Quote:
Originally Posted by
BeefJerky 
Granted, I know many on here are young...
You're younger than over 65% of the members here. You don't have room to talk.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BeefJerky 
Mitsubishi doesn't make a 72 gram shaft
Really?
http://www.mitsubishirayongolf.com/product.php?cmd=ndia_ahina&lang=en
http://www.mitsubishirayongolf.com/product.php?cmd=ndia_ilima&lang=en
Maybe you specifically meant the Kai'li but you didn't say so who knows. They make a 71 gram Kai'li. It's conceivable that the 72 gram version is one of the incredibly subtle tweaks they make to suit the head.
I've talked to Mitsubishi. I've talked to Grafalloy. I've talked to several shaft makers, both on and off the record. They'll all tell you the same thing: "We wouldn't put our name on the product if it didn't represent the product properly." I'm inclined to believe them because it both makes sense and I've talked with folks very much off the record. If you think about it, the last thing these shaft manufacturers would want is for a stock shaft - the way 95% of shafts are sold - to get a bad reputation. "The only difference in the co-engineered shafts is that they'll tweak the torque or flex point slightly to best suit the head." The club companies also get them in a bulk discount. I've talked to master clubfitters and they back all of this up as well, and if they can make a few bucks upselling, they will, so I'm inclined to believe them too.
The shafts you pay $180+ for? Still cost $20 to make, just like the "co-engineered" shafts. The Voodoo sold for $400 when it first came out, and the "designed by" Voodooos tested virtually identically to the $400 ones. But so long as there are people like you, oh aged, wise one who insist that a shaft is "crap" unless it costs two bills or more, well, there's a market...
Is there a chance the shafts are a tad better? Sure. The QA isn't as strict (it's still gotta pass the company QA tests or else Titleist or TaylorMade or whomever can send them back, and regularly do), but nowhere near the level of a $200+. Not at your level of play (nor mine, nor anyone who isn't competing for at least tens of thousands of dollars each week).
BTW, since your original username is Peano, we'll await a response from that username. Your duplicate BeefJerky account has been suspended.