T&C Reviews
Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei AV Raw Orange Shaft Review
The Newest Shaft in the Company's Popular Tensei Line
- Tees and coins staff
- July 8, 2020
- Equipment Reviews
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For this review, we had Don and Josh(putterho) review the Tensei AV Raw Orange shaft. One of the two will put it in the bag, the question is who?
Don:
When Mitsubishi first came out with their new Tensei line a few years ago, everyone was talking about the Tensei CK Pro Orange. It was a counterbalanced shaft that offered low spin and low launch. I mean everyone on tour had this in their bag at some point including guys like Tiger and Rose.
Fast forward to today and Mitsubishi has introduced a new version of this shaft called the Tensei AV Raw. The AV stands for Aluminum Vapor which is used to stabilize the butt end of the shaft. Instead of painting over, it they left it unfinished or “raw” so you can see the technology.
Upon opening the box, the Aluminum Vapor really sticks out and gives you this look at me wow factor but it is only at the top section so it does not cause distraction at address.
Josh:
Ok guys, first thing’s first. I am not a pro. The recovery journey to being back to playing pain-free golf has been an arduous one, but I’m happy to be back, and feeling better than ever.
I’m here to give a slightly different perspective than Don with this review. Where Don is on the high side of the 100-110 swing speed range, I’m comfortably on the lower end of that spectrum.
Here’s the thing. I don’t mind playing a softer shaft, but I hate the idea that when I catch one really flush, I could be playing a shaft that would penalize me for swinging too well.
And being a Ping driver user currently, the options for a counterbalanced shaft are pretty slim.
New and Improved?
Don:
I had the original Tensei CK Pro Orange already installed on a Callaway adapter so it was only fitting to have it built to the same specs. When I began building it, I made sure I used the exact same parts that I had on the other shaft which was a standard Callaway tip and a Golf Pride MCC Plus 4. The playing length was cut to 45.5. Looking at the specs of the original CK Pro, the weight of the shaft was 64g while the AV Raw was 69g. After building up the shaft, I measured it on the Mavrik Triple Diamond, as this would be the club I would be testing the shafts with. The head weight of the Mavrik was 195g and the swingweights for the CK Pro and AV Raw were D3.5 and 3.7 respectively. I was excited to see that the swingweights came out very similar as I am very sensitive to that.
Josh:
For my testing, I’m not comparing it to the Tensei CK Pro Orange because that shaft isn’t what I’m looking for. The CK Pro Orange was always the low/low shaft in the line, and I’m not looking for a super tip stiff shaft, because well, I’m no Bryson. I need a smooth shaft that I can trust will kick through the ball, but since I play a 10.5 degree driver head, always want a little reduction in spin.
Aluminum vs. Tungsten
Don:
I havent pulled out the CK Pro in a while so I took it out for a few rounds while I was waiting for the AV Raw to arrive. I was hitting this shaft so well and I wondered why did I ever take this shaft out of the bag. On to the initial testing. I arrived late to the course on the first day so I only was able to hit a few balls with the AV Raw. The first initial shots felt promising but knowing myself I love on course performance over trying stuff on the range. I used the same Titleist Pro v1x for each shot and hit them side by side on nearly every hole. The AV Raw definitely had a softer tip and I could feel it twist a little more than the CK Pro. The height was also a good amount higher as well. After a few more holes the distances for each shaft were somewhat identical with maybe a slight nod to the CK Pro. The dispersion on the CK Pro was a lot better and after reading more on the specs I think I figured out why that was the case.
Josh:
It’s funny how everything in golf is relative. For me, the AV Raw felt much more stable through the whole shaft compared to the Ping Tour offering I’m used to playing. But then again, I’m not swinging a Pro Orange Tungsten shaft, so that’s probably why it feels good to me. I currently have a BF shaft from another Tees&Coins member and this feels a little more stable than that shaft to me.
They're all pretty.
Don:
The CK Pro Orange uses MR70 in the tip to give the shaft a lower torque and stiffer tip. The AV Raw does not offer that unless you go with the TX version hence the price difference from the S to the TX.
My takeaways are that the AV Raw is a great shaft for a person who is looking to use a counter balanced shaft with a little livelier tip section. It is not as punishing as the CK Pro Orange and I think that it is a great shaft that can be more used by nearly every type of golfer.
Josh:
Yeah, this one is going into my bag for long-term testing. You guys know I’m not the type to brag about how far I hit the ball, but poor Don is not getting this one back. I might even go Callaway to match the shaft because the graphics look so good.
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