Which equpment reviewers do you trust/like?

[Mp14forlife]

Trust is subjective I guess and I know everyone should do their own testing etc... but which equipment reviewers do you put the most stock in? Some of these reviewers want to move product, some are sponsored etc...I enjoy txg, the in depth testing and explanations in their videos are great etc...however, I've gone back and watched a few of their videos and on a few it seems like things were "tailored" for the new item to perform better vs the old. I could be wrong but I still enjoy txg and will keep watching. I like Peter Finch and Shiels. Shiels may not have a great swing but he's been pretty honest in reviews. Finch seems good.  I know this is subjective. So who's your favorite? Why? I'm always looking for new folks to watch. 

[PuffyC]

Reviews for golf stuff is hard because something that works great for one person may not work at all for someone else. Add in the perks OEMs throw to people who praise their products (and withhold them from those who don’t) and reviews in general have little value. Most are just regurgitated marketing fluff. All that said, there’s one golf site I trust to be fairly honest and that’s because they’ve given poor reviews to products that did not perform for them and they explained why in a fair and balanced way. Not sure what the rules are so I’ll just say it starts with a P. I’ve yet to find anything I’d consider more than an infomercial on YT.

[Mike_Honcho]

if i had to pick, i'd go txg...i like the feedback that's given.  how it applies to me?  f***, if i know...but i like it.

[iknowbagu]

TXG and Shiels. 

 

Honestly, I trust here just as much as than anything. Not any one specific poster over another, but in the sense that you do tend to start seeing patterns of similar feedback.

[JohnM88]

TXG and 2nd Swing. 2nd Swing can be a little marketing heavy but Thomas has a nice, repeatable swing and you can see all of the club and ball data to determine if the delivery changed any results vs. the actual equipment. 

[regiwstruk]

Michael Newton just to see if it’s anything worth hitting myself. 

[Drivingrangehero]

39 minutes ago, PuffyC said:

Reviews for golf stuff is hard because something that works great for one person may not work at all for someone else.

That about sums up my view. 
 

Unless you can find a guy with the same tempo, swing speed, attack angle, swing path, same ball, same shaft, hitting of similar turf …..etc, it’s all a wash, although I do enjoy watching the club fitting process! 

[mogc60]

Txg and here for me. Txg I think does s wonderful job of explaining who and why certain equipment may be a good or bad fit for certain golfers. Even with Matt hammering it they still discuss that equipment for mortals and I think they try to be as in depth as they can. GolfWRX has been where I seek knowledge the most however for a long time. Many members I here I trust and feel I kinda know their games and tastes and the members my game most resembles so I can get great information that way too. 

[hagimihale]

YT reviews: TXG, Mark Crossfield and Rick Shiels are the three i follow the most.  TXG is the best source of info out there IMO.

 

written reviews:  PluggedinGolf seems to have the best content and reviews almost all of the clubs or shafts I'm interested in  

[BagofToast]

I like TXG, Shiels, and Peter Finch, dabble with Micheal Newton from time to time. Written reviews I like Pluggedingolf. 

[texcrom]

Michael Newton.

[BostonWRX]

TXG really the only one I take the info from. I watch the other ones but don’t take much from them

 

Besides that mainly WRX. Example I never would have tried a srixon iron but after seeing so many people say good things about the zx5/7 I gave them a shot and have been gaming them since

 

plugged in golf is good for address pictures 

[this_is_golf]

I respect TXG and Michael Newtons reviews the most, Shiels to a lesser extent. 
 

I like Plugged In and Golf Monthly, too. 

[Baby_Draw]

TXG hands down. Does lefty Matt hitting 360yd drives in his prime apply to my swing? Not one bit, but the entertainment is there and Ian’s equipment knowledge is second to none. Also I haven’t seen Alex Etches mentioned yet, but he’s hilarious and hits BOMBS. Worth a watch if you’re not into the super-technical TXG style. 
 

Regarding the old vs new equipment bias, a lot of reviewers seem to let the tester warm up with the old and then after those swings they’re swinging better/faster with the new. Obviously OEM’s would be pissed if a bunch of ‘Dont’t upgrade, your old gear is better!’ videos came out lol so I’d never expect a video to go live with unfavorable results. 
 

