Ashton E3 Driver

Hi guys,

A few months ago we were discussing the Ashton E3 driver and a few were asking what the new driver was about. Here is an email I just received detailing what the component world is in store for:

Subject: Ashton E3 Driver

This has by far been the toughest head to perfect and work on for us.

The head is going to be 460cc, pear shaped, basically a larger version of the MS-5. High gloss finish with 3 coats of clear coat. The face will be double satin finish and the score lines will be the exact same configuration as our X-1 driver.

The difference is this head is 100% CNC milled and the head contains 0 welds . It's the first of it's kind in the industry. It's similar to the Tour Edge exotic in a few ways but blows it away in other ways. The pieces are brazed together instead of welded, similar to the Tour Edge exotic but, all the pieces are precisely cnc milled before brazing. It's also robotically assembled. Human hands don't touch the head until the very last finishing stage. Hence the extremely tight tolerances.
I've been keeping this under my hat for about 6 months in fear of someone trying to scoop the idea from us but now that we're getting so close to the PGA Show, it's time to let the cat out of the bag.
The production process on this head takes 4-6 months from conception to production. We finalized the CAD drawings a couple of months ago and because of the usual language barrier, we're a little late in production. The foundry promises me they'll have the brass mold of the E3 ready for the PGA Show and have heads ready for the public by the end of February to mid March.

Lofts will be 9,10 and 11, RH only.
This head costs us twice as much as the X-1 and the tooling costs us 3 times as much as the X-1. All lofts must be individually tooled, which explains the price tag of $279.95 for the head alone wilth a newly designed E3 headcover.

We feel this head will be the absolute cream of the crop for drivers in 2006. - OEM or component.

If you're coming to the PGA show, don't forget to stop by our booth #4810.



Thanks,
Cliff

Ashton Golf
www.ashtongolf.com
1-888-785-1474

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

**Jaw on floor**

At twice the price of other premium components heads, I'll wait for the reviews. But if they can't be ignored, I may switch to the E3.

I love the way my X1 3 woods look (and perform).

Hear anymore on this? I see they were expecting in March sometime? I just might have to get used to a 460 head.

Latest from their website:

Coming Soon - The New E3 Driver with 'MicroSpec' Technology
The New E3 Driver from Ashton Golf will be the hottest new driver of the year! We've taken technology to a bold new level in what we feel is the ultimate in performance, quality and looks. There's no other driver on the market like the E3, nor will there be for quite some time.

Why? Because we are the first company, OEM or Component, to utilize the unique manufacturing process that goes into each and every E3 driver head. We call it "MicroSpec" Technology because you would need a micrometer to measure any variances in specs.

You might be thinking, "It's great to have the best made driver head in the world...but how does it perform?" Well, here are some of the adjectives that have already been used to describe the E3: "extremely forgiving, very long, unheard of feel and sound, very consistent shot pattern"...and that's just from our initial testing!

The new E3 is packed with features, including:

460cc
3 piece cast head
15-3-3-3 Beta Titanium crown, .41mm thick
TVC forged Titanium cup face, imported from Japan .830 C.O.R.
TVC titanium, not used in any other component head
TVC Titanium, Lightest to strongest ratio titanium
Very high MOI head due to very low COG
90-6-4 Titanium body
100% CNC Milled Face, not done in any other component head
100% CNC Milled Crown, not done in any other component or OEM head
Silver Brazed crown and faceplate – 0 Welds
Brazing chemical imported from the U.S.A. to Taiwan
Head made in Taiwan, not China
Double Satin face
X-1 score lines
Deep black finish with 3 coats of clear coat
Extremely tight tolerances
Square face angle
New Magnetic E3 Headcover included
Expected to Arrive in March 2006!

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Here is the email that Ashton just released:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, Ontario, April 12th, 2006

Ashton Golf introduces their new E3 Titanium Driver

Ashton Golf announced today that their new E3 Titanium Driver has been finalized and is now going into production.

The new E3 Titanium Driver prototype, featuring Micro Spec Technology was recently unveiled at the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show to distributors, retailers, and the media. Its debut was highly successful and the finished product is highly anticipated. Spring orders were taken at the PGA Show and PCS Show and over 75% of their original shipment is already pre-sold.

"The expansion of Ashton Golf has come at break neck speeds," says Cliff Barron, President of Ashton Golf. "We now have dealers worldwide and our new E3 Driver will secure our position as one of the leaders in golf component technology. We’ve invested almost one full year of R&D and a significant amount of capital into developing this product. Our testing has indicated that the E3, as we expected, is producing incredible launch numbers and we think this may well be the most accurate driver ever produced. We set out to design the best Titanium Driver money can buy and I think we’ve done that and more with the E3"

The E3 Driver is very different from any other Titanium component head on the market. The head features brazing technology, not welding, effectively making it a zero welds head. Its crown and face are CNC milled, the crown being super thin 15-3-3-3 Beta titanium and the face extremely light and strong TVC titanium. The body is cast in full 90-6-4 Titanium. The three different materials are robotically assembled into an extremely precise piece of equipment, hence the term “Micro Spec Technology”. Finished in a deep, high gloss black color with a very ultra modern magnetic headcover. The E3 retails for $279.95 with the headcover included. Ashton Golf claims this is the most expensive component head ever produced. Retailers are expecting inventory towards the beginning of May 2006.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

I'm kinda disappointed that the specs are tighter, but not foolproof. I appreciate an 85% 'true to spec rate', but it's still quite a price for a head. Although, I guess I could ask for a handpicked true to spec.

She is a pricey one! Will wait and see on the review's this summer and then make a call. It had better be good for that price though.

man its ugly

I haven't seen a pic of the top view, but the sole isn't as nice as their other models...

Attached Images

ashton_e3_sole.jpg (16.1 KB, 12 views)