KBS Tour 80 Shaft Review - Specs, Flex, Weight - The Ultimate Golfing Resource

KBS Tour 80 Shaft Review – Specs, Flex, Weight

When shopping for new iron shafts, it’s better to shop with your head and not your heart.

Even if you’ve seen some of your favorite golfers game a certain shaft, it doesn’t mean that it will be right for you.

When it comes to any kind of golf gear, it’s always advisable to practice a little self awareness. You have to know what kind of player you are, be keenly aware of your latest handicap, know what kind of swing you have, and whenever possible, go in for a fitting.

However, if you are in the market for new iron shafts, you wouldn’t be doing yourself a disservice by starting your shopping with KBS. KBS produces some of the most coveted and high-performing iron shafts on the market. Today we will be taking a look at the KBS Tour 80 and helping you decide whether this is a viable option for your game.

KBS Tour 80 Shaft Overview

The KBS Tour 80 is Kim Bral’s signature model and it is certainly a shaft in the “heavy iron” shaft category.

The KBS Tour 80 in particular was designed to give a wide variety of players a smoother feel from a relatively heavy iron shaft. Indeed, when we tested the KBS Tour 80, we were amazed at how smooth it felt for a 100 gram iron shaft.

The KBS Tour 80 is among the smoothest-feeling heavy shafts we have ever tested – and that’s saying something because we have tested and gamed a lot of iron shafts. One thing we really liked about the KBS Tour 80 was that it was versatile. You don’t get an overly stiff profile, it has a smooth feel but it performs like a much stiffer iron. For one thing, this means that many players will feel comfortable with it.

We can imagine a world where mid handicappers transition smoothly from graphite iron shafts to steel with the KBS Tour 80. We can also see how low and mid handicap players will be drawn to the accuracy of the KBS Tour 80. The KBS Tour 80 in particular is a 100 gram steel shaft which sits pretty much in the middle of the KBS Tour shafts in terms of weight.

Why is the KBS Tour 80 So Popular?

Kim Braly was able to seduce a number of Tour Pros away from True Temper and Project X shafts with the KBS Tour series.

So right off the bat, you have probably seen some of your favorite pros with the KBS Tour shafts.

How Does the KBS Tour 80 Perform?

One thing we were really surprised about was the active feel of this 100 gram shaft.

You can clearly feel when the shaft loads and releases, which is kind of uncommon for a shaft of this weight. We know what you might be thinking, ‘an active response must mean erratic ball flight.’

That honestly wasn’t the case in our testing. A lot of the release ends in the shaft’s midsection so your club head isn’t adversely effective. Instead, you’re left with a smooth transition and good energy transfer. So long as you are moderately accurate, the KBS Tour 80 will reward you with straight ball flight and a smooth transition.

Plus, the tip section is still pretty stiff so your iron heads aren’t in any immediate danger from the active response. The KBS Tour 80 also launches pretty high for a shaft in this weight class. It wasn;t so high as to cause most of our testers distance loss; but it is something to consider if you have a naturally high launch.

For most of our testers, the high launch was a welcome sight. It made our long irons more viable for attacking the pin on long par 3’s.

KBS Tour 80 Shaft Specs

Specs	KBS Tour 80
Available flexes	Regular, stiff
Weight	100 grams
Tip	.355
Butt	.600
Length	37.5” – 41”

What Flexes Are Available? What Swing Speeds Do They Suit?

The KBS Tour 80 flexes are rather limited; but what would you expect from a shaft in this weight class?

You can choose from regular and stiff flexes. The regular flex will be better for moderate swingers while the stiff flex is better for fast swingers.

What Weights Are Available? What Swing Speeds Do They Suit?

The KBS Tour 80 specifically is only available as a 100 gram shaft.

Typically, if you swing your 4-iron in the 85-90 MPH range, you should feel pretty comfortable with this weight.

Why is it So Good?

The KBS Tour 80 is really nice because it gives the feel and response of a lighter shaft with the profile and performance of a 100 gram shaft.

It’s accurate, active and launches high.

KBS Tour 80 First Impressions

The first thing that struck us about the KBS Tour 80 was how smooth it felt.

Despite the weight, you aren’t greeted with a harsh transition that rattles your hands. You are able to maintain a comfortable grip throughout your swing.

Key Features & Performance

KBS is pretty tight-lipped when it comes to the technology that goes into their shafts. But we can tell you that the KBS Tour 80 launches mid-high and provides efficient energy transfer.