50 Words or Less
The Aldila XTorsion Copper shaft has a great feel and a stable tip. Counter balanced for heavier heads and longer driver set ups.
Introduction
Despite being one of the more successful shaft companies in golf, Aldila is one of the quietest. Their latest shaft, the XTorsion Copper, arrived without much fanfare despite having an interesting tech story. We put one to the test to see if it, like many past Aldila shafts, will be seen in the PGA Tour winner’s circle soon.
Looks
Aesthetically, the XTorsion Copper leaves me a little cold. The copper graphics do coordinate well with my PING G400 driver, but otherwise I find it a little bland.
The XTorsion name is stretched and twisted around the upper half of the shaft in copper and white. The lower half of the shaft shows the MAMBA Technology weave, which is a sharp look. I also like the logo for the MAMBA Tech.
Feel
I tested the XTorsion Copper in a stiff flex, not the X-flex I typically play, so I was a little concerned about it feeling too soft. I was pleasantly surprised to find the XTorsion Copper felt very stable.
During the downswing, this shaft feels like it’s transferring the energy smoothly to the ball rather than loading and kicking in one spot. In terms of comparisons, it’s similar to the Project X Evenflow Black. I particularly liked that I didn’t have to swing hard to make the shaft “work.”
Performance
When selecting a shaft, accuracy is the number one thing that I’m looking for. Unfortunately, I’ve found that many of the shafts that feel good aren’t very accurate for me. After I hit a few shots with the XTorsion Copper and enjoyed the feel, I expected to see shots flying left and right. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Aldila XTorsion Copper was consistently straight right out of the box.
The results I saw and the stable feel give credence to Aldila’s claims about their MAMBA Technology. Aldila uses a “flat weave material on the exterior of the shaft” to improve stability. They’ve also counter weighted the shaft, adding more weight to the butt section. This allows you to play a heavier driver head (many OEMs are producing heavier heads these days) or to make your driver longer without having a heavy swing weight.
My one concern with the XTorsion Copper is that the spin numbers were higher than I’m used to seeing. This could be related to playing a flex softer than normal. The amount of spin I was producing wasn’t problematic – I was still getting near-optimal distance – but the spin may be a concern for other players.
At this time, the Aldila XTorsion Copper is a limited offering. You can find it in regular flex at 50 grams, stiff at 60 grams, and X and Tour X at 70 grams.
Conclusion
I’ve hit a number of Aldila shafts well over the years, but the XTorsion Copper is the first that I can remember that checks the boxes for feel and performance for me. This may not be the most hyped shaft released in 2018, but it’s certainly one worth trying during your next fitting or demo day.
Matt Saternus
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Just curious, in your opinion, how would you compare the feel and stability of the aldila copper vs fujikura evo II/ Tensei Orange Pro since they are all counter weighted shafts (even though they were different flexes)?
Topher,
Having the XTorsion a flex softer makes it hard to compare, but I would say that my feel is that the Tensei is the least active/most stable, XTorsion is in the middle, and Evo II is most active. That said, the differences aren’t huge.
Best,
Matt
A bit surprised to see the spin numbers that high with the shaft. From what i heard, I was expecting to see spin around the 2100 range and on par with the likes of Tensei Pro Orange and Kuro Kage DC XT. Perhaps partly attributed to S flex, so would be interesting to see the numbers with the same shaft in X. Are the materials different in X or TX?
Kevin,
Not to my knowledge, but it’s possible.
Best,
Matt
Matt,
Is this strictly a “ better players” shaft or can high handicappers use it ? I bought a g400 max with the XTorsion shaft in regular off the rack. Didn’t realize it was an upgraded shaft and not the stock shaft.
Chris,
Not at all. I think that particularly with the smooth feel this shaft is accessible to anyone.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt have you tested the Xtorsion Green TX and if so what were your thoughts on it? Can’t find a great deal of reviews on it but had heard it’s similar to Tensei Pro Blue but a little lower spinning. Is that correct?
Many Thanks
Kind Regards
Jon
Jon,
I have not tested the XTorsion Green yet.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt
How would you compare this to the hzrdus smoke 60g flex 6.0?
Just brought a g400 lst with the xtorsion 70x. Jean to see what you think if you have tested both ?
Cheers Mark
Mark,
I have a full review of the HZRDUS Smoke Black here: https://pluggedingolf.com/project-x-hzrdus-smoke-black-shaft-review/
Best,
Matt