KBS C-Taper Iron Shaft

[Matt Saternus]

KBS C-Taper Iron Shaft Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

“5% Lower trajectory. 5% Less spin. 5% More distance.” These are the promises made by the new C-Taper iron shaft from KBS. They claim to deliver these benefits without sacrificing that signature KBS feel. Sound too good to be true? Read on, spies…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel

 

Before we get started, let me own up to the fact that I'm a fan of KBS shafts. I have played KBS Tour shafts in my irons for over 3 years, and the KBS Hybrid shaft that I reviewed earlier this summer is still in the bag. Now, on with the review…

 

Let me summarize the feel of the C-Taper in one word: Spectacular. With regard to feel, the C-Taper truly does live up to the marketing. It manages to deliver the same smooth feeling that I have loved in the KBS Tour, but with added stout-ness (if that's a word). The C-Taper is clearly a stiffer shaft than the KBS Tour, but it does not feel boardy or hard to load. It still manages to give the smooth feel that encourages a smooth swing: the same characteristic I have enjoyed about every KBS shaft I have tried. If you are a fan of the feel of other KBS products, I strongly suspect you will like the feel of the C-Taper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance

 

Let's start by assessing the marketing claims. “5% Lower trajectory. 5% Less spin.” While I was not able to do any launch monitor testing with these shafts* I can say that, compared to the KBS Tour shaft that I normally play, the ball flight is decidedly lower and flatter. As for “5% More distance,” that is going to depend on the player. As I have mentioned in other reviews, I have a fairly shallow angle of attack, so I do not create a lot of “extra” spin. For me, the C-Taper was not any longer than my KBS Tour shafts. Players who have steeper angles of attack, or who simply hit the ball higher than I do, may see that 5% distance jump that KBS advertises.

 

As far as real world experience, the first day that I had the C-Tapers in my bag was an absolute honeymoon day. It was probably the best ball striking day that I've had all year, if not ever. I was painting flagsticks all day long, and hitting my normal distances quite consistently. I even hit four 5I shots from a tee box and landed them all in a space that you could cover with a beach towel. Needless to say, I was in love.

 

One thing that I noticed consistently during the testing: the dispersion of the C-Tapers is exceptionally tight. The ball does not seem to want to curve much in the air. It was akin to my experience with the Nunchuk shaft: you can push or pull a shot, but curving it takes work. This part of the shaft's performance I absolutely loved.

 

After that first day, however, I came to realize that the C-Tapers, at least in the stiff flex, might not be the best choice for me. I found that when I was not striking the ball well, my distances got a bit inconsistent. Flush shots went really well, maybe even further than normal, but mishits fell quite short. The dispersion was outstanding whether I hit the ball well or not, but the trajectory and distance were not always ideal.

 

This leads me to a point that I will make a couple more times before I'm done writing: if you're interested in these shafts, GET FIT! I know that when I picked the flex to review, I just went with stiff because that's what I always play. What I learned, through testing, was that I do not need a stiff flex in the C-Taper because of how stiff it is and how low launching & spinning it is. The C-Taper is a great iron shaft, but, just like anything else, it will not work as well as can if it is not fit properly.

 

 

 

*I did not do any launch monitor testing with these shafts because I was unable to compare them head to head against another shaft in the exact same iron. If the C-Taper becomes available on an OEM fitting cart in the near future, I will revise this review with the appropriate launch monitor data.

 

 

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Notes

 

The look of this shaft is all business. The satin finish has an industrial quality to it that I absolutely love, and I can't recall showing it to anyone who disagreed.

 

The C-Taper is offered in Regular, R+, Stiff, S+, and X flex. The weights of these shafts start at 110 grams (regular) and go up in 5 gram increments to the 130 gram X flex.

 

As mentioned earlier, the C-Tapers are a bit stiff-to-flex: the Stiff comes in at a 6.3 frequency. Combined with the low launch, low spin profile, I need to stress that players should be fit for this shaft by a trained professional. Picking your flex based on ego could lead to some bad results.

 

 

 

 

Value

 

The KBS C-Taper iron shaft retails for $30-35 dollars per shaft. Obviously this is at the top end of the steel iron shaft market, but for players who want the performance that this shaft offers, it is well worth it. Again, I must emphasize that it is important to get fitted for this shaft by an experienced fitter. $30 per shaft (plus install fees and grips) can get very expensive if you plan to fit yourself with the “Guess and Check” method.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Overall, I am very impressed with the KBS C-Taper iron shaft. The dispersion is extremely tight and the feel is tremendous: smooth but stout. It also delivers on the promise of lower launch and lower spin. The only caveat I will offer (one last time) is that you should be fit for the correct flex as these do play very stiff-to-flex.

 

 

 

***Just before I was about to publish this review, KBS launched an updated website with a web fit feature. I would strongly recommend taking a look at it: the results may not be what you expect, but it can give you a good starting point.