Editor Review: Scratch 1018 DW's

[longbal30]

Scratch 1018 DW review

by Longbal30

 

Introduction

 

Ok, let me start this out by saying thank you to both Scratch and Golfwrx for this opportunity to review this equipment. I have been a reviewer on here for 3 years to date. Being these are ground by Don White himself makes this review the most gratifying so far.

 

Getting down to business. Here is what I tested:

 

Loft: 52 deg

Toe shape: Cally X-forged

Grind: KLD (fuller sole beveled leading edge)

Lie: 64 deg

Shaft: KBS C-taper S+

Grip: GP MC Whiteout

Length: 35.5” finished

Swingweight: D-4

 

Loft: 58 deg

Toe shape: Cally X-forged

Grind: WLD

Lie: 64 deg

Shaft: KBS X 8i

Grip: GP MC Whiteout

Length: 35.25” finished

Swingweight: D-5

 

Pros

-Very good workmanship

-Assembly was spot on

-Specs were as ordered

-Great forged feel

-Fantastic spin

 

Cons

-Sometimes spin can be too much on full shots (if thats a con)

-So many ideas run through your head when you can completely design your own wedges, be prepared to have some sleepness nights designing these. So many Options.

 

Bottom Line

 

Let me put this to you straight guys and gals, if you want a wedge that is truly a one off custom, or you want the opportunity to feel like a tour pro, then look no farther. This company will do all of the above, the sky is the limit.

 

Looks

 

These are truly some very nice looking wedges. I specifically asked for them to be shaped as close as they could to the Callaway X forged, which I feel they pulled off quite well. The fit and finish is second to none. The ferrules are turned perfectly, the grinds are executed precisely, and the finish options are vast to say the least. I ordered these in the black oxide finish, since I really like the feel of raw wedges. Being in the bag for awhile now, the finish is holding up quite well. The only real wear is on the sole of the 58 and the sweet spot of both clubs.

 

 

Here are the wedges, first pic is my basic rendering of what I wanted the wedges to look like, and below is what they created for me. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

Performance

 

I have put these wedges through the paces. I have always prided myself on being a better than average wedge player. While driving the ball 300+ is fun to do, there isn’t much more satisfying than sticking a wedge inside 10 feet or getting up and down when money is on the line. From full distances these wedges are fantastic. I hit my 52* 125 yards on average, and these wedges were extremely consistent. I would say that these wedges are very comparable to other forged wedges as far as distances go. I didn’t notice any hot spots, and distance loss on off center hits were very respectable. I generally use my 52 for full shots, long bunker shots, and chipping when greens are too slow for my 58. The grind worked perfectly for all the above. I wouldn’t say I am a digger, but I am sure not a picker. My divots are usually about dollar bill size and get deep enough to take a shallow divot. I really enjoyed the 52 on full shots as the grind was giving me my perfect divot. The 58* has a big job ahead of it. I use this as my full club for 100 yards, 9 o’clock swing for 85 yards, 6 o’clock swing for 65 yards, as well as a varying degree of face angles and/or choking down to cover all distances from 100 and in. As much as I liked the 58 for full shots and chipping, I seemed to have some issues with it on the 85 and 65 yard shots. This was the only time where I felt the wedges wanted to dig a little on me. It’s a little wet around my area right now due to the varying temperatures and rainfall. I play in many conditions throughout the year, as a competitive golfer, I see a lot of variences in type of sand, grass, and bunker consistency. Because of this I asked Scratch for a very versitile grind. To give scratch credit, this grind is really a performer from all types of conditions. I know that the conditions I have been playing in as of late are on the extreme side of what the wedges are desgned for. Hopefully this is solved when the weather breaks and the conditions are drier. I will be keeping this review up to date, so in about a month when conditions are better, I will see if the issue is takn care of. Bunker shots on both wedges are great. Very easy to play explosions, chunk and runs, picks, and buried lie shots. I was amazed how easy the ball was to not only get out of the bunker, but also with the amount of spin the shots had. I was able to get pretty aggressive when needed and still stop the ball pretty quickly. Speaking of spin, I had to get used to the 58*. I was producing spin equivalent of the old illegal grooves of the past. Not sure how they accomplished it, but I was spinning the 58 back upwards of 10-15’ on full approach shots. I was even getting 2-4’ of spin back on my 85 yard shots. Haven’t been able to do that for a while.