As for written reviews, any PIG, DRH, MGS review IMO reads like an ad for the club or shaft. So many of the same buzzwords thrown around even with very different testers. ‘That Ventus black was stable but not boardy! Low spin low launch.’ Ok, but that’s not gonna be true for everyone and did your 95mph swing really experience that? 
 

At the end of the day we’re taking everything with a grain of salt and hopefully getting fitted yourself 🤷🏻‍♂️

[SteelieD]

Yup, to repeat… TXG on YT and Plugged In for written reviews. 

[Cwing]

I generally enjoy most of those already listed. As much as I like TXG, they typically do not relate to me and my 95-100 mph swing speed.

[Arlin964]

I'll add another on youtube I find pretty credible:  Jay Smith @askgolfnut.  I like his methodology of diving into the results of poor strikes when looking at specific irons.

 

I also like Sophie Walker on the Golfalot channel too.  Her observations are pretty relevant to lots of the things I wonder about when researching golf clubs.

[GHIN n Juice]

I’m probably in the minority, but I still like Crossfield.  I think he really believes there are very few differences in equipment and all his reviews start from that point.  If he sees something that moves the needle then he’s quick to point it out.  

[this_is_golf]

I’m a big fan of Sophie! I can’t believe I forgot to mention her/Golf a Lot. 

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

2 hours ago, PuffyC said:

Reviews for golf stuff is hard because something that works great for one person may not work at all for someone else. Add in the perks OEMs throw to people who praise their products (and withhold them from those who don’t) and reviews in general have little value. Most are just regurgitated marketing fluff. All that said, there’s one golf site I trust to be fairly honest and that’s because they’ve given poor reviews to products that did not perform for them and they explained why in a fair and balanced way. Not sure what the rules are so I’ll just say it starts with a P. I’ve yet to find anything I’d consider more than an infomercial on YT.

Agreed.  I like PluggedIn as well, though agree with the rest of you that he's a little too positive in the review text. Responsive guy in comments too, and there, depending on your questions, he can be a little more candid.

 

The UK review sites aren't too bad.  Usually have a lot more comparison data inter and intra-brand as well.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Jayjay_theweim_guy
Guess we can name other sites here.

[Kingcat990]

You guys, honestly. Golfwrx members. Mixed bag of golfers here provide great feedback on equipment 

[Mp14forlife]

36 minutes ago, GHIN n Juice said:

I’m probably in the minority, but I still like Crossfield.  I think he really believes there are very few differences in equipment and all his reviews start from that point.  If he sees something that moves the needle then he’s quick to point it out.  

I don't mind crossfield. I just can't stand when he calls a shot "delicious." Like nails on a chalkboard when he says that. And his waggle is hard to watch but I know I'm nitpicking.

[eric61]

Sophie Walker at Golfalot is great. Her swing speed might not be very high but she’s such an excellent ball striker, obviously, as a former tour pro, that her observations are meaningful and valuable. 
 

The TXG guys, of course.

 

I watch the podcasts of @knudson81 and Tony/Chris from that other site.

 

Hannah Holden/National Club Golfer is great.

 

Rick Shiels. I like that he tests stuff against older models from the same manufacturers.

I like Crossfield too. He’s got a great, smooth swing. And he sometimes is willing to sort of toss aside the marketing blather in ways other reviewers can’t. 
 

The Average Golfer is good. I like his willingness to try (and advocate for) stuff like a chipper, a 9 wood, etc.
 

The ones I’ll watch sometimes are Michael Newton, Jay Smith (AskGolfNut), Dan Hendrickson, Peter Finch, Matt Fryer, Andy Carter, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. James Robinson puts out such a huge quantity of stuff, but some of his videos with Chris Dennis are good.

[eric61]

Oh! I forgot 2nd Swing. Specifically when it’s Thomas and Drew. Thomas is great, and Drew does a good job of “hosting” and keeping things on track. I actually think Drew is a good tester too. Some of their other folks come across too much as salesmen.

[Arlin964]

16 minutes ago, eric61 said:

Sophie Walker at Golfalot is great. Her swing speed might not be very high but she’s such an excellent ball striker, obviously, as a former tour pro, that her observations are meaningful and valuable. 
 

The TXG guys, of course.

 

I watch the podcasts of @knudson81 and Tony/Chris from that other site.

 

Hannah Holden/National Club Golfer is great.

 

Rick Shiels. I like that he tests stuff against older models from the same manufacturers.

