Aerotech Steel Fiber vs. Steel Shafts

[sleuth]

Thoughts please

Hey guys,

I'd like to discuss the Aerotech Steel Fiber shafts vs. current steel shaft offerings. I have not had the pleasure of ever hitting the Aerotech shafts so I'd like some opinions.

I went from PX Flighted 6.0 to KBS Tour S. I just found the PX Flighted too difficult to load and found myself not getting the yardage I did a couple years back. I lost about 5 yards. I went to KBS and got better dispersion and feeling in my attack irons. Not only do I feel like I got those 3-5 yards back, but my dispersion feels tighter. Not only that, but I feel like my accuracy and range has increased with each iron. I can swing and chase after the ball to hit it longer, or do a smooth tempo to take some yards off without losing any feeling (my biggest issue with the PX).

I was thinking about the perfect tinkering/backup set of irons and am heavily considering shafting them with the Steel Fiber option. My goal is to gain yards, without losing the stability.

To the owners out there, how was the transition from Steel to Steel Fiber? And which flex and weight did you go with? The shafts sound extremely light to me but I have also read they play firmer then claimed on the specs chart. I see Kuchar plays i95 S flex, and I know I don't swing my irons as fast as he does. I'm struggling with the idea of dropping to i80 because it would feel so light. The torque looks extremely high for an iron shaft, as well. Does it feel loose at all?

And last question, did you actually gain yards? Thanks.

**EDIT**

Let me add and say that I'm looking to increase my attack iron range. I currently hit my 7 iron 170 yards, give or take. My goal is to increase that to 180 yards. Not too far fetched, is it?

[40simguy]

I'm on my second set of i80s in 355 taper. First were in some Srixon 701s. I just reshafted my Mizzy 69s with them. Steelfiber or not, to me they are still graphite-like. They are more consistent for me than regular graphite (Aldila NV and VS Proto in my case). I went to graphite about a year or so ago due to injuries and came from KBS Tours. In answer to your question, I certainly didn't pick up a club worth of length with the Aerotechs but picked up some over steel shafts. I've also tried them in a AP2 710 and didn't care for that combo. I know I would certainly recommend you build up one iron and try it. If you don't like it and can get it broken down without damaging the tip you'll get about 60% of your investment back by selling the shaft. I certainly would discourage anyone from reshafting a set of irons at $40+/each if you're not sure, especially if you don't already like graphite in your irons (in my case I do).

Good luck!

[KYMAR]

I have not tried them but have heard great things about them. The owner of Scratch Golf is a fairly regular poster here (fairwayfred) has them and he swears by these shafts. I think B. Snedeker also plays them.

[Hattori Hanzo]

I just got a set of i85 stiff in some Miura CB-501s, and they are absolutely unreal. My dispersion is tighter, I've picked up about 8-10 yards per club, and the feel at impact is so smooth. I've honestly never met someone who hasn't absolutely loved these, so as long as you get fit for right weight/flex, you should definitely get the distance gains you're looking for!

[sleuth]

@ 40simguy - what flex are you play your i80 at? And what is your swing speed? And how would you comment on the weight and feel vs. the KBS Tour? My main concern is the 85g Aerotech vs. the 120g KBS.

@scratch14 - what is your swing speed?

My dilemma is just that - finding the right weight/flex. Unfortunately there is no local dealer in my state. I'm either going to have to tinker and test, or wait until I'm back in Chicago for a fitting.

[Shug Wy Tee]

For those that paly these shafts, what about flight. I play in windy conditions so flight is important for me

[Johnny]

I"ve tried a number of them... i70, i80, i95, i110 and players spec.. yes some of them or many the wrong flex for me, because I was getting them for my FIL, who currently plays I70 in Senior flex. My opinion is that they feel wonderful and really help my ailing wrist and I'm probably switching to them permanately.

Distance and dispersion are great... comparable if not slightly longer.

Ballflight is on the high side on regular flex and lower on stiff and xflex shafts, not as low as C-taper but lower then PX flighted or KBS Tours.

Spin is controllable and not excessive even in the wind, I play near the windmills farms..so I deal with afternoon winds on a regular basis.


I would recommend people to try more then 1 club... preferable a mid iron (5/6) and a short iron (9-PW) Why... because I ended up not enjoying the lightness of the i95's and lighter in the short irons. They performed well but it was just a comfort thing. I currently use the players spec which have graduated weights and mine are hard stepped so the weights are a few grams heavier for the short irons. The players spec are really expensive and I dont see any advantage over the normal steelfibers, if I had to do it again, I will go with i110 in stiff and call it done.

