This is our review of the best
I’m an avid golfer, an 6ish handicap on my way to a 2 (been a 5.6), and frequent tester of golf clubs and equipment since 2015.
I’ve hit most every
The ones I haven’t hit don’t appear on this page. I generally, but not always, stay away from their low spin versions because they can be a bear to hit.
All clubs here were played on the course, tested on the range, and tested on my Garmin R10 launch monitor.
Top 2 Recommendations
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Highly Recommended
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Recommended
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Primary Rating:
4.5
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Primary Rating:
4.0
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Pros:
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Cons:
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- Great Sound & Feel
- Plenty Distance & Forgiveness
- High Launch & Peak Height
- Mediocre cosmetics
- Not a major improvement over the Qi10
- Plenty long
- Decent forgiveness
- Premium Sound & Feel
- Not a major improvement over the Ai10
- Cosmetics & head shape no bueno
Full List (Updated for 2026)
In this review, I discuss my experience with each driver, unique features and benefits, my favorite of the bunch, and which driver I think serves which golfer.
Driver Reviews
Taylormade Qi35 Max (Most Forgiving)
- Great Sound & Feel
- Plenty Distance & Forgiveness
- High Launch & Peak Height
- Mediocre cosmetics
- Not a major improvement over the Qi10
What we like:
- Premium sound and feel. A slight improvement over the Qi10.
- High launch and carry.
- Ample forgiveness and distance.
What we don’t like:
- Mediocre cosmetics.
- Not much of an improvement over the Qi10.
Launch Monitor #s
Club Speed | Ball Speed | Carry Distance | Vertical Launch | Peak Height | Spin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
99 mph | 154 mph | 255 yds | 12* | 109 ft | 3768 |
No doubt, the Qi35 Max has improve technology and is genuinely better than the Qi10…I just didn’t experience that.
I hit the Qi35 Max a LOT on the range during testing. This happens when my driver swing isn’t as reliable as I’d like (which happens too often – though I’m actively working on improving that).
I got ok results, but I felt the Qi35 had more to offer.
Besides, I’m a better driver on the course when I have definitive targets.
Such was the case with the Qi35 Max. Though it didn’t get my best swings during my round, it performed admirable to keep me in play and help me post my best score in a while.
Customer Reviews: Average rating of 4.8 out of 273 reviews at taylormadegolf.com.
- Customers rave about it’s forgiveness, distance, and sound and feel.
Read full Qi35 Max driver review.
Bottom line: Keep your Qi10 Max if you like. If you haven’t upgraded in years, the Qi35 Max is certainly worth looking at.
Taylormade Qi35 (Best For Strong Drivers)
- Plenty long
- Decent forgiveness
- Premium Sound & Feel
- Not an improvement over the Qi10
- Cosmetics & head shape no bueno
A solid driver with nice sound and feel and all the distance you need. Maybe not enough improvement over prior model to justify it’s release.
What we like:
- Premium sound and feel.
- High launch and carry.
- Loads of distance.
What we don’t like:
- Mediocre cosmetics.
- Not much of an improvement over the Qi10.
- Not as forgiving as I’d like for a base model driver.
Launch Monitor #s
Club Speed | Ball Speed | Carry Distance | Vertical Launch | Peak Height | Spin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
103 mph | 151 yds | 253 yds | 13* | 104 ft | 3200 |
Like the Qi35 Max, the Qi35 has improve technology and is genuinely better than the Qi10…but, I didn’t see much of that.
To be fair, I am a streaky driver. When I’m on, I can hit most any of them.
When I’m off, there’s no helping me. And, I was mostly off for driver testing season in 2025.
So, I had to hit a WHOLE bunch of drives to pick out some good ones and get the true hitting characteristics of the Qi35.
In fact, I did two rounds of testing.
I got along better with it during the second round. Especially on the course. Though, not great.
I’d really like it to be more forgiving and God only knows why they went with those cosmetics.
Customer Reviews: Average rating of 4.8 out of 499 reviews at taylormadegolf.com.(1) and 96% of customers would recommend the Qi35. (I’m clearly in the minority)
Read full Qi35 driver review.
Bottom line: As with the Qi10 Max, if you like your Qi10, keep it. Haven’t upgraded in years? Give the Qi35 a try.
Taylormade Qi10 Driver
- Long & Forgiving
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Premium Looks
- Not a significant upgrade over the Stealth 2
The Taylormade Qi10 performed well in our testing with Wes. I didn’t have quite the same luck. But, it’s a solid driver.
What we like:
- The best combination of playability, forgiveness, and distance.
- Improved sound & feel over the Stealth 2.
- Premium looks.
What we don’t like:
- Still not a fan of paying $600 for a driver.
Testing was done by Wes, former club fitter and current scratch golfer and equipment nerd.
Wes found the hitting experience much improved over the Stealth 2 (a club he does not like).
He strongly preferred the sound and feel of the Qi10, and he found it more forgiving, too – by just a smidge.
Read full Qi10 driver review.
Customer Reviews: 97 % would recommend it to a friend. Average 4.7 rating out of 75 reviews.
Bottom line – Premium driver at a premium price. Needs to be on your list to test if you’re in the market.
Taylormade Qi10 Max Driver
- Exceptional Forgiveness & Distance
- Great Sound & Feel
- Premium Looks
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Not a significant upgrade over Stealth 2 drivers
We picked Taylormade Qi10 Max as our favorite for added forgiveness and help hitting the ball higher.
What we like:
- Superb forgiveness and distance across the face.
- Excellent feel and sound.
- Premium cosmetics and looks great at address.
- Launches your golf ball quickly and carries on a nice high trajectory.
What we don’t like:
- Still not in love with $600 drivers.
