Project X Smoke RDX Shaft

[Fairways_and_Greens]

On 7/28/2020 at 9:12 PM, slicktry said:

I know Hexcel has provided carbon fiber material to other manufacturers, but this is the first time I can remember their Hextow material specifically being named. Similar to Hzrdus T1100 using Toray fiber.

God Bless

Jer

I wok in aerospace. Hexcel is a company. Tow is just a spool of long fibers (as opposed to fabric sheets). Trying to sell Hex-tow is just marketing.

[getair23]

57 minutes ago, ProjectX said:

Any updates on the RDX? Would really love to hear from someone who has swung both the Hulk and RDX Black in 6.5 TX.

They are from 2 different planets. RDX felt loose to me and dispersion was all over the place. Not my cup of tea. It’s also not shiny and green. 

[dripsauce]

Low launch low spin, not bad. Definitely not for slower swing speeds

[Brooks_Cupcake]

1 hour ago, getair23 said:

They are from 2 different planets. RDX felt loose to me and dispersion was all over the place. Not my cup of tea. It’s also not shiny and green. 

RDX in the 60g 6.5 (non TX) flex felt very smooth and linear 

Almost like an Atmos Black with a bit more smoothness to it 

[Nixhex524]

Hit this in the 6.0 60g during my TSi2 fitting.  I got VERY similar numbers to the Tensei Raw White 65.  I went with the Tensei as it felt a touch smoother and seemed to have tighter dispersion especially on the mis hits, although, not by much.  RDX is a very good shaft for my 104 SS.

[ProjectX]

17 hours ago, getair23 said:

They are from 2 different planets. RDX felt loose to me and dispersion was all over the place. Not my cup of tea. It’s also not shiny and green. 

A lot of people complained about dispersion on the Hulk shafts until they realized they needed to be tipped an inch. Were both shafts tipped in your case?

[getair23]

2 minutes ago, ProjectX said:

A lot of people complained about dispersion on the Hulk shafts until they realized they needed to be tipped an inch. Were both shafts tipped in your case?

I doubt the RDX was tipped, Hulk is tipped 1/2".  My last fitting was outdoors and a little chilly.  I was around 113 mph.  I rarely get above 115mph for reference.  I know pretty wimpy around here.  I really like the Hulk.  Only thing that has been close to is the KBS driver shaft(love this shaft, numbers weren't too different for the additional investment) and Tensei Raw White.  

[getitdaily]

For those who don't peruse YouTube...

 

 

[bogeypro]

I didn't care for the RDX.  It felt loose... Like they took a black smoke and tried to make it feel soft and squishy.  

[geauxWRX]

With this above video comparing RDX to Ventus, I wonder if there are two different models like TX (small batch) vs stock oem just like Ventus vs Ventus velocore. The above video is testing the TX version which is likely a totally different shaft than oem.

[third-times-a-charm]

2 hours ago, geauxWRX said:

With this above video comparing RDX to Ventus, I wonder if there are two different models like TX (small batch) vs stock oem just like Ventus vs Ventus velocore. The above video is testing the TX version which is likely a totally different shaft than oem.

 

Thats the thing.

 

With @Fujikura Golf...the shaft you buy on the rack is the same shaft the pros play and the 'technology' in the shaft. There is no guessing as to what you're buying or what was skimped on. (Besides the OEM made-for non-velocore Ventus which I hate Fujikura for agreeing to, but 100% understand why they did it financially).

 

With ProjectX and Mitsubishi...the shaft you buy is a complete crapshoot as to where it's made, what tech is in it compared to the 'tour' or 'TX' models, small batch and 'made-for' models and etc.

 

I'll stick with Fuji. Plus Fuji shafts dont feel like hollow graphite fishing rods, like HZRDUS models do.

[cw1209]

10 hours ago, bogeypro said:

I didn't care for the RDX.  It felt loose... Like they took a black smoke and tried to make it feel soft and squishy.  

