Project X HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4
HZRDUS has been Project X’s shaft line of stable and stout profiles for more aggressive swing types over three generations now. As such, the newest family introduces a fourth generation and is aptly named “Gen 4”. The new HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4 has a more “player friendly” bend profile with more moderate torques and lighter weights. All of this with a counter balance (hence the CB in the name) design to prevent swing weight loss. There are two different colors of the Red CB Gen 4 – the white coming in at 40 grams and the black coming in either 50 or 60 gram options. Both are designed for the player with a moderate swing tempo seeking a mid launch and medium spin rate.
The Looks
The Project X HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4 features a matte black base coat with a bold red HZRDUS wordmark graphic next to a silhouette “CB”. While the HZRDUS logo is reminiscent of the traditional logo, it’s slightly updated for a modernized look in this new generation of the product line. Near the tip of the shaft you’ll find a small “Counter Balanced” graphic. And of course, there’s the signature hazardous shield near the handle section featuring the shaft’s specs. When installed with the shaft label down, your view is a clean black golf shaft void of any distractions. Of course, if you go with the 40 gram option, the Red CB Gen 4 comes in a white finish rather than the black pictured here.
How Does it Feel?
Admittedly, I went with the heaviest of the Project X HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4 shaft options. I don’t mix well with lighter weight shafts, but the 60 gram felt good to me. As a counter balanced shaft, the Red CB Gen 4’s balance point is more toward the handle so it doesn’t feel like you’re swinging a sledge hammer at the end of a toothpick. I would imagine this is more noticeable in the lighter profiles, but I’d say the balance point is more in the top half of the mid section of the 60 gram profile I tested. I would also say the kick point felt more neutral, but for a HZRDUS shaft, I felt like the bend profile was fairly smooth and gradual. While not necessarily typical in the HZRDUS line, that makes sense for a profile designed to launch and spin a little more.
The HZRDUS lineup stands on a platform of stability for players that really “grip it and rip it”. When you swing the HZRDUS Black Gen 4, you can feel it’s quite a bit more rigid and you really have to have the swing to leverage its lower torque. With HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4, I felt like you didn’t have to have an aggressive tempo to load and release the shaft, BUT you could step into it a bit more if you wanted to. The shaft was stable and easy to control while still providing good feedback in your hands. From a purely “feel” perspective, the Red CB Gen 4 really will appeal to wide range of players seeking a combination of “active” and stable. Big, aggressive tempos…you’ll want to stick to the Black profile.
On-Course Performance
| Club Speed | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin | Carry (Yds) | Total (Yds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114.9 | 172.4 | 13.7º | 2680 | 285.6 | 306.7 |
You’ll see that I had roughly the same speeds and carry between the two Project X HZRUDS Gen 4 shafts. The difference was that I had a little more spin with the Red CB Gen 4 and a little bit more launch. This resulted in a higher apex and a softer landing for my tee shots. Depending on your swing and your “needs” for your game, this might be good for you for a handful of reasons. What stood out to me the most is that the Red CB Gen 4 is a bit easier to get up in the air if you’re someone that needs carry off the tee. The shaft isn’t a high-launching shaft, but you certainly don’t have to fight it to get it up in the air and you’ll get good carry with accuracy.
Speaking of accuracy… Much like the Black Gen 4, the HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4 has really solid dispersion and is easy to control. That’s assuming it’s appropriate for your swing. Super aggressive/fast swingers may find it too soft, but there’s a fairly wide middle ground for players that have a more moderate tempo up to players that step on it a bit. I fall into the latter and found the stability of the shaft to really make it easy to contain my dispersion. I was able to easily hold my lines and hit my targets. Mind you, that may differ in the 40 and 50 gram options. My experience of stability with my quicker swing was in the 60 gram Red CB Gen 4.
Final Thoughts – Project X HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4
The Project X HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4 produces a nice and easy medium launch with enough spin to hold the ball in the air while giving you some freedom to be a bit more aggressive with your swing. In my opinion, the big value in the HZRDUS Red CB Gen 4 is that it has many of the same benefits of the heftier Black Gen 4, but you don’t have to have a big swing to manage it. There is plenty of stability with a tight feel for easy control, but the launch comes much easier. That said, it’s important to remember this still isn’t a high launch golf shaft (on paper) and you definitely need to make sure your swing is a good fit for it.
Has anybody in your group tested the CB Red 5.0 50 gram in a driver and posted the results? I could use that information thanks Terry
Nope, just the 60 because that was the best fit for my swing.
Hi Bill,
Fie 88mph swing speed do you like the project x red cb 50 gram or project x gen 4 silver?
Thanks,
Matt
Depends on much more than your swing speed. Need to know about your misses, launch angle, angle of attach, etc. That’s going to play more of a role in the decision that your speed. Good luck!
I was fitted for the 6.0 50gm shaft. In the bay it was perfect swinging smoothly about 93-95mph. I believe it gave me more carry and tighter dispersion compared to my gamer. Titleist TSR 10* on order.
I got fit for HZRDUS Red CB 6.0 60g in TSR3. My swing speed hovers around 100-106mph.
It felt so much easier to swing for my tempo vs the Black Gen 4 with much a more optimal launch and spin window. The review is pretty spot on– it doesn’t take a big aggressive swing to get the most out of the shaft, but there is a little room to get more aggressive if needed without losing too much control. However, I found swinging around 8 (out of 10) nets great results.
Hi Bill thanks for the fantastic reviews !!! With your experience how would you compare this Gen 4 CB red vs HZRDUS red RDX smoke ? By spec the RDX is a touch lower torque value. I’m looking for a mid launch shaft for fairway wood but with the tightest feel and most control. 4.2 index, 100 mph driver SS. I like to work the ball both ways so want a nice stable tip in a mid launch profile.
Thanks for any input,
I’d say it’s tough to really decide those two blindly with what you’re looking for. Unfortunately I think I have to just recommend testing them out yourself. Anything I say is really just a guess and won’t translate to your hands and swing.