Taylormade Rbz Black Driver Review
One is a 2018 Tour winner, the other is a retail special.. So how do they compare?
TaylorMade’s current M3 and M4 drivers are played by many of the game’s biggest names including Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Jason Day and Tiger Woods.
But for all the hype these two clubs have generated in 2018, they aren’t TaylorMade’s only new 2018 models.
Walk into any American Golf shop across the UK and you’ll find the M3 and M4 sat on a rack right next to a reincarnated RBZ Black driver, one of golfers favourite drivers from a few years ago.
Mar 09, 2019 TAYLORMADE RBZ BLACK DRIVER 2018 REVIEW. Video Transcription Final Words. Most of the premium drivers on the market these days cost well over $400, so it's amazing to see TaylorMade coming out with this cracker for under $200. Usually when something seems to good to be true, then it is. But with the RBZ driver, that's not the case. Jun 10, 2018 Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TaylorMade Men's RBZ Black Driver, Black at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.
Yet you won’t find any mention of it on TaylorMade’s website (either in the UK, Europe or USA) or see it on tour. So why has is been launched?
It’s hitting a price point, giving golfers the chance to buy a brand new TaylorMade big stick for less than £240 (a new M4 retails at almost £370). But is it any good? And who does it appeal to? We wanted to find out by testing the RBZ and an M4 back to back.
How we did it
Taylormade Rocketballz Bonded Black Driver Review
We asked American Golf to let us borrow an RBZ Black for our test. We got our pro Ben Frost to hit both the RBZ in its stock, stiff shaft against the M4 with its stock, stiff shaft. Our launch monitor gathered the data, and thanks to our pro’s repeatable swing we were able to accurately compare both models. After all shots were hit we analysed the data to see how each performed.
The details
M4 - Price: £369 Lofts: 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 12° Stock shaft: Fujikura Atmos Red 5
RBZ Black - Price: £229 (only at American Golf) Lofts: 10.5° or 12° Stock shaft: Matrix White Tie MFS 55
How the RBZ compares to M4
TaylorMade’s original RBZ was one of our favourite all-titanium drivers, ever. So it’s no surprise they’ve resurrected the name for American Golf and other large retailers who know there’s a big market out there for a £200 drivers.
Deep freeze computer. Deep Freeze is a backup and recovery software that protects your computer by disabling all changes made to the operating system.
On raw numbers alone the RBZ holds up pretty well against a proven tour winner in the M4.
Ball speed was 3mph slower, which isn’t terrible – but it’s not great if you’re trying to rinse every last yard out of your game. The RBZ also launched higher with more spin, which is the same equation the best club designers try to balance through clever weight positioning in premium drivers. But all in, a carry distance seven yards down on the M4 (total distance was 10 yards shorter) isn’t disastrous, and for some golfers would be a worthwhile trade-off for keeping an extra £140 in their pocket.
Our test pro said the sound from the RBZ was solid for an all-titanium head (with no carbon-fibre to absorb vibration like the M4), and it sits really nicely at address.
See our 2018 drivers test here
Does TwistFace actually work? Three testers found out
You pay more for the latest tech
As loudly as TaylorMade beat the drum about the benefits of carbon crowns for freeing up useless weight (and dampening vibration) in the M4 and M3 drivers, the RBZ doesn’t have a carbon lid. Why?
Because by using titanium, costs can be controlled, enabling both TaylorMade and American Golf to hit the all-important price point. Don’t expect to find Twist Face or a Hammerhead slot like the M4 either; that’s TaylorMade’s very latest tech, reserved for their premium big sticks.
How different are they?
Read the RBZs description on American Golf’s website (and Dicks Sporting Goods in the USA) and there’s absolutely no mention of whether the head’s cast or forged. But with forging (for drivers, not irons) being cheaper than casting, it's probably a safe bet to say the RBZ’s head is forged. What does it mean to you?
Cast heads like M4 (and most premium drivers) have a skeleton cast from molten titanium, which allows liquid to run into very intricate shapes and designs, which forging (essentially stamping into shape) can’t achieve. Forged heads usually come in four pieces and need welding together, and these welds position mass in areas designers/engineers really don’t want it. That’s why there’s no visible weight positioned on the RBZ’s head, because thanks to the heavy welds there isn’t any left to position to influence launch, spin or shot bias.