 

Feel

 

While I think feel is subjective, I will try my best to give my point of view. I have been a forged player for a long time. I currently play Adams Mb2, but in the past have played multiple sets of Callaway Mb’s, Mizuno Mp series (33,58,68,59), Titleist Ap2’s, Macgregor Vip 1025M’s, as well as wedges made by Callaway, Mizuno, Vega, Yururi, Chikara, and Scratch 8620’s. This is my first set of 1018’s. I will say now, that this set feels as good or better than any other offering I have used in the past. They are not clicky at all. They have a heavy weight to them, and produce a nice solid thud at impact. When you miss the sweet spot, they don’t sting your hands, they merely give you a not so solid sensation to let you know that you didn’t produce a pure strike. When you manage to pure one, the feel is absolute butter. Very powerful but soft marshmallow like contact. It’s a sensation that once you find it, you will want to practice a lot just to be able to produce the feeling over and over.

 

 

 

Bottom Line

 

If you never experienced a forged wedge, do yourself a favor and try these out immediately. You will know once and for all, what everyone is talking about in regards to how much better a forged wedge is over a cast model. If you have an itch to treat yourself to one of the most customizable wedges on the market, and be treated like a tour pro in the process, look no farther, Scratch is the way to go. The guys there are great. They are extremely knowledgeable, and very helpful in guiding you through the process of creating a one off wedge made especially for you. Trust me, you can’t go wrong. I cant be more happy with a set of wedges. They really do set the bar high, and with a little imagination, take your short game to the next level.

[StarFleetGolfer]

Great review. Those are sick.

[kwooten31]

Great review, and man are those gorgoeus set of sticks!!

[KPH808]

Great review, Scratch makes some nice stuff.

[golfware]

Great review. Love the Fifty2 and Fifty8!

[FutureSuper]

Great review
A pair of wedges added to my wish list

[Pure745]

What finish? Nice write up.

[Hstead]

I just switched to 1018 wedges in December and LOVE them. I played Cleveland 588s for years, then Vokeys, then back to 588, then switched to 8620s and liked them better because of the grinds, but I love the feel of the 1018 and the shape. I have Areotech Steelfiber i125s in them and they feel awesome.

Now, if I could just get my new Scratch blades all will be well. I ordered in November and could have had the SB-1s by now, but they have a new head coming out and the protos looked awesome so I am trying to patiently wait until April. It is killing me.

[mflores]

Love the finish on these - what is it called?

[Adamgraeff]

Sick wedges

[Adamgraeff]

Mine are 4 years old looking for some new ones maybe ill try these out

[longbal30]

[quote name='golfware' timestamp='1361595612' post='6484405']
Great review. Love the Fifty2 and Fifty8!
[/quote]

That's the cool part of this whole process. They can do whatever you want. I actually drew pictures of the wedges I wanted, and they created them. I always wanted the words fifty2 and fifty8

[longbal30]

[quote name='mflores' timestamp='1361624756' post='6485407']
Love the finish on these - what is it called?
[/quote]

Satin black oxide.

[Fergusgolf]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1361608213' post='6484967']
I just switched to 1018 wedges in December and LOVE them. I played Cleveland 588s for years, then Vokeys, then back to 588, then switched to 8620s and liked them better because of the grinds, but I love the feel of the 1018 and the shape. I have Areotech Steelfiber i125s in them and they feel awesome.

Now, if I could just get my new Scratch blades all will be well. I ordered in November and could have had the SB-1s by now, but they have a new head coming out and the protos looked awesome so I am trying to patiently wait until April. It is killing me.
[/quote]
Any photos of the new proto blades to share?

[Riuzzi]

Nice review, Longbal30! Any chance of seeing some address pics?

[longbal30]

Absolutely, I will shoot them in a couple hours

[longbal30]

I am also going to get some spin numbers up for the 58