This year, TaylorMade is launching their first ever driver to reach the ground-breaking 10K MOI threshold.
The Qi10 Max is designed to provide an unprecedent level of forgiveness, without having to sacrifice distance. With a focus on stability at impact, TaylorMade are claiming golfers will be able to experience maximum forgiveness and maximum straightness with the Qi10 Max, alongside the usual high ball speeds that we’d expect to see from TaylorMade woods.
Sounds amazing right? Let's get into it...
Who Is It Aimed At?
TaylorMade are suggesting that every golfer should try out the Qi10 Max driver first out of the new 3 driver line-up and expect to see this driver making up over 50% of the sales in the Qi10 range.
The Max model comes in as the all-round performer in the new range, being the only Qi10 model to achieve the ground-breaking 10K MOI the family name suggests. So, if you’re looking for ultimate forgiveness in a larger head shape than we've seen in previous TaylorMade drivers, the Qi10 Max is the one to keep an eye on.
The Tech
TaylorMade have utilised a new Infinity Carbon Crown, covering 97% of the total area, allowing mass savings that can be redistributed into different areas of the clubhead to increase the MOI and make the club easier to square up at impact.
The new oversized 460cc head is 8mm larger than the previous Stealth 2, providing a new, extremely confidence-inspiring look to the TaylorMade driver line-up.
A re-engineered 60X Carbon Twist Face saves more weight to be repositioned and uses corrective face angles designed to overcome common tendencies on mis-struck shots.
We also see the continued use of the Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, to help protect ball speed even on low face hits.
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TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver Review
Looks
The TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver looks almost unrecognisable compared to the red and black colourways of the original Stealth and Stealth 2 drivers. The red face is no more and the Qi10 boasts a navy-blue face and 8mm larger head meaning there’s little-to-no resemblance to last year’s model other than the TaylorMade logo in all the places you'd expect it.
Each of the three drivers within the Qi10 range have a very mechanical look to them, with the Carbon Crown wrapping all the way over the top of the driver, and a mostly blue, black and silver design across the base.
I personally like the look of the Qi Max at address and how confident I feel with it, as I found the shape of the Stealth drivers a little off-putting, being on the smaller side for my preference. I'm glad this has changed as it's always been something which has put me off about TaylorMade drivers in recent years.
It's hard to describe but there’s something almost robotic about this range of drivers, with the detailing of sharp silver and blue lines on the base combined with the name ‘Qi10’.
It makes me think back to previous TaylorMade models such as the SIM drivers or even the M5 and M6 drivers where we’d only see a few letters and numbers making up the name.
In-case you were wondering Qi10 stands for ‘Quest for 10k inertia', to really focus on the forgiveness seen in these drivers, however I still think I prefer the feeling that ‘Stealth’ gives off over Qi10.
Feel
I was expecting this driver to be incredibly easy to hit, and in all honesty, it very much is. You can feel the stability of the clubhead especially on shots struck slightly off-centre, and you can see the ball fighting to counteract any unwanted shot shaping.
I didn't necessarily feel as though I was getting massive amounts of speed at impact, however this may be more due to how overwhelming the feel of forgiveness and stability was, which certainly overshadowed any noticeable increases of power with the Qi10 Max.
Outdoor Performance
I found the Qi10 Max incredibly easy to play with out on the course. I was producing a very consistent, gentle draw shape, which is exactly how I like to play my driver. Although we might associate ‘Max’ drivers as being draw bias with TaylorMade in the past, the Qi10 Max is for “maximum forgiveness and maximum straightness”, not necessarily the slice-killer the name would suggest with other manufacturers.
I very rarely hit the Qi10 Max out to the right, and when I was striking it slightly off the heel this tended to result in the ball going fairly straight with just less carry.
The Data
Given TaylorMade's claims of distance and speed, naturally I was really excited to see what sort of numbers I produced getting from the Qi10 Max.
To give a bit more meaning behind the numbers, I’d be looking for a clubhead speed of around 90-92, giving me a ball speed at around the 133 mark, for the weight of this driver. With these speeds I’d be happy to see carry distances of around 215 yards and a total around 230-235.
The Qi10 Max driver surprised me in terms of distance being the biggest clubhead and most forgiving of all the Qi drivers, I was ready to accept it going shorter than say the Qi10 or Qi10 LS driver that had the same shaft, but a 4mm smaller head. However, the Qi10 Max really came through for distance!
With an average carry of 216 yards and total of 243, this was very much pushing on the upper end of distances I’d be looking for in a driver, especially given the ball speed was down at 131. I was also seeing a low spin rate with the Qi10 Max at 2130, almost the same as the Qi10 LS, and 400 less than the Qi10.
Not only was I seeing some impressive distances with the Qi10 Max, but the left-to-right dispersion was also strong coming in at an average of only 9 yards and a distance dispersion of just 2 in the total! You really can’t ask for much more in terms of consistency from a driver...
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver Verdict
Performing strongly in every category, there’s no doubt that the Qi10 Max is a great driver and with an RRP of £499, it sits below multiple drivers we’re seeing out in the market today and despite still being a hefty price tag, I put this driver as pretty good value for money.
If you’re looking to invest in a new driver this year, I’d very much encourage you to try out the Qi10 Max for high performance in every category you could look for in a driver. If you're upgrading from another recent TaylorMade driver then the head shape and blue face may take a little getting used to but I can't see this deterring many given the performance.
Would I Use It?
TaylorMade claimed the Qi10 Max is the driver every level of golfer should test out, with ultimate forgiveness and impressive distances. Based on everything I found during my testing, I’d happily see the Qi10 Max in the bag any day.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver Pros and Cons
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