I love trying out new drivers it's the club that has changed the most in my bag since I started golfing seriously 8 years ago. Just last season the following drivers were in my bag in no particular order: TaylorMade Burner, Cobra X Speed, Titleist 905R, TaylorMade R5 TP, Hibore XL and Tour XL . Who doesn't like the big stick there's nothing like hitting a solid drive down the middle of a fairway and the longer and straighter we get the better. I don't care if your a scratch golfer or a high handicapper all golfers want more distance from their driver. Is it a testosterone thing, yes I would have to say although few would admit it. The quest for the holy grail of drivers for me is both fun and frustrating. I don't have a lot of time to bang balls on the range so most of my testing is on the course which for me is the most fun but can be frustrating as well because I don't always score well but who am I kidding I'm not a pro and as long as I have fun.
So late this winter Nickent sent me out their 4DX Evolver driver to review and here's my take on the Nickent 4DX Evolver Driver. (Nickent was great in sending out the head I wanted to try (10.5º) as well as the shaft (UST V2 High Launch -Regular)).
Background
This driver was first introduced in 2008 where the talk was all about club adjustability and again in 2009 it still is. The main selling point for the 4DX Evolver is called IST, Interchangeable Shaft Technology. This is where Nickent takes customization to the next level. Just think you can now customize your club with whatever shaft you want and for whatever conditions you happen to play in. Like being one of the big boys on tour and having your own tour van along for the ride.
So you have a windy day, swap out your high launch shaft in just a minute you've popped your low launch shaft in the Evolver head with just a few easy twits of the torque wrench and it gets better. Just recently Nickent sent out a press release about them introducing CYG (Change Your Game) technology for the 4DX Evolver Driver. The Nickent 4DX Evolver will be the ultimate driver when it comes to customization it will have a hosel that features 26 different options to adjust face angle, lie angle and loft. Hopefully we'll get to review this new technology sometime down the road as well.
From Nickent:
Ultra-Thin Titanium Crown: Brazing an ultra-thin 0.4mm titanium crown reduces the weight in the crown by 20 grams, freeing up weight to be placed where you need it most — in the heel and toe to maximize performance.
A-Frame Face: The patented A-Frame face Technology raises the sweet-spot high on the face so solid contact is made more consistently.
XW Inserts: Nickent's XW inserts are the most sophisticated weight technology in the game. The polymer insert helps dampen vibration while the weights in each port help achieve a high MOI (moment of inertia) for maximum clubhead stability and forgiveness.
The Look and Feel
The look of the Nickent Evolver from address is very traditional for the purist who likes a classic looking pear shaped driver head. Flip the driver up to the see the sole and it's another story. Bright and flashy, the color scheme of bright green, silver, black and white really looks awesome.
The size of the Evolver head is just under 460CC at 454CC but doesn't look that large. Nickent has really done well in making this over sized titanium driver look very classy and not crazy large looking. The Evolver has a nice and subtle "N" as an alignment aid on the the head as well.
The head cover is solid on this driver. Taking the colors from the sole of the driver, the bright green, black, gray and added yellow really stands out from the rest of the drab head covers on my clubs. And with the colors of the UST V2 High Launch shaft (yellow/black/gray) this driver is pretty sexy looking.
After a few rounds with the 4DX Evolver I found the feel to be quite good giving me instance feedback on a well struck ball. If my draw turned into more of a hook I immediately knew it with a less then solid feel. Only a few times did I think I hit it well only to have blocked it out to the right, mostly due to my alignment and grip.
The factory D2 weight felt good and stable, and at 45.5″, the shaft isn’t as long as some OEMs are churning out at the moment so it worked well for me. Although I only got the one shaft with the driver and because of my height 6'5", I'm definitely interested in trying the Evolver with some other shafts with longer lengths.
Performance
After a few rounds I had the Evolver figured out and most of my drives were hit straight or with a slight draw around the 250-260 yd. mark. The odd time I would try to open up the face of the driver to hit a fade I had mixed results. On any mishits I still got decent length and usually left for me which is normal for me with just about any driver. The Evolver wasn't any longer than all the drivers I've tried last season but who cares when your in the middle of the fairway.
Conclusion
The 4DX Evolver driver is a very solid performer from Nickent. It can benefit any and all types of players especially with all the shaft options. If you especially like to tinker with your clubs then this is the club for you with the addition of the CYG technology golf techies will be drooling all over the Evolver in the months to come. The Evolver comes in both RH and LH options with lofts from 8º, 9º, 10.5º, 12º. The driver now retails for $279 with a UST SR3 shaft as wel as the new CYG technology.
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