TM SIM vs Maltby KE4 TC

[Popeye64]

Maltby have a sneaky release of thier new head and usually dont do releases till late spring/summer. So it caught me a bit off guard. This one has a cast ti body of 8-1-1 and a face of 6-4 ti. They brought back an adjustable hosel and have thier signature single weight port.

The new SIM driver arrived at the same time so a shootout ensued

 

The SIM was a 9.0 with the Hzrdus Green S at 46", weight slightly heel side. KE4 TC had the Xcaliber Superlite55 S tipped an inch at 45". I also had along an M5 9.0 and an ISO-T 10.5.

 

Right away the M5 was knocked out as it was out to the right and a slight but shorter but in a tight pattern. No doubt the distance was hampered by the fade. The ISO-T is not the one I have setup for myself but it was a good representation. This one spins in the 3200 rpm area and though it matched ball speed of 155 the spin kills the distance. But it is very straight.

 

It was obvious this was between the KE4 and the SIM.

 

The first chart shows how they stacked up. The KE4 carry numbers had a pair of 250 carries that hurt its numbers but overall it more than held its own. It bettered the ball speed yet was slower in club head speed. Had much better spin and was as consistent. Seeing this really intrigued me into wanting to get a matching shaft comparison. As the two drivers sit I could have played either one.

Feel wise a slight nod goes to the SIM. it has a bit softer feel but not by a lot. Same goes for the sound,, it's just slightly softer. Both feel and sound with nearly any TM these days is a benchmark. The SIM is right up there.. with the KE4 its NOT a huge difference but it is there. Just a bit firmer and louder,, just a bit. The construction of the two is quite different and the carbon crown of the SIM plays a big role.

 

So next I put a matching Xcaliber Superlite55 S tipped an inch in the SIM.

Both are 45" long and matching grips.

This was two days later and didnt quite have my swing from the previous test but it was repeatable.

 

I hit the SIM first for 5 and switched. Viewed the data and repeated the 5 and 5.

 

This test showed the KE4 to edge out the SIM again but this time it was a little more clear. There is not a huge difference but it is there in the numbers. Spin is still far better. Ball speed is nearly the same yet the SIM is still faster. The aero on the head is REAL. you can swing the SIM faster yet it was not showing the leap expected in ball speed. Smash factor reflects that as well.

 

For the heck of it I repeated a 3 and 3 test on the E6 software and had the same results. The KE4 beat it out.

 

As far as dispersion goes they were pretty equal. With the KE4 I can take the right side of the fairway out of play. With the SIM I need to aim down the middle. My misses were right and left but all still well in play. The KE4 was steadily left. not in a hooky sort of way, just left. Which for me is new. Once I get outside I'll play with the settings where I'm better able to see its actual flight.

 

Now,,,,, I have $210 into the build of the KE4 TC. The SIM is $549. I'm not knocking the SIM as I really did enjoy the driver and certainly could play it, (I still could have adjusted setting with the SIM, as well the KE4), but there is no way I can justify over twice the cost. Maltby has a fantastic release with the top of the KE4 line up. I really look forward to spending more time with it getting it dialed in.

 

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[StrokerAce]

I could easily play an entire bag of Maltby .... I think they are one of the most underrated clubs.

Thanks for the great info and comparison!

[Popeye64]

I could easily play an entire bag of Maltby .... I think they are one of the most underrated clubs.
Thanks for the great info and comparison!

I would put the Maltby line of clubs up against any OEM in any category and know you would not find a better product. Cosmetics, quality, performance and best of all at a minimum half the price.
Yet so many people dont even know about thier products.

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[cnosil]

Great post. This is why we constantly tell people to try clubs and see what works.

[cksurfdude]

On 1/17/2020 at 9:38 AM, GolfSpy Stroker said:

Thanks for the great info

Second that! Nice to see Maltby has another "legit" club

[pozzit]

I wish we could get Maltby in the Most wanted testing that would be a really big eye opener for some. I just got a demo of several irons and I'm really excited to test and play with them.

Using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[edingc]

Great review! I would also love to see more of your thoughts on the XCaliber shafts. 

I see Maltby also has their new wedges on the Golfworks site, not yet shipping though. They look pretty sharp as well.

[Popeye64]

Great review! I would also love to see more of your thoughts on the XCaliber shafts. 
I see Maltby also has their new wedges on the Golfworks site, not yet shipping though. They look pretty sharp as well.

