I was just thinking that golf needs a way to make equipment MORE expensive.

I’ve tried the smoke green shaft and it was incredible! Only just started watching the video so keen to see the difference with the Oban 👌🏻

I have an Oban Kiyoshi HB that I love. I've kept it through 3 driver heads, and have come to believe that shaft is crucial to feel and consistency. I'd happily upgrade a shaft over one of my clubs at my stage in the game.

I went for a fitting and was amazed how different shafts effect your game. 16 handicap golfer and changing the shaft during the demo was amazing!!!

Yes, you get what you pay for in golf equipment. Consider whether you have a game or swing worth a $500 component? Unless you're a plus handicap player or you carry a seven- digit credit rating, frugality has its virtues.

If you are one of the very few golfers with a handicap under five who can generate good club head speed with a repeatable swing with a late release, then an expensive shaft can make a small difference to spin and launch angle. The other 99% of us would be wasting our money. Read Tom Wishon on shaft fitting. He is acknowledged as the leading expert in the world on club fitting. Mind you , those Oban shafts do look fantastic! Interesting video , thanks

I got my Oban Kyoshi Purple because it feels amazing. Didn't make me hit it better, longer, straighter, but the feel is amazing.

One of the best deals I ever came across was a buying a Taylormade SLDR off of Craigslist for $100 CDN. So what you say? Well, it came with a real deal Oban Kiyoshi White Shaft.

For some people shafts make a difference, others can swing just about any shaft and it makes no difference. It is not all about distance either, consistency, dispersion, launch and spin rates may be relevant to you (although if you are concerned about spin rates trying a different ball would be a lot cheaper!). For me and my driver the solution was to reduce the length of the stock shaft to 44.5" - lost virtually no distance but massive gain in consistency and control: total cost £12

I just picked up this exact shaft for my OG M2. I had the stock fujikura in stiff, and wanted an extra stiff. I was able to demo this before I bought on a flightscope monitor. My swing speed is about 115-119 on average. I found it added about 10 yards carry for me, a couple mph ball speed. As well, spin decreased a fair bit. Went from around 3300rpm down to averaging around 2800. That helped a bunch with the distance. Most importantly, the dispersion tightened up considerably. I'm prone to pulling the drives left, and the extra stiff helped straighten those up and actually turned what was on average a 10y left miss, to a 4y right miss. I didn't pay $400, but from the demo, I was very pleased. Now, to see if it translates to the course.

Looks to me he's trying to swing harder with Oban One Cannoli, than he did with Hideous Smoke.

I did my home work a year and a half ago and purchased a $235.00 VA Vylyn 55 gram stiff driver shaft from VA Composites , this shaft is designed for slower swingers and kicks the ball up higher with less spin, I found that it is the best golf shaft I have ever had in a driver in over fifty years of playing at this crazy game we all love. Well worth the money to me.

Trouble with a lot of stock shafts is that they are not all the same ,you get fitted for a club ,wait for it arrive and the shaft does not feel the same as the one you got fitted for .Not all after market shafts are expensive ,try ones that have been out a few years ,bargains can be had ,weight length and kick point are things to look for ,not just flex .I got fitted in to a Mitsubishi b series 60 x playing at 44.5 inches which had been out a few years got two for £100.00 each ,great stable shaft for me and very smooth .Use what works wether its cheap or costs a few more quid ,then stick with it and practice .

It’s not about extra distance- it’s dispersion! The upgrade has much less oval wobble- it’s more stable and that’s the most important thing for sensible golfers of whatever h’cap........

Moral of the story if your going to slice and shank it make sure you like how it looks in the bag. That's what I do lol

Its not a £400 upgrade. The shaft itself maybe £400 to buy on its own, but to buy the SIM with that shaft upgrade is an extra £170.

i love his swing..... just looks so smooth in the transition

I got a deal on a epic flash 3w with a kiyoshi white shaft on callaway preowned. It is a monster.