[40simguy]

Good to see you're researching this so well......

i80 in R flex. 6i swingspeed is 82-83mph. I transitioned from KBS Tour R flex so even then there's quite a weight difference. In my mind, the total weight difference between i80s and KBS Tours at 120g is very substantial. In my case, the KBS Tour in R flex was the last steel shaft I played. If I were switching to Steelfibers from 120g I'd be more inclined to try the i95 first. I was comfortable with the i80 because I've played KBS Tour 90s and Nippons +/- 100 grams before so it wasn't a huge adjustment to 85 grams.

I think one of my main points is I [u]like[/u] graphite in my irons. I initially moved to graphite because of injury (arthritis) but have since come to enjoy the feel and shock absorbtion. But no mistake, IMHO, they feel like graphite more than steel. The huge benefit to me is they are super consistent unlike the Aldila I've played in irons (I have one Aldila shod set as well). I have only one Steelfiber set now (in a 5-PW) and even that was a tough pill to swallow at $40/each.

For what it's worth, I buy these from a dealer I've used for several years. Like most every other Aerotech reseller I've used, they are drop-shipped directly from Aerotech in Washignton state.

Anyway, best of luck!

[Hattori Hanzo]

@ 40simguy - what flex are you play your i80 at? And what is your swing speed? And how would you comment on the weight and feel vs. the KBS Tour? My main concern is the 85g Aerotech vs. the 120g KBS.

 

@scratch14 - what is your swing speed?

 

My dilemma is just that - finding the right weight/flex. Unfortunately there is no local dealer in my state. I'm either going to have to tinker and test, or wait until I'm back in Chicago for a fitting.

 

During the fitting, I was swinging the 6 iron right around 85 mph (carrying about 170 yards), and from your distances, I'm guessing your 6 iron speed is a little over 90?

 

In terms of ball flight, I haven't played them in a ton of wind yet, but I do find that they are somewhat difficult to flight lower (but that may just be my swing ) However, even though they produce a pretty high trajectory, I haven't noticed a whole lot of ballooning in the wind. The ball flight is kind of hard to describe...it's like high and penetrating at the same time, if that makes any sense to you? Like the ball will reach its apex fairly quickly, and then just keep carrying, and carrying, and carrying at its apex height, and then just drop of a dime. Forgive me if none of that made any sense, but I hope it helps a little!

[OrangeCrush]

I own both the KBS and Aerotech i125 shafts. I had my 7i done with a KBS Stiff H/S and I had a 6i done with the i125. You said it dead on the KBS are laser straight for accuracy. The i125's are FANTASTIC as well but You are looking at close to double the cost to do a whole set of i125's vs the KBS. These 2 shafts are real close in weight so it was seemless to me. I would recommend buying a single i110cw if you want a little lighter weight to get more clubhead speed.

If you can hit your 7i 170yds you got a damm good swing. I would more worry about control then distance. That is why I wanted to try the i125, I have the distance I need accuracy and dampening. The elbow issue that I have been dealing with the last 7 years has not been as much of an issue this year so I could conceivably go to a full set of KBS.

[word]

I play the 95s coming from black gold x soft stepped. Steelfibers are the real deal. I also had some questions as far as what weight and flex to get so I left a message at the office thinking it would be a few days. Well the CEO called me back about 10 minutes later from his cell phone (while he was on vacation) and talked with me for about 30 min answering all my questions. He was very, very nice and helped me figure it out. I was impressed.

So I settled on the 95s. They are STIFF. Definitely play stiffer compared to most other manufacture's stiff. I wanted to go a bit softer than the black golds which they are and it is perfect. My driver ss is about 106. I was between the 110s and the 95 and went with the 95 due to my elbows bothering me. I definitely recommend these shafts. Try one and see if you like it.

As was said before if you are hitting your 7 iron 170 don't worry about the distance. That's plenty. Use the shaft that is going to give you the best dispersion, even if you lose 5 yds. If you are hitting 7i 170 then you should be driving it 300+ so unless you are playing a 7500 yd course, you shouldn't have much more than a seven iron on most approach shots. Some pros would be thrilled with that.

[Surferscove]

So I don't know who's going to see this but I'm looking for some help. I'm gaming the j40s with the project x 5.5 shafts which are 125 gram shafts. Plus I think my club head weight is D-1.

Here's my question- I'm looking at like Reg and stiff flex in the i95s. If I get the regular shafts I feel like I'm going to lose my swing weight and not feel the club head. Also on the stiff flex is similar to the project x 5.5. But I don't want to lose distance. So if you can help. I would like that.

[ob1soccer]

KBS tour in stiff go straight and feel great. what is the advantage to switching to steelfiber

[Stuart_G]

[quote name='Surferscove' timestamp='1424412170' post='10989923']
Here's my question- I'm looking at like Reg and stiff flex in the i95s. If I get the regular shafts I feel like I'm going to lose my swing weight and not feel the club head. Also on the stiff flex is similar to the project x 5.5. But I don't want to lose distance. So if you can help. I would like that.
[/quote]

Swing weight can easily be managed completely independent of the flex so should not be a consideration in choosing flex. Also there is no difference in weight between the regular and stiff so it wont effect the SW anyways.

