The Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei AV Blue shaft has a mid-launch profile that offers smooth feel with Tour-caliber performance. The Aluminum Vapor (AV) Coated Fiber in the butt section of the shaft, along with lower torque than the original Tensei CK series, provides more stability for straighter drives no matter how hard you swing. Have no fear though, you don’t need to swing hard to hit bombs with the Tensei AV Blue thanks to the tight, thin “AV Weave” of the fibers which improve the energy transfer between your club and the ball. But enough technical jargon, let’s get into the review.
The Looks
The Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue follows the same design scheme as the rest of the Tensei lineup. They all feature the carbon fiber top section of the shaft with a colored shaft band around the mid section to denote the shaft model. The rest of the shaft has a straight-forward gloss black finish with the white Tensei graphics in the middle of the shaft. Simple, but with enough design detail to stand out. It’s not going to necessarily snap any heads out there, but you’ll definitely be able to tell it’s a Tensei at first glance.
How Does it Feel?
I immediately noticed that the Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei AV Blue definitely seemed to have more “whip” to it. To be very clear, the AV Blue is NOT a soft noodle by any means. The best way to describe it is I can really feel the shaft load at the top of my swing and release during my downswing. It really felt like the club head was accelerating and “exploding” through the ball. The Tensei Blue AV has a softer middle section, thus that feeling of more “whip” in the shaft. Along with this added “whip,” the club head still felt stable and square through the hitting zone. This is achieved through a stiffer butt and tip section.
On that stability note, if you opt for the much lighter 55 gram version of the shaft (the lightest option in the Tensei Blue AV), it will also feature the Straight Flight Weighting (SFW) system, which helps the club head turn over easier at impact, minimizing a slice or promoting a draw.
Similar to the Tensei White, the feel was one of my favorite parts about the AV Blue. While the feel was very different than the CK Pro White, it still feels extremely smooth. There was absolutely no “boardy” feeling to this shaft, nor did I ever feel out of control. It was the Goldilocks of the bunch – just right. I’m really starting to think MCA Golf is onto something with the feel in the Tensei series.
On-Course Performance
| Club Speed | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin | Carry (Yds) | Total (Yds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113.0 | 169.5 | 15.1º | 2824 | 275.4 | 293 |
As a reminder, the Mitsubishi Tensei Blue is designed to be a mid-launching shaft that has a mid-to-low spin rate. My testing results proved that it was pretty close to just that. As a high-ball hitter off the tee, I found it launched the ball at an above average launch angle for me. In regards to spin, I found my spin rate to be in a very acceptable range. The ball wasn’t ballooning on me, and was actually surprisingly lower than expected, especially with my launch angle.
Distance-wise, again, the numbers were right where I’d expect them to be based on the launch and spin. My carry numbers were great, but due to the spin and launch angle, my rollout was lower than usual. This isn’t a bad thing by any means, as it made my tee shots more controlled and predictable. Accuracy over length, so to speak.
Final Thoughts – Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue
The Mitsubishi Tensei Blue shaft is going to give you smooth feel that really loads and explodes through the ball with a little extra launch. If you can benefit from a mid-launch angle while keeping your spin under control, it’s definitely worth checking out the Tensei AV Blue. Being a low/low driver shaft guy, I wasn’t a perfect fit for the Tensei Blue AV in my driver. Fortunately, I found the shaft to be an excellent fit in my 3 wood with its added launch and spin. The Tensei AV Blue has really helped me get my 3 wood in the air more and has given me better carry. Since my testing, I’ve kept the Tensei Blue AV in my bag and have no plans to change anytime soon.
Source: Driving Range Heros –