Fake or Not: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FW (2005)

[plop]

I bought a 2005 Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FW 5 from RockBottomGolf.com a couple days ago. I hit several shots and found that its sound at impact and feeling are completely different from the 3W of the same model even when I stuck at the middle of the club face. The 5W sound is muter. The shot shape and trajectory actually look normal to me and the distance is roughly equal to that of my 2H.

I am pretty sure that my 3 wood is authentic. I suspect that the 5W I got is either defect or counterfeit.

I called Callaway today and they said 5W doesn't have a serial number on it so that only way to authenticate is to send the club to them but I don't think it's reasonable to do so.

Is it possible that 3W and 5W of the same model have different sound and feel?

[dmband8985]

rockbottomgolf is a pretty reputable site...i don't think they'd sell you fake clubs

[ttcup]

are u sure ur 3 wood is authentic? rockbottomgolf is reputable. I would inspect ur 3 woods instead. Callaway has a lot of fakes, that 's the reason I don't like callaway no more.

[plop]

I got my 3W from Washington Golf which is a Callaway authorized dealer...

[FloridaGolfer]

I'd ask Rockbottom to inspect the club. Maybe it's defective.

[Laser]

Do you expect clubs across a range of lofts to have the same sound? Are the shafts different, which would account for the difference in feel?

[Technospaz]

are u sure ur 3 wood is authentic? rockbottomgolf is reputable. I would inspect ur 3 woods instead. Callaway has a lot of fakes, that 's the reason I don't like callaway no more.

You don't like Callaway because there are a lot of fake Callaways? That's like saying you don't like DVDs or Rolexes because there are a lot of pirated DVDs and fake Rolexes.

[twinke masta]

1) Call Callaway concerning BOTH clubs, they will confirm shaft, etc. This is a primary test just to check serial with match, but won't confirm they are real.

2) If it is a fusion, try a Magnet test, i think the top crown should not attract a magnet. 3) Bring it to a Golf Galaxy or a local pro shop that carries that line and have the person there check it. Match one side by side, you will notice difference immediately if it is a fake, no matter how good they are, they are not 100% like the real thing.

are u sure ur 3 wood is authentic? rockbottomgolf is reputable. I would inspect ur 3 woods instead. Callaway has a lot of fakes, that 's the reason I don't like callaway no more.

?? Counterfeiters usually don't counterfeit crap. You don't see any fake Rawlings drivers (not bashing on rawlings or anything) out there do you? I think being counterfeited is someway of saying there is a high demand for its products. Which is usually an indication that they make a good product, but not always.

[LBlack14]

I wouldn't take it to no GolfGalaxy to have them authenticate anything.

[twinke masta]

I wouldn't take it to no GolfGalaxy to have them authenticate anything.

He doesn't have to take it to the Golf Galaxy, but a pro shop that carries that line to match it up side by side to check for any differences.

[LBlack14]

He doesn't have to take it to the Golf Galaxy, but a pro shop that carries that line to match it up side by side to check for any differences.

There are ALOT of good copies of Cally equipment out there these days.

[twinke masta]

There are ALOT of good copies of Cally equipment out there these days.

Yeah, those would be Non-registered/stamped Callaway clubs smuggled out of factories and sold on the black/grey market. Therefore, they are real clubs, just not registered in Callaway's database.

Counterfeit productions will have minor differences, things will be off a little bit. They cannot make them exactly the same, they don't have the equipment to do so.

[plop]

In the end, I returned it to Rock Bottom. They said it's a defect one and gave me a full refund. It takes like 2 weeks or so but I'm happy with that.

This turns out to be good for me as I already have 2H and I hit it well recently. I just bought the 5W because of its attractive price. It was 69.99 at the time I bought and it's 89.99 now.