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Can anyone give a breakdown on PCS flex standards, i.e., 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, etc? I know what Rifle lists as its Reg and Stiff shafts, but I am curious to know if the PCS standard for 4.5 = regular, 5.0 = firm, and 5.5 = Stiff.

Just to help you out, there are no PCS flex standards for shafts. Rifle and just a few antiquated other companies use this designation for flex. With each shaft, the manufacturer of the particular shaft should be consulted for ss suggestions. The problem is THERE ARE NO STANDARDS for shaft flex designations. Only between the same shaft from the same manufacturer can one gauge relative stiffness.

We refer to them as more of flex values than flex standards because the word standard is such a dangerous word in club building. I own and use the PCS Equalizer system. It's primary purpose is to match butt frequencies in that if I built a set of clubs for you, and they were built to say a flex value of 5.2 (the entire system is in .1 increments, can get as high as 8.2 or higher, not just 4.5, 5.0, 5.5 like Rifle), you could then take any set of components to any PCS Clubmaker who has this system and have the new set built to that flex value again. It is only the butt frequency, but you feel that frequncy when you swing. The method we use to get everyone on the same page is that the Equalizer system comes with a weighted shaft that has been measured at the PCS on their FA, mine says 307 cpms. I take that weighted shaft and measure it in my FA. My FA says the shaft is 308 cpms. The software is an excel spreadsheet that I plug in my FA weighted shaft reading and it makes the necessary adjustment compared to the shaft they sent me. Now every owner of the Equalizer system can literally duplicate flex values. The PCS IS trying to standardize flexes.

The PCS is coming out with a new software database program that will provide us with shaft profiles, 7 different measurements, with many many shafts, with updates to follow over time. I will now be able to take a Grafalloy for example, and say match it up with an AccuFLEX or an SK Fiber for example, in terms of cpms at the different measuring intervals. The shafts may have a differnet feel, I've seen it happen, but the cpms can almost be duplicated.