Fourteen

[indianagolf2]

These models..5 and 7 are endo forged

[B.Easy]

On 9/19/2023 at 2:19 AM, indianagolf2 said:

These models..5 and 7 are endo forged

 

Whoever forged them knows what they are doing, because they feel fantastic.

[jomatty]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:30 AM, jsmcdon said:

I own a combo set of tb5/7. And if I remember correctly the packaging stated Thailand.

I believe that’s where they’re forged and assembled elsewhere. In fact when I received mine there was still fresh solvent, no joking. It’s like they were assembled and shipped next day and I’m in the US.

That makes sense.  Endo forged but not in Japan.  Mine feel fantastic, as good as anything I’ve played.

[jomatty]

Thought I’d post a little update.  I ended up getting a set of proto concepts CO5’s.  A big part of why I chose to do so was this thread and knowledgeable posters suggesting that there is a night and day difference between the Fourteen’s and some of the other Japanese brands that are actually forged in Japan.  The Protos do have a very different head construction so it is definitely not an apples to apples comparison, but I’ll share my thoughts anyways.

As far as feel goes, I really like the Fourteens.  They feel so solid yet so soft.  Feel is so subjective and personal that I would not be at all surprised if others felt differently but that is just my experience, which was confirmed after going back to the Fourteens after playing the Proto c’s.  The Protos are also very nice feeling.  A little d more of a click.  Not a bad click, like when clubs feel clicky, but just a little more of click then the Fourteens, which has more of a melt into the face vibe going on.  Both clubs feel great to me but the Fourteens get the nod in feel from me.  So subjective but that’s just my preference.  The Protos seem to be holding up a little better aesthetically.  Not a big deal to me as I don’t mind my clubs having a bit of character but something worth noting.

As far as performance goes, both clubs are great.  I found them both to be very forgiving for the style clubs they are.  The Fourteens “theatre blade construction” seems to deliver and looks good to my eye.  I did not have a set of Fourteen cavity backs to test so I can’t comment if the TB offers benefits over a traditional cavity back.  I kinda dig the aesthetic, so there is that.  The Protos really offer a lot of performance considering the great feel.  Distance was similar in the 6,7,8,9 irons despite the Fourteens having stronger lofts.  Height was similar as well.  I don’t have data to back this up, but I believe the spin was similar, with Fourteen perhaps having a touch more, despite the stronger lofts.  
Really these two sets of irons are both fantastic.  I could happily game either one for many years to come (it is however WRX so despite my best efforts we all know that will not happen).  Which clubs are in the bag?  The Protos.  What it all came down to was my specific miss and how well the Proto Concepts did with handling it.  I tend to miss on the toe side and with the Protos I found that they retained as much distance and spin as any club I’ve ever used.  My other miss is to catch it skinny and both clubs performed well on that strike.  
These two sets of clubs are both really nice.  Considering the price difference, if I was buying new right now, I would probably go with a TB5/7 combo.  That said, having both of them, I’m giving the slight edge to the Protos based on my particular miss.  As always, ymmv!

[NerdyGolfer]

2 hours ago, jomatty said:

Thought I’d post a little update.  I ended up getting a set of proto concepts CO5’s.  A big part of why I chose to do so was this thread and knowledgeable posters suggesting that there is a night and day difference between the Fourteen’s and some of the other Japanese brands that are actually forged in Japan.  The Protos do have a very different head construction so it is definitely not an apples to apples comparison, but I’ll share my thoughts anyways.

As far as feel goes, I really like the Fourteens.  They feel so solid yet so soft.  Feel is so subjective and personal that I would not be at all surprised if others felt differently but that is just my experience, which was confirmed after going back to the Fourteens after playing the Proto c’s.  The Protos are also very nice feeling.  A little d more of a click.  Not a bad click, like when clubs feel clicky, but just a little more of click then the Fourteens, which has more of a melt into the face vibe going on.  Both clubs feel great to me but the Fourteens get the nod in feel from me.  So subjective but that’s just my preference.  The Protos seem to be holding up a little better aesthetically.  Not a big deal to me as I don’t mind my clubs having a bit of character but something worth noting.

As far as performance goes, both clubs are great.  I found them both to be very forgiving for the style clubs they are.  The Fourteens “theatre blade construction” seems to deliver and looks good to my eye.  I did not have a set of Fourteen cavity backs to test so I can’t comment if the TB offers benefits over a traditional cavity back.  I kinda dig the aesthetic, so there is that.  The Protos really offer a lot of performance considering the great feel.  Distance was similar in the 6,7,8,9 irons despite the Fourteens having stronger lofts.  Height was similar as well.  I don’t have data to back this up, but I believe the spin was similar, with Fourteen perhaps having a touch more, despite the stronger lofts.  
Really these two sets of irons are both fantastic.  I could happily game either one for many years to come (it is however WRX so despite my best efforts we all know that will not happen).  Which clubs are in the bag?  The Protos.  What it all came down to was my specific miss and how well the Proto Concepts did with handling it.  I tend to miss on the toe side and with the Protos I found that they retained as much distance and spin as any club I’ve ever used.  My other miss is to catch it skinny and both clubs performed well on that strike.  
These two sets of clubs are both really nice.  Considering the price difference, if I was buying new right now, I would probably go with a TB5/7 combo.  That said, having both of them, I’m giving the slight edge to the Protos based on my particular miss.  As always, ymmv!

