50 Words or Less
Both ARETERA A02 shafts get a step up in stability vs. EC1. AO2 Blue has a smoother feel but still produces a strong ball flight. AO2 Gray has a stiffer tip for very aggressive swingers who need to keep the ball in the fairway.
Introduction
ARETERA is a shaft company that’s committed to doing things differently. Part of that is their technology and how they make their shafts. Another part is the way they release shafts in defiance of the industry’s standards. The new ARETERA AO2 line isn’t your normal three piece, high-mid-low family. If you want to understand how the AO2 Blue and AO2 Gray might fit into your bag, read on.
Looks
The ARETERA AO2 shafts borrow heavily from the EC1 [review HERE] but with some notable differences. Most obvious is the change to the base color – a bright white in the AO2 compared to the muted silver of the EC1. This makes the AO2 more of an eye-catcher compared to the down to business EC1. Both shafts have similar branding and graphics, though the AO2 uses a lighter shade of blue. [See Price / Buy]
The other big difference is that in the ARETERA AO2 the entire lower half of the shaft has visible carbon fiber. In the EC1, the carbon fiber weave was only visible at the very tip. I initially thought that this would be distracting, but it never bothered me. One final change is that the AO2 has a tip graphic that says “PowerGrid” unlike the EC1’s “CONTROL CENTR”.
Feel
From the original ARETERA shafts, the Alpha One [review HERE], to the EC1, the feel of both shafts got a bit more stable. They balanced stability with feel, but my dominant memory is that they had a little more kick than your average shaft. Moving into the new ARETERA AO2 shafts, the company has taken another step toward the stability end of the spectrum.
I started my testing with the ARETERA AO2 Blue. Right away I noticed that it was firmer than I remembered the EC1 Blue being. The feel is smooth but not kick-y. It kept up with me when I went hard, but it was still smooth when I dialed it back. From a pure feel perspective, it’s just about perfect for me.
Switching to the ARETERA AO2 Gray, the 7% increase in tip stiffness was immediately noticeable. As I wrote in my EC1 review, it’s the difference between millk and dark chocolate, not chocolate and vanilla…but it’s still a healthy difference. This is the type of shaft you can swing aggressively. Scratch that…this is the type of shaft that wants you to swing aggressively. You can make a dialed-back swing with the AO2 Gray, but don’t expect much action from the shaft.
Performance
When testing the ARETERA EC1 shafts, I found what I typically do: the more active Blue was fun to hit, but the stiffer Gray was more predictable and gave me better results. With the new ARETERA AO2 shafts, the story was a bit different. Per ARETERA, the A02 has a stiffer mid section and softer butt section than EC1, and, for me, that change created some big performance differences. [See Price / Buy]
I started my testing with the ARETERA AO2 Blue, and I got good results from the start. The ball speed was strong and consistent, and the spin stayed under control on a variety of shot types. What was unusual was how well I was controlling the ball. Most shots ended up left of center, but they were small, playable pulls with minimal curve. Typically, I see the more active shaft produce a bigger draw. With the AO2 Blue, I had access to a high draw – a rare thing for me. The only thing that I found difficult was hitting a small fade – I needed to start the ball right to get it to curve right.
Turning to the AO2 Gray, I was expecting nothing but split fairways. While it did produce an excellent overall dispersion number, the AO2 Gray didn’t get there in the normal way. Typically, with a stiffer shaft I can hit straight shots and small cuts. The AO2 Gray, however, was all about the very small pull. Of course, this is not just the shaft, it’s how my swing worked with the shaft. As I noted earlier, the Gray made me feel like I had to swing harder, which is surely part of why the ball kept starting a bit left of target. It didn’t want to work the ball much, but the positive side is that it did an excellent job keeping mishits in play.
Overall, I would say that players trying the ARETERA AO2 should flush the normal Blue/White dynamics from their mind. Both of these shafts are fairly stout and produce a strong ball flight. For me, the AO2 Gray did the best job of reining in my bad misses, but it also pushed me toward a more aggressive (worse) version of my natural swing. The AO2 Blue gave me stability and consistency without encouraging me to swing at 110%.
The ARETERA AO2 Blue is available in four weight classes – 45, 55, 65, and 75 grams. At 45 grams, they offer flexes 2, 3, and 4. In the 55 gram class, they have flexes 3 and 4. For both the 65 and 75 gram versions, ARETERA makes flexes 4, 5, and 6.
In the ARETERA AO2 Gray there are the same four weight categories, but the flex offerings are slightly different. They only offer flexes 3 and 4 at 45 grams, and at 55 grams they make flexes 3, 4, and 5. Just like with Blue, you can get flexes 4, 5, and 6 at both 65 and 75 grams.
Conclusion
Even for those who spend a lot of time in the world of golf equipment, understanding ARETERA’s growing line up takes some effort. Whether they’ll be able to bend the industry’s standard practices, we’ll have to wait and see. But if you want a shaft with excellent stability, visit your fitter and give the ARETERA AO2 a try. [See Price / Buy]
AO2 stands in a class of its own with intelligent design, fined-tuned craftsmanship, and meticulous manufacturing. Active in the handle and firm mid to tip, the AO2 converts premiere engineering into shot repeatability.
Visit ARETERA Golf HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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