In October 2026, a used TaylorMade M4 had a target of $187, and the M6 that replaced it a year later was $17 more.
That $17 is the problem for the M4. It is a good driver: forgiving, simple, built around the face technology TaylorMade still uses today. It is also eight years old, and the newer drivers around it have dropped so far in price that a cheap driver no longer has to be an old one.
The short answer
Yes, the M4 is still a good driver for a mid- or high-handicapper who wants a forgiving head and doesn’t want to tinker. A used one is worth about $178, and anything at or under that is a good buy.
Which M4 is which
There are three drivers called M4, and two of them are the same club.
| Version | In stores | Launch price | Used today |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4 | February 16, 2018 | $429 | $178 |
| M4 D-Type (draw bias) | February 16, 2018 | $429 | $174 |
| M4 2021 (re-release) | 2021 | $349.99 | $178 |
The original M4 arrived beside the M3 in February 2018 as the forgiving half of the pair, $70 cheaper than the M3’s $499. TaylorMade offered it in 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5° and 12° with a Fujikura Atmos Red shaft. The M3 had sliding weights on its Y-Track and the M4 had none; TaylorMade moved weight to the back of the head instead, 86% more there by its own count, for stability on mishits.
The M4 D-Type is the same idea with weight moved toward the heel and a touch of offset, to help a slice turn over. Used, it is worth about $174.
The M4 2021 is the 2018 driver brought back at $349.99 with new cosmetics and nothing changed that affects how it plays. Listings call it a 2021 or a 2022 driver depending on where the seller bought it, and so does our own club page, which files it under 2022. Price every one of them as the same M4.
Don’t pay extra for “2021” or “2022” in a title. The year on an M4 listing dates the cosmetics; underneath, the club plays like the 2018 one.
What Twist Face does
Driver makers curve most faces from heel to toe and top to bottom, so that a ball struck off-center curves back toward the target.
TaylorMade’s engineers found that the standard curve works for robots, which return the face square every time, and less well for people. Golfers’ most common mishits are high on the toe and low on the heel, and those two misses curve off in opposite directions.
Twist Face changes the curvature at those two corners. The high toe has a little more loft and sits a little open; the low heel has a little less loft and sits a little closed. TaylorMade described it as “engineered to correct for inherent human swing tendencies”. In practice, the two worst misses start closer to the target line, which is the help a mid-handicapper needs.
TaylorMade has kept Twist Face ever since. For the 2019 M5 and M6 it injected the face with resin to tune its speed, for the 2022 Stealth it rebuilt the face in carbon, and its current drivers still carry a carbon Twist Face. With an M4 you get the first version.
The M4 also has a Hammerhead slot cut into the sole behind the face, a successor to the Speed Pocket that keeps ball speed up on low strikes, and what TaylorMade called Geocoustic engineering in the sole, shaped for a better sound at impact.
M4 vs SIM2 Max, Stealth 2 and Qi10
The M4 is good. The harder test is value, next to drivers that cost much more new and have since come down to meet it. Our October 2026 targets, from the cheapest up:
| Driver | Launch price | Target, Oct 2026 | Over an M4 | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M4 (2018) | $429 | $187 | – | $178 |
| M6 (2019) | $499.99 | $204 | +$17 | $201 |
| Stealth 2 (2023) | $599.99 | $254 | +$67 | $248 |
| SIM2 Max (2021) | $529.99 | $269 | +$82 | $274 |
| Qi10 (2024) | $599.99 | $278 | +$91 | $267 |
| Qi10 Max (2024) | $599.99 | $319 | +$132 | $295 |
M6, +$17. The M4’s direct successor, the forgiving even-numbered head of 2019. Same Twist Face idea, plus Speed Injection: TaylorMade injected every face with resin after making it, tuning it up to the legal speed limit. For the price of a sleeve of balls, that is the easiest upgrade in this table.
Stealth 2, +$67. The carbon-face driver of 2023, five years newer than the M4. In our October check it was cheaper used than the older SIM2 Max, which makes it the value pick of the newer heads.
SIM2 Max, +$82. The last TaylorMade flagship with a titanium face, from February 2021. A lovely driver, but on these numbers you pay more for it than for the newer Stealth 2.
Qi10 and Qi10 Max, +$91 and +$132. The Qi10 Max is TaylorMade’s 10K driver, built around forgiveness rather than speed. It is the most forgiving driver here by design, and for a golfer who misses the center often it is worth the money. It also cost about 70% more than an M4.
The M4 wins when your budget stops below $200, or when you find one well under its target. Above that, each extra dollar buys more driver than it did two years ago; TaylorMade drivers by year has every other model and its target.
