Bridgestone E12 Contact vs Bridgestone E6 Golf Balls: Our Head-To-Head Verdict

Bridgestone E12 Contact vs Bridgestone E6 Golf Balls: Our Head-To-Head Verdict

Bridgestone is a serious player in the ball market nowadays, with tour professionals such as Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Lexi Thompson among others, choosing Bridgestone golf balls. With a number of different models, Bridgestone make some of the best golf balls on the market. Here, we compare the e6 with the e12 Contact to see which ball may be most suited to your game…

Looks

The e12 contact comes in more color options than the e6. You can buy the e12 Contact in matte green, matte yellow, and even matte red in addition to the standard white. The e6 comes in white and yellow. 

The contact force dimple technology gives a slightly unorthodox look to the e12 Contact, with sharper, boxier, and more pronounced dimples than the more traditional dimple of the e6.

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Feel

Whilst both balls felt pretty good for this price point and category, the e6 was the softer feeling of the two on and around the greens. In particular, the e6 felt buttery soft off the face of the putter.

In the longer shots, the feel was less noticeable, but the e12 Contact did give the sense that it was coming off the clubface a little hotter, possibly due to the new FLEXATIV cover. Both balls felt more premium than their price point would suggest.

Ball Flight & Distance

The e12 Contact definitely has the edge in the distance department and produced longer hits throughout the bag than the e6. Ball flights were a little different too, with the additional spin of the e6 flighting the ball a little higher overall than the e12 Contact. For a player low on swing speed this may be a useful attribute to help with extra peak height and hang time on approach shots to the green, but would need to be weighed up against the potential loss of overall distance.

The e12 Contact produced a strong and stable ball flight off the tee and wasn’t adversely affected by some fairly strong winds that we tested in.

The e6 ball felt easy to shape both ways, so would suit players who have plenty of shots to call on. The thinner cover and varied dimple pattern of the e6 seem to encourage movement through the air, which is both a weakness and a strength, depending on how accurate you are in the long game.

Control

Both balls were pretty good performers around the green, with ample spin on chips and pitches. The Contact Force Dimple of the e12 Contact did seem to allow the ball to stay in contact with the face a fraction longer than you would normally expect for a ball designed primarily with distance in mind. This was a real bonus and added to the feeling of control. On full shots, the e6 produced significantly more spin than the e12 Contact which facilitated some extra stopping power.

Which ball should you choose?

Choose the e12 Contact if…

- You prioritize distance over spin
- You play in windy conditions often
- You prefer a firmer-feeling ball

Choose the e6 if…

- You are in search of a high-spin ball
- You are searching for value for money
- You prefer a very soft-feeling ball 

For more golf ball buying advice why not take a look at our guides on the best golf balls for beginners, or the best golf balls for seniors.