Shaft question mark
Do a search for the Fujikura Atmos 5 shaft in the M4 and you’ll find the shaft’s specs on the company’s website. But for the Matrix MFS White Tie X4 in the RBZ you won’t find a single shaft on either the TaylorMade or Matrix website with the same name. It means the specs could be anything, even though the paint job might look similar to other models in their line. And if the specs could be anything, how do you know if it suits you or not?
How does the M4 compare to the Ping G400 MAX and Callaway Rogue?
Our verdict
We know there’s a good number of golfers who don’t want to pay much more than £200 for a new driver, whether Rory uses it or not. So if TaylorMade doesn’t make a club to fill the gap (even though it doesn’t feature their latest tech) there are plenty of other brands who will. Looking at both drivers on paper there isn’t a huge gap between these two. But the tech TaylorMade’s engineers spend hours developing for their premium clubs does make a difference (no matter how big or small) – and it comes at a cost.
For less serious golfers who don’t want to spend a fortune, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the RBZ. It looks good, plays well (even if there aren’t lots of options when it comes to lofts and shafts) and it’s more than capable of doing a job for plenty of club golfers. But for anyone who takes their game seriously, there’s no getting away from the fact that premium drivers like the M4 offer ultimate performance, which rightly comes at a cost.
Taylormade Rbz Black Driver Review Rick Shiels
I'm a low handicap, but haven't played much golf over the past 7 years. I've recently gotten back into it and realized some of my equipment was outdated, especially my driver. I had an original r7, and realized it felt like a dead baseball bat. I wouldn't even use it, and would go with a 3 iron off the tee as it was nearly as long and more accurate. So my driver was essentially pointless..I hit a few at the PGA Superstore, but it's hard to find drivers now less than 300 - I don't play enough anymore to justify spending 400-500 on a single club. Also, the club fitter there told me that manufacturers have pretty much maximized the USGA's limits on the hotness of driver faces in recent years, and that what your paying extra for now is the ability to adjust and customize the drivers with the weights, as well as just having the newest thing on the market that the pros are using - I have no doubt this is correct.
I came across the RBZ black and couldn't believe it was $200. I preferred it over anything else there I hit. I love how traditional and simple it looks at address, how light it is, and especially the sound it makes! It's a clean and crisp sound. It felt really good and I loved everything about it. They didn't have the loft I needed, so I ordered it on Amazon.
As an added benefit, the loft can be adjusted on this club. I dont care for the clubs that can move weights and adjust it to 100 different ways or whatever, but being able to adjust the loft up or down is nice for me. If you're into all of that, just know the loft is the only thing that can be altered - and yes, it comes with the adjustment tool/wrench.
Well, I knew it was good after hitting it in the simulator, but man I was still blown away when I pulled this out on the range. I was absolutely correct about my old driver being a dead baseball bat. I couldn't, and still can't, believe how fast the ball is off the face. It just gets out there so quick and was going significantly farther than my old driver. I don't know exactly how much farther, but the net at the driving range is at about 250 yards. With my old I could land in front of it and bounce it into the net. With the RBZ I was flying every ball into that sucker with ease. I'm pretty confident my drives will at least be 280 consistently, so I'm just guessing it's going to be 40-50 yards difference - maybe more. With the RBZ I felt like I was shooting a mini cannon, or dare I say.. a rocket?
And again, the sound of the club is just perfection. It sounded even better outside in the open. Quiet, clean, and crisp.
Also, to be fair, I've basically been living under a rock the past 10 years when it comes to advancement with golf technology. I've never really cared for, or been fascinated with being long off the tee. I've always focused more on ball striking and short game, but I can't deny this added distance is going to be a game changer for me - I was hitting 3 iron off the tee for God's sake!
I will definitely be purchasing either the RBZ 3 wood or 3i hybrid. Just have to figure out which one better suits my game.
For $200 this is a steal, and you won't be disappointed, especially if your like me and had a driver over 10 years old.