Opinions needed: Buying new EPON AF-Tour blades, has anyone played KBS Tour shafts?

Mizunofan · April 26, 2009

Here are a few pics of the club taken indoors (apologies, not much of a photographer)

OK so how're you hitting 'em?

Going from the NS 950 to KBS X-stiff (130 grams sounds like a massive step......... how are you handling it? Even with the soft step, it must feel kinda heavy?

Oh and by the way - you want it feel like "one piece" from shaft to head - get rid of the New Decades. They wear out quickly and will start to feel like the grips aren't giving you any control because of the half cord-half not thing.

These Epons look like the Titleist Zs, eh?

Hey Ranger,

Thanks for the tip re: the GP New Decade Multicompound grips. It's sad to hear that they wear out so quickly, I love the look of them.

In answer to your question, I've never hit the ball better, these clubs "feel like butter!" As they said in a TV commercial for Ben Hogan forged blades, "when you hit it pure, that wonderful sensation goes up the shaft and straight into your heart."

Regarding the switch from NS Pro950 Stiff-flex shafts (95g weight) to KBS Tour X-flex, soft-stepped (130g); there was no difficulty transitioning as I had played TrueTemper Dynamic Gold S-300s my entire golf life. I simply tried the NS shafts because friends raved about the smooth feel. I love the KBS shafts and reccommend that everyone try them before going to the old standard DG S-300s.

Re: the Titleist Z-series irons, appearance is where the similarity ends for me. I have hit the Z-series side-by-side with the EPONs and there is no comparison, at least in my subjective opinion.

tombong · April 26, 2009

very nice irons. congrats!

JD3 · April 27, 2009

someone had told me Titleist used Epon's founderies.

All titleist stuff is china forged. They are not forged in Endo.

i played w/ another guy yesterday who's big into Titleist, been to their demo days and customized fitting seminars, etc etc ... and he told me they're forged by Endo. i don't see why some would take that as knock on Epon. its well known for example that miura has made stock irons for taylormade at times.

Titleist forgings are very high quality and really thump the ball ... some of us (myself included) just don't prefer the somewhat harder feel they set them up for. Epons could feel very different, as they may specify different metal and a different finish.

shuttle1 · April 28, 2009

It's the balance of the head that makes it a step above. I can't believe how much I really do like these irons. When you're striking the ball well the pleasure is all mine, thank you. Have never encountered a better feel from an Iron.

Fanatic · April 28, 2009

HOLY SH*T!!!! I had the opportunity to hit the tour today (+1/2 inch, KBS X pured). Incredible piece of art and feels buttery soft! I really cant believe how easy it was to hit that club. I've tried a lot of different blades, but this one definitely takes the cake without any question! Im sure the pureing added to the nice stable feel, but man, was this nice! I might have to just bite the bullet and go with these! Im looking for new irons and definitely want to try some nice blades.

Jim, any more feedback on the irons? How are the long irons? I was killing the 6 with ease. Im just worried about playing with a butterknife as a 3 iron. let me know. Thanks.

Mizunofan · April 28, 2009

HOLY SH*T!!!! I had the opportunity to hit the tour today (+1/2 inch, KBS X pured). Incredible piece of art and feels buttery soft! I really cant believe how easy it was to hit that club. I've tried a lot of different blades, but this one definitely takes the cake without any question! Im sure the pureing added to the nice stable feel, but man, was this nice! I might have to just bite the bullet and go with these! Im looking for new irons and definitely want to try some nice blades.

Jim, any more feedback on the irons? How are the long irons? I was killing the 6 with ease. Im just worried about playing with a butterknife as a 3 iron. let me know. Thanks.

The 3-iron is just as easy to hit as the 6-iron, with all the buttery soft feel and no loss in distance whatsoever. It must be the combination of the SST Pure-ing process, the KBS Tour shafts and the EPON forged heads themselves; but I've never struck the ball better! FYI - I've always played Mizuno blades which I thought felt the best (until I hit EPONs), even learned to play golf with a Wilson blade that an uncle left at my house in the early '80s.

Fanatic · April 29, 2009

That's great to know. Im so tempted to just do it and knowing me, I probably will. Maybe I'll go back one more time to hit them and get fit. I dont know if I really need the X, but I can honestly say, it felt so soft and easy for an X. Maybe I'll soft step as well? Who knows. :)

gunmetal · April 30, 2009

...A master clubbuilder I work with says (not sure I agree totally with him) that about 85% of the performance of a club comes from the shaft. So, the shaft should be our main focus in choosing, not the head.
Fore!!!!
Doc

I would run from any "master" clubbuilder that made that claim. The opposite is true. The head is far more important than the shaft. Consider using the same head in a regular flex shaft and a stiff flex shaft. What differences do you find? Now consider using the same shaft in a 2* closed 15* loft 460cc head and a 1* open 7* 380cc head. What differences do you find? The head has far more impact on ball flight and performance than the shaft. Nuff said. Shafts are still fun and cool, though ;)

I stumbled upon this thread because I'm an absolute lover of the NS Pro 1150's!

Fanatic · May 1, 2009

someone had told me Titleist used Epon's founderies.

All titleist stuff is china forged. They are not forged in Endo.
i played w/ another guy yesterday who's big into Titleist, been to their demo days and customized fitting seminars, etc etc ... and he told me they're forged by Endo. i don't see why some would take that as knock on Epon. its well known for example that miura has made stock irons for taylormade at times.

Titleist forgings are very high quality and really thump the ball ... some of us (myself included) just don't prefer the somewhat harder feel they set them up for. Epons could feel very different, as they may specify different metal and a different finish.

The titleist irons are definitely forged in China, not endo.