Introduction
The hotly anticipated L.A.B. VZN.1i has finally arrived. L.A.B. talks about the design being “Optically Optimised”, intended to help golfers aim and align more accurately. It describes the putter as being “designed to show where the face is pointed and intentionally positioned to help lock in on the target line”.
Funny, but I thought all putters were designed to do that.
The VZN.1i has been getting some gushing reviews elsewhere on the internet and is already being widely touted as the best L.A.B. yet. I was lucky enough that Adam Legg at Auchterlonies gave me both the Press and straight-shafted versions to test.
Having had mixed success with other L.A.B. putters, would this latest release finally win me over?
First Impressions
Like most L.A.B. heads, I genuinely believe this shape will split opinion. Personally, I think it looks OK, although I can’t help seeing my potato masher when I look at it.
The range of alignment options available from L.A.B. is vast, so I’m sure almost every golfer will find something they like. Purely on looks, I preferred the blue Press model.
The black putter is also a higher and more expensive specification than the blue. It has the upcharge Accra shaft and, because it doesn’t use the Press setup, a SuperStroke Pistol 1.0 grip. I prefer that grip to the L.A.B. Press grip fitted to the blue model.
Build quality feels a touch lacking for such a premium product and certainly doesn’t give me the same impression of quality as some similarly priced putters. As with other L.A.B. models, the insert is essentially bolted into the head and, to my eye, looks slightly unfinished. I’d like to see some polymer or another material filling the gaps around it to make everything look more integrated.
It reminds me a little of looking at a car with uneven panel gaps. Nothing is actually wrong, but once you notice it, it is difficult not to see it.
On the upside, the face milling is much improved from earlier models and doesn’t suffer from the sharp edges I’ve experienced previously.
Specification (as tested)
Protocol Snapshot (How I Tested It)
Surface: Practice green at Craigtoun Course
Conditions: A lovely July day with a firm green that was running well.
Make Test: 6 putts x 3 reps from 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 ft
Lag Test: 40 ft to 3 ft - uphill and downhill - run once
Start Line: Gate drill (two tees at 18 inches ahead, gate only just wider than a ball)
Benchmark: Lajosi custom blade
Full testing framework: HERE
How Did They Perform?
Notes
he Craigtoun Course has an excellent, large practice green, with plenty of slope and a good variety of putts available. After the recent spell of good weather, it was running firm and fast, which made it a useful test of both pace control and start line.
Following my recent testing and review of the AimPutt training system, I have been using my custom Lajosi blade as my gamer. I also used AimPutt to check my setup before beginning the test, so I was reasonably confident that anything unusual in the results wasn’t simply coming from my address position.
Unfortunately, the results with both VZN.1i models were disappointing.
Pros and Cons
Looks (neutral): Like many L.A.B. putters, the shape will probably polarise golfers. I preferred the blue Press model at address to the straight-shafted black version and, personally, I think this is one of L.A.B.’s better-looking heads.
But it still makes me think of a potato masher.
That is probably unfair, but it’s what I see.
There is also something about both putters that stops them looking quite as premium as their price suggests. It’s hard to isolate one thing. Perhaps it is the finishing around the insert, or the way the shaft enters the head, but there are a few details that make them feel slightly unfinished to me. At this price, I would just like those final touches to be better.
Grips (neutral): The SuperStroke Pistol 1.0 is a grip I know well and have used on several other putters, so it immediately felt comfortable.
The Press 1.5 grip is also familiar from other L.A.B. putters I’ve tested. It isn’t offensive, but it isn’t my favourite either. I don’t particularly like the feel of the material, and I find it just a touch too thick.
I am glad it now comes in black though. The white one on my DF3 was almost impossible to keep clean.
Headcover (+ve): One thing I’ve always liked about L.A.B is that they make some of the best standard headcovers. They are always well padded, made of good materials, and provide a very secure magnetic closure.
Aim/Alignment (neutral): This is obviously an unusual putter shape, but I felt reasonably comfortable with both models at address.
Alignment markings are very personal, and L.A.B. offers a huge number of options. Most golfers should be able to find something that suits the way they like to aim. Of these two, I preferred the T-shape on the blue head to the three lines on the black one.
More importantly, I felt comfortable with my aim using both putters. Which makes the results even more disappointing.
Feel and Sound (+ve): I think L.A.B. has nailed the face milling with this one. The rough edges I mentioned in my OZ.1i HS review have gone, leaving the face feeling much smoother than before.