Xcaliber is about to shock the shaft world with a new iron shaft design that is just a wow shaft for everyone that hits it. Feel is outstanding and the way it loads and releases is perfect. He is going to drop that shaft this week
As for the rest of his line up. There is a shaft that fits just about everyone. Cost wise per performance,, you will not beat them.
If you look at the pictures you will see that the Superlite55 maintained the exact same ratio of performance when compared to the Hzrdus Green. My swingspeed was lower with both shafts the second test day but the data was nearly identical just lower for that test.
Xcaliber shafts have made a comeback over the last year. It's been a struggle but one thing is always present. Top quality gear at a more than a fair price. If he threw a $300 price tag on some of his shafts people might take notice. But shafts dont cost $300 or more to make. It's just wildly inflated pricing. Just like OEM heads.

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[Popeye64]

Great review! I would also love to see more of your thoughts on the XCaliber shafts. 
I see Maltby also has their new wedges on the Golfworks site, not yet shipping though. They look pretty sharp as well.

As for the newest Maltby wedges I cant wait to try out the new beveled sole. Sort of a V sole for the wedges that has been so amazing on the Maltbys and the Srixons in iron sets. I dont think those get released for a month or two.

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[azstu324]

As for the newest Maltby wedges I cant wait to try out the new beveled sole. Sort of a V sole for the wedges that has been so amazing on the Maltbys and the Srixons in iron sets. I dont think those get released for a month or two.

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I presume were talking about the TSW wedges correct? I'm pulling the trigger on a set of 3 as soon as they're released! 50° 54° 58°. I already know they'll strongly compete with any wedge on the market and for less than the price of 1 Vokey, I can get a whole set.. it's a no contest win. Some of the best looking in the market IMO.

Another fun fact about playing Maltbys is they have everything that a premium club has, including their own unique designs and always get double takes, questions, and compliments on the course.

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

[edingc]

9 hours ago, azstu324 said:

I presume were talking about the TSW wedges correct? I'm pulling the trigger on a set of 3 as soon as they're released! 50° 54° 58°. I already know they'll strongly compete with any wedge on the market and for less than the price of 1 Vokey, I can get a whole set.. it's a no contest win. Some of the best looking in the market IMO.

Another fun fact about playing Maltbys is they have everything that a premium club has, including their own unique designs and always get double takes, questions, and compliments on the course.

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..
 

Yup! The TSWs look really sharp. I'm actually really happy with my Diamond Tour clones that I paid $10/each for, otherwise I'd considered hopping on a 52/56/60 set. The sole design looks fantastic.

 

[pozzit]

I saw the new TSW on the site. I want to try my hand at how a 60* wedge goes and wanted to test and get used to it before these actually get released so i grabbed a Tour MG. Also never had any DBM coated clubs so curious to test that out as well.

[azstu324]

I saw the new TSW on the site. I want to try my hand at how a 60* wedge goes and wanted to test and get used to it before these actually get released so i grabbed a Tour MG. Also never had any DBM coated clubs so curious to test that out as well.

The DBM finish will not disappoint. Going on 3 years with my DBM irons and the face at most has worn to a dark graphite color.

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

[edingc]

3 hours ago, pozzit said:

I saw the new TSW on the site. I want to try my hand at how a 60* wedge goes and wanted to test and get used to it before these actually get released so i grabbed a Tour MG. Also never had any DBM coated clubs so curious to test that out as well.

I'll second @azstu324's DBM recommendation. I have two of the M+ wedges with that finish and they look really great for how much I used them last year. 

[Popeye64]

The DBM finish will not disappoint. Going on 3 years with my DBM irons and the face at most has worn to a dark graphite color.

 

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

 

The DBM finish is really tough plus the grooves stay sharper for two reasons. They are not coated so it's as machined. Also being a harder metal after the process it lasts longer. Cleaning them with WD 40 makes them look new.

Only thing with the MG Tour is the aggressive leading edge. They will eat some real estate if you are a digger. The new TSW will be light years friendlier on turf.

 

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[pozzit]

@azstu324 @edingc  @Popeye64 Thanks for all the feedback I'm intrigued to get it on some grass but unfortunately that will take some time with this weather. If they are not the most turf friendly then my course may be angry at me,. I don't expect to be doing too much full swings with it so I'm usually not that much of a digger on partials. 

Now back to the driver side of conversation. How does this compare for spin and forgiveness. Seems like your Spin loft is higher then Sim but the spin is actually lower. Was this the SIM or SIM Max? I have heard the standard SIM is the low spin option.

[Popeye64]

[mention=76102]azstu324[/mention] [mention=84579]edingc[/mention]  [mention=75887]Popeye64[/mention] Thanks for all the feedback I'm intrigued to get it on some grass but unfortunately that will take some time with this weather. If they are not the most turf friendly then my course may be angry at me,. I don't expect to be doing too much full swings with it so I'm usually not that much of a digger on partials. 
Now back to the driver side of conversation. How does this compare for spin and forgiveness. Seems like your Spin loft is higher then Sim but the spin is actually lower. Was this the SIM or SIM Max? I have heard the standard SIM is the low spin option.

