The truth about C-Tapers??

[river11]

is the wrist/elbow pain on the c tapers pretty universal? Ive seen it reported by a few people in every thread but Idk if everyone else who tried it is just avoiding stating the obvious, or if it didnt hurt them

 

I can barely feel a difference between Project x 6.5, $ taper, and x100

 

x100 and $ taper i can feel the club kick a moment before/through impact. I like it. But I am otherwise pretty shaft blind.

 

i can def feel a difference between c taper and the rest, but hitting <70 shots or so at the shop between all 4 of these shafts i dont get any pain.

 

It feels rock solid but not in a bad way to me, but Ive dealt with wrist pain before as a TEEN, when i was practicing a lot on s300s, so id probably be more prone to it now in my late 20s. Currently pain free though on the same s300s playing over 3 rounds a week for 4 months

 

Numbers between all 4 are pretty similar, with $ taper barely higher in peak than C, and x100 spinning a decent amount more

 

I am leaning towards $ taper, because Im afraid of the c taper eventually heading to pain or even wearing out my body over the years without acute pain. Px 6.5 didnt feel nearly as stiff but people say its similar to c taper so im just avoiding the pair. x100 spun higher. Anyone got advice for me?

Edited October 28, 2021 by river11

[JoeFrigo]

really hard to get a definitive answer because C-taper's are such a unique telephone pole shaft. For some they will be that low launch low spin unicorn. For others they dont load the shaft all the way and make contact with an open face giving higher launch and spin

 

If you like PX LZ then id say try KBS $-Taper. I found them to be mid launch with mid-low spin. Slight kick to them but not as pronounced as PX LZ

[adamnbomb]

One of the worst feeling shafts of all time. Just a harsh piece of rebar. Can't believe the number of pros that had them when they came out (Rickie, JRose). Brutal to swing but they do look cool so points for that.

[philsRHman]

I had elbow trouble that coincided with C Taper in the past. I’ve had C Taper Lite (the clear winner for me when hit head to head across KBS, PX, DG) for 3 years now and no troubles. Just played 25 rounds in 20 days and not even a hint of elbow or wrist pain. 

[BostonWRX]

2 hours ago, JoeFrigo said:

really hard to get a definitive answer because C-taper's are such a unique telephone pole shaft. For some they will be that low launch low spin unicorn. For others they dont load the shaft all the way and make contact with an open face giving higher launch and spin

 

If you like PX LZ then id say try KBS $-Taper. I found them to be mid launch with mid-low spin. Slight kick to them but not as pronounced as PX LZ

My favorite part of my c tapers they never go left 

[Phabs]

29 minutes ago, BostonWRX said:

My favorite part of my c tapers they never go left 

Want to sell me yours?  Mine do… 

[vanya]

C-tapers felt horrific to me coming from px 6.0 / 6.5 & I seemed to pick up elbow pain not long after starting with them. Oh, and they all bent at the hosel. Apart from that they were perfect! 

[river11]

1 hour ago, vanya said:

C-tapers felt horrific to me coming from px 6.0 / 6.5 & I seemed to pick up elbow pain not long after starting with them. Oh, and they all bent at the hosel. Apart from that they were perfect! 

and you were fine on the 6.5 for a long time?

[NAM2212]

Fit myself into C Tapers a long time ago. Played them for about 6 years. Very straight but very stiff. Like swinging a 2x4 but I got used to it. Got fit a few months back into some Tour Vs and holy crap after a few swings it was night and day. They launch higher of course but actually spin a tiny bit less for me. Distance is a little shorter in the long irons and a little longer in the short irons for whatever reason. Not missing the C Tapers at all.  

[river11]

6 hours ago, NAM2212 said:

Fit myself into C Tapers a long time ago. Played them for about 6 years. Very straight but very stiff. Like swinging a 2x4 but I got used to it. Got fit a few months back into some Tour Vs and holy crap after a few swings it was night and day. They launch higher of course but actually spin a tiny bit less for me. Distance is a little shorter in the long irons and a little longer in the short irons for whatever reason. Not missing the C Tapers at all.  

what were your criteria in fitting yourself? did you try the tour Vs before the fitting?

[NAM2212]

9 hours ago, river11 said:

what were your criteria in fitting yourself? did you try the tour Vs before the fitting?

I didn’t. I read that C Tapers at the time were the lowest launch and spin shaft on the market. I ordered them and had them built. No data involved whatsoever. HA! They were straight and launched like they were fired out of a cannon. 

[Mike_C]

I played C-Tapers for several years, came from PX 6.5, went with C-Taper 120 straight in.  I didn't feel they were that harsh, really like them, didn't have elbow problems in all those years.  Tried moving to Modus 120 X from the C-Tapers, and within a month elbow problem started, ended up going to graphite for several years in various X flexes. Experimented with the Tour Vs once during the graphite phase, and elbows felt bad pretty quickly, and got rid of them.   Some of this might just be getting older.  This year tried something different, went with Modus 105s, just plain stiff but with prosoft inserts. Elbows have been OK this year, and I feel the dispersion is a bit tighter vs the Recoils I was playing.....but the C-Tapers were great for dispersion, do miss them. 

[NRJyzr]

I looked at C Tapers for a while, when I was having enormous problems with spin with irons.  They definitely did the job in cutting down spin and trajectory.  I was hitting a test 8 iron, which had 42* of loft, absurdly low for that loft.  I actually wondered if I was thinning everything, it was so low, relatively speaking.

