Oban Isawa Red Shaft Review - Specs, Flex, Weight

Oban Isawa Red Shaft Review – Specs, Flex, Weight

Getting launch and spin numbers right with your driver is critical.

If you have a fast swing with an aggressive tempo, you will likely pick up more yards with a low-launching shaft.

If you can actually gain carry yards by launching the ball higher, you will obviously want a high-launch shaft.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to shafts – it has more to do with the individual player than it does the shaft.

So in the following review, we will be taking a look at a shaft that may be a good fit for players who could use a little extra spin and launch.

Oban Isawa Red Shaft Overview

At a glance, the Oban Isawa Red is actually one of the company’s more subtly designed shafts.

But when you look closer, you can see that there is more going on. I really liked the candy-apple red finish right away.

I’m not so sure about the wispy dragon near the butt though. And the “Isawa” lettering in a pseudo-Japanese calligraphy font is almost comical.

Still, the Oban Isawa Red looks pretty good overall. We recently tested the Oban Revenge shaft and based on the specs and description, we were expecting the Oban Isawa Red to feel very similar.

That wasn’t the case. Where the Oban Revenge shaft can feel whippy near the tip, the Oban Isawa Red feels much more stable.

Even the Oban Isawa Red 55 has a torque rating of 4.2° so you get good control in the lighter weights as well as the heavier ones.

While you can feel the entire shaft flex on full swings, it recovers very well. You can feel a gentle kick during transition and a satisfying release of tension – almost like a slingshot.

The club head stays on its intended path so it’s very easy to remain square at impact.

Why is the Oban Isawa Red So Popular?

Oban Isawa Red Shaft2

If the Oban Isawa Red truly is popular we can definitely see why.

It delivers the same efficient swing energy transfer as the Oban Revenge but with a much more stable and resilient response.

It’s a great option for both fast and moderate swing speed players so it’s got the mass appeal factor going for it.

How Does the Oban Isawa Red Perform?

One thing that I’ve knocked Oban for in the past is that they are less than accurate when it comes to describing the launch and spin characteristics of their shafts.

That is not the case with the Oban Isawa Red. It is advertised as a mid-high launch and mid spin shaft and that’s exactly what we experienced in our test session.

Our launch angles were staying within the 12-14 degree range with spin in the 2300-2600 RPM range.

Really nice overall. The launch is controlled. We never had to worry about ballooning. The sidespin was kept in check as well.

And while I wouldn’t call this the tightest Oban shaft, it certainly delivers dispersion tight enough to appease average golfers. Carry distance varied widely for our testing party though.

Some of us were getting carry in the 250 yard range while some of us struggled to break 230 yards.

This really has more to do with swing speed. The Oban Isawa Red won’t do much to increase your smash factor unfortunately so in terms of distance, you get out of it what you take into it.

The best thing about the performance of this shaft in my opinion was the controlled flight. I was able to shape my shots at will while never having to worry about pushing or pulling the ball.

Oban Isawa Red Shaft Specs

Specs	Oban Isawa Red
Available flexes	Amateur, regular, stiff, extra stiff
Weight	54g-77g
Butt	.600”
Tip	.335”
Length	46”

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

Amateur and regular flex would probably work best for players in the 70-85 MPH swing speed range.

Stiff and extra stiff may work for players swinging their driver between 86 and 100 MPH.

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

The Oban Isawa Red 55 may work for sub 75 MPH swingers.

If you’re in the 76-85 MPH swing speed range, check out the Oban Isawa Red 65. For 86-100 MPH swingers, we suggest taking a look at the Oban Isawa Red 75

Why is it So Good?

In my opinion, the Oban Isawa Red is a good shaft because it works equally well for strong and moderate swingers.

It will keep up handily with an aggressive tempo and won’t punish a moderate tempo with a boardy feel or less distance.

Oban Isawa Red First Impressions

The first swing I took became a sweet baby fade at a 12° launch so I was really pleased with the flight right away.

And as long asI kept my swing consistent, I got the same kind of flight.

Key Features & Performance

The Oban Isawa Red was designed with high-modulus carbon fibers going in pretty much every direction.

We got the sense that thai shaft was very resistant to ovalling and suspect that these multi-directional fibers were to thank.

Oban Isawa Red Driver Review

Off the tee, the Oban Isawa Red was very consistent. Our max off-line divergence was 15 yards but we generally stayed in the 11-13 yard range.

Oban Isawa Red Fairway Wood Review

Spin stayed on the low side with our test 3-wood. This made rollout a bit of an issue on par 4’s.

Oban Isawa Red Pros & Cons

Pros:

Very stable
Good for a wide variety of players
Affordable
Consistent flight

Cons:

Doesn’t help smash factor

Oban Isawa Red Shaft

Overall Score: 97/100

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Who Should Buy it?

The Oban Isawa Red will appeal to both fast and moderate swing speed players; but is best suited to players who want to increase their launch angles without sending the ball into the clouds.

Slow swingers will likely find the Oban Isawa Red too boardy but that’s really the only kind of player I can think of who wouldn’t benefit from this shaft in some way.