50 Words or Less
The ARETERA EC1 shafts have a very active, smooth feel with much more stability than you would expect. EC1 Gray is stiffer than EC1 Blue. Both are mid launch and spin.
Introduction
Last year, the golf industry got its first look at ARETERA shafts. Some legal issues made that more of a sneak peek than a traditional debut, but the company is back for 2025 with a new pair of shafts. The ARETERA EC1 shafts, powered by a unique design and premium materials, offer players a combination of feel and stability that stands apart from almost anything else on the market.
Looks
With its silver base color, no one will accuse the ARETERA EC1 of putting style over substance. This is a shaft that looks like it wants to get down to business.
Below the grip, a light geometric design wraps around the shaft. This is one of two spots where you can distinguish the Blue from the Gray – the lowest part of the graphic is done in the appropriate color. There is ARETERA branding on both the top and bottom of the shaft, so the “logo down” installation isn’t blank, just less busy.
On the “logo up” side, there is a series of bars indicating the shaft’s stiffness in the butt, mid, and tip sections. This is the other way to tell the EC1 Gray from the EC1 Blue. Finally, at the tip, the silver finish fades away, revealing an “inside” look at the graphite beneath a “CONTROL CENTR” graphic.
Feel
Both the EC1 Gray and EC1 Blue shafts are stiffer in the butt and tip sections, softer in the middle. This sounds like a recipe for a hinged feeling, but that’s not what I got. Like the Alpha One [review HERE], the ARETERA EC1 has a long, smooth kick that travels down the entire length of the shaft.
What makes the EC1 unique is that it blends this big, lively feel with excellent stability. I never had any question of where the shaft was or what the club head was doing during the swing. While I’ve described other shafts as “active yet stable,” ARETERA dials it up to a level all their own.
Comparing these two shafts, the EC1 Gray is 7% stiffer in the tip than the EC1 Blue, per ARETERA. I found that 7% to be quite noticeable, but the two shafts are still much more similar than they are different. It’s like comparing dark and milk chocolate, not chocolate against vanilla.
Performance
The tech talk around shafts is normally unintelligible to anyone outside the industry because the jargon is so dense. However, I found the tech story behind the ARETERA EC1 shafts not only easy to understand but quite compelling.
There are two big things that make the EC1 unique, both related to the plies or layers of material that make up the shaft. First is the quantity. Per ARETERA, the EC1 has about 20 plies where a standard shaft has 5-7. Additionally, most shafts have their inner layers of plies set down at a 45 degree angle and the outer layers at 0 degrees. The EC1 shafts alternate – one layer at 45, one at 0 – which is what creates its unique feel and performance while also necessitating a manufacturing time four times longer than conventional shafts.
If all that made your eyes glaze over, you can wake up now, I’m getting back to what the golf ball did. For me, the ARETERA EC1 Gray was outstanding from the first swing. I got the exciting, smooth feel, but I didn’t need to hold back on my swing. The ball launched on a mid trajectory with mid-low spin and barely curved. There was a stability to the ball flight that made me confident to tee up another one and let it rip. With the EC1 Gray, I also felt like I had access to everything from a running draw to a high, soft cut.
Switching to the ARETERA EC1 Blue, I got the message that I needed to dial back the aggression. The shaft never felt super loose or “lost,” but when I forced the issue, the dispersion shifted hard left. My better, in-tempo swings produced more draws than anything else, but they were very playable. For the golfer than wants to let the shaft do more of the work or wants to shift their shot pattern a little left, the EC1 Blue is a great choice.
Both the ARETERA EC1 Blue and EC1 Gray are offered in 45, 55, 65, and 75 gram weight classes, but the flexes offered at each weight vary. ARETERA EC1 Blue is comes in flexes 2, 3, and 4 at 45 grams and 2, 3, 4, and 5 at 55 grams. They offer flexes 3, 4, 5, and 6 at 65 grams and 4, 5, and 6 at 75 grams. The ARETERA EC1 Grey comes in 3 and 4 at 45 grams and 3, 4, and 5 at 55 grams. Flexes 4, 5, and 6 are all available at 65 and 75 grams.
Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a new driver this season – or trying to inject some fresh life into an old favorite – give the ARETERA EC1 shafts a chance. These shafts push the limits of stability and consistency while still offering a lively, active feel during the swing.
Visit ARETERA HERE
Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.