff in a set of STi2 irons. I've had them since August.

 

I had been playing older heavier graphites (UST Tour Weights and Penley IMS) which both were around 110 gram, but I wanted to get something lighter (although I'd had bad results from sub 90 gram shafts). Talking to Golfworks, they thought the new NV85s were very stable for the weight). So I gave them a shot.

 

Really surprised by how well these shafts performed from the start. I am an early releaser, so I tend to hit everything way too high, and lighter shafts just exacerbate that. But the NV85s flight was the same as the UST and Penley shafts. I did pick up about 5 yards distance with the lighter shafts which helped my gaps on both ends.

 

I'll add that the shafts have some sort of binary code painting that you can't really make out from the GW pics, but looks really slick in person.

 

Highly recommended.

[NRJyzr]

I thought I'd respond to my own topic, since I've now got a small amount of experience with this shaft...

 

I picked up two NV95 stiff shafts to use as an experiment.  One of them has been installed in a Pinhawk Vertex clubhead I'd built as an experiment for my wife (she was intrigued, but it didn't work for her).  Took it on the course last Friday, hit it on three or four occasions, and hit a number of shots with it yesterday on the driving range. 

 

Was quite pleasantly surprised by it.  I tipped it an extra half inch past the 8i tipping, because my intention was to lead tape it to D6 at minimum.  My first shot with the club, on course, was quite lovely, wound up inside 10 feet from a downhill lie.  Used it for a punch, then hit it on a par 3 into the breeze, it had excellent direction, but came up just short; I think I was asking too much of it on this shot.

 

Yesterday's range session, I was hitting at a target flag that was on a small, slightly elevated "green."  Every shot was quite excellent, right at that little green, except one.  That shot was pulled about 10 feet left of this fake green.  No hooks, no overloading the shaft; shaft held up well to what I threw at it, both in quicker tempo and at least one obnoxious swing.  Color me impressed. 

 

I'm intrigued enough that I'll be throwing this next shaft into an old Golfsmith Tour Cavity Forged 2 iron that I have lying around, maybe pick up another few of these, throw them in one of my parallel sets...

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by NRJyzr
was all over the place, LOL

[Whipitgood13]

For some strange reason, the Aldila NV has cemented itself as one of my favorite go-to shafts in various clubs over the past 15 years. Especially lofted fairway woods and hybrids.  If this iron shaft is anything like the Classic NV, I'll be super happy.  I put the 95 stiffs  into a set of 

Sub 70  699 Pro Black  irons on order.  (Black NV shaft, Black 699 heads 👌)  Fingers crossed, when I get them I'll report back. 

[third-times-a-charm]

On 9/7/2021 at 10:10 AM, NRJyzr said:

I thought I'd respond to my own topic, since I've now got a small amount of experience with this shaft...

 

I picked up two NV95 stiff shafts to use as an experiment.  One of them has been installed in a Pinhawk Vertex clubhead I'd built as an experiment for my wife (she was intrigued, but it didn't work for her).  Took it on the course last Friday, hit it on three or four occasions, and hit a number of shots with it yesterday on the driving range. 

 

Was quite pleasantly surprised by it.  I tipped it an extra half inch past the 8i tipping, because my intention was to lead tape it to D6 at minimum.  My first shot with the club, on course, was quite lovely, wound up inside 10 feet from a downhill lie.  Used it for a punch, then hit it on a par 3 into the breeze, it had excellent direction, but came up just short; I think I was asking too much of it on this shot.

 

Yesterday's range session, I was hitting at a target flag that was on a small, slightly elevated "green."  Every shot was quite excellent, right at that little green, except one.  That shot was pulled about 10 feet left of this fake green.  No hooks, no overloading the shaft; shaft held up well to what I threw at it, both in quicker tempo and at least one obnoxious swing.  Color me impressed. 

 

I'm intrigued enough that I'll be throwing this next shaft into an old Golfsmith Tour Cavity Forged 2 iron that I have lying around, maybe pick up another few of these, throw them in one of my parallel sets...

 

 

Whats your wife's SS and which flex did you try and put her into?

[NRJyzr]

1 hour ago, third-times-a-charm said:

 

Whats your wife's SS and which flex did you try and put her into?

 

No idea of her swingspeed.  The shafts I'd installed were Acer ladies flex, picked up from Value Golf.  They're the same shafts she's currently using in her "regular" set.

 

[deepred]

I wonder how these compare to the Proto By You iron shafts of yesteryear 

 

[Stuart_G]

8 hours ago, deepred said:

I wonder how these compare to the Proto By You iron shafts of yesteryear 

 

 

VS-proto's were a bit softer in the tip for a bit higher launching shaft.  more mid to low-mid shaft as compared to the low launch of the NV.

 

One of my all time favorites.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Stuart_G

[Whipitgood13]

On 11/16/2021 at 7:10 PM, Whipitgood13 said:

For some strange reason, the Aldila NV has cemented itself as one of my favorite go-to shafts in various clubs over the past 15 years. Especially lofted fairway woods and hybrids.  If this iron shaft is anything like the Classic NV, I'll be super happy.  I put the 95 stiffs  into a set of 

Sub 70  699 Pro Black  irons on order.  (Black NV shaft, Black 699 heads 👌)  Fingers crossed, when I get them I'll report back. 

Just following up to my above post...   I received my Sub 70 699 Pro Black irons with the NV Black shafts. (Boy does that combo look good!)  I've hit Recoil's and the Steelfiber 95's in my irons in the past.  The Recoils felt too loose, and the Steelfibers were lacking "soul" or feel for me. A bit rigid.  Hard to pin down, might have been the iron head too. 

At any rate, I've had a chance too hit the NV's with the 699 Pro heads and they are great.  Very much 

what I've come to expect from the NV over the years.  Good feel,  great height, predictable flight that feels good in your hands.  And a really nice balance.  However, not "Stiff".  If you like tight, rigid feel, it's not these. 

I got the 95 Stiff.  I'm not a high speed player but accurate irons are a big part of my game.  If you like flighting the ball down, these are probably not for you.  the 699 head and the NV likes to go high. 

Which is fine with me.  steep angle of decent on our courses hard, fast greens in the summer.  
This is very early in the test, but I'll report back as I learn and compare more.  

[deepred]

I asked on the GW forum if the NV iron was as low launch and low spin as the wood shaft and the answer was they are not so your experience backs that up. The Maltby iron shaft is much stiffer.

 

[elsie451]

On 11/26/2021 at 11:37 AM, Whipitgood13 said:

Good feel,  great height, predictable flight that feels good in your hands.  And a really nice balance.  However, not "Stiff".  If you like tight, rigid feel, it's not these.

I'm considering getting this same combo, but with the satin heads.  Would you suggest hard stepping if you had it to do over? Do they feel loose? Any dispersion issues?  Thanks!