Interaction with the ball also felt noticeably better, with the head producing a lovely solid sound at impact.
The upcharge Accra shaft felt better to me than the standard steel shaft too, although I really wish that wasn’t the case. Given what these putters cost, I think the standard shaft should feel better than it does.
Pace Control (neutral): Pace control was decent with both models, although I felt more comfortable with the standard-weight blue head. The longer I used them, the more accustomed I became to the feel and weighting.
Neither gave me any significant concern when putting from distance. Unfortunately, getting the ball started on the right line was a different story.
Performance Overall (-ve): I can’t really dress these results up. Neither putter performed well in my hands.
Despite feeling more comfortable with the blue Press model, its results were pretty abysmal, even from three feet. I simply couldn’t get comfortable with either head and had a two-way miss with both of them.
I also used both putters for a par-2 loop around the green and, to be fair, they performed much better in that less structured environment, particularly the blue model. But ultimately I need to trust a putter when I’m standing over an eight-footer for par on the 12th, not just when I’m knocking putts around the practice green for fun.
Price (-ve): The standard putter starts at £499. Adding custom lie and length takes the basic blue model to £599, while the Accra shaft fitted to the black putter pushes the price to £699.
These are seriously expensive putters.
Before spending that sort of money, I think you need to understand what part of your putting you are actually trying to improve. A putter cannot revolutionise your game if the bigger issue is green reading or pace control, so make sure you know why you are changing before assuming the equipment is the answer.
Neither of these suits my eye or my stroke particularly well, which makes walking away from them relatively easy.
What does Vertex say?
I completed the Vertex testing indoors on my putting mat, and the results supported much of what I had seen during the outdoor test.
Unsurprisingly, the face-control numbers were poor. I was leaving the face open with both putters, which goes a long way towards explaining my struggles with the start-line gate drill.
The averages also hid a huge range, from 3.8° open to 1° closed. That inconsistency was probably more important than the headline average. I wasn’t simply delivering the face consistently open. I was struggling to control where it was pointing at all.
These putters just don’t seem to match my stroke particularly well.
If I put some real effort into adapting to them, I could probably make the numbers tolerable. But I’m not convinced I would ever become genuinely comfortable.
Against that, my rhythm was decent with both putters, albeit a little quick. It was slightly more consistent with the heavier head, where I felt I had more awareness of where the putter was throughout the stroke.
The rest of the Vertex data was perfectly acceptable with both models, but it becomes fairly academic when I can’t consistently start the ball where I am aiming.
Press or No Press?
Despite it performing worse in the structured testing, I preferred the Press model.
Combined with the Press grip, it simply looked more natural to me at address and made me feel more comfortable over the ball. The Press setup also seemed to make the onset less visually obvious.
When I align the leading edge of the grip with the leading edge of the putter, the relationship between the shaft and head makes more sense to my eye. With the straight-shafted model, I became much more aware of the onset, and that made me uncomfortable.
If L.A.B. could persuade SuperStroke to make a Press version of the Pistol 1.0, I’d probably like the Press setup even more.
That preference clearly didn’t translate into better performance here, but if I were being fitted for a VZN.1i, the Press model is unquestionably where I would start.
Conclusion
Whilst this might be the nicest-feeling L.A.B. putter I have tested to date, it just doesn’t work for me.
That probably sums up this test better than anything else. The face milling is much improved, the sound and feel are excellent, and I can understand why so many golfers are excited about the VZN.1i. But the degree of onset doesn’t suit my eye and, as I have found with several zero-torque putters now, I struggle to control the face consistently.
That doesn’t make the VZN.1i a bad putter. Far from it. I know golfers who swear by L.A.B. and have transformed their putting after moving into one. It simply reinforces how personal putter fitting is.
L.A.B. offers an enormous amount of customisation in lie, length, shaft, grip and alignment options, so if you are considering spending this much money on one, I would strongly recommend being properly fitted rather than buying a standard specification and hoping for the best.
Fit verdict (for me)
Would I game a VZN tomorrow? No
Press or no press? Press. It simply felt more natural at address.
What would I change? I’d like the overall finishing and build quality to feel a little more premium.
What have I learned? Having previously been critical of the feel of some L.A.B. putters, I think they have really nailed it with this one. Unfortunately, feel alone isn’t enough.
Have you tried the new VZN.1i? If you have, I’d love to hear how you got on with it in the comments below.
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Special thanks to Adam Legg and Auchterlonies for lending me both review putters.
Links:
Full testing framework: here
All my other putter reviews: here