Byron vs. Slighter

pimpinon · January 22, 2007

If you could only choose one???

Byron vs. Slighter

If you had to choose one, which would you pick???

How do they compare?

Balance?

Looks?

Geo · January 22, 2007

Byron vs. Slighter

If you had to choose one, which would you pick???

How do they compare?

Balance?

Looks?

:) BIASED POSTER ALERT!!! :superman:

Huge disclaimer here is that I'm a huge fan of Byron's work and bought a couple putters from him. I think his putters are one of the more refined Ansers in the market and he was able to give me the putter that I really, really wanted. My custom Byron has been in my bag longer than any other putter since I started playing the putter game (which pretty much coincides my becoming active in the wonderful world of golf forums. :superman: ). Byron was great to deal with in emails and on the phone, and was even more helpful in getting a putter for my daughter (I was thinking a custom putter, but he suggested one of his older putters, the Dalehead9 which saved me a BUNDLE!). Another minor disclaimer is that one of our forum sponsors zmangolf is a Byron Design distributor. That said, I bought my Byron from Mr. Morgan himself before the sponsorship deal--so my bias is somewhat altruistic. :superman:

As for the Slighters, I'm not a big fan of the shoulder transition and the bumpers on his putters. The Portland was a huge step forward in terms of design, as was the Kent, but it still lacks the polish that I like. One thing that I will give him credit for is that he is great with the communication. I keep some pretty odd hours, but his responses were immediate and were extremely pleasant. Good guy.

Seems like most putter guys are good people. We've been pretty lucky to have some good puttermakers associated with the site. We had both David Mills and Bob Bettinardi in the chat room about a year ago. (LINK to past chats if you're interested.) Dave Billings of Machine has also been showcasing his work (HERE) lately to much acclaim, and will become a sponsor here shortly...I think. Me? I'd be hard-pressed to have to chose between any two (or more) puttermakers. :superman:

reebus · January 22, 2007

I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I haven't owned a Byron, so I'm really not able to give a true informed opinion. I have dealt with Tom on two putters and he is a true gentleman and craftsman. The customer service and attention that you receive from him is second to none. I think it will come down to which design you like better. It's hard to compare putters by pictures. You can occasionally run across used examples of both of these in the For Sale forums here. Have fun, and remember that the hunt is half the fun when searching for the right putter.

ak108 · January 22, 2007

I bought both, Slighter Tacoma and Byron proto both in carbon steel. They havent arrive yet so i cant give you any feedback on balance or the feel but they both should be great. Again, slighter has got great great customer service and you can probably do ANY kind of customization you want on the custom tacoma just go creative. Took me sometime to make up my mind on custom design logo on cavity & face, head weight, finish, paintfill, stampings and more i couldnt remember. It took me so quick to buy a byron because i just pick the finish, stampings, paintfill and headcover. Having said that, I'll probably love my slighter more because its more "me" but dont get me wrong both Slighter and Byron are great!

finalist · January 22, 2007

Byron has been making putters for a looong time... longer than Cameron. Byron has worked with several famous putter makers in the field and just has more of a sophisticated way of designing his stuff than Slighter. Like the above poster stated I also don't like the shoulders and bumpers of Tom's designs and I think the amount of stamps and color on some of his work goes over the top.

manship1856 · January 22, 2007

I own a Slighter, never putted a Byron...keep that in mind.

Having said that I have never held in my hands another putter that rivals my Slighter. It sets up perfectly, it is perfectly weighted, the carbon steel and deep milled face feel like butter, and its milling is flawless. I couldn't be happier. I have yet to have it on the course due to inclement weather, but I know after some adjustment it is going to take strokes off my round. You CANNOT go wrong with a Slighter.

PM me if I can be of any other help.

JDM

autisticlove · January 22, 2007

I've got both, and to be honest, I couldn't pick between them if I had to. THey are both great and more importantly, they both treat their customers with the best customer service I have ever experienced. Either way, you'll be treated well and provided an excellent putter. You'll probably end up doing what the rest of us have and buy both. Sometimes that's just easier and it sets the "what if" demons to rest.

TracyS · January 22, 2007

I've also been looking into custom options as of late. It is very difficult to choose because they all have such great looking products and great customer service. If price is a factor, though, Byron's are a great deal.

mhighman · January 22, 2007

hmmm... which one would I pick?

let me see...

I would probably go with the Slighter :)

It is a tough choice. I have owned almost all of the different designers putters. Putted with a byron but never bought one.

I believe they are a little lower priced but could be wrong.

I will leave the Byron talk for the others who have more experience with them. I think your best bet would be to wait until LaMont gets on here... He is my moderator on the Slighter Forum and also loves byrons! So you can pick his brain. He is very good without being too biased.

Its a tough choice...

With Slighter you can choose how you want the balance and the feel. You can choose the look of the putter along with stampings etc. Just check out the website. Other than that... since we are not a sponsor on the site... i don't want to flat out try and sell you a putter.

Good luck with your decision. You are choosing between two Great guys and putter makers!

Don't forget David Mills either :superman:

kyle_m1 · January 22, 2007

byron is the only putter i will ever putt with

Hairpie · January 22, 2007

Byron vs. Slighter

If you had to choose one, which would you pick???

How do they compare?

Balance?

Looks?

Seriously, why not both?

Exactly....I've got one of each....They have completely different feel as one is 303 SS (Slighter) and one ic carbon (Byron)....The Slighter is more of a mallet while my Byron is a anser type head....When I'm having alignment issues my T-sightlined Slighter goes in the bag....As of late I've been using the Byron...I honestly don't believe I'll ever sell either one because they are EXACTLY how I wanted them in the first place.....I don't think you can go wrong either way....

Gxgolfer · January 22, 2007

Both are very accessible and easy to talk to. I would give each of them a call and see who can work with your needs best.

gibbyfan · January 22, 2007

I too am bias about this topic as I own a Slighter and have never had the opportunity to putt with a Byron. I also think that Tom is open to many suggestions and is more that helpful in coming up the a creative design.I would also agree with those that have posted above and that is contact both. I think that Slighter might offer more options in head styles and the choice of materials for a putter, but I might be wrong. The one thing that I did not like about the Byron site and information was that all seemed to come in at a heavy weight. But, I am sure that Byron would have been able to adjust that too. L

Z-Man · January 22, 2007

If there is something you might want in a putter Byron can do it. There is not anybody in the world any better than Byron at making putters,period. If we don`t have it now we will in the future.