Ed, I have to agree with your comments re the SMT and Bang products. I am somehow surprised that the SRV II does not get much attention on other forums. I had mine since January this year and find that the 7.5 with SK Fiber Rev Lite is the winning combo for me. Unfortunately!!!! Played few holes yesterday and noticed that the SRV started to sound like a ping driver and the flight was not consistent and definitely loss of distance. I suspected the worse and sure enough the face at the crown has a 2 inch hairline crack!!! Ken at Golf Direct is replacing under warranty as we speak. I do have aback up but it is 9 degrees. Anyone else had any SRV II crack? I swing at 92 to 94 MPH so the speed should not be the cause. Regards, Charlie W. ----- Original Message ----- From: "ED" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 11:54 PM Subject: Re: ShopTalk: new driver
> Personal experience with SMT & Bang: > I first bought the Carnoustie 7* and like the quality finish (red) and > product. I next tried the Baltusrol 7*. I too believe it tends to produce a > fade, could only draw it with difficulty. Since I usually hit a draw, I > didn't care for it as weell as the Carnoustie, but it was more forgiving on > off-center hits. Great finish & look (blue). I tried two shafts in the > Carnoustie: Harrison Pro SL 50 in firm tipped 1/4 inch at 46 inches and a > Prolite 3.5 stiff at 46 inches. Both performed pretty well, but not what I > was hoping for. In the Baltusrol I first fried an MFS (Apache) Micro 58 > stiff at 46.5 inches, then an HP/M ultralite stiff at 46 inches and finally > a blue Bimatrix at 46 inches stiff. Since I was searching for a shaft that > would provide a straight to draw configuration without working to get it, I > wasn't happy with any of the results. > From there I went with Bang Gold. I tried a P-3 at 7.5* with the Harrison SL > 50 stiff (pulled from the Carnoustie) at 46.5 inches. Immediately fell in > love with the combo. Nice finish but not quite as nice as the SMT products, > but the results are what counts. Still hit it a little higher than desired, > so I tried a 400 cc Dark Matter in 6*. I put the MFS shaft in it first and > wasn't happy with the results. Tried the HP/M and was much more satisfied > (wish they still made their shafts). But I'm not as consistent with it as > with the P-3 and it doesn't seem as forgiving as the P-3. About that time I > ended my sabbatical from Shoptalk and began reading all the good reviews of > the SRV II. So I ordered a 7.5. Stuck it on a Fenwick Ultralite 6.0 at 46.5 > inches. Super combo. The SRV II is not only as forgiving as the P-3 and > feels just a good, but it also gives me the lower trajectory that I have > been looking for and therefore is longer (even on the soggy fairways I > played on yesterday - hit one into the ditch on the par 5 18th and the ditch > is around 265-270). Of course everyone is different, but personally I really > like the SRV II and the P-3 comes in just behind it (great for when you need > longer carries) - ED > >