sl1111

110% you should!! Ferrule turning and polish on these today!

You probably already have almost everything you will need if you have a decent of tools. If you are slightly mechanical you will be fine. There are tons of threads on club building on this site. GolfWorks has tech articles that will help. Jeff Summit at Hireko Golf has a full tech section. Most important, the membership here is really helpful. Reach out and we will help out. I would suggest going to the Diamond Tour Golf and Value golf websites and ordering one or 2 of the cheapest heads, shafts, and components and building a “first time” club/clubs. Start with steel shafts and irons as they are easy and forgiving. You can pull them apart without a shaft extractor and practice.

I have had delivery times vary greatly with GW. Sometimes even the fulfillment seems to take a bit. Shipping time for all companies, not just GW is a hot topic amongst other golf groups I am in. Are they building the club for you? Build time can add significant time before shipping even occurs. Do you have a tracking number indicating the club has shipped? Did you create an account with GW? If so you can log on and check status.

I’ve had good luck with Apollo steples when someone wants heavier steel on a budget. Just built a set of 7 clubs and weight sorting revealed 5 of the 7 shafts were 130 grams and 2 were 129. All passed the flat surface roll out test for straightness as well. Pretty good results for $6 a piece.

I would highly suggest trying a 5 hybrid in that spot. For around $50 depending on which lefty maltby head you chose it could be worth the experiment. You could even use the 5 iron shaft you have for testing.

My Dad is a lefty so when I built his clubs we didn’t have many Maltby options so I built him a full set of these. He loves them and they are very forgiving. Enjoy!!!

The only issue I see is their custom/colored ferrules are sold by the dozen and are about $10 more per dozen where the standard black ferrules can be bought individually. I would think they would absolutely use them and possibly charge you the small extra amount over the standard black ferrule. Call them, they offer great customer service on builds.

Truthfully, the wedge heads were an afterthought. I have multiple Edison wedges and I bought the shaft's to match the Rapid Tapers I play in my TS4's. I decided to buy these heads at the last minute instead of pulling apart my Edison's thinking it is a inexpensive experiment and I can always put them in the Edison's if I don't like them. I will update my thoughts on the shafts here and in the RT thread once I get some time with them.

Done and dusted.

Nah, I was going to try them either way. If I don't like them I will pull the shafts and throw them in a couple of my Edison wedges. I've converted my whole bag over to these grips after trying yours and Popeyes clubs. They are awesome and the price is incredible.

Seeing if these can kick my Edison’s out of the bag!!! Rapid Taper 115+ Wedge flex w/Maltby Max 54/60.

After extensive testing and demoing I’ve settled on the TS4 with Xcaliber Rapid Raper 105’s. I have listed my TS1-IM 4-GW for sale here in the classifieds if anyone is looking for a great deal on a full set. Message me if you want more info.

Thanks for finding the words to explain what I was trying to convey! I am not the best in relaying thoughts in text form!

Shrek and Indy.... The only way to truly know is to risk you may have to sacrifice a shaft for testing. I know they are not cheap and sometimes it is hard to stomach a sacrificial lamb. Understanding that we are trip trimming .370 shafts rather than actually "stepping" them, I would start trimming on the softer side and work to stiffer. You can butt cut long to provide you with enough shaft for the next cut in the stiffening process. Also, feel is so subjective to individual people. I am trying to not confuse stiffness with feel. An example would be the S+ feels soft at impact and I could play it, but it required a little more power to get the shaft dynamics to work. The R+ hard stepped felt smooth and did not require as much effort to perform as it is supposed to and I could put the 100% swing on it and it would hold up. Don't know if this will help but to give some reference on the shaft design. My miss is a over draw/hook. I usually do not get along with hybrids due to my miss and the fear of the right side. I used 2 different RT 95 stiff shafts, one tipped 1/2 inch and one tipped a full inch. The 1 inch will start right of target and not move back, just a straight block with little feel in the tip or any perceivable kick. The 1/2 inch tip starts on line and allows for a slight fade. No hook unless I make a terrible swing or I try to draw it. I can feel the shaft kick and it remains stable.

