A Comparison of Shaft Deflection Measurements

The oldest of all the shaft specifications is flex. Once the production problems had been overcome which enabled steel shafts to become a reality, early steel shaft manufacturers began to experiment with producing shafts, which possessed different amounts of resistance to bending. Through the 70 years of shaft design that have followed the introduction of the steel shaft, companies have produced particular patterns of shafts with as many as 15 different flexes! What began with only regular and stiff, has now evolved into five basic flexes; Ladies, Amateur (known as Senior or Flexible), Regular, Stiff and EXtra Stiff. The letter that is highlighted within the designation identifies each flex level.