Before I even say two words about this piece, I’m going to put this out there – this is something I sell. George of Garage5 and I have teamed up to bring his parts to the US. revlimiter.net is now the official Garage5 US distributor.
I’m not in the habit of reviewing my own parts. I’d rather let others do that. It seems dishonest to try to review my own stuff. But this shift knob is not my own part. It was designed and produced by Garage5. So… I’m reviewing it.
Please don’t shoot me. Onto the review.
The Garage5 Type 99 Shift Knob
Th G5 Type 99 shift knob is something I’ve been curious about for a while. The shape is quite unique. It looks well machined. It looks BEEFY. I’ve just never had a chance to add one to the collection.
It’s actually more similar to the Joyfast than is immediately apparent.
Only a few grams separates these two knobs. 296 grams vs 292 grams. Just 4 grams? That’s… almost incredible. That’s very very close in weight.
The Joyfast is stainless steel while the Garage5 is aluminum. If George had used steel on his knob, I would guess the weight to be in the 600 gram range.
The size difference is quite obvious. The Joyfast is adorably tiny. The Garage5 is sized well for an adult hand.
Honestly, I love the tiny size of the Joyfast. It feels very unique in the hand. But it is small. My pinky curls underneath the knob when I shift.
The Type 99 knob on the other hand really FITS my hand. It’s a very positive grip. It never feels like it might slip out of the palm.
Both look good in my humble opinion. The two knobs look quite different but are both attractive in similar ways. Both work well with the Garage Star brake knob, but the Garage5 knob might match it a little bit better.
Aww, who am I kidding? The G5 matches the brake grip a LOT better.
But how is it to USE?
The difference in use is night and day. The Type 99 feels MUCH different to use than the Joyfast. The whole shifter feels much different with each installed.
The Type 99 gives the shifter a much longer throw. The Joyfast really shortens the throw a lot.
With the weight all down low, the Joyfast really makes the shifter feel tight. With more weight up high, the G5 gives the shifter a more loose feel. Not floppy, but more loose than I expected.
The polished surface on the Joyfast feels very smooth. The G5 has two extremely nice machined rings in the sides which give an enormous amount of grip. The Type 99 really is a ton more grippy than the Joyfast supershort.
If you have a larger hand and are looking for a shift knob to match you’d have a hard time trying to find something nicer than the Garage5 Type 99. It’s really excellent.
The Scorecard
Build Quality: Very good. Excellent machining. The knob is threaded high enough and touches the shift boot. The finish is even. I’d give it an A.
Installation: Untwist the old knob, screw on the new one. Nothing could be easier. A+
Usability: Typed at length above. The loose feeling of the shifter was surprising, but the knob works quite well. I’d give it a B+.
Style: Completely subjective. There’s a million and a half shift knob options out there. I can’t begin to assign this a grade. I like it very much.
Overall: An excellent piece. I’m very proud to have this in my store. An easy A.
Check out the Type 99 shift knob and more Garage5 parts in my store or in the Garage5 store.
[…] Re: Garage5 products now at revlimiter.net I reviewed the Garage5 shift knob! Check it out on my blog. Garage5 Type 99 Shift Knob vs Joyfast Supershort […]
What is the Type 99’s height and diameter?
I think I was one of the first to purchase the G5 knobs from you when you announced them.
I have the MR three up two over short shifter installed also.
Being a mechanic for 30+ years my hands don’t have the grip on smaller things as they did. This knob fits me well. And paired with the shifter there is very little hand movement between the steering wheel and the shifter.
Thanks for bringing great products closer to us. And to you over-indulging us with your customer ‘prize packs’!
Hope to see and shake hands with you at Miatalooza!
Thanks,
Rick