 

Felt the same way to me. Funny part is the Smoke Black was a softer "more playable" version of the original Hzrdus Black. You can see where they are going with this: Hzrdus Black -> Smoke Black -> Smoke Black RDX -> Slow Cooked Double Smoked Black. You will find this shaft at your local grocery store in the pasta section. 

 

 

[QuigleyDU]

On 11/30/2020 at 1:25 PM, ProjectX said:

A lot of people complained about dispersion on the Hulk shafts until they realized they needed to be tipped an inch. Were both shafts tipped in your case?

The hulk has had great dispersion for me. 

[QuigleyDU]

44 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

 

Thats the thing.

 

With @Fujikura Golf...the shaft you buy on the rack is the same shaft the pros play and the 'technology' in the shaft. There is no guessing as to what you're buying or what was skimped on. (Besides the OEM made-for non-velocore Ventus which I hate Fujikura for agreeing to, but 100% understand why they did it financially).

 

With ProjectX and Mitsubishi...the shaft you buy is a complete crapshoot as to where it's made, what tech is in it compared to the 'tour' or 'TX' models, small batch and 'made-for' models and etc.

 

I'll stick with Fuji. Plus Fuji shafts dont feel like hollow graphite fishing rods, like HZRDUS models do.

 

 

To be fair. The "small batch" shafts are the exact same models as the regular shafts. The only difference being paint. Now the TX models may be a different deal. I know the Haz green 6.5 x flex and haz green TX flex are almost completely different shafts. But if you are just comparing a X stiff RDX black and a small batch RDx black also in X stiff. They are the exact... same... shaft... The only difference at that point being, location of production, volume, status, and paint. Materials, build process, EI profile, etc all being the same. 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by QuigleyDU

[getair23]

2 hours ago, geauxWRX said:

With this above video comparing RDX to Ventus, I wonder if there are two different models like TX (small batch) vs stock oem just like Ventus vs Ventus velocore. The above video is testing the TX version which is likely a totally different shaft than oem.

The shaft in the video is the Small Batch RDX Blue, which is not available yet.  If TM or Callaway offer this option in their 2021 lines, it definitely won't be that shaft.  This is a premium shaft that will take extreme will power not to blindly purchase for my 5w when available.  

[getair23]

I also resemble that comment.  Smoke Green has been great for me as well.  

Edited December 3, 2020 by getair23

[QuigleyDU]

Just now, getair23 said:

The shaft in the video is the Small Batch RDX Blue, which is not available yet.  If TM or Callaway offer this option in their 2021 lines, it definitely won't be that shaft.  This is a premium shaft that will take extreme will power not to blindly purchase for my 5w when available.  

 

The RDX blue will be a stock option in the new cobra RAD driver. It will not be the TX version. but other than that it is the same shaft.. I just dont know yet what difference there is yet to the TX vs X models yet. 

[getair23]

1 minute ago, QuigleyDU said:

 

The RDX blue will be a stock option in the new cobra RAD driver. It will not be the TX version. but other than that it is the same shaft.. I just dont know yet what difference there is yet to the TX vs X models yet. 

Cobra's shaft game has always been strong.  Good news there, thank you.  I'm only in for the shiny one.

[QuigleyDU]

1 minute ago, getair23 said:

Cobra's shaft game has always been strong.  Good news there, thank you.  I'm only in for the shiny one.

Hey,, who does not like shiny!!??

[400yards+]

I completely understand what you guys are saying about the tx being different. I have the 70tx rdx black in the bag. Been a t1100 and a hulk 70tx guy since they came out. To

me this is the best feeling px shaft to date. I was a little concerned about the stated soft butt section of this shaft. A white board profile to me is loose and have typically preferred a stiffer handle. 
 

That being said the rdx black doesn’t feel loose to me at all. I think the softer handle is relative and definitely stiffer than its Mitsubishi counterpart. I haven’t been on a monitor to check

numbers, but to my eye it’s a Flatter flight than either the hulk and the t1100. 
 

