I could putt with a croquet mallet. 🙂 Heck, I might be better with that then any of the 80-100 putters I rolled through back during FGI hey day.
Totally agree with inserts. I don't like them but ironically the Macro had one and I liked whatever that was made of. Brass is the metal I think feels the best. I owned a Ping putter for a brief moment, a JAS Anser, that I thought had great feel on the carpet but I never got it out on the green before selling it. If I ever get back into things, seriously, I would probably try acquiring another JAS.
Ultimately, in my experience with all the different putters and shafts and crazy styles I think it's all nonsense. Anyone could make themselves a good putter with practice with any stick they firmly committed to. I do think all in the head has great power, though. If you think you can't putt with something for whatever reason you probably won't and vice versa and I guess that's good enough reason to chase the holy grail.
I previously rambled about how a softer shaft probably was better for me, and it probably is if I had to pick up a putter and play a round and be anywhere decent with it but if i spent hours on the practice green I could probably be good with anything. Perhaps, that is why I loved my old Northwestern Napa. I used to be at the course sun up til sundown playing or practicing. I haven't played since the day before my surgery. I was very sporadic with playing so it's little wonder i never took to putting well especially given that I was carrying 3 putters in my bag just trying all of them out judging them sometimes on a single putt. That ain't smart and it's expensive.
Would love to hear some great tour putters comment on what they think about all this and why they use what they do. The bigger the putter the worse the feel, at least for me. Perhaps, I should've bought one of those Stubby putters to truly see if less is more.