Mitsubishi's Diamana shaft franchise has an iconic legacy in golf, with a reputation built on performance, feel, and tour validation. While many golfers are familiar with the "White Board," "Blue Board," and "Red Board" names, the latest generation has been refined with modern technology to deliver a trio of shafts perfectly suited to different players.
I was eager to put the newest Diamana WB, BB, and RB shafts through their paces to see how their distinct profiles performed in a consistent testing environment and if they still sit alongside the best driver shafts in the game.
How We Test Shafts
All of our shaft testing is conducted using the same TaylorMade Qi35 core head set to a precise 9 degrees (measured), with each shaft cut to an exact length of 45.5 inches, fitted with a Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R grip. Furthermore, all testing shots are struck from a white castle tee to ensure consistent tee height during testing.
The data is collected and recorded using a Foresight Sports GC3 launch monitor and TaylorMade TP5x golf balls.
Controlling these potential variables allows me to draw accurate and direct comparisons and form a clear picture of each shaft's performance and feel characteristics.
Mitsubishi Diamana Shafts: Technology
Mitsubishi has packed the latest Diamana shafts with a blend of classic design and cutting-edge materials. The core of their stability and feel comes from a super high-modulus 80-ton Dialead Pitch Fiber in the butt section, which is engineered to maximize stability and energy transfer.
To further enhance control and feel without adding weight, they incorporate high modulus 46-ton fiber in the shaft's angle plies. The Xlink Tech Resin System is a key component, increasing the shaft's strength and durability while boosting carbon fiber volume for a better feel.
This combination of materials allows each profile to deliver a distinct performance without sacrificing the underlying quality.
Diamana WB (White Board)
The Diamana WB is touted as Mitsubishi's low-launch, low-spin offering.
My first impressions of a shaft always come from the pre-shot waggle, and the overall profile felt somewhat similar to the Fujikura Ventus VeloCore+ Black, although the WB felt a touch stronger and meatier in the handle section to me, both at the waggle stage and during the swing.
In swing, there is very little give in this shaft anywhere, and certainly not much torsional movement (I tested the 63X version, which has a torque reading of 3.1˚). I found this torsional stability particularly useful on my poorly struck shots, which seemed to produce less twisting on the clubhead than normal, retaining a squarer face and producing a nice, tight dispersion pattern.
Despite the lack of flex or load on offer from the WB, it didn't feel harsh in any way, which is likely a testament to the quality of materials used. The best way I can describe the feel I experienced would be a hefty shaft, but not one that felt overly hard work to me.
One thing I didn’t totally love was that I felt like I got a touch more feedback and vibration up the shaft at impact with the WB than, for example, the Ventus Black, which seems to absorb more. Some people enjoy that more blatant feedback, but I prefer mine softened a little.
That said, this is, without a doubt, a model for a player who puts a lot of pressure or load onto the shaft in transition and wants a profile that can keep up with their aggressive move. If you are looking for a shaft with ultimate stability and feel that provides the most feedback, this is an excellent option.
Choose This Shaft If:
You have a very aggressive transition.
You value stability and control over feel.
Diamana BB (Blue Board)
The Diamana BB is the "middle" profile of the bunch, and after hitting a vast number of shots, it struck me as almost the "diet WB" - similar levels of stability, just slightly softer and friendlier everywhere through the shaft sections of butt, middle, and tip.
That said, there is nothing 'diet' about its performance. This is a shaft that, in my opinion, sits in a brilliant middle ground of stability and feel. The initial waggle is very friendly, with a nice bit of bounce under the handle that gives you a clear sense of what (and where) the shaft is doing.
In the swing, I could certainly feel a touch of load at the transition stage, but in truth, I didn't notice a very apparent feeling of unloading; it just felt like it stayed with me throughout, delivering a smooth, consistent performance.
I would suggest that far more people will gravitate towards this shaft over the WB simply because, from what I experienced, you are giving up very little in terms of stability, but gaining a significant amount of feel and playability.
That being said, there will always be a strong market for high-speed players just looking for the strongest feeling and performing profile possible. I guess I’m just not one of them. Maybe I am getting soft in my old age, but the slightly less aggressive profile of this BB felt superb to me, beautifully balanced.
I could see this working exceptionally well as a fairway wood shaft too, offering a touch more launch and feel than the WB.
In terms of who should be using it, an easier question might be ‘who shouldn’t use it?. This is a profile that almost every player should be testing if they are looking for a new shaft, even if just as a brilliant middle ground starting point.
Choose This Shaft If:
You are looking for a strong all-rounder.
You are starting your shaft testing and looking for a base to work from.
Diamana RB (Red Board)
The Diamana RB brings back the classic "Red Board" profile, which is known for a more active tip section designed to promote higher launch and, in some cases, more speed.
Both at the waggle stage and during the swing, this profile felt a lot more together than some of the shafts on the market that are categorized as high-launch/high-spin products. Some in this category have very obvious kick points or loading zones that, for me personally, require a bit of timing up; however, the RB, despite only being categorized as ‘medium’ stiffness in the butt and mid section, felt a little sturdier than others I’ve tested.
In truth, in terms of data, I actually noticed very little difference in launch between this and the BB version, which was interesting, but I did notice more spin. My hunch is that this was probably due to the more active tip section creating some lead deflection (shaft kicking forwards and up through impact) and moving my strike slightly lower on the face, thus offering more of a low launch and high spin kind of output.
On the whole, I really liked the RB, although I didn't find this shaft very typical for its profile; it felt a lot more sturdy than some others in this category, but did jump my club speed up a little, once again potentially through the more active tip section.
I would consider this shaft if you like the feeling of an active tip section and the potential speed benefits thereof, but you are still looking for more WB or even Ventus Black style stability. This could be a very interesting option as a fairway wood shaft also in the heavier models.
Choose This Shaft If:
You like a bit of kick in the tip through impact.
You are looking for some added spin but don’t want to compromise a stable feel.
Mitsubishi Diamana Shafts: Data Comparison
The more I test shafts, the more incremental (or sometimes non-existent) I find launch and spin changes to be between profiles. So much so that I often wonder whether the labelling of these shafts in terms of launch and spin is of any benefit at all to players.
These parameters are purely controlled by how much loft is presented to the ball at impact (dynamic loft), and on a robot, set at a predetermined speed and tempo, a softer tip profile will likely produce more dynamic loft, as such, more launch and spin, thus determining the profile of the shaft.
However, in my experience of fitting, you can see quite the opposite results, depending on tempo, and where/how in the swing a player releases the club, the results can be the exact opposite.
With the Diamana range, for me personally, the data was remarkably similar between the models, with the only exception to that being the small jump in spin from the RB profile. However, as I said, when looking at the juxtaposition of the lower launch, it is safe to assume that this came from a lower strike location on the face.
The real difference between these shafts is purely feel for me, which is purely subjective, with preferences only determined by testing.