I was fitted into a oban kyoshi purple shaft yes it also cost 500 bucks I swing at 90mph this shaft gets me 220 metres with a great hit 200 metres with a good hit and 170 to 180 with a rubbish hit All 20 metres more than my old shaft Worth it? Yes to me probably no to others your choice indeed Plus the shaft does look awesome I get lots of admiring comment on it

And the moral is.... It looks good. That's what I love about this channel - the science. 😆

I have and played all 3 variations the black, white, and purple the one thing i will say is they are insanely stable and vary with flight and spin. So yeah theyndo feel different compared to everything and i just got a sim max in the ventus black cause i wanted another shaft to mess around with. But obans are amazing in woods but your paying a premium for sure

Don't think these shafts would make a difference to the average club players might be different if they are zero handicap or pro players etc.

Feel can promote confidence, which might increase speed and/or strike.

Its all about matching the shaft to the head. Price does not matter its about feel and performance and getting the correct combination.

7 extra yards average for £400. I would keep the standard shaft thanks

Obviously there are people for whom this 500 is less than for me to buy a basic steel shaft. But it is still a bad idea. If the materials or processes are legal, they don't really help that much. The whole key to scoring is getting your set-up properly configured and matched to you. There is no need to have anything other than steel shafts. There is a minimum driving distance, on average, for each handicap, and last I heard it was 240 to be a scratch player. Pavin won the US open off a 240 driving average. I saw Nicklaus win a major using his steel shafted wooden 3 wood for all but two of the 4s and 5s. This was at a time when he owned his own club manufacturer that sold drivers with carbon shafts. But on the other hand, Bob Murphy was dominant on the senior tour until he broke his carbon shafted Big Bertha, and they could never find another shaft he could play equally well. We have better shaft processes today, but it shows: 1) It isn't for most of us about an extra few yards, unless we are playing bragging golf like best ball; 2) Striking gold out of some miracle shaft is incredibly difficult, so how does that work for non-scratch golfers who are hugely inconsistent without a repeatable swing? Even if you can catch lightning you can't keep it. Bonus tips: If you think you need super light, high performance shafts on your driver. You aren't swinging the club, and you are building an unmatched set. For most players, they should sweat it less about a few extra yards, and try to figure out how to place their drives. Unless you are playing some non-golf like best ball.

If you go on Clubhouse Golf you and click on the Custom Fit option you can have this shaft as a £170 upcharge option. Still an expensive upgrade but not as bad as paying £400.

That’s not the HULK it’s green smoke the hulk is $300 and it would say small batch on shaft just sayin

That Oban, I have it myself, is more like $275.. I have it in a Callaway XR speed 😄

I have access to tons of Shafts....what works best for me is either the Oban Black, Tour AD BB or my current gamer for the last few years is the Handcrafted HZRDUS Yellow.....Thing is a BEAST!!!!!

Good video guys. Couple points. The weight of the oban in 5 flex is 71 grams so it’s heavier by 1 gram so no weight difference. The hulk has one of the stiffest mid and tip sections available. It’s quite clear in your delivery numbers that it was too much shaft and was leading to the open face issues. The softer butt profile allows better timing and strikes for you. Even so it’s a minute difference but if you can make it rain!

I used to own a Kyoshi white with a Titleist 910 D3 and it was very stable and never have found any other shaft like it. It split while traveling. Taking a look at HZRDUS green to see if it is a close comparison.

This is often the result of dedicated clubfitters, especially in woods and hybrids: you can easily come away with 4 clubs that cost 550-600 pounds each because of the ideal upcharge shafts they fit you for (for instance, a G410 SFT fairway clubhead of 250 pound is easily married to a TT Project X Evenflow Blue 65 - 5.5 shaft of 365 pounds.....)

Him hitting the ball right or left is not dependent on the shaft. That would be his impact angle on the face of the club head. Also it looks like he was swinging for the fences with the oban. I use hzrdus smoke green on a taylormade sim2 and it’s a beast I average about 260-270 carry and low spin which is great.

The white Kiyoshi is superb, I have it with the epic flash, expensive yes, but very stable and long!