I will also add that this shaft takes easy swings and full out swings and consistently feels like it loads the same with each. 
 

l don’t know if I will stick to it as long as my hulk because it’s early and season is almost over, but for now it’s in the bag over the hulk, t1100, and my auto flex 505 xx. 

[QuigleyDU]

On 11/29/2020 at 7:44 PM, Fairways_and_Greens said:

I wok in aerospace. Hexcel is a company. Tow is just a spool of long fibers (as opposed to fabric sheets). Trying to sell Hex-tow is just marketing.

Interesting.. What would the benefit be other than marketing then? 

 

EDIT*** Thanks a lot for pointing out a rabbit hole that I just had to jump into.... 

 

https://www.hexcel.com/Products/Carbon-Fiber/HexTow-Continuous-Carbon-Fiber

https://www.hexcel.com/user_area/content_media/raw/HM54_HexTow_DataSheet.pdf

https://www.hexcel.com/user_area/content_media/raw/HexcelCSRDXSep20v5.pdf

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by QuigleyDU

[third-times-a-charm]

1 hour ago, QuigleyDU said:

Interesting.. What would the benefit be other than marketing then? 

 

EDIT*** Thanks a lot for pointing out a rabbit hole that I just had to jump into.... 

 

https://www.hexcel.com/Products/Carbon-Fiber/HexTow-Continuous-Carbon-Fiber

https://www.hexcel.com/user_area/content_media/raw/HM54_HexTow_DataSheet.pdf

https://www.hexcel.com/user_area/content_media/raw/HexcelCSRDXSep20v5.pdf

 

 

I guess it would be like GDI putting 'TOCRAY FIBERS' on their shafts?

[QuigleyDU]

5 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

 

I guess it would be like GDI putting 'TOCRAY FIBERS' on their shafts?

 

sure or T1100 or whatever else. They are just stating the material used. For the most part it has little meaning as we do not have the context to understand the nomenclature. 

Edited December 3, 2020 by QuigleyDU

[getair23]

2 hours ago, 400yards+ said:

I completely understand what you guys are saying about the tx being different. I have the 70tx rdx black in the bag. Been a t1100 and a hulk 70tx guy since they came out. To

me this is the best feeling px shaft to date. I was a little concerned about the stated soft butt section of this shaft. A white board profile to me is loose and have typically preferred a stiffer handle. 
 

That being said the rdx black doesn’t feel loose to me at all. I think the softer handle is relative and definitely stiffer than its Mitsubishi counterpart. I haven’t been on a monitor to check

numbers, but to my eye it’s a Flatter flight than either the hulk and the t1100. 
 

I will also add that this shaft takes easy swings and full out swings and consistently feels like it loads the same with each. 
 

l don’t know if I will stick to it as long as my hulk because it’s early and season is almost over, but for now it’s in the bag over the hulk, t1100, and my auto flex 505 xx. 

Great post. I could easily be confusing what feels lose vs. actual feel. I tend to gravitate towards shafts that “feel” like they have less action to them. I love the feel of the OG satin, not shiny, PX 6.5’s in my old Mizuno irons, but KBS tour has beat them and everything else for a while now.   If I went strictly on data I would curtail so much golf spending and would dearly miss all my internet friends. 

[Brooks_Cupcake]

3 hours ago, 400yards+ said:

I completely understand what you guys are saying about the tx being different. I have the 70tx rdx black in the bag. Been a t1100 and a hulk 70tx guy since they came out. To

me this is the best feeling px shaft to date. I was a little concerned about the stated soft butt section of this shaft. A white board profile to me is loose and have typically preferred a stiffer handle. 
 

That being said the rdx black doesn’t feel loose to me at all. I think the softer handle is relative and definitely stiffer than its Mitsubishi counterpart. I haven’t been on a monitor to check

numbers, but to my eye it’s a Flatter flight than either the hulk and the t1100. 
 