Piggybacking on Popeyes info to you. If you look at my post’s toward the end of the Maltby post you will see my review of Maltby 7 irons. 3 of the clubs were shafted with 105 S+ and 1 was 105 R+ hardstepped. I found the R+ to be the winner for me. For reference I am 51yo, physically fit, and swing slightly faster than you. I play to a 3 index. I can get to 108 with driver but rarely swing all out. I can get high 80 to 90 with 7 iron but again usually don’t swing full out. The R+ was perfect for normal swings, but still held up when I wanted to step on it. The S+ felt like I had to step on it every time to make it work. I also have played the original 95 stiff RT and still have 2 hybrids shafted with them so I have something to compare too. For me, and this is my opinion only on stiffness: RT 105 R+ plays as stiff as a quality S300. RT 105 S+ is other manufacturers X flex. RT95 S is a solid stiff flex and can be played to your normal flex choice.

I contacted my source to remind him of this thread and let him know the Rapid Tapers were gaining traction. He is a long standing member across all golf forums, including MGS and I have done multiple shaft buys with him. I didn't want to name drop without his permission. No surprise it is Popey64 and he is now active in this thread and the Rapid Taper thread.

Hope this doesn't get me in trouble, but here is reviews and 25 pages on THP. https://www.thehackersparadise.com/xcaliber-rapid-taper-105-iron-shaft-review/ https://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/index.php?threads/xcaliber-rapid-taper-iron-shaft-review.8916924/ Wedges: https://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/index.php?threads/xcaliber-rapid-taper-wedge-shafts.8962409/ I can put you in contact with an authorized dealer that sells them discounted. I just have to check with him before I share his info and make sure he is OK with it. I did not pay anywhere near $50 per shaft!

You will not be disappointed. I played the TS1 for two years and they are great heads. I have 4-GW 105 Rapid Tapers coming soon to install in my TS1-IM and (3) of the Rapid Taper 115 wedge shafts for my Edisons. Should be a great combo!!!

We were able to test on grass, our range has both. We both agree with your assessment of turf interaction. I like the new version over the older one, but he didn't see enough of a difference to switch. I'm sure I will be building him a set before long though as the hook was set. I may be able to assist you with the Rapid Taper demo. I ordered a new set for my TS1-IM's as I decided to stay with them. I have (2) Rapid Taper 95 Stiff installed in my utility and 4 iron right now. They both have 1 inch extensions in them as I’ve used them in various clubs or testing. I can send them to you when I pull them if you have a head you can install them in. They are probably toward there last pull and trim life cycle so I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to tip trim to 7 iron spec or whatever loft head you may have. I will message you….

I was able to meet up with my brother at the range today. He is a 5 index and has played the last version of the DBM Forged for the last 2 years. I built his irons with FST Pro 125 X flex. He wanted to compare his clubs to the new version as he was considering replacing his irons. He described the new version as not much different, but refined. He said they felt a little softer on miss hits and could tell the deeper cavity and added perimeter weighting helped with forgiveness. Not a real scientific comparison as the new version has the Rapid Taper 105 S+ and was much smoother then his X flex FST. He didn’t feel enough difference to make an immediate switch but said he would consider the new version if he was going to switch. here are some comparison pics. The deeper cavity stands out to me, but not much difference. Apologies for not capturing a top line pic, but they are very similar if not identical.

Fortunately the initial cost of Maltby equipment is affordable enough I don’t sweat the resale. It takes time, but I usually find someone who is familiar with the product and wants to try or experiment with them and will buy them. I really struggled with this comparison because all of the heads are really good and I could play all of them. The TS1-IM seems to be a great combo of all the heads and will work great for a wide range of players. I’m not actively trying to sell the TS1-IM set yet. I may be getting a full set of Demo TS4’s soon which should help my decision. If you decide you want these let me know and we can work something out. I’m not playing right now and only hitting on my sim and the occasional range session so I can sell at anytime. I’m not worried about not having a set of irons.

I only have 7 irons to compare but would say the TE+ is more forgiving. I would expect that to hold true in the longer irons for sure due to the perimeter weighting of the TE+. I have always struggled with the term soft when discussing forging. A forging can feel soft yet solid (powerful thud) at the same time. The TS4 is solid. The TE+ has that cavity back forged softness. The TS3 feels like a marshmallow. The DBM with RT is an amazing looking combo. I tried to take some pics for you but can’t figure out a good way to capture the look appropriately, but it looks really good. Ignore the ferrule, it hasn’t been turned down.

