TM SpeedBlade 85 vs NS Pro 950

I'm buying a set of TM SpeedBlade irons online to replace my current Cobra Amp Cell irons w/ TT Dynalite 90 stiff shafts. (Didn't plan to do this but tried a demo in the shop and was getting about 10 extra yards, straighter/higher shots and a tighter shot dispersion.) The demo club had a KBS 90 C-Taper shaft in Japanese stiff (softer than the US model). I have been hitting about 155 with my Cobra 7i, with a lower than desired ahot trajectory and a rather consistent fade. I'm 60 y.o., pkay weekly, am a 13 handicapper with a 95 mph driver speed and a 7i speed of ~85 mph. My online fitter suggested the stock TM 85 shaft, soft-stepped once. He slso said that the NS Pro 950 was a viable option. The former would give me produce a higher flight and tighter dispersion, and the latter a slightly lower flight than the TM 85 but better 'feel'. (And the feel of the 7i in the shop was a selling point for me.) What opinions can you give me on this? Thanks in advance! David

I can't imagine a shaft being higher than the NS Pro 950 -- typically, the Nippon also plays a bit soft to flex and the feel is soft. When I had some tendonitis about 10 years ago, I switched from Rifle to NS Pro 950 and the shaft allowed me to play and recover (that's my story). In my experience, it is a good shaft for a high trajectory when you don't want to work hard and just let the shaft do its "thing."

If you've got a fitter to build a consistent set ...

BTW, with a 95 driver SS, the 85 mph 7i sounds high .... maybe 75 mph?

[quote name="Mr. Desmond" url="/t/72690/tm-speedblade-85-vs-ns-pro-950#post_954195" -- can't imagine a shaft being higher than the NS Pro. 950 -- Nippon also plays a bit soft to flex and the feel is soft -- If you've got a fitter to build a consistent set ... -- with a 95 driver SS, the 85 mph 7i sounds high .... maybe 75 mph? [/quote] The Nippon has a bit higher flex point than the TM 85, so that should make the TM a bit higher, right? But the fact that the NS is a bit softer both in flex and feel is a positive things for me, because at 60, my swing speed is more likely to decrease than increase, though I am starting to release the club later in my downswing. But that feel factor is important to me. I don 't want to have a situation where the shots feel great but are totally off target, but all other things being reasonably equal, that feel-factor is a big plus. Lastly, regarding 7i swing speed.... When I was hitting the 7i I wasn't paying close attention to swing speed and knew I could be off. This was made worse by the readings being in m/s, so any errors in memory are made more significant when I converted. The value I remembered was a range really and so call it 75 ~ 80. Once again, thanks for your input. I can't get reliable info from salesmen in shops here. Part of it is language difficulty. I had sales staff tell me the lie/loft couldn't be adjusted on the Cleveland 588 RTX wedges or the Callaway Mack Daddy 2. I need people who speak my language to allow my bulls@*t filters to work effectively. ;-)

FWIW, if I was still playing steel, I'd play the NS Pro 950 (I'm 59). Clubmakers say they are high quality shafts and you should find the consistency within the set if the builder knows what he's doing.

I am playing Aerotech Steelfiber i80 in senior flex (which seems like R flex in that shaft).

Well, I hope the builder has more than a basic knowledge of the build process.......the clubs are being made by TM and drop-shipped. Have you looked at the shaft options for the SpeedBlade irons? I ask because I am not locked into steel. I'm going that way, well, the pros do it? Bad reason, huh? Got some advice somewhere from someone? Not too specific, is it? They cost less? Yeah, that is easy to understand. But I would pay more for clubs that helped my game. So if you have the time and/or the inclination I'd be interested in what you have to say.

I hope that is TM Japan ... maybe that have a higher QC.

I'll take a look.

Nope, TM in the US. Japanese versions have different shafts flexes, different lies, and I don't feel totally comfortable fitted for custom clubs, at higher costs, by someone that says the SpeedBlades can't have the loft/lie modified when the clubs actually have a notch for such. If there is a quality issue, I don't know if TM Japan will help or not. You would think it wouldn't be a problem, but it's not always the case. Gotta' hope for the best. Thanks for taking a look. I need to get this club thing down pat, 'cause if the wife knew how much I spend on clubs...... :~(

Graphite options: I don't consider the stock graphite a viable alternative because they are typically detuned and quality is inconsistent. In its options, TM has Matrix Ozik HD 95 Shafts.

Found good reviews. Matrix has a great name for quality -- golfer reviews (may be unreliable) indicate high flight and spin but no ballooning with the right flex. They will be costly. But it doesn't hurt to ask, "How much?"