I like Crossfield too. He’s got a great, smooth swing. And he sometimes is willing to sort of toss aside the marketing blather in ways other reviewers can’t. 
 

The Average Golfer is good. I like his willingness to try (and advocate for) stuff like a chipper, a 9 wood, etc.
 

The ones I’ll watch sometimes are Michael Newton, Jay Smith (AskGolfNut), Dan Hendrickson, Peter Finch, Matt Fryer, Andy Carter, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. James Robinson puts out such a huge quantity of stuff, but some of his videos with Chris Dennis are good.

Good call on Hannah at National Club Golfer.  She shares good information as well.

 

A couple others I like are Today's Golfer and ForeGolf Custom.

 

I watched a lot of the Average Golfer for a while but then I grew a bit tired of what I felt like was a trend toward way more click-baity titles and thumbnails.  I know that's just the machine YouTube almost forces you to be, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

 

I watch a lot of James Robinson too, but a couple videos lately really turned me off.  The thumbnail is maybe something about a hybrid or fairway wood, and the picture is clearly a G430 that isn't out of embargo yet, and then the video does not have the G430 in it.  He did that with another club a couple months ago and I find it intentionally misleading.

[ReidE5]

3 hours ago, JohnM88 said:

TXG and 2nd Swing. 2nd Swing can be a little marketing heavy but Thomas has a nice, repeatable swing and you can see all of the club and ball data to determine if the delivery changed any results vs. the actual equipment. 

Same.  these are the only two I really watch now a days

[eric61]

2 minutes ago, Arlin964 said:

Good call on Hannah at National Club Golfer.  She shares good information as well.

 

A couple others I like are Today's Golfer and ForeGolf Custom.

 

I watched a lot of the Average Golfer for a while but then I grew a bit tired of what I felt like was a trend toward way more click-baity titles and thumbnails.  I know that's just the machine YouTube almost forces you to be, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

 

I watch a lot of James Robinson too, but a couple videos lately really turned me off.  The thumbnail is maybe something about a hybrid or fairway wood, and the picture is clearly a G430 that isn't out of embargo yet, and then the video does not have the G430 in it.  He did that with another club a couple months ago and I find it intentionally misleading.

Oh I 100% agree with you about that James Robinson G430 hybrid thumbnail — that was really annoying and misleading. I know exactly the one you’re talking about. Also agree on Average Golfer. 
 

That said, I’ve found enough of value from them in the past that I usually click on their videos when they post, skip ahead to see what they’re talking about/whether it’s a worthwhile video or just a silly clickbaity course vlog or whatever, and then either go start from the beginning or close it out.

 

I pay for YouTube Premium (I travel a ton for work, so being able to download videos to watch offline when I’m on a plane is fantastic), so not having ads probably makes skipping around like that a little easier. It only takes a few seconds to realize like “oh this is actually good” or “dumb, close.”

 

Another golf thing I watch: I have no interest whatsoever in the normal content that folks like Good Good or No Laying Up produce — like, if I’m gonna watch golf, I’ll watch pros; otherwise I’ll just go play myself rather than wasting time watching dudes like me play. But I will check out their “what’s in the bag” videos. Sometimes they offer some insight. Sometimes they reveal a bit about their sponsor companies, what they’re promoting and how they market. Sometimes they’ll say “I was fitted into X because Y” and it’s an interesting insight. 

[getitdaily]

Newton and shiels for clubs

 

Txg for shafts

 

Txg removes too many marginal strikes for me to trust their equipment reviews. I do like that they toy with settings more than anyone though. So I trust them for "how much more does this head spin when adding loft or moving weight around". See the paradym trip d review...

Edited January 7, 2023 by getitdaily

[RogerinNewZealand]

3 hours ago, Drivingrangehero said:

That about sums up my view. 
 

Unless you can find a guy with the same tempo, swing speed, attack angle, swing path, same ball, same shaft, hitting of similar turf …..etc, it’s all a wash, although I do enjoy watching the club fitting process! 

Thats where Mark Crossfield comes in he no superman. Normal person who i can relate to. Michael Newton similar style.  The second swing Titleist Driver 910/3/5/7 video was priceless 5 or 7 yards in it . Love the honesty. You have to understand golf is not a poor mans sport. The aim is to upgrade the target person by $1500 $us spend a year is my guess. 

[MountainKing]

The only reviewer that matters to me is me.   Nobody else but me can tell me how a club/shaft will perform in my hands.