Taylormade Stealth 2 Vs Ping G430 Driver Review & Comparison

Taylormade Stealth 2 Vs Ping G430 Driver Review & Comparison

“The latest driver offerings from Ping and Taylormade promise more distance and better overall performance.”

In every era of golf club manufacturing, there has always been some feature-sharing between companies. In the case of Taylormade and Ping there is some feature overlap between the new PG430 and Stealth drivers.

However, after we tested these two drivers side-by-side, we realized there are a lot of differences as well. It really matters which driver you choose even if you’re a high handicapper. That’s because some drivers are made for a specific class of player. So to help you understand the differences between these two drivers, we have put together the following comparison review.

Taylormade Stealth 2 Overview

“Taylormade is sticking with carbon fiber in the new Stealth 2 driver model.”

Yes, the face is still comprised of tiny layers of carbon fiber – just like last year’s Stealth driver. But for the Stealth 2, Taylormade has doubled down on their carbon fiber bet. Now there is carbon fiber in the crown, sole and the composite ring that essentially holds everything together.

The feel is a little unfamiliar but you can’t argue with the results: the Taylormade Stealth 2 driver is very forgiving and yields very good distance. Our testers were averaging drive distances of 238.6 yards after three swings with the Stealth 2 driver. For many of them, this was a significant distance increase.

The Twist Face design is also present in the Stealth 2 driver. This is a design that has been copied by Ping for the G430 driver. What it does is mute side spin on shots made low on the face. You still have the fabled Speed Pocket in the Stealth 2 driver so overall forgiveness is considerable.

Ping G430 Overview

“Ping kept things a bit more traditional by using forged titanium for the face of the G430 driver.”

The face material yields a very satisfying “clink” at impact and plays very hot. The Ping G430 driver also has a shallower face profile than both the Stealth 2 and its predecessor, teh Ping G425 driver. The result is a more squat look in the bag and a wider footprint at address.

To combat the natural loss of low and high face forgiveness that this shallower face design brings, Ping has copied the Twist Face design. The idea is the same: a slight curvature in the face so that low-face strikes aren’t punished with crazy spin and high face shots still launch.

Overview Conclusion

It’s been pretty hard for our testers to warm up to the carbon fiber face design that the Stealth series has introduced.

However, the Stealth 2 driver is extremely forgiving all over the face. So much so that the Ping G430 can’t really keep up.

However, the Ping G430 driver has a sliding rear weight so it will likely appeal to a wider array of players when fitting. If you are banking on overall forgiveness though, the Taylormade Stealth driver will likely be the best fit for you.

Taylormade Stealth 2 Key Technology

“The main attraction in terms of technology is the 60 X carbon wrap face.”

60 layers of carbon fiber have been used to construct the face of the Taylormade Stealth 2 driver. This helps increase ball speed and allows for more flex. The Stealth 2 also uses inverted cone technology to expand the sweet spot. The hitting zone of the Stealth 2 driver is ridiculously big – even our intentional and excessive mis-hits weren’t losing a crazy amount of velocity.

There is also a 25 gram tungsten weight in the rear of the club head. This is an external weight that sits at the tip of the “Inertia Generator” – a feature we have seen in previous Stealth and SIM models. This weight helps stabilize the head upon impact.

Ping G430 Key Technology

“The Ping G430 driver sports a sliding rear weight that allows you to shift the CG to draw, fade or neutral positions.”

This gives players a lot of options during fitting and along with an adjustable loft/lie sleeve, allows for significant shot shaping. The Ping G430 driver also features a forged titanium face insert that plays hot and feels fantastic.

Taylormade Stealth 2 Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Nice red/black color scheme
• Extremely forgiving
• Great for high handicappers
• Lightweight design
• Sliding track weight version available
• Relatively low spin

Cons:

• No sliding weight on the standard version
• Not a lot is different from the original Stealth driver
• Muted feedback

Ping G430 Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Adjustable weight
• Good launch
• Relatively low spin
• Better feedback
• Better overall feel
• Great for high handicappers

Cons:

• A bit pricey
• Not as forgiving as the Stealth 2
• Similar to the G425

Who Should Buy the Taylormade Stealth 2 Drivers?

While the standard Taylormade Stealth 2 driver doesn’t have an adjustable weight, the Stealth 2 Plus driver does.

There is also a high-launching version of the Stealth 2 in the HD version. Overall, the new Stealth 2 drivers are great for beginners and high handicappers because they are all ridiculously forgiving. Any of these drivers will give you a serious confidence boost – not to mention a distance boost.

The Taylormade Stealth 2 drivers are also great if your swing speed has dropped a bit or if you’re swinging under 80 MPH. You won’t need to swing ridiculously fast to boost your distance with this driver.

Distance: 97/100

Forgiveness: 98/100

Workability: 94/100

Overall Performance: 96/100

Value: 97/100

Overall Score: 96/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Who Should Buy the Ping G430 Drivers?

The Ping G430 driver comes in a Max, LST and SFT version.

They are all designed for mid to high handicap players with the Max being the most forgiving overall. The SFT also has a sliding weight to adjust the CG and the LST is the lowest-spinning G430 driver.

Distance: 96/100

Forgiveness: 95/100

Workability: 95/100

Overall Performance: 95/100

Value: 94/100

Overall Score: 95/100

Check Out More Reviews Here: