Equipment Review: Aerotech SteelFiber Shafts
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, London Ontario Golf
Copyright 2007 London Ontario Golf

What more proof do you need than this testimonial from the Golden Bear when considering the performance of Aerotech SteelFiber shafts?

“Last year ... I was looking for a composite shaft that had the performance characteristics similar to the Dynamic Gold steel shafts I play in my irons. I found that performance with the SteelFiber shaft,” said Jack Nicklaus, who uses an Aerotech shaft in his hybrid club.

When I learned of Jack’s testimony, Aerotech shafts gained a whole lot more respect in my books. We had already reviewed Aerotech’s SteelFiber and Powercoil shafts, and applauded their performance plus composition. Add the new i110 Taper Tip for irons, and i125 shaft for wedges to Aerotech’s high-performance SteelFiber shafts.

Here’s what makes Aerotech’s shafts unique: they combine the power of graphite with the stability of steel, without increasing the thickness of the shaft wall. The result? A steel-fiber composite shaft providing maximum control and distance. Like Aerotech says, “It’s the best of both worlds.”

Aerotech’s manufacturing process involves the use ultra-thin stainless steel wire, cut and bundled into hundreds of pieces and placed together in an iron tube, which is then drawn to its limits. The process is repeated until the steel fiber measures just 1/10 the diameter of a human hair. It’s then applied to the surface of graphite core for a dynamite combo – a perimeter-weighted shaft. Forty per cent of the total weight of the shaft rests on the surface, increasing the MOI of that shaft. 

What’s more, Aerotech’s SteelFiber shafts offer power, stability, vibration dampening, increased clubhead speed and maximum distance. It’s a fact: the shaft really is the engine of your golf club. That said, Aerotech has come up with two Ferraris in their new additions to the family.

The i110 is a constant-weighted shaft – each shaft in the set weighs exactly the same, regardless of length. I tested the 41-in. stiff iron shaft at 110 g with high-mid kick point. According to Aerotech president and owner, Chris Hilleary, “The i110 is really going to appeal to the stronger player who’s been using steel-shafted irons but wants to gain some of the benefits of a composite shaft.” The most visible benefits I noted were greater distance and vibration dampening. Hilleary says players who have gone too light with their graphite-shafted irons would also benefit from the SteelFibre i110 because of added control.

The i125 shaft for wedges is a 125 g wedge-specific shaft. Taper tip in style, this shaft is designed for players who have either been playing a graphite shaft in their wedges that’s too light, or those who have been playing steel-shafted wedges and may now have graphite in the rest of their iron set. Says Hilleary, “We’ve increased the weight in this shaft not by adding more graphite – which makes the wall thickness too thick and gives the shaft a boardy-feel – but by adding more metal that has five times the density of graphite.”
I was admittedly skeptical about a composite-shafted wedge, but the 125 g i125 at 36.5 in. with high kick point delivers on its promise of game improvement. 

If you’re looking to improve your game, and can’t afford a new set of clubs, then consider reshafting your sticks. The Aerotech SteelFiber i110 Taper Tip for irons, and i125 shaft for wedges both carry an affordable MSRP of $37 US.

For more information on this company which we will hear much more about in years to come, visit www.aerotechgolfshafts.com.