I will also add that this shaft takes easy swings and full out swings and consistently feels like it loads the same with each. 
 

l don’t know if I will stick to it as long as my hulk because it’s early and season is almost over, but for now it’s in the bag over the hulk, t1100, and my auto flex 505 xx. 

Just ordered 70 TX myself to test in the new 425 before making any decisions against the trusted Atmos Black that continues in my bag year after year.

[Valtiel]

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

 

I guess it would be like GDI putting 'TOCRAY FIBERS' on their shafts?

Yeah, advertising the material tech sells shafts. And whether it is Boron fiber, MR70, Hexcel, Torayca, TiNi etc etc, the concept is the same; lighter weight, stronger materials to hit a certain profile.

The fairly basic cheaper "OEM" shafts will often look very similar from a profile standpoint, because the bend profile will follow that natural taper of a composite shaft. Something like the original HZRDUS Smoke:



The butt section will naturally be the strongest so they likely skimp on the material strength here a bit to save money, hence that softer spot in the handle (this is just speculation though), and then the rest of the shaft is just a flat slope towards the tip. There are half a dozen other OEM shafts from different companies that basically look exactly like this. In order to create a profile that differs from this basic shape, you start introducing some other design components including different taper rates and "exotic" materials to strengthen parts of shaft without adding a ton of weight.

As an example, here is the Hulk over the Smoke:

 

This is where they used the lighter, stronger Hexcel fibers to create a massively stiff handle and lower handle section. You could make this same profile with the materials used in the OEM HZRDUS Smoke, but then the shaft would end up too heavy and would also start to feel more "dead", so to speak. 

And then to use the AD-DI as another comparison....



....the Toray "Nanoalloy" used in the tip section allows them to increase the stiffness there without adding a ton of weight and throwing off the balance of the shaft. 

So whenever you're seeing material tech advertised in the shaft, it is usually for this sort of purpose. 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Valtiel

[Darth_Fader]

Has anyone hit the RDX Blue TX yet? Any feedback and comparisons to other shafts? Thanks!

[ILove2Golf123]

Is the RDX shaft Titleist is offering stock the real deal or is like Taylormade's Ventus Blue where there's no VeloCore. I guess in this case it would be no Hexcel.  

[Valtiel]

58 minutes ago, ILove2Golf123 said:

Is the RDX shaft Titleist is offering stock the real deal or is like Taylormade's Ventus Blue where there's no VeloCore. I guess in this case it would be no Hexcel.  

The pattern with the HZRDUS shafts has been that the non-TX flex version of the shafts is the "standard" no upcharge version and the TX flex is the "tour" profile with an upcharge. Whether or not the fancy materials are being saved only for the TX flex version I cannot say, but True Temper seems to have been deliberately vague from a spec/marketing standpoint there since the website specs for the HZRDUS Green shafts look fairly similar even though the TX version is a completely different profile. 

This is a bit different than the whole Velocore business however since the premium Ventus existed first in all standard flexes, followed by the stripped down cheaper "non-Velocore" version being made for TM. The HZRDUS shafts however have always been consistent between OEM and aftermarket with the beefed up TX versions only sneaking in as an additional "premium" option. Not a terribly dissimilar concept, just presented and marketed differently. 

Bottom line, if you bring a lot of speed and usually play X-flex shafts, you should probably check out the TX versions of the RDX. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. 

Edited December 4, 2020 by Valtiel

[beaner25]

1 hour ago, ILove2Golf123 said:

Is the RDX shaft Titleist is offering stock the real deal or is like Taylormade's Ventus Blue where there's no VeloCore. I guess in this case it would be no Hexcel.  

I have a stock 6.5 RDX in my TSi3. The “Hexcel” symbol is on the shaft. Oddly enough I was fit into this shaft with a fairly low swing speed (103-105 ish). I get up to 110 if I hammer on it, and that’s where I get better results. I guess that’s what I’m doing from now on 🤷‍♂️

 

Odd though that the shaft on the Titleist website has the weight at 64 grams. True Temper’s website has it at 59 grams?