 

Ultimately I didn't go that route, due to the tip bending issue.  Just didn't want to deal with it.

 

And now, I've aged out of needing them.  Father Time wins always...

 

[cw1209]

On 10/26/2021 at 9:10 AM, gioguy21 said:

has anyone tried the tour v tour spec x?? how is it in relation to performance/feel to the c-taper? i'm looking to move to lower launch shafts -- current front runner is the X7 but, intrigued by this version kbs. 

 

Haven't played Tour V, but played Modus 130 S and X. Great shaft with good feel. I agree with you that it can be a little difficult to flight down. One of the main reasons why I went back to PX. S3 data says Tour V TX is very similar to Modus 130 X. Bend profile, weight, balance point are really close. Tour V TX is slightly stiffer in the tip but frequency measures 13 CPM lower. Splitting hairs between the two from a data perspective. C Taper X is stiffer in the handle and and reaaaaally stiff in the tip. Softer in the mid. Will definitely launch lower, but not a stiffer shaft than Tour V TX, Modus 130 X, or KBS Tour X.  Plus C Tapers feel horrible. I would have you try standard KBS Tour X in your irons given your success in the wedges. Frequency measurements are the same between Tour V TX and KBS Tour X. Doesn't get a lot of respect as one of the "big boys" in the steel shaft world, but KBS Tour X is no slouch. 
 

[Boomersooner523]

I guess I am a little different here...I LOVE my C-tapers. I found that the 125 S+ is the best fit for me. The 130's made me feel like I needed to work out to get any feel out of them lol.

 

 I have been rotating them out of three different iron heads over the years and I love them. I have used $ tapers before and they do feel a little "better" but not anything measurable. Could have been the sound more than anything honestly...I have the Ctapers with PURE grips on them (two full wraps and three small ones on the bottom hand) and I don't get any harsh feelings out of them. I have a terrible left shoulder and these shafts don't hurt me at all.

 

I was a super high spin player because of some casting issues back in the day and these really helped out. Swing is so much better now and I still love the feel. I came from S300's and tried X100's and they felt terrible to me. I think it is all preference really. 

 

I will say...If you are looking to flight the ball down...these do an INCREDIBLE job at that. I picked up around 10 yards per iron these are in (4-PW)

 

Hope this helps...

[Phabs]

Yep I’m going to be pulling a set of 130’s and going back to either 6.5 rifles or trying my hand at a graphite option in my MP20’s. 

[Pepperturbo]

On 10/28/2021 at 8:34 AM, river11 said:

is the wrist/elbow pain on the c tapers pretty universal? Ive seen it reported by a few people in every thread but Idk if everyone else who tried it is just avoiding stating the obvious, or if it didnt hurt them

 

I can barely feel a difference between Project x 6.5, $ taper, and x100

 

x100 and $ taper i can feel the club kick a moment before/through impact. I like it. But I am otherwise pretty shaft blind.

 

i can def feel a difference between c taper and the rest, but hitting <70 shots or so at the shop between all 4 of these shafts i dont get any pain.

Wrist/elbow pain with any club is not universal.  I never encountered pain playing X-100, Rifle 6.5, C-Taper or PX 6.0, and played PX from 2006 to late 2017+ before going to MMT 125 composite.  If someone experiences pain from any shaft, arm muscles need strengthening. 

 

There's a bend difference between high bend stiff handle PX 6.5 and mid-high bend soft handle X100, $ taper is more in between those two, least to me.  Best guess, you feel the soft handle talking to your hands.  C-taper has a stiff handle, and looks different, but it's quite similar to PX line.  Kim Braly at KBS designed both shafts, only PX came before C-Taper.

 

A shaft that is too strong flex wise or the wrong bend profile can cause swing problems that may lead to physical issues.  Lots of people play shafts that are too stout for their mechanics.  I hit the ball, so HIGH bend stout profiles fit my mechanics, still.  If I go to a mid-bend profile, like Nippon, I must make swing adjustments to hit the ball well, and assuredly will face physical consequences, later.  Good luck.

[river11]

On 11/2/2021 at 12:31 PM, Pepperturbo said:

Wrist/elbow pain with any club is not universal.  I never encountered pain playing X-100, Rifle 6.5, C-Taper or PX 6.0, and played PX from 2006 to late 2017+ before going to MMT 125 composite.  If someone experiences pain from any shaft, arm muscles need strengthening. 

 

There's a bend difference between high bend stiff handle PX 6.5 and mid-high bend soft handle X100, $ taper is more in between those two, least to me.  Best guess, you feel the soft handle talking to your hands.  C-taper has a stiff handle, and looks different, but it's quite similar to PX line.  Kim Braly at KBS designed both shafts, only PX came before C-Taper.

 

A shaft that is too strong flex wise or the wrong bend profile can cause swing problems that may lead to physical issues.  Lots of people play shafts that are too stout for their mechanics.  I hit the ball, so HIGH bend stout profiles fit my mechanics, still.  If I go to a mid-bend profile, like Nippon, I must make swing adjustments to hit the ball well, and assuredly will face physical consequences, later.  Good luck.

thank you for the informational response. I read it carefully but tried not to let it bias my experience when trying them. I'll probably end up going with numbers only since feel is so marginal to me