Taylormade Stealth 2 Vs Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Driver Comparison Overview

Taylormade Stealth 2 Vs Callaway AI Smoke Driver Comparison Overview

It’s slightly old vs brand-spanking new in today’s comparison of 2023’s Stealth 2 and 2024’s Callaway Paraydym Ai Smoke driver.

Now as always, Callaway has made some pretty large claims around their latest driver and in this review, we are going to see for real if it lives up to all the hype.

Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver Overview

“The Stealth 2 features a carbon fiber face wrap, carbon fiber composite ring and a 25g fixed weight in the back.”

It also comes in a Stealth 2 HD and Stealth 2 Plus version. All versions are available in 12, 9 and 10.5 loft versions save for the Stealth 2 Plus which swaps out the 12° for an 8°model.

The standard Stealth 2 is a 460cc driver with a neutral flight. It offers lightweight performance and more than ample forgiveness for 18-24 handicappers.

The Stealth 2 offered a significant improvement on the original Stealth by improving consistency, sound and distance. It still didn’t make it into our bag for 2023 though.

Callaway Ai Smoke Driver Overview

“The Ai Smoke has a carbon fiber body and titanium internal bracing to go along with an adjustable weight.”

There are Max, Max D, Max Fast and Triple Diamond versions available. The Ai Smoke Max is the only one with a sliding weight that offers about 19° of shot shapeability.

The 460cc head combined with the advanced Ai-designed face, which expands the borders of the sweet spot considerably, make this an extremely forgiving driver.

The club looks a lot better in the bag than the old Paradym.

It has a more solid structure and it really comes into its own with the giant sweet spot.

Callaway have even identified how many extra yards you will get from every area on the space.

And then there is the looks. The Ai Smoke looks a lot better than the red Stealth 2, which was a bit of a novelty and it looks better than the old Paradym.

Overall

The Callaway Paraydym Ai Smoke is a more forgiving driver than the Stealth 2 in our book and is the overall better driver.

We were getting an extra 4 to 5 yards with Ai Smoke Max and on off center shots it really outperformed the Stealth 2.

If you have to choose between these two, the Ai Smoke is the superior but its important to get fitted to find the best driver for you.

Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver – First Impressions

“The new Stealth 2 drivers have a ton of shelf appeal, three version to choose from and plenty of Carbon in the face, permieter, sole and crown.

The carbon face has 60 sheets of the ultra strong material and it is covered in a glossy finish which makes it a little less vibrant than the original Stealth.

Inside the face is the inverted cone technology, usually reserved for Taylormade irons, which adds forgiveness on off center hits.

Forgiveness, accuracy and dispersion has been the focus of the Taylormade drivers this year. The original Stealth was great for tour players who had it dialed in but it was a little bit wayward for regular golfers.

The Stealth 2 is a little bit erratic still and it’s not as long as the Callaway Paradym or Cobra Aerojet for 2023 either.

That being said, these drivers look great in the bag and there are 3 variations to choose from.

If these drivers can help you to keep the ball on the fairway then they will be a boon for any golfer, its important to get a fitting to see what works best for your game.

The inject molded Carbon reinforced ring reduces weights which is redistributed with an inertia generating tungsten weight at the back of the club . This leads to higher MOI and increased distance.

The Taylormade acoustics team has also been busy throughout the year ensuring the sound and feel are on point with the new drivers and they do feel more powerful on impact.

When you catch the drivers flush, they fly for miles, especially the plus model, but we found off-center hit to be a little bit left and right in testing.

Perhaps if we had more time to test we could have dialed them in better as there is plenty of adjustable. The + has a sliding 15g weight and the loft can be increased or decreased by 2 degrees on each club alongside the lie angle.

The top line is also a little bit straighter at the behest of tour pro, Colin Morikawa.

Taylormade Stealth 2 Family

3 versions to choose from in the Stealth 2 family.

The Stealth 2 plus will the driver used on tour by pros like Colin Morikawa and Rory Mcilroy.

The 15g adjustable sliding weight ensures you can get this one perfect for your swing.

It is also the longest and lowest spinning.

The Stealth 2 HD is the draw bias driver which will help higher handicappers who are dealing with a slice.

It is also the highest launching and highest spinning, with the least distance

The Stealth 2 is the middle ground which should be the best driver out of the box with mid launch, mid spin and mid distance.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Driver

In 20 Words or Less

“Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max has better speed across the face and a more solid internal frame. A Big Upgrade.”

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Driver – First Impressions

“The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max was instantly light and fast.”

I fell into a groove with it pretty quickly and found that I could use the entire expanse of the face and still find the fairway.

In fact, I had to work pretty hard to hit the ball heavy or thin enough to produce a significant decrease in ball speed.

The launch was pretty much where I like it: in the 10.5-12 degree window. And I found that I could work it just a bit lower or higher without much effort.

The performance of the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max has me really excited about what the entire Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke line and how to technology carries over between the range.

Taylormade Stealth 2 Selling Points

Tighter Dispersion off the tee
Improved sound and feel
Tons of customization options
Can get custom colors with My Stealth
HD version should work for a slice
More shelf appeal than the original Stealth

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Selling Points

Sliding track weight
Full carbon filter chassis
Internal titanium bracing
AI-designed face
Lightweight performance

Who is the Taylormade Stealth Driver For?

“The Stealth 2 will suit every golfer from the average sunday slugger to top tour pros in the game”

The Stealth 2 has a couple of things going for it.

The price point is $100 less than the Callaway Paradym driver.

It has more shelf appeal than the original stealth and it is more forgiving, with a tighter dispersion.

The move to carbon may pay dividends for Taylormade in the future, but they are not the longest or most accurate for us at the moment.

A club fitting is going to be your best option to see what the best driver is for your game.

The HD version will suit the slicer but it may not be for every golfer.

We found the Stealth 2 to be a little bit erratic in terms of distance and accuracy, but for some golfers, it may be the best option for their game.

The Plus model is the one that will suit most golfers as it can be dialed into your exact swing with the 15g adjustable weight.

Overall, these are a step from Taylormade but there are a ton of competing drivers to take your hard-earned cash in 2023.

Distance: 93/100

Accuracy: 94/100

Forgiveness: 94/100

Feel & Control: 94/100

Overall Score: 94/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Who is the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max for?

“The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max continues the legacy of forgiving drivers suitable for mid and high handicappers.”

The main benefit here is distance. When I swung out of my shoes, I was adding 10+ yards to my G430 Max driver distance. And it doesn’t take much to stay out of the rough because the face and body are designed to stay ridiculously stable on all kinds of mis-hits.

Callaway has really upped their game in terms of forgiveness so I have no reservations about saying that the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max is a great starting point for high handicappers.

Every golfer would benefit from the near-instant distance boost this driver provides and its sheer reliability off the tee. The Max will be used by most golfers but the Triple diamond is also available for the Elite players.

The Paradym Ai Smoke is a big upgrade from the Paradym and is definitely in the running for best driver of 2024.