Appreciate the solid write up! Very helpful for anyone considering a switch.

 

Now I’ll foolishly walk my comment about feel back as they are a solid S20C club, so they will have a smooth feel. The time and effort on the design side for the protos is by and large on another level. But the C05’s are a two piece forge and the body is S25C with the face being a hotter material. Can most tell it’s a two piece? No…but when going head to head like this you most certainly can. I compare the feel of my C01TB’s to most clubs and think there’s literally nothing better on this planet, BUT that’s me. I’ll admit I haven’t spent hours on the range or rounds of golf with them, so that doesn’t help my perception either.

 

it’s surprising to hear you didn’t find distance loss as that’s the #1 complaint I’ve heard from anyone playing protos. They are not distance chasers but forgiveness/ tech machines.

 

I like posts like this because it helps me understand an unbiased perspective on things. (I’ll admit I’m fairly biased 😂)

 

Curious to see the direction fourteen and Proto take over the next few years. I’ve heard through the grapevine we can expect to see some new stuff from fourteen at the end of this year or early next year (maybe we will see something at the PGA show this year??)

 

But Proto is also changing their direction with the second release of their OG heads and I’m loving it. Should see a refreshed C01.5, C05 and C07 head next year based on their re-release of C01 and C03 this year!

[jomatty]

2 hours ago, NerdyGolfer said:

Appreciate the solid write up! Very helpful for anyone considering a switch.

 

Now I’ll foolishly walk my comment about feel back as they are a solid S20C club, so they will have a smooth feel. The time and effort on the design side for the protos is by and large on another level. But the C05’s are a two piece forge and the body is S25C with the face being a hotter material. Can most tell it’s a two piece? No…but when going head to head like this you most certainly can. I compare the feel of my C01TB’s to most clubs and think there’s literally nothing better on this planet, BUT that’s me. I’ll admit I haven’t spent hours on the range or rounds of golf with them, so that doesn’t help my perception either.

 

it’s surprising to hear you didn’t find distance loss as that’s the #1 complaint I’ve heard from anyone playing protos. They are not distance chasers but forgiveness/ tech machines.

 

I like posts like this because it helps me understand an unbiased perspective on things. (I’ll admit I’m fairly biased 😂)

 

Curious to see the direction fourteen and Proto take over the next few years. I’ve heard through the grapevine we can expect to see some new stuff from fourteen at the end of this year or early next year (maybe we will see something at the PGA show this year??)

 

But Proto is also changing their direction with the second release of their OG heads and I’m loving it. Should see a refreshed C01.5, C05 and C07 head next year based on their re-release of C01 and C03 this year!

I was surprised not to see more distance loss as well.  Initially I was thinking I was going to have to tweak some lofts to get them to match with my wedge set up but it has worked out well so far.  After making the post this morning I took my Fourteens back out for the first time in awhile.  It confirmed my thoughts.  They feel great.  They are bigger by more than I remembered than the Protos.  I feel like they get their forgiveness through size while the Protos have some serious engineering that helps with ball speed across the face, especially on toe side misses.  Both are great but today confirmed that the Protos are staying in the bag.

[jomatty]

I’m a little bit surprised that people are looking for more distance out of these clubs. The Protos have a 45° pitching wedge which is fairly tame by today’s standards.  

[dmeeksDC]

The Fourteen TB-7 is the sleek one I would check out. That’s a stunning iron and similar in size to the Srixon 7 series.
 

TB-7 is as beautiful an iron as I have seen, it is S20C steel forged by Endo and they can be found pretty cheap these days on the Japanese market. Not so well known in the US but that’s true of many great irons (like Proto Concepts!)

 

 

[HandsomeMatt]

Selling my TB-7's once I get pics taken later tonight

[OnlyBuilt4ScottishLinks]

Grabbed TB7’s (4-PW).  Can’t wait to see them in person

Edited November 6, 2023 by OnlyBuilt4ScottishLinks

[Ger21]

Fourteen has 40% off stock clubs for Black Friday going on right now.

[Boiler0007]

On 11/13/2023 at 8:40 AM, Ger21 said:

Fourteen has 40% off stock clubs for Black Friday going on right now.

Hello. Where are the fourteen clubs 40% off?

[NerdyGolfer]

1 hour ago, Boiler0007 said:

Hello. Where are the fourteen clubs 40% off?

It’s directly on their website and stock sets only (not custom)