So far this year I've reviewed the Callaway Paradigm TaylorMade stealth 2 and also Cobra aerojet but I must admit the most eagerly anticipated driver release of 2023 is quite possible this the brand new ping driver [Music] right. So many of you know who've watched the channel for a while that I've had in the bag the very successful ping g425 Max without question it's possibly been the market leader in driver technology for the last couple of years forgiveness is off the scale. And distance is very very solid now they've got a lot to live up to because it was such a phenomenal driver taking ping two years to bring out the newest version the Ping g430 now there's three drivers in the lineup I'll come to why they're all a little bit different to each other in a moment. But I'm very interested about this review because again I've loved having the g425 max in the bag and is this a potential easy switch. And in this video I'll test it against my g425 or the things that I don't particularly like now there's one thing with the g425 the previous model that I hate and it's the sound as much as I love that driver's performance the sound is very high pitched. And it's quite definite spoiler alert the g430 is a huge Improvement on the sound it's much crunchier it feels more powerful straight off the bat. And that's a huge positive for this driver lineup now let's dive a little bit into the technology but before we do that talk about locks because the pink drivers have had a little face lift they've introduced a bit of color. So it's the best kind of this greeny yellow color which is hints along the bottom. And also on all three driver heads there's little hints of that on the top as well that obviously carries through into the head cover um gotta be honest not the biggest fan of the color and that's just personal opinion I much preferred the Simplicity of the black and silver version from previous model however. I'm sure some people out there will love the color way as well I've touched on the head cover a minute ago um I know it's not a massive Factor this head cover is possibly the worst quality head cover of any driver lineup in recent years it's dead thin. And flimsy and it looks really cheap so let's talk about the driver lineup because as I mentioned there's three in the lineup there's a g430 Max maximum head size maximum forgiveness the one again I've been rocking this version in the previous model there's the ls Tech which is low spin technology. But lower spin maximum distance maybe not quite as much forgiveness typically and then.
There's the SF Tech straight flight technology where there's a weight in the back to help move towards the heel a little bit more to stop the slicing of the golf ball or at least minimize it now there's a common theme in technology story through these drivers and a lot of it comes down to the face there's a thinner face on all three models therefore. increasing the ball speed capabilities so positive more distance and also ping have introduced a little bit of technology which has a stupid name and it's helping with the consistency of the spin so naturally they've called it spin system spin consistency I think I got it right at that time. And basically what they've done the lower part of the face they've reduced The Loft so on those bottom strikes those kind of thin driver shots you're still maximizing ball speed that's what pings say anyway now I've always believe ping drives have been very forgiving and if they've upped the Forgiveness level again that can only be a positive certainly off those off-centered hits now the crowns have changed a little bit. And they're all slightly different in all three models the Max and the SF Tech kind of have this dimpling effects on the back where they've managed to reduce weight and again put it in different parts of the head but the biggest change is in the ls tech. For the first time ever pinga introduced a carbon Crown now this kind of wraps around the heel and the toe I think I've never done this before it's the first time they've done it. And again that's to save way to distribute it into different parts of the head and it actually gives the ls Tech a slightly different look behind the golf ball the ls Tech is slightly smaller anyway in head size. But with that kind of multi-composite material it actually was pretty mean this year to LS Tech things that we still see in driver technology we're paying turbulators on top the way that have these fins across the top of the crown to reduce Dragon to make it more aerodynamic obviously adjustable Loft sleeve had a few little other features that have carried on such as the weight in the back which is on the Max. And the ls Tech and SF Tech now before I come on to testing let's talk price the Max and the SF Tech are priced at 469 pounds. And because of that carbon Crown the ls Tech is actually 499 pound a little bit more expensive. So then.