Who should buy an M4
- Mid- and high-handicappers on a budget. The M4 was built for straight distance and forgiveness, and Twist Face helps most with the heel and toe misses that cost these golfers the most.
- Beginners buying a first proper driver. It is forgiving, easy to find, and costs a fraction of anything current. If the game doesn’t stick, you haven’t lost much.
- Slicers. Look for the D-Type, which costs about the same used and leans the ball left.
- Anyone who hates tinkering. There are no weights to move or lose.
Skip it if you swing fast, already launch the ball high and need less spin; a low-spin head with movable weights will serve you better. If you want the most forgiveness money can buy, look at a Qi10 Max instead, whatever it costs, because TaylorMade designed that head around forgiveness.
Shafts, lofts and settings
Loft. Most golfers should start at 10.5°. The 8.5° and 9.5° heads suit faster, higher-launching swings; 12° helps slower swings get the ball in the air. Check the loft printed on the sleeve or head, since the sleeve can move it.
The sleeve. The M4 lost the M3’s sliding weights but kept TaylorMade’s 4° loft sleeve. According to TaylorMade’s M4 tuning manual, it has 12 positions, each moving loft by 0.5° to 0.75°, for up to 2° either way: a 9.5° head runs from 7.5° to 11.5°. Loft and face angle move together. At the lowest setting the face sits 4° open and spin drops by about 600 rpm; at the highest it sits 4° closed and spin rises by about the same. One position keeps the standard loft and makes the lie more upright.
On the course, a slicer who adds loft gets help twice, from the extra loft and the closed face. A golfer whose miss is a hook should be wary of cranking it up, and should try the lower settings first.
The shaft. The stock shaft was the Fujikura Atmos Red. A used M4 often carries something else, which is fine if the flex is right for you. Most buyers pay for the head; an aftermarket shaft rarely adds much to what an M4 is worth.
Swapping shafts? Aftermarket adapter makers list one sleeve fit for TaylorMade’s adjustable drivers from the SLDR and R15 through the Qi35, which takes in the M4. A shaft from your M4 should fit a later TaylorMade head, and the other way around, but check the adapter before you buy.
Buying a used M4
Every M4 has spent years in someone’s bag, so condition matters more than it does on a newer driver. Look at the face in the photos first: ball marks and a worn patch in the center are cosmetic, but a dent or crack is not. Sky marks on the crown don’t affect how it plays and should cost the seller money. Make sure the sleeve comes with the shaft, check the flex printed on the shaft label, and look at the grip; a slick, worn one is a replacement you’ll be paying for.
Then hold the listing up against the target, with shipping included, or paste it into ClubChecks for a verdict and every cheaper M4 beside it. At or under about $178 is a good buy; 15% or more under it is a great one. Above it, make an offer near the target, because another M4 will come along. There are plenty of them, and plenty of other used drivers at the same money.
In October 2026, the M4 was worth $24 more used than the M3 that launched beside it. Forgiving heads hold their price better because more golfers can use one, and that will stay true. The gap to the next driver up will keep moving, though. Each year a used Stealth 2 or Qi10 costs a little closer to M4 money, and once that gap drops under about fifty dollars, buy the newer driver.
Questions
What year is the TaylorMade M4 driver?
2018. It reached stores on February 16, 2018, at $429. TaylorMade re-released it in 2021 at $349.99 with cosmetic changes only, which is why some listings call it a 2021 or 2022 driver.
Is the TaylorMade M4 still a good driver?
Yes, for a mid- or high-handicapper who wants forgiveness and simplicity. It has Twist Face, which straightens high-toe and low-heel misses. In October 2026 a used M6 cost $17 more, though, so it is worth comparing the two before you buy.
How much is a used TaylorMade M4 driver worth?
About $178, our algorithm’s target price for a typical used one. The 2018 original and the 2021 re-release are worth the same.
What is the difference between the M3 and M4 drivers?
The M3 ($499) had sliding weights on a Y-Track for adjusting ball flight. The M4 ($429) had no movable weights and put more weight at the back of the head for forgiveness. Both had Twist Face.
Is the M4 better than the M6?
The M6 is the newer and better driver: it keeps Twist Face and adds a resin-injected face tuned to the legal speed limit. For most golfers the difference is small, so buy whichever is cheaper relative to its target.
Is the M4 driver adjustable?
Its loft is. TaylorMade’s 4° loft sleeve has 12 positions and moves loft up to 2° either way, which also opens or closes the face. It has no movable weights; those were on the M3.
What is the M4 D-Type?
A draw-biased M4 with weight toward the heel and slight offset, launched at the same $429. It suits golfers whose miss is a slice.