Not sure why you think distance will be effected but the i95 regulars are a much closer match for the bend profile to the PX 5.5's than the stiffs. The stiffs are very close to the PX6.0's

[quote name='ob1soccer' timestamp='1425340878' post='11064461']
KBS tour in stiff go straight and feel great. what is the advantage to switching to steelfiber
[/quote]

You got my answer to that in the other thread you asked the same question.

[dbleag]

Anyone still playing Aerotech Steelfibers who can comment on their long term satisfaction/experience with them?

[OpenPar]

Anyone still playing Aerotech Steelfibers who can comment on their long term satisfaction/experience with them?

 

I play them throughout the bag and would never think of going back to steel. I've had chronic pain issues since my teens and gave up golf from 18-29. Then when I tried to start playing again I found these and they are incredible, not just performance wise but also you can play 36 and still feel physically fresh.

 

My goal was to emulate X-100 shafts and they said that i110 and i125 were built to play similar to that profile. Just play your corresponding DG flex in i110 or i125. Though these shafts take a little more work to swingweight due to their high balance points. The i80 and i95 have lower balance points but do tend to play stiff to flex, ie. an i95 S flex feels stiffer than an i110, that's why many pros: Kuchar, Snedeker, etc. use i95S.

 

Definitely call Aerotech, they have great customer service. If you're willing to drop the $$$ then it's worth it.

[MBS1726]

Entering my 3rd season with SF 125cw's in Cally Razr MB's.....absolutely no complaints. I went through several sets of KBS Tour and CTaper prior to the switch and haven't looked back. The feel and performance are exactly what I was looking for. I'll piggy back on the ease of wear and tear on my joints too. I can play all day with these and not feel it at all the next day.

[KARL M]

Started playing i95's last year.

 

Absolutely no inclination to try any other irons. Does such a statement result in a suspension or impeachment of my WRX membership ?

[gripandrip]

I changed from DG300 Stiff to the steelfiber i95's (stiff). Driver swing speed is about 105.

 

I my have gained a couple of yards, and have not had any issues with dispersion. I didn't change due to injury, but I have heard that many have due to the reduction in the impact transmission. No regrets. Not going back anytime soon to steel.

[Scottie68]

Due to occasional elbow soreness, plus looking to drop some weight to reduce laboring a bit to swing during last few holes in a round, I tested some i95s vs my current dg x100's. Went with the stiff in the i95 based upon their swing speed chart, numerous comments on the boards about how stiff they play, and the fact that there are pro's playing them (so all seemed to point towards stiff).

 

What I found is that when I do center it, I do gain a few yards, but I am no where as consistent as with the x100. Not sure if it's due to the bend profile, "significantly" reduced weight, or both, so my search continues (will be looking at the 110's in stiff, and perhaps x stiff). In the end, regardless of all of the things we read, there is no substitute for testing!

[RainShadow]

I've been playing the 110cw's in stiff for a year and a half. Very happy. No elbow pain.

Accurate, smooth, and flight like DG s300.

My Driver SS is right around 98-100. Quick / hard transition.

I tried the 95's indoors and was inconsistent with contact.

[Stuart_G]

What I found is that when I do center it, I do gain a few yards, but I am no where as consistent as with the x100. Not sure if it's due to the bend profile, "significantly" reduced weight, or both, so my search continues (will be looking at the 110's in stiff, and perhaps x stiff).

 

Most likely it's the lighter weight. But if you're up for some experimentation, not to difficult to figure out with some lead tape and some range time. Just wrap about 15 gm (to start) of lead tape around the shaft a little bit below the grip and see how that consistency is effected. You can keep going by adding in 5 or even 10 gm increments. It' will take ~30-35 gm to get back to the weight of the DG x100's.

 

Also, if it is the shaft weight, for some people, going up in SW can help compensate a little for a shaft weight that's too light so you could also try playing around with the head weight.

[MJisGOAT]

So I don't know who's going to see this but I'm looking for some help. I'm gaming the j40s with the project x 5.5 shafts which are 125 gram shafts. Plus I think my club head weight is D-1.

 

Here's my question- I'm looking at like Reg and stiff flex in the i95s. If I get the regular shafts I feel like I'm going to lose my swing weight and not feel the club head. Also on the stiff flex is similar to the project x 5.5. But I don't want to lose distance. So if you can help. I would like that.

 

I think the i95 in regular frequency at 5.7 cpm, which would be firm flex (R+), almost borderline stiff.