I personally prefer the Raw finish mostly for the look and the way it wears. There are never any sun glint issues, and while this may all be in my head (as my pro says, golf is 75% a mental game, the other 25% is just all in your head) they seem to give me better contact / performance. They clean up nicely with a magic sponge which I do a couple of times a season.

My (very un-scientific, and totally emotional) two cents.

Spin and feel.

Most pros say it's the glare but i also think the raw is a bit more receptive to the tinkering the pros do in the Tour van.

I like the raw finish for minimal glare and feel.

Over time I also like how the clubs heads have aged.

I think the biggest reason people like the Raw finish is the non-glare aspect. Plus as they wear over time they get that rust look to it which people think is cool even though it’s been proven rust does not add spin. Also, with the raw finish you know there’s no plating so when those grooves are cut sharp they’re not dull down by adding a chrome plating or other plating finish.

It's nice not to have the sun reflect off your club. A shiny club does look nice but a raw one just looks like it means business...

The feel is softer, the look is matte and the adjustability is easy....these clubs bend very easy so they require a bit more attention (check the lofts every couple months in season IMHO). You can also GRIND these and not have the chrome come off, so adjustability is further used in this fashion.

I ONLY use Raw Wedges for these reasons....however there is not a performance difference between RAW and Chrome from my personal experience.

Cheers,
Chris

Nice to see a familiar name when looking for some advice - Thanks Chris!

The spin is calibrated across the line to match regardless of spin - naturally if you do not add a finish you conceivably get deeper and sharper grooves. However, in talking with Bob Vokey they vary the depth and width of the wedge grooves dependent on the finish so they equal out. I play them because they feel better, they look cooler, no glare and it is always fun to copy what most tour guys do, but it is purely an aesthetic difference in terms of performance. The Jet Black is a Raw finish and you can strip the finish if you are inclined and create your own Raw wedge, never tried it personally, but i heard soaked in a can of coke overnight and your Jet Black becomes a Raw.

I like the raw mostly because of they way they age. I can tell you in Florida it's also nice not getting any glare from the chrome.

I did buy some of the SM8 in the jet black and used CLR to remove the black coating. It's not exactly the same as buying a raw wedge but they are looking and feeling good.

I’ll echo what everyone has said about the raw finish. I was able to get a couple of tour issue raw wedges and they do appear to feel softer ... even to a guy with a 12 handicap!! The look is understated and I love the way they age.

I haven’t tried the Vokey Jet Black conversion to raw, but I’ve done it with other brands. Apple cider vinegar works better than coke in my opinion.

The raw wedges do look pretty awesome as they age.

I don't get it.

I love the aging of the RAW. My 60* is raw and my 46* is TC as a reference.

I like shiny things. That is why Vokey offers choices to please all of us. Do not to use it that often and was over a year after back surgery. Grooves in great shape. Works well when I need it and like I said it looks pretty and shiny.

I have been using raw wedges for years now. I love the way they age. Each one ages differently and develops their own look, character and personality to it.