Components like Maltby have always been confused with Knock Offs. As unfair as that is, there seems to be no easy way to dispel that. Last week I was on the simulator and I was encroaching into the hour of the next guy and he walked up and reminded me of the time. When up close he asked what the hell I was hitting. It was a DBM 9 iron and I had the target up on the screen. Must have been 20 of 25 balls well inside of the of the 15′ circle. I was hitting the ball very well but he remarked that was great for a knock off. I explained the head and its construction and the length of time the design has been in circulation. I was also playing the Xcaliber golf Tour x shafts and the new Kirkland golf balls. I then mention that I could buy three sets of irons for the cost of his Titleist clubs and have enough left over for three wedges. So realizing how inexpensive my entire setup was he hit a dozen balls and was duly impressed. He shook his head as he handed me back my iron….Long story short while impressed with my set he will more than likely never buy a set. If Maltby had a Tour presence or massive ad campain things might be different.
As for me, I have no problem taking Sunday morning scat money from those guys almost every week with my “knock offs.”
Playing yesterday a guy says “They remind me of a set of Mizuno’s I once had.” Like you said: he couldn’t get over the initial impression that they were “copies” of something else. Thanks for the reply.