To the TS4 Vs TE+ question...… The TS4 is forgiving enough, especially in the 7-PW range to justify playing them. I like the more traditional lofts of the TS4 and liked the launch window a bit more. The feel of the TS4 is really good, like addicting good! I would probably only go 7-PW and blend with TE+ long irons. The second part of the answer is I am a golf equipment OCD mental midget. Most likely will regret it the day after I build them and wish I would of gone TE. Best answer is I prefer the launch and spin of the TS4. Shaft question... The KE4 MAX, TS4, TS3, and TE+ are all on loan to me for testing. The owner/builder is a rep for Xcaliber and these were the shafts that came installed from him. They are his demo clubs. He has supplied me shafts in the past and I have played the RT 95 in the past. The 105 was not available when I used the shafts in the past. I own the set of TS1-IM 4-GW and they are shafted with the Score LT. Also not my preferred shaft but they were good enough for what I wanted to do with the set since they came built when I bought them. I have a set of Tour AD 95 pulls I was not using and felt comparing the Score LT to the RT 105 was not a fair comparison. I pulled the Score LT out of my 7 iron and installed the Tour AD 95 to try to be more comparable to the RT 105. I would say the RT and the Tour AD are comparable but not the same. Both are very stable and do not compare to traditional graphite iron shafts. The Tour AD felt more like the RT 105 than the the Score LT did, if that makes sense. If someone offered me any of the above components for free my choices would be TS4 with RT 105 S+. If I was spending my own money on graphite iron shafts I would chose RT over Tour AD. The RT is an amazing shaft. They make ordinary irons, the KE4 MAX for example, feel good. Paired with a quality forged head they feel amazing. Hope that helps!!

I was able to demo all of Maltby’s latest irons and while I was doing so, I bought a full set TS1-IM’s. For comparison all the demos were built with Rapid Taper 105 shafts and I used a Graphite designs Tour AD 95 in my TS1-IM to try and keep the comparison as close as possible. My impressions so far: TS4- It is a blade……. But is surprisingly easy to hit and has a fair amount of forgiveness. Has the typical forged blade feel of being soft feeling while providing a solid strike (soft thud). I can miss it on the face with more forgiveness than other blades I have played. I would say it compares most to the current Srixon Z-Forged II. Like the Srixon, the TS4 is slightly bigger overall and does not have that typical blade razor thin top line. More traditional lofts as well. TS1-IM – There is a reason this head was sold out and not just because of the YouTube video. It has the looks of the TS4 with just a slightly wider top line. It is very forgiving all over the face and retains ball speed well. Soft feel without feeling hollow. I’ve tried other hollow body irons and never “loved” them. They were either too clicky for me or too low spin. The TS1-IM feels like a true forged cavity back and sounds amazing. Slightly stronger modern lofts. TS3- This club feels amazing. It is marshmallow soft and uber forgiving. I would compare it to a Srixon ZX5 that feels way better. The rounded sole will be a big help to some, and it wont hurt others. It does have slightly more offset than the TS1-IM and the TS4 and the offset is progressive through the set. I hate to use handicaps as a reference because I know great ball strikers who can’t score and poor ball strikers who can scramble and maintain a low index, but if you are a mediocre ball striker or a mid-handicap looking for forged, these are where you should start. Modern lofts are appropriate for this category. TE V4- Dare I say possibly the Goldilocks for Maltby. These will be overshadowed by the TS line, but they shouldn’t be. If you are a competent ball striker or lower index who doesn’t want or need blades, these are it. This is a modern players cavity back. Solid thud at impact that feels as good as any forged I have played. Consistent .100 offset throughout the set is a nice touch especially for those who do not like too much or a progressive offset. I feel these would blend well with TS-4’s for a combo set. Not a lot of tech, but a solid cavity back iron. These have the right feel, forgiveness, and playability for the low to mid index range. Modern lofts here as well and slightly less expensive. I am thinking of selling my TS1-IM’s and building a set of TS4’s. I like the slightly more traditional lofts and the added spin I was seeing both outside and on my sim. May even sell just the heads only if anyone is interested, 4-GW stock loft and lie 8 piece set. These are just my quick thoughts of each iron. Besides the TS1-IM I only had 7 irons to test so I can not speak to full sets. I’m happy to answer anymore questions. PS: In the bag full of 7 irons you will see a KE4 Max, also with a Rapid Taper shaft. If you just want to hit high forgiving strong lofted irons for dirt cheap, than just buy these. They look and feel better than any max game improvement iron by an OEM. I would say they compare to the Dynapower if anything.