At the same time, if you don't have tendonitis issues, I'd probably stick with the Nippons, especially since they are the same weight.

from 300yards.com:

The Matrix Ozik Program 95 shaft weighs in the range of 96.5 grams to 102 grams and has a high spin rate. It also conforms to a high launch. The best graphite iron shafts you can get anywhere, the Ozik Program Irons are guaranteed to launch higher and spin more then any other iron shaft on the market.

The Matrix Ozik Program HD uses the HD design derived from the Matrix HD shafts. What that means to the golfer is a longer lifespan of the shaft, and more consistency with each swing.

This Graphite Ozik Program 95 shaft set is designed for the golfer looking for upper class performance in a graphite iron shaft.

Comes in 3-PW set.

I can email my US fitter ... he is in Mass but has a TM account and is one of their top independent fitters -- he also does Miura, Callaway, Adams, Mizuno... his iron builds are the best. He is one of the few where OEMs sell him heads only so he builds from scratch.

PM me if you want his name -- if you're paying retail anyway, call Frank -- at least you know your clubs will be the best in terms of consistency - plus he has many graphite options, including Aerotechs... he is meticulous.

Ahh, hindsight........ Already purchased off eBay. My thought was "Who better than the manufacturer?" :-(

Well i am 22 hours too late. But if we can still dance...last year I ordered a 52.56 & 60  588 custom wedges with the NS-950 shafts. Things worked out very well because I could not hit the greens with my 710mb's w/ TT DGS300 shafts,so I relied on my wedges to get me there... the 588's were somewhat in-foul-able. So when I ordered my 714mb's this year I had them made with....NS-950S shafts. A week ago I got to hit them...wow...Like butter baby...

Not too late at all. I've purchased the clubs but haven't specified the shaft yet. Thanks for joining in. You've made a some very interesting and relative points. First, I have a 50/56 Cleveland 588 RTX wedges with NS Pro shafts and was wondering whether to spend the extra money for the TM wedges in the SpeedBlade irons I'm buying or rely on the current wedges. Not a firm resolution to the problem but definitely good to hearbof your satisfaction. I like those wedges too. Second, your comment echoed something someone else just pointed out, that being that the TM 85 might be/apparently is, a TT shaft. Nothing bad here, just an observation. Third, that you weren't hitting the greens with the TT shafts. This may bevrelevant because my online fitter seems to think that from my data the TM 85 would be a more accurate shaft. All that being said, my fitter thinks that I would be happy with either shaft. Leaning heavily toward the Nippon but not ny final answer. Going to use a lifeline and go talk to a friend who runs a small custom shop. The language barrier looms.......

well the difference i saw was the NS shafts drop the ball on the green(high launch angle), The TT's flew the green(low launch angle) to drop the ball with the TT's I had to do a wrist kick to get the ball up, which was unnatural for me.I also play KBS tour shafts and they are kind of in-between, I really wanted the KBS C-taper lite or tour 90, another high launching set, but I could not Demo them and did not want to pay a three digit upcharge fee....Good luck and have fun

Yeah, the shaft in the 7i I hit on the launch monitor had a KBS shaft in it and the trajectory was higher than my current clubs. The guy I am buying the clubs from recommended the TM shaft as first chouce,nthe NS Pro as a very close second and then the KBS. After reading the comments here, I'm going with the NS Pro. Thanks for the advice!

I"ve not known anyone to recommend a TT shaft over a Nippon in this type of situation.

But there is always a first time.

The NS Pro 950 plays soft to flex and is a mid-kick shaft so the ball gets up there.

Well, your comments and advice played a large role in my decision to go with the Nippon, so I'll let you know how they do.

It's a good quality, liteweight shaft that gets up in the air in the correct flex. Its cousin is the 1050, which is very similar, just slightly heavier - might be good for higher lofted wedges, or the Nippon WV Wedge shaft that comes in 3 different weights and characteristics.

I just haven't hit a TM engineered shaft for the masses that I like. Like I said, guys selling you have a motivation to play it safe and say it's the OEM's engineered shaft. So if a shaft doesn't work they can say, "I told you so." Or they might recommend a shaft that is higher launching and very light because for most amateurs, that gets them more distance. Or the old adage is that a golfer's view of himself and reality are quite different, and they will recommend the higher launching, lighter shaft. But we're only talking 7-8g difference in the shafts depending on flex?

I play the Aerotech i80 - lighter than the NS PRO 950 -- so I like liteweight and don't like steel any longer due to age and bouts with tendonitis.

How did they work out? Really appreciate this question I'm at the same point right now. I have a faster swing speed and I pick up the club quickly so I feel I could benefit from the heavier shaft.