This was the SIM model. I'm personally fighting a very negative AOA these days so I need a driver that spins less. The KE4 is truly a low spin option.
My data over two completely different sessions were near identical so the low spin was not a fluke.

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[txgolfjunkie]

Oh this has peaked my interest...

*checks golfworks for LH options*

*sees neither DBM irons nor KE4 is available in lefty*

 

F.

[Popeye64]

Oh this has peaked my interest...
*checks golfworks for LH options*
*sees neither DBM irons nor KE4 is available in lefty*

 
F.

So tough to get quality lefty gear from the component market. Hard to justify the cost of molds for the limited demand.

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[azstu324]

So tough to get quality lefty gear from the component market. Hard to justify the cost of molds for the limited demand.

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You might find them here..
Oh did I just date myself?..

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

[Popeye64]

So with the KE4 TC solidly in the bag I have been having some quality time with it. I have improved my AOA and I am hitting these high flying bombs that are going very very straight. Hitting in the 16-18° zone and staying under 3000 spin is almost impossible for me yet it's now the new norm.
The first picture is of my pre round warmups. Solid and fairly repetitive. I played 18 holes of Bethpage Black masochism and managed a round long of 313.
After the round I hit a few more as I can hardly believe what I'm doing with this driver. So I posted a 4 shot average after the round.
I dug out a SIM Max and could not come any where near the consistency.
Out on an actual course I'll tinker with tee height but I'm in new territory for a driver.

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[03trdblack]

Putting away the ISO-T? 

[Popeye64]

Putting away the ISO-T? 

I think I am. I hope to do a long session between the two but the consistent flight of the KE4 is just awesome. The ISO-T outdoors last year was silly long. But it wasnt the easiest to control. If I can carry 280 and be down the middle I'll give up any 300+ yard driver.

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[03trdblack]

On 1/19/2020 at 8:36 AM, Popeye64 said:

Xcaliber is about to shock the shaft world with a new iron shaft design that is just a wow shaft for everyone that hits it. Feel is outstanding and the way it loads and releases is perfect. He is going to drop that shaft this week

Which iron shaft were you referring to here?

[Popeye64]

Which iron shaft were you referring to here?

A rapid taper iron shaft that has been testing through the roof. I'll have it in my hands tomorrow. It's been a freak shaft in that so many people who hit it could play it. It seems to fit a wide spectrum.

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[NiftyNiblick]

On 1/17/2020 at 9:38 AM, GolfSpy Stroker said:

I could easily play an entire bag of Maltby .... I think they are one of the most underrated clubs.

Thanks for the great info and comparison!

Maltby made excellent persimmon and laminated maple woods back in the 70s.

The customer could choose not only shaft and grip but finish color (many available) and face insert as well.

More importantly, loft, lie, and face angle were all customizable as well.

They didn't have the high tech of today's modern metalwoods, of course, but the fit metrics were an open book.

 

I discovered Maltby in the 70s through a magazine article about the then "new concept" lob wedge. 

Maltby was among the very first to have one and they called it simply, Third Wedge.

It was a "third wedge" rather than fourth because iron lofts hadn't quite forced the necessity of the "gap wedge" yet.

I ordered a catalog to look at the "Third Wedge" that I had just heard about, but was most taken with their offerings for real wooden woods--which were still the norm at the time.

They were beautiful and the options were almost endless.

 

 

[edingc]

The KE4 TC looks like a real winner. I will have to see what the spring holds for me, but I could see myself pairing this head with something like an Aldila NV NXT or Kuro Kage Silver. Both of those options would keep this to roughly $250, which would be a steal if I could get performance similar to what you are getting out of it.

[Popeye64]

The KE4 TC looks like a real winner. I will have to see what the spring holds for me, but I could see myself pairing this head with something like an Aldila NV NXT or Kuro Kage Silver. Both of those options would keep this to roughly $250, which would be a steal if I could get performance similar to what you are getting out of it.

Later this week I'll be throwing a few different shafts in the KE4 TC and see what it does for spin and launch. With ball speeds of 165 its just begging for a 13-14 degree launch. Trust me I'm not complaining about a 280 carry but I'm just scratching the surface of what this head has in it.

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[therod]

Being a lefty limits my equipment options. Hence, I'm more intrigued by the new Xcaliber iron shaft...

Edited February 11, 2020 by therod

[pozzit]

I really might have to give the KE4 a try I have been hitting the KE4 2 Utility iron and I have really like it and although it is quite chunky it does feel decent. Driver is definitely a weak spot of mine. Have you compared it with any other drivers? What driver do you think it compares closest to?