Mitsubishi KuroKage Driver Golf Shaft Review

Mitsubishi KuroKage Driver Golf Shafts

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

The Mitsubishi Kuro Kage (Black Shadow) shipped to dealers in Mid March, 2012. The pregreg has less resin and more fiber, making a design that was not possible in the past. This was the first of the Mitsubishi shafts to use high density prepreg. High density prepreg was later used in the third generation Diamana B.

The Kuro Kage TiNi is a tour quality shaft Mitsubishi. It exhibits the extremely smooth profile and low torque one would expect in a $400 product. The KuroKage Black and Silver are budget priced $175 shafts from Mitsubishi. Like the second brand of a vineyard, a great shaft, but not quite the tight torque typical on the premium models.

All of the KuroKage’s measured had excellent radial consistency.

KuroKage Proto TiNi

The KuroKage Proto TiNi is available only through selected Mitsubishi dealers. The profile is very similiar the the ilima, launching just a little lower and spinning a little less. A special stiffer version of this shaft is now in the bag of the #1 player on the PGA tour. His shaft is panted to look like a KuroKage Silver. A full review of the KuroKage TourEdition aka Proto is now available.

KuroKage Black

The KuroKage Black has the same profile as the KuroKage TiNi, until it gets to the tip. There is where we can see the difference. The stiffness humps slightly at 12 inches, then turns softer. Tip torque ranges from 5.0 in the 50A to 2.2 in the 70X. Butt torque ranges from 5.2 in the 50A to 2.9 in the 70X. The 70 gram shaft is the stock shaft in the Adams Golf 2013 Super S fairway. The low tip torque numbers of the 70 gram versions indicate a low dispersion shaft in a fairway head I regard as one of the best in the business.

KuroKage Silver

The KuroKage Silver release a few months after the KuroKage Black. Its profile is a close match to the original Diamana White Board. It is a low launch design, differing from the Diamana White board in torque. The KuroKage 60S tip torque is 3.1 compared to the original White Board at 2.0. In late 2013 TiNi wire was added to the tip. A full review of the upgraded KuroKage Silver TiNi is now available.

Miyazaki JDL Golf Shaft Review

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Aldila Trinity Golf Shaft Review

ALDILA TRINITY

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

The Aldila Trinity released in late 2012. It combines the three Aldila technologies. Micro Laminate, thin fiber was introduced with the Aldila NV. S-core, a corkscrew internal rib system was introduced with the Voodoo. Reverse Interlaminar Placement pioneered with the RIP. The Aldila Trinity combines all three of these in a single product.

Aldila has traditionally produced families of shafts with different profiles in different weight/flex versions of the model. The Trinity follows that philosophy. The R & S versions of the Trinity are designed to launch higher with more spin. The S & X versions, have stiffer mid and tip sections, to drop the launch and spin for the golfer that has the speed to load stiffer shafts. The Tour X version is what Aldila designs for tour grade players.

Aldila 44 Magnum Golf Shaft Review

ALDILA 44 MAGNUM

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

The Aldila 44 Magnum is the first ultralite driver shaft from Aldila. Fitter take note, the R & S profiles are different from the X and Tour X. When I look at the specs on the R& S verions, I see a shaft I used to love, the Mitsubishi Bassara Hawk which was a light weight Diamana White Board. The Magnum 44 torque for the R & S is however 1.5 degrees more than the Hawk. You can expect a low launch when properly fit. If you like light weight shafts, and over power them, this will move to a boring mid launch trajectory. Those higher torque numbers are a concern if you over power these softer flex versions.

The X and Tour X versions have some additonal stiffness in the tip area, and butt torque at 4.8 and 4.3. With 3.3 and 3.1 tip torque, These are respectable numbers in a 49 gram shaft. I am planning some range testing on a stack of light weight shafts that have been accumulating. Radial quality is excellent, the shafts are suitable for rotating hosels.

Aldila RIP Phenom Golf Shaft Review

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ALDILA RIP PHENOM

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

The Aldila Phenom is a smoother version of the RIP Alpha. Like the RIP Alpha, the light version 50 gram model has a different profile than the 70 gram version. The butt stiffness of the 70 gram version is much stiffer that the 50 gram model. The torque ranges from 6.8 in the 50R to 4.1 in the 50g TX model. While that R flex number may seem high, the raw 46″ shaft actually weighs 47.6 grams and will build out at around 45 grams. One must be careful when looking at shaft labels on light weight shafts. The labels often understate the actual weights of the shafts. That is not the case with the Aldila Phenom. The RIP Phenom 70S torque is 3.4 and the Tour X is 2.9. The radial profiles are very good, the shaft can be installed in any orientation.

The balance point of the Aldila RIP Phenom moves toward the butt as the weight increases. The 50g R is at 23″ and the 70g Tour X is at 25″. This appears to be intentional as most other shafts from Aldila hold a consistent balance through weights and models. This shafts is a mid-low launch design. The Tour X designation on this shaft is new for Aldila. That shaft is designed as the designation states, as a tour quality shaft. The butt torque is 2.9, tip torque 2.1. The EI profile is smoother, and by design, the butt is stiff. The profile of the 70 Tour X is not that far from a Mitsubishi ‘ahina with half degree higher torque. That small amount of torque difference will remove the sense of stiffness from this low launch design.