Love a pimp stick shaft. Regrettably just gave up the Fubuki hybrid shaft in the Hybrid after nearly 10 years for Tensai Blue in G410.

Got an Oban shaft in mine and love it. Just felt best in the fitting. Was only a 160 quid up charge

I think this shaft will make a significant difference,,,,, to your bank balance. In all honesty what percentage of golfers could even tell the difference let alone benefit from it, 2% ???? Perhaps a more pertinent question is, how much does a £400 aftermarket shaft cost to make ?

I use the new evenflow riptide 5.5 CB 50 in my new sim and gained 22 yards from the stock shaft! Love it! ⛳️🏌🏼👍🏼💯

Well doesn't that just figure, he's a putting genius AND smashes driver. Some guys have all the luck! 🤦🏼‍♂️

I use the Oban White. I’m a +3 and the stock shafts just did not fit me. The price is not for more distance, it is for more consistency no matter how hard I go at it. The price is for fairways not distance.

Swinging quicker with oban but you never swapped back to stock as he would of been more warmed up. I seen a 8y increase with the ping G410 after hitting my rogue SZ first, then went back to rogue and it was exactly the same. That shaft hasn't given him any extra but probably helped him swing faster because that's what he has set his mind on having

That shaft is 200 bucks on eBay all day! The first thought that popped into my head is that the stock shaft wasnt optimal for him and the Kiyoshi was but there could’ve been plenty of others for cheaper.

Enjoyable video again James and good fun watching Chris hit driver, and boy didn’t that shaft look good in that head

Loved the video! But can a shaft be draw or fade bias?

You can get that shaft on the bay for 100 bucks. Who pays 400?

Would have liked to have seen him go back to the other shaft and hit a few more, warmed up, feeling the swing etc

Are you saying that Chris has actually bought a club and not just another hand me down in his bag 🤣🤣🤣

If more proof were needed that correct fitting is the way to go. Most companies do it for free, it's a no brainer... or get it cos its so priiitty

'OW MUCH??? Love it thanks James, always enjoy when Chris is on.

Trying to flex on your “distance” with “Almost my numbers there” 😂😂😂

Would've been nice to hear what the exotic shaft was supposed to offer over the stock shaft and the test whether it really does offer that or not.

So basically if you have a 90 - 95 mph SS the stock shafts are probably fine.

If it looks good buy it!!!!..................I guess you must have spent time in Vegas. Just sayin!

I'd use/pay anything that can help my game.... but it has to be a big step up to justify that amount to upgrade a shaft...

great video.. although hate to see a fitting when using range balls? Had a driver fitting at waterfront a few years ago.. bloke told me they were 100percent range balls but surely there’s no such thing🤷‍♂️ otherwise we would all be playing them 🤔

It's the placebo effect 😄

Enjoy seeing Chris. Maybe more with him?

Like my Mitsubishi Bassarra , Tensei, Kuro Kage and Aldila shafts in my M6 woods

I going for a fitting with PXG and I going to try out this shaft

I heard Oban and my first thought was whisky. Thought you might have Chris taking a shot each time he missed a fairway

Would be interesting to know, if the numbers were the same, when he uses a stock shaft or cheaper shaft with the exact same spects as the oban. Xstiff with 65 gramm. That would proof, that you dont need those super expensive shafts in Amateur golf

not about distance its about hitting fairways anything over 260 yards is good even on pro course but we know 110 mph club head speed this going to be 300 yards straight down middle

Tee the ball higher to fix the low strikes on the face

Third in, way better than first.

Good honest banter

I never knew a shaft could make a strike sound different! Was that down to improved strike?

If you’re doing a fitting why use range balls, surely they can’t be compared to a premium ball ?

‘Ow much!?! The Yorkshire war cry

One shaft costing more than all my current golf equipment including shoes and waterproofs.

Buy a $500 driver gain 4 to 5 yards. Then buy a $400 shaft gain 1 to 2 yard more. 6 more yards for $1000 totally worth it.

