Aldila NVS 65S vs Diamana Blue 73S?

[SlyGuy]

I am thinking about putting a new shaft on my driver. I don't know a ton about shafts. I naturally have a fairly high trajectory.

I currently have the Aldila NVS 65S and am curious what a Diamana Blue 73S might do for me. My swing speed is around 100MPH.

[ArvinC]

...with both of those shafts you've mentioned. My last driver was a Nike Ignite 9.5 degree with the Aldila NVS stiff. My current driver is a Nike Sasquatch Tour 9.5 degree with a Diamana Blue 63 stiff.

For me, I found that the NVS has a snappier feel to it. At impact, it is much "sharper"...it doesn't feel muted at all. It feels like it has a lot more happening to it at release...probably would launch a ball higher than the Diamana. My only problem with it is it maybe releases too well. Whenever I really stood on it, or just happened to get one really "on the screws", my drives would go left, sometimes way left.

The Diamana, by comparison, is much more stabile, smoother and more substantial in its feel. You can really feel it's weight throughout the whole swing. It is a lot more muted at impact...very powerful feeling. The ball flight is penetrating, very controlled and repeatable. The shaft is so stable...there are no surprises or bad behaviors. My SQ Tour is the best driver I've ever used in terms of blending playability and distance. The Diamana shaft has A LOT to do with it. Oh, and don't discount going lighter than 73 grams. The Diamana is so solid overall you could go to the 63 and still get the same performance while getting just a bit more distance with the lighter shaft.

My .02 cents...Hit 'em well!

Arvin C

[pingman360]

if you mean the Blue Board... then no contest thats a much better shaft... but a reall BB not anything that comes out of a NIKE i mean a aftermarket BB is way different...

[SlyGuy]

yeah I am talking aftermarket. I have the Aldila 65S on my TM 9.5 Quad and was thinking about changing shafts.

[TmacG]

The After market BB is a totally different shaft. The one that comes in the Nike is ****. Im not going to give shaft advice though. but give both a legitimate chance and see what works best.

TmacG

[lorenzoinoc]

...with both of those shafts you've mentioned. My last driver was a Nike Ignite 9.5 degree with the Aldila NVS stiff. My current driver is a Nike Sasquatch Tour 9.5 degree with a Diamana Blue 63 stiff.

For me, I found that the NVS has a snappier feel to it. At impact, it is much "sharper"...it doesn't feel muted at all. It feels like it has a lot more happening to it at release...probably would launch a ball higher than the Diamana. My only problem with it is it maybe releases too well. Whenever I really stood on it, or just happened to get one really "on the screws", my drives would go left, sometimes way left.

The Diamana, by comparison, is much more stabile, smoother and more substantial in its feel. You can really feel it's weight throughout the whole swing. It is a lot more muted at impact...very powerful feeling. The ball flight is penetrating, very controlled and repeatable. The shaft is so stable...there are no surprises or bad behaviors. My SQ Tour is the best driver I've ever used in terms of blending playability and distance. The Diamana shaft has A LOT to do with it. Oh, and don't discount going lighter than 73 grams. The Diamana is so solid overall you could go to the 63 and still get the same performance while getting just a bit more distance with the lighter shaft.

My .02 cents...Hit 'em well!

Arvin C

Good synopsis, reflects my experience with the two shafts on a Titleist 905. The only thing I might add is I recently went to an Aldilla proto on a 907 D2. It load and releases even better than the NV and has a smaller dispersion pattern, at least for me. So I feel like I'm now getting the best of both worlds. If you like to feel snap in the shaft, there's nothing like the Aldillas. If you prefer stability and less snap, the Diamana is also great.

[ericandleiza]

either of you that say the one is the club is $#(*& what is the difference between the 2? i have an aftermarket Adila NVS 75 in my TM only cause i wanted heavier. is the one that came in it that much different?

[ArvinC]

either of you that say the one is the club is $#(*& what is the difference between the 2? i have an aftermarket Adila NVS 75 in my TM only cause i wanted heavier. is the one that came in it that much different?

"Stock" and "Aftermarket" shafts are, 90% of the time, completely different animals. The stock shafts that come with most drivers on the market are usually made by one of the big name shaft manufacturers. However, these shafts rarely have the manufacturer's best materials, construction methods or tolerences. These shafts are geared more toward the "casual" or "weekend" player. They're fine for the non-demanding golfer in that they are usualy very light in weight, easy to load and easy to swing. Also, because they don't contain top-shelf materials or cost that much to make, the driver itself can be priced much more agressively. A way to tell this type of shaft is being used is to read the label. Phrases like "Diamana for Nike...", "Fujikura for Calaway...", etc. can tip off a stock shaft every time.

The top aftermarket shafts are made using the company's best materials and techniques. These materials usually contain higher grades of carbon fiber, better resins/pre-pegs and better lamination techniques. The tolerences are much tighter as well...flexes are very well defined, weights are accurate, etc. This results in shafts that play exactly as advertised. These shafts WILL NOT contain the club manufacturer's name anywhere on it. You will not see Nike, Titleist, Taylor Made, etc. Just the shaft's manufacturer, model and relevent specs/info. Aftermarket shafts can come pre-installed with a driver from the factory, especially if you custom order one. But for many, these shafts are installed as a retro-fit to an existing driver. Also, because these shafts are better made, their characteristics are easier to define, ie. Aldila's NV-series have a lively, snappy feel vs. Mitsubishi Rayon's Diamana line that have a more stablity with a smoother feel.

The big boys like Aldila, True Temper/Grafalloy, UST, Fujikura have a majority of the market share, but small "boutique" companies like Harrison, Gramman, Mitsubishi Rayon, Graphite Design, Accuflex, Penley, etc. have great products and can be found on many of the pro Tours.

My .02 cents, of course...Hit 'em well!

Arvin C

[Sandpiper6]

arvin, your a bloody terrible speeler.

pickup a dictionary, also plz tell me that you're comparing a stock diamana in your nike to the nvs. what a tool....

[ericandleiza]

Man, i need to go check my shaft now. The orginal was a Adila NVS 65 Stiff. I went with a 75 as i wanted heavier for me but i bought the shaft at the same place i bought the driver

[ArvinC]

arvin, your a bloody terrible speeler.

pickup a dictionary, also plz tell me that you're comparing a stock diamana in your nike to the nvs. what a tool....

Sorry 'bout the "speeling"...sometimes try to type too fast for my own good.

Anyway, I have a Diamana Blue Board in my SQ Tour. I had it custom shafted straight from the factory. The club still retails for over $500 dollars with it, but I know the local Nike Golf rep and got a pretty good deal on mine.

Pics below are of my shaft (Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Blue Board, 63g, Stiff) and of the Nike Golf Custom Fitting Authenticity Certificate showing the factory install of the Blue Board Diamana 63 shaft.

I've played enough golf and bought enough equipment to know exactly what I'm playing with, bud. Unless you know me, or my bag, I suggest you take my posts as someone who is just offering some honest talk about what I've experienced and leave the judgemental stuff out of it.

Hit 'em well...

Arvin C

[pingman360]

yep thats a really diamana not the SQ Diamana... but you should see the Ion Diamana its even better looking...