[MyGolfSpy]

Foiled Again: The New Air Force One - Air Foil 2 Nitrogen Driver By PowerBilt Offers The Thinnest Face In Golf



The thinnest face in golf is now available to all golfers. PowerBilt, which uses nitrogen gas inside the clubhead, is introducing the Air Force One - Air Foil 2, the next generation of Air Force One drivers, fairway woods and hybrids.

All Air Foil 2 drivers feature a 2.6 millimeter forged titanium face. That compares to 3.2 mm on most high-performance drivers on the market, giving PowerBilt a face that is approximately 20% thinner than other leading brands.

"When you combine the thin face with our unique nitrogen technology, you get maximum distance, maximum 'smash factor,' an incredibly large sweetspot - and all within USGA standards," says PowerBilt President Ross Kvinge.

Nitrogen-Charged Technology is a process that uses nitrogen gas to support the face of the driver. The inside of the clubhead is coated with leak-proof resin, then charged with 85 psi of nitrogen gas. The pressure inside the head provides support, which allows for an ultra-thin face with no internal bracing.

Why is a thin face so important? When the clubhead strikes the ball, the face flexes. More flex means more energy is transferred to the ball, resulting in greater distance. At the same time, the USGA (golf's governing body) limits the performance of conforming drivers.

"All good manufacturers know how to build a driver that will exceed USGA standards," Says Kvinge. "The tough part is keeping performance at maximum limits by enlarging the sweetspot so that golfers experience maximum distance and optimal spin rates when they hit the ball on various parts of the face. That's what we're doing."

There's another benefit of Nitrogen-Charged Technology - it helps golfers of all swing speeds enjoy the benefits of compressing the face at impact. The USGA tests drivers with a 110 mph swing speed. "The vast majority of golfers swing anywhere from 80-100 mph, which means the thin face offered by PowerBilt helps most golfers enjoy more trampoline effect," adds Kvinge.

So, how does the new Air Foil 2 differ from its predecessor? As already mentioned, the face is 2.6 mm on all drivers. Previously, there were 2.8 and 2.6 mm models. The pressure has been reduced to 85 psi. Less pressure means more flex across the face. The valve (which allows the clubhead to be filled with nitrogen) has been moved to the sole, creating a lower center of gravity. A new aerodynamic head shape helps increase clubhead speed. The new shape has a rounded toe giving the club a more open appearance at address. Plus, improved sound and graphics give the club a richer feel and look.

The Air Foil 2 driver comes in two models - Tour and high-MOI. The Tour is for golfers who like to work the ball and comes with a Fujikura Motore F-3 shaft. The high MOI version helps reduce side spin, resulting in straighter drives. The Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) is $299.99 for the Tour model and $249.99 for the high MOI.

[disliked0]

Now if I can just find a retailer any where close to me. I gotta check one of these out. All this modern tech golf stuff is driving me crazy. Damn the winter.

[fozcycle]

.....and the newer version of the nitrogen charged irons made the GD Hot List this year.

Even with just a Silver Award....I just don't understand how they made it as Powerbilt does not advertise with GD.

[TheHacker]

I'm somewhat skeptical about the performance benefits. They can do anything they want, but for the driver to be USGA conforming, there are still certain performance parameters to keep to, especially the COR and MOI limits. Anything else is just marketing mumbo jumbo. JMHO.

[jamo]

TheHacker, on 14 January 2011 - 08:07 PM, said:

I'm somewhat skeptical about the performance benefits. They can do anything they want, but for the driver to be USGA conforming, there are still certain performance parameters to keep to, especially the COR and MOI limits. Anything else is just marketing mumbo jumbo. JMHO.

That's exactly what I've been thinking. The benefit of moving to a thinner face is more trampoline effect/ COR, and the USGA limits those/that.

[fozcycle]

jamo, on 14 January 2011 - 07:09 PM, said:

That's exactly what I've been thinking. The benefit of moving to a thinner face is more trampoline effect/ COR, and the USGA limits those/that.

and PowerBilt is pushing it to the limits! that's great news for those golfers that have a swing speed that's less than 100 mph.......like me.


Way to go PowerBilt!

[JohnBarry]

I so want to hit this club and the irons, just impossible to find locally for me.

[fozcycle]

Hey JohnBarry,

Have you considered calling Powerbilt and asking where you can go to get a test?

Here's the contact info....

PowerBilt
72-370 Quarry Trail
Thousand Palms, CA 92276

Phone: (760) 343-1990
Toll Free: (888) 488-4653
Fax: (760) 343-2934

e-mail: sales@powerbilt.com

[TWshoot67]

fozcycle, on 24 January 2011 - 11:53 AM, said:

Hey JohnBarry,

Have you considered calling Powerbilt and asking where you can go to get a test?

Here's the contact info....

PowerBilt
72-370 Quarry Trail
Thousand Palms, CA 92276

Phone: (760) 343-1990
Toll Free: (888) 488-4653
Fax: (760) 343-2934

e-mail: sales@powerbilt.com

Hey FOZ are you a Powerbuilt REP?

[fozcycle]

TWshoot67, on 24 January 2011 - 12:28 PM, said:

Hey FOZ are you a Powerbuilt REP?

Nope......just a loyal fan

[JohnBarry]

Thanks Foz, just e-mailed them, will keep you updated!

[fozcycle]

Good Luck......as for me, I am looking at the new PowerBilt WMD......it's white, like the TM R11, but has a thinner face.

There's a couple pix on their facebook page

[RookieBlue7]

Like I've been saying all along, and will still say, these clubs simply do not improve ball speed, clubhead speed, or smash factor (which is ball speed divided by clubhead speed). There are still limits on COR numbers, and since this is a conforming club, their thinner face does not increase the COR above that limit. A properly fit driver of any brand will perform just the same as a properly fit "Nitrogen Charged" driver. The ball speeds will not change with the same swing. Good marketing hype, rubbish results though, and that's from robot testing.

For a real world test, I hit one of the nitrogen charged Air Force Ones (last year's model) recently, side by side with my driver. One, the shaft is a wet noodle in them, if you have an aggressive transition, you're not going to control that shaft. I hit it in X flex, and it was still a noodle. My ball speed and smash factor went down significantly versus my current gamer driver (Adams 9032LS with Matrix F7M2 LTD in strong flex). The swing speed was the same, ball speed wasn't close (12 MPH off). Smash factor went down as well. Maybe it'd be a tad closer if they'd put a real X flex in it instead of their soft X that plays more like stiff. My average SS with my driver was 118.2 MPH, with theirs, it was 117.9. Average ball speed with mine 172.6, for a 1.48 smash factor. With the AFO, average ball speed was 162.4 for a smash factor of 1.38. I hit 25 balls with each after warming up and then took averages on both after the 25 balls. I hit 10 with mine, 17 with the AFO, 7 with mine, alternated the last 8 for each, going 1 mine, 1 AFO, in that order, so that fatigue wouldn't play a factor in the numbers.

[fozcycle]

Nicely done Rookieblue7........but I do not have a swing speed above 90 mph. Yes, I know that if both clubs are USGA conforming that one will go just as far as the other. That is at 110 mph as tested by the USGA. However, since my swing speed is only 87 mph, the club face does have more smash factor than another conforming driver at my swing speed thus yielding more distance.

[ninetails]

I'll be getting the 2011 MOI version next week with the Motore F3 shaft next week. I can't wait to try it out and see if it lives up the hype.