Carbon Steel vs Surgical Stainless (SSS)

[Putt4doh]

What do you prefer?

I, for one, have grown to prefer carbon steel. Although harder to maintain and care for, I can't help but love the feel of a carbon steel putter. Carbon is softer, provides better feedback and has a feel to die for....IMO, SSS just doesn't stand up.

Anyone feel the same about stainless?

What's your preference?

[gibbyfan]

I too am a fan of Carbon Steel over Stainless Steel. I have had stainless Camerons and none of them have felt as smooth and soft as the original Gunblue/TeI3 putters. Therefore I am having Slighter make me one. Putting is all about feel and Carbon steel gives me that feel.

[Putt4doh]

I too am a fan of Carbon Steel over Stainless Steel. I have had stainless Camerons and none of them have felt as smooth and soft as the original Gunblue/TeI3 putters. Therefore I am having Slighter make me one. Putting is all about feel and Carbon steel gives me that feel.

 

 

I didn't know Slighter made putter from carbon, I thought he did SSS exclusively.

 

Who else out there makes carbon steel putters (aside from the Circa 62's)?

[Geo]

I prefer stainless, primarily because of the feedback and also because I'm lazy (low maintenance). Truth be told, I really like the 304 stainless that David Mills uses in his putters--it's right about half way between 303 and carbon steels on the Brinell scale (303: 160, 304: 150, carbon: 143). The happy medium.

 

As for other putter makers who use carbon, Bettinardi is the first that comes to mind. Heritage also used to use carbon primarily, though is doing a run of stainless. Byron Morgan also uses carbon but again, not exclusively. I also know that Slighter will do other metals, though copper (Brinell: 60-70) seems to be his secondary metal, but that might be because the copper seems to stick out more in the custom pages.

 

beruo

[Hairpie]

Tp mills and Big Oak both make putters from carbon steel.....

[xxio]

I too prefer CS over SS. It is at times tedious. The first thing I say to my caddy on the first tee is "Only I can take the cover off my putter." The second thing is "how do want to be called?" :golfer:

[gburgs]

I'm a carbon fan. Softer metal, and every putter I've played has been carbon. Stainless has more of a clicky feel to it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's different.

[Gxgolfer]

I prefer stainless for faster greens and carbon for slower. The red X does have a good feel to it and I have been playing aroudn with an Aluminum Bettinardi PX Blade with a Frequency shaft. Still working on that combo. The UST FF shaft dramatically changes the feel of a putter.

[xxio]

When you say the UST FF changes the feel can you describe it?

[wmann]

carbon baby! nothing like them.....

[Gxgolfer]

When you say the UST FF changes the feel can you describe it?

 

With a regular putter shaft, you feel every bit of contact with the ball. You feel the contact through the shaft and hear the shaft vibrate. With the FF, everything is muted. When you hit the sweet spot, you know it because it feels pured. Others may refer to it as "dead" though. Off center hits still are muted but, you can still feel it in your fingertips. The closest thing I could say is like a fishing rod. The FF give you a very sensitive feel in your finger tips.

[golfalot333]

regarding carbon steel...which is the softest grade out there? (i.e. 1018, 1020, 1030....) Does anyone know what the grade of carbon steel for the Pro Platinum Mil Spec is?

[MrParr1Noid]

I really like the soft dense feeling of carbon steel............But...........stainless is just so damned easy to take care of. I'll continue using both and oiling and maintaining the carbon steel, although there may be specks of rust forming at present. With the stainless putters, they always look like I took real good care of them. :golfer: