Aerotech SteelFiber i95

Editor rating: 9.7 / 10

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By Verica Dimova

Did you know that Aerotech SteelFIber has more pro tour victories than any other graphite iron shaft ever? Well, even if you didn’t know this fact, now you do, and if you are like me, then it must have already popped up the question: “What makes this iron graphite shaft so special?” And, I set up myself on a mission to find out everything about the manufacturing process, the materials, and the technologies used in the production of the Aerotech SteelFiber i95 to find out why this model has been ruling the world of iron shafts.

The first thing that was striking about the company is that it is an innovation-oriented company that focuses on enhancing the performance of tour and pro players by delivering cutting-edge shafts that will be able to transfer more energy from the load to the impact to maximize speed and distance of the golf ball. The company’s innovative designs that integrate the use of superior materials are engineered to lower players’ fatigue and the risk of injury while helping them to sharpen their performance.

The company advertises itself its shafts as the ones that enable golfers to hit straighter and longer with reduced effort and free from worrying that you might aggravate an existing injury or cause a new one. The plethora of shafts includes irons, drivers, hybrids, wedges, and fairway woods shafts. Within these ranges, you’ll be able to find the most sophisticated and breakthrough designs for all possible golfers’ styles of playing, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these are some of the finest and the most advanced shafts you’ll find on the market.

Amongst the multiple tour victories, the Aerotech SteelFiber i95 reigns the throne of being the best of the best. It is the model that was designed to offer tour players a thin shaft that isn’t going to feel bulky or difficult to use, but at the same time, it isn’t going to be lightweight as graphite shafts are much more lightweight compared to stainless steel shafts. The model was greeted with deep appreciation and thrill, and its success was almost instant. It comes in silver color to match most of the clubs, but there’s also a limited edition that comes in a black finish to match the clubheads designed in black finish.

If you are looking for an aftermarket shaft upgrade, continue reading the review to get as impressed by the design of the shafts as I was since all the features, technological advancement, and the playability aspects are discussed below.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

Graphite core and steel fiber wires that wrap around the core

Very stable, balanced performance

More distance to the longer irons and more control with the short ones

Consistent ball flights and enhanced playability

Parallel and Taper tip; the latter featuring the same weight regardless of the length of the shafts

The most selling model and multiple tour winner

Cons

It could be hard to control for high handicappers

General Information

Even though steel shafts have been long played and they do deliver decent performance, as the clubhead started to become more and more technologically advanced so did the design of the shafts. The use of graphite has taken over, and along with it, the technologies that make the graphite properties more enhanced and improved. This change has triggered the appearance of some new designs and a blend of new materials that make them more playable.

The Aerotech SteelFiber i95 is the shaft that can be found in the bags of many prominent golfers such as Brandt Snedeker or Matt Kuchar who boast several victories using this model. The main feature of this shaft is the use of steel thread wrap over the exterior of the shaft. This makes the shaft very stable and game-enhancing. As graphite shafts have been lighter compared to steel, many pro golfers were very reluctant to switch to graphite since they feel, and the control was minimal with just graphite shafts. But, knowing that Aerotech has steel fiber within its design, it raises the weight, making it more tour appropriate. Designed like this, it enhances the consistency, the feel, and produces faster energy transfer for more distance.

Material

Even when the company was initially set up, it was created with the idea to enhance the performance of the advanced golfers who needed more stability from their iron shafts that, back then, it was hard to achieve. As steel shafts were rapidly exchanged with composite graphite shafts, Tour players found them uncomfortable to play with because of their lightweight since graphite is much lighter compared to steel. This implied that companies had to use more graphite which had a huge impact on the shaft thickness, making it hard to use, and it loses part of its playability.

Therefore, the designers from Aerotech had to think of a way to make the shaft thinner, but at the same time sturdy, easy to control and to deliver optimal energy transfer. This meant using a higher density material, material that has more strength but not on the account of playability. After doing extensive research, the company opted for steel fibers which are five times heavier than graphite as a surface material that will wrap around the graphite-based shaft. What they managed to do with it was to lower the weight down while preserving the wall thickness to the lower minimum. The wrapping design around the shaft prevents it from deforming during load and impact and it raises the MOI of the shaft and makes it more stable at impact.

Looks

The overall appearance of the shaft enhances its market sales by making it more appealing to golfers. Even though some golfers couldn’t care less about the looks of the driver shaft, there is another extreme of golfers, those who pay special attention to the way they shafts appear and the impression they deliver.

When it comes to the Aerotech SteelFiber i95, at first glance it looks simple and plain. It provides you with the information on the manufacturer’s name and the model, and if you don’t really focus on it, you’d say here we stop talking about the way it looks. However, if you decide to further inspect its design, soon enough you’ll realize that the steel wire wrap is visible and it looks very smooth. It is a very sophisticated construction, and it all becomes even more astonishing when you realize that there are more than 59 miles of steel fiber around each shaft and that the diameter fo the SteelFiber is about 1/10 of a human hair.

Feel

Most of the pro players base their performance on the feel they get from the shaft as they can adjust their performance to the actual feedback they get from it. Therefore, it comes understandable why golf companies pay so much attention to trying to produce shafts that are capable of delivering very clear feedback on golfers’ performance.

We have previously discussed the fact that many professional golfers still tend to stick to their stainless steel shafts just because the graphite shafts are too lightweight and consequently, not very easy to control and obtain a suitable feel. And, it is exactly here, within the material design that we can observe the innovative nature of the shaft. The steel fibers that are wrapped around the shaft are the ones that increase the weight, but they are also responsible for the smooth switch from steel shafts to graphite shafts, as the feeling you get is a hybrid between the two, but nothing similar to anything steel-like.

The Aerotech SteelFiber i95 comes in at 95 grams and it is on the mid to light end, but not too light as the lightest shafts range from 40 to 60 grams. The shaft is very responsive and it feels pure and effortless for golfers who are mid to low handicappers. The combination of the graphite core and the steel fibers neutralizes the vibrations which makes the shaft much more pleasant to play with.

Performance

If you are still contemplating whether this graphite shaft would be a good match for your game and style, we need to emphasize the ultimate performance feature it boasts-the distance gain. Compared to similar steel shafts, golfers got above the average distances with their long and mid-irons, a reason enough to consider them as your future shaft fitting. The lower weight means more speed, but without sacrificing the control, which is often the case with graphite shafts. As your swing is getting faster, it also influences the launch which is slightly higher than what you would normally perform. Regarding short irons and the playability of the short irons, you are most likely to notice much higher spin and easier control of the club that leads to improved precision.

The fact that this shaft is the most sought-after graphite shaft of all times and the most sold one, clearly indicates that it offers enhanced performance. It is the number one reason that many golfers have decided to switch from steel to graphite without having any adverse impact on their performance whatsoever.

Specification

The correct fitting that matches the specific golfer’s swing speed is the precondition for enhanced performance and it mainly depends on several variables that determine the right customization. According to many golfers, the flex is one of the important features to be considered, and the Aerotech SteelFiber i95 comes in three flexes: Regular, Stiff and X Stiff which can considerably enhance the performance of golfers.

When it comes to tipping, the i95 comes in both parallel tip and Taper tip configurations with all Taper models incorporate “constant weight” feature which means that each shaft within the iron set has the same weight no matter how long it is. The weight, as the name implies, is 95 grams through the set. What distinguishes this set though is the difference of the tip section throughout the set, making difference in the feel between long and short irons.

Key Features

This is the best selling model of all aftermarket iron shafts which comes as no surprise, especially after we have gone through the most specific details of its craftsmanship. This shaft model has been the first choice of many Tour and recreational golfers, thanks to the blend of graphite core and steel fiber wraps that deliver a smooth transition from steel to graphite shafts.

One of the most distinguishing features when it comes to its performance is the distance gains thanks to its lighter weight which is 95 grams, the optimal weight for transfer from steel to graphite. The design itself doesn’t sacrifice the control of the club and allows maximum precision, which is a rare phenomenon within the graphite shafts range. There are two tips, a parallel, and a Taper tip which offer the same weight configuration regardless of the length of the shafts.

The Aerotech SteelFiber i95 iron shaft delivers a very solid feel at impact, it loads and unloads energy much faster without modifying its shape, and provides golfers with added distance with the long irons, and more control and precision with the short ones.

Key Features

Graphite core and steel fiber wires that wrap around the core to deliver more weight stability

Very stable, balanced performance without twisting the shape of the shaft

It delivers more distance to the longer irons and more control with the short ones

Consistent ball flights and enhanced playability

Parallel and Taper tip; the latter featuring the same weight regardless of the length of the shafts

The most selling model and multiple tour winner

Bottom Line

As modern technologies modify the way golf club heads are made, thus they alter the way modern shafts are constructed and used. Graphite shafts are taking over, and even though irons were the least impacted of this tendency to replace the steel shafts with graphite shafts, Aerotech SteelFiber lineup has been the model that represents the smoothest way to transit from steel to graphite shafts.

And while Kuchar has been the golfer who made them work on Tour, and after winning several victories with them they have become a Tour preferred model. However, they are not limited to tour players only, so anyone who is thinking over switching from steel to graphite, and has been used to playing with a bit heavier shafts, could find them extremely playable. They have been the most selling iron shafts, remember?