Oban tour limited is the best shaft I’ve ever used. Of course I didn’t pay for it

that hzrdus shaft is soo sick

I use the exact same Hazerdous smoke shaft

It looks nice James but wouldn't pay that price for it. 🏌️⛳👍💯

I figure if I give up groceries for 2 or 3 months, give up the internet, stop paying car and house insurance I could get me one of these shafts. Another few months I could get the head and boy howdy, I bet I could break 100.

That’s not the hulk and the white oban is a great shaft I used it for four years. Great smooth feeling.

Nobody forces any customer to buy an upcharge shaft. There's even no guarantee it will improve performance. However if there is a significant improvement in smash or launch or spin or distance then u gotta at least consider them bad ass shafts

Smashes it we no glove, Yorkshire born n bred👍😎

Get fitted by a Professional Club fitter that knows what they are doing!..............Just because it's a £400 Aftermarket shaft doesn't mean that it will suit the driver head or your swing dynamics!

The standard hazardous smoke green is not the Hulk Shaft the small batch hazardous smoke green shaft is the Hulk It is also 10 times smoother than a standard shaft

How much ? 🥺 if your loaded fine but would of thought a normal fitting would have got the same minimal gains .imagine if you the had these in a 3 and hybrids !

Shaft evaluations on YT video should always be compared to the most appropriate stock shaft for that particular club, in relation to the uncharge / price

Looks good

Does Chris remind anyone else of Mr. Turkentine on Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?

It's not the arrow it's the Indian unless your arrow is bent or has no feathers.

More distance... tighter dispersion.

Ones x and ones only stiff, so possibly will make a difference

I've been watching you a while but didn't realise I wasn't subscribed. Oops. Also, the hzrdus smoke green is different from the hulk shaft. The hulk is all green and extremely stiff profile. I'm currently gaming the Tensei Pro White 70TX (350 USD) and it was a huuuuuge upgrade from the Tensei White 70X standard (90-110USD) as soon as I tested it out, instant increase in ball speed (7mph increase on avg) and control. Felt absolutely amazing

Criss is chill Hes funny

Just wait a seconds, £400+ stock driver, £400 bling shaft upgrade, serious testing and Chris is testing in trainers. I’m sorry test is void and must be repeated.

Most people spending that much on a shaft will be custom fitted. If it does not add any benefit you would not purchase.

These custom shafts are supposed to help refine your shots. And it seems they do. Who the heck ever said you were supposed to get miles better because you pay 400$ ? There’s plenty of serious golfers who want that extra refinement and dependability. If you want it you have to pay. I’ve played guitar for 30 years and I know that better made, more expensive guitars , mostly....are better. What’s with the bashing expensive stuff here? I thought you all were golf enthusiasts? Stock shafts mostly suck. I struggled with one after another until I spent only a little more, and got a matrix white tie. I’m at a point where I’m a 10 handicap and I know that stock shaft in the new driver I get will probably suck. Shafts make a big difference fellow golfers. I guess I’m disappointed that this guys channel is only for beginners who he doesn’t think deserve to be happy with 5 extra yards and more controlled ball flight. I guess this guy thinks your all a bunch of poor people who don’t care about refining your shots.

The HZRDUS is the “HULK”, so the Oban should be the “YETI”!

You need to do the Home Alone kid face for next clickbait video PLEASE

First thing, a hzrdus green in 6.5 couldn't even match a Kyoshi white in 05 so in 6.0... Second for that swing speed the kyoshi white in 05 is way too stiff. A 04 which for me is a normal X-stiff would be more adapted for a 110 swing speed.

One doesn't compare shafts on price, it's about performance for the INDIVIDUAL. For some people an expensive shaft might make huge difference and for others a cheaper might be the best fit. It's like shoes, maybe a more expensive running shoe is better but first of all it needs to be the right size for your f*cking foot...

Why test a £400 shaft with range balls? Seems pointless to me.

I wouldn't say it would be worth it for most golfers. That being said do it if you have the cash and feel like you need it. Just not for me.

If it improves performance, I expect 5 to 10 extra yards. At 400 pounds, I am not sure it is worth it.