We get into testing now I was. So intrigued again to put certainly the max version up against my Max the Ping g425 now behind the golf ball both driver heads are very similar Footprints they really do the only slight difference is this kind of Graphic. And Design on the back of the g430 and these little flicks of color and even the color underneath I know you don't see that behind the golf ball kind of makes it look a little bit cheaper than the previous model personally I think the g425 looks cleaner. And more modern now when it comes to actually testing getting numbers I hit loads of shots with all three models across my previous model in exactly the same shaft I've been using for the last 18 months and the results are very very interesting now if you've watched a drive review of mine before you'll know that I normally swing at roughly 110 miles per hour that gets me 280 yards of carry distance with up to 160 miles per hour ball speed. And spin rates of around about 2 000. so when I tested my g425 I expected to see those numbers and I pretty much did I was getting carry distances of 277 yards boss made a little bit under 160. And spin rate in the region of 2100 pretty much what I'd expect to see so then.
After hitting the 430 Max which I was really excited to see the data. And the numbers is it better is it going to be an easy switch from 425 to 430. well. For me the first biggest positive was the sound it sounded. So much once you're in healthy like it I really love the sound of this driver when I was looking at performance just on basis of forgiveness. And dispersion again it ticked all the boxes what was interesting I found a little bit of a difference in actual data. So I was carrying the Ping g430 Max a little bit shorter at 273 yards not a massive difference. But it was definitely a slightly shorter. And the main reason for that is the spin rate was a little bit higher. So the spin rate was nearer to two. And a half thousand RPM ball speed was the same. But because that extra spin it wasn't carrying as far definitely had the same level of forgiveness though so then.
I moved into the other two models now before I come on to the ls Tech which was really exciting I hit the SF Tech this is the straight fight technology it's got a weight at the back which is having draw. Or Draw plus I put it in drawer plus so I wanted to see if does this thing fix a slice I hit some normal shots. And definitely the shots were going way more left than normal I tried to hit some big slices. And it helped a little bit again none of these slice clubs are Miracle clubs. But it's definitely worth trying if you have a really severe slice and then.
Moving into LS Tech now this driver with this carbon top looks so good behind the golf ball it's a little bit smaller head size and it looks mean now interestingly I was getting some really good data from this club I was getting 277 yards carry not record breaking. But really solid it's been rates at 2200 and ball speed just under 160 miles per hour but interestingly I love the look of that drive behind the golf ball again I loved the sound but more importantly I saw no drop off in forgiveness compared to the max okay. So putting the SF tech one to the side because that one really isn't suited for me I took my driver for 25 Max the new Max and the ls Tech out on the golf course to actually see the results they're mine like I said I know what I'm expecting my driver it's very very consistent very forgiving it's not the longest in the world. And I knew that as I put it in the bag but what it doesn't offer in distance it definitely backs up in forgiveness the 4 30 Max the new version straight away and again I've I've made this point very clear through the video this drives us out so much better I saw so much similarity between this driver and my current model I definitely fell out on the golf course this edged it on forgiveness you know those ones where you just don't quite catch it whether this this new kind of lofting structure along the bottom of the club this spin consistency whether that's helping a little bit I definitely found the max version to be forgiving maybe again not as long so it brought me very nicely into the final model the ls Tech now for me out on the golf course I saw this do everything. For me it was the same length if not slightly longer on the golf course than my current model while still offering similar if not slightly better forgiveness than the g425 max. For me if I was to put any in the bag it would be this particular model which really surprised me. And to be honest it's probably what I expected from Pink Pink art super Brash bringing out all these new and crazy different technology stories they evolve the current product to make it ever so slightly better and again they've done just that it's not a massive leap but is a very small Improvement certainly I feel like this club the ls Tech has really improved if you are using a g425 driver certainly the max I honestly wouldn't say it's worth swapping. Or changing to I mean it's not a big enough difference if you've got a much previous model three four five years old then.
It might be worth having a look at this new lineup. So overall a good solid driver lineup forgiveness yeah you're gonna get that A Better Sound yes. And to be honest an enhanced LS Tech version but all that being said they still produce this absolutely horrendous Head color we'll see you next.
Time.