Our expert tester Wes, put the Qi10 Max through its paces and came away more than impressed. Center contact was heavenly, as you would expect. But, the Qi10 really makes it money when you miss the sweet spot.
Heel and toe strikes lose maybe 5 yards or so – basically, nothing when talking about a driver. Even Wes’s funkiest swings left his drives just off the fairway.
The Qi10 Max delivers on its promise. All we ask for from a driver…especially at $600.
Customer Reviews: Average rating of 4.7 out of 51 reviews at taylormadegolf.com.
- The 4-star reviews didn’t offer any complaints and were complimentary.
- The less than 4-star reviews basically said they haven’t noticed a big improvement over whatever they had before.
Read full Qi10 Max driver review.
Recommendation: Give this driver a try if you consistently struggle with contact off the tee, regardless of handicap. You’ll likely have found your next driver.
Taylormade Stealth 2 HD Driver
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Superb Distance & Forgiveness
- Premium Looks
- Nada
The
What we like:
- Superb sound & feel. Improved over last year’s HD.
- Better paint job. The black and red colors are glossy instead of flat, which gives a more premium look.
What we don’t like:
- Nothing.
I rate performance the same as last year’s Stealth HD. It gets the nod because of the 2 reasons listed above.
Sound/ Feel (A) Excellent. Nice improvement.
Distance (A) Still great, and all you need.
Forgiveness (A) Ample forgiveness, the most forgiving of the Stealth 2 line of drivers.
Flight / Playability (A) Decent swings yield medium-high to high ball flight with no ballooning.
Customer Reviews: 95% would recommend to a friend. Average 4.8 rating out of 5 from 194 reviews.
Bottom line – An excellent driver that earned it’s premium price. I wouldn’t necessarily upgrade over last year’s Stealth HD.
Taylormade Stealth Driver
- Good Feel & Sound
- Tons of Forgiveness & Distance
- Looks great behind the ball
- Playable by any handicap
- Nada
The Stealth remains an awesome driver and was my every day driver for quite a while.
What we like:
- It’s forgiving all over the face. I was minimally punished for off-center contact.
- It keeps marginal swings playable for better looks at the green.
- I consistently carried the ball as for or farther than I have in years.
- I love the muted sound on impact.
What we don’t like:
- Nada.
I’m an inconsistent driver most days (though I’ve been working on this… Hard). And I never hit standard-length drivers. The Stealth and most modern drivers weigh in at 45.75 inches out of the box. (My driver is cut down to 44.25 inches so I can control it better.)
Still, I was able to hit a ton of good drives on the range and on the course with the Stealth for a couple reasons: 1) My hard work is paying off. 2) This is a great driver that rewards decent swings.
It’s one of the easiest drivers to hit I’ve ever tested.
I’m not an advocate for forking out this much for a driver. But if you’re gonna do it, the Stealth is a worthy investment.
Customer Reviews: 94% would recommend to a friend. Average 4.8 rating out of 5 from 511 reviews.
Bottom Line – Last year’s Editor’s Pick. Now on sale. Still worth a look.
Taylormade Stealth Plus Driver
- Excellent Distance
- Great Sound & Feel
- Very Forgiving
- Great Looking
- Price
I hit the STealth Plus like I hit all Stealth drivers – well.
I know it’s made for elite drivers and tour pros, but it’s got all the forgiveness we average golfers need plus all the attributes better golfers look for. (Guess that’s where the “plus” comes from)
Great and good swings got great results and marginal swings got good or better-than-I-deserved results. I could easily put this one in play and driving isn’t my strength.
It’s great for most golfers and/or you like/need to move sole weights around to optimize ball flight and shape.
Carry Yards | Ball Speed | Swing Speed | Smash Factor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stealth Plus | 272 | 156.5 | 106 | 1.47 |
Sound/ Feel (A) Great muted sound on contact, similar to the SIM2. The face feels a bit softer because of the polyurethane and carbon layer design.
Distance (A) Excellent distance. see above
Forgiveness (A) Great (like all Stealths)
Flight (A) Great – Same as other Stealths
Customer Reviews: 96% would recommend the Stealth HD to a friend. Average 4.8 rating out of 5 from 642 reviews.
Bottom line – Playable by most average golfers, but has a little something extra for better golfers.
Taylormade SIM2 Max Driver
- Long & Forgiving
- Great Sound & Feel
- Nada
The Taylormade SIM2 Max remains on our list for best
What we like:
- It is so, so easy to hit.
- It’s long and forgiving.
- It feels great and sounds better.
- You’ll start seeing pretty good deals now that the STEALTH is out.
What we don’t like:
- Nada
The Taylormade SIM2 is an outstanding driver and performed exceptionally well for me. I hit tons of solid drivers with it and would gladly own this driver if I was in the market.
Taylormade drivers live up to the hype and more. I don’t believe you can find a bad one these days.
Customer Reviews: 99% of reviewers would recommend the SIM2. It’s got 342 reviews and an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
Recommendation: Buy this driver in a heartbeat if you can get your specs or close to them.
Bottom line – Playable by most average golfers, but has a little something extra for better golfers.
Verdict
All current
So, I could/would happily play any of them.
Our #1 suggestion is to test before you buy. Either at your local golf store or take advantage of Global Golf’s Utry trial program. I use it and recommend it.
Thanks for checking out my review of the best
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Highly Recommended
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Recommended
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Primary Rating:
4.5
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Primary Rating:
4.0
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Pros:
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Cons:
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- Great Sound & Feel
- Plenty Distance & Forgiveness
- High Launch & Peak Height
- Mediocre cosmetics
- Not a major improvement over the Qi10
- Plenty long
- Decent forgiveness
- Premium Sound & Feel
- Not a major improvement over the Ai10
- Cosmetics & head shape no bueno
