Zero-torque putters are no longer a niche experiment. In 2026, we tested 26 models across 16,503 putts and the category averaged a 46.9-percent make rate—outperforming traditional mallets and blades.
What’s changed most heading into 2026 isn’t the technology. It’s the price.
When we ran our first zero-torque Most Wanted in 2025, the top five were the L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i, TaylorMade Spider 5K ZT, Bettinardi Antidote SB2, Evnroll Z2s, and PXG Allan. Every one of them is $399 or more. A year later, there are options within the top five for less than $250.
Sub 70 011-SQ — $229
The 011-SQ is Sub 70’s first multi-material putter. It has a large mallet CNC-milled from 6063 aluminum which lets them push mass to the extreme perimeter for a very high MOI design. It’s a direct-to-consumer model so you’re not paying for retail markup which goes a long way toward explaining how a high-performing putter like this lands at $229.
It led our entire under-$250 group with the best overall PuttView Handicap at -7.7 and posted the highest make rate of any putter in the entire 26-putter field at 50.5 percent.
PV HCP: -7.7 | Short: -8.1 | Medium: -4.9 | Make %: 50.5%
Wilson Infinite ZT Lakeview — $199
The Wilson Infinite ZT Lakeview was the best overall for short putts in 2026. It’s a half-moon center-shafted mallet with just one degree of shaft lean which makes the transition from a conventional putter easier than you’d expect.
The gap from short (-9.0) to medium (-4.3) is worth knowing, though. This putter is genuinely elite from close range but more average once you step back. If your biggest problem is inside eight feet, this could be a good choice.
PV HCP: -7.5 | Short: -9.0 | Medium: -4.3 | Make %: 47.6%
Lazrus LAZ2.5 ZT — $217
The LAZ2 is CNC-machined from aerospace-grade 6061 aluminum in Boise, Idaho, with a True Temper shaft. It looks like a budget putter. It does not putt like one.
Its medium-putt score of -7.4 was the best in the group at that distance and medium putts are where our testing consistently shows the biggest separation between putters that help your scorecard and ones that don’t. The short-putt number of -5.0 is the weakest in our top five. This is a putter for golfers who control the short ones and want help from further out.
PV HCP: -6.3 | Short: -5.0 | Medium: -7.4 | Make %: 47.4%
Wilson Infinite ZT 606 — $199
Same price as the Lakeview but a different putter entirely. The 606 is a wider winged mallet with two alignment lines and a center dot. It’s busier visually and easier to aim for golfers who struggled with the Lakeview’s single line. What you see is what you get with this putter, with balanced performance at every distance.
PV HCP: -6.2 | Short: -7.0 | Medium: -3.5 | Make %: 44.7%
Vice Golf VGP03 ZT — $199
Most zero-torque putters are mallets because the physics are easier to solve with a bigger footprint. Vice built the VGP03 as a blade-profile zero-torque design that looks conventional at address. It is 20 grams heavier than a standard blade with two degrees of loft taken off to compensate.
The Vice VGP03 ZT finished third overall in our entire 26-putter test and its scorecard is arguably the most well-rounded in this group. It is strong on short putts (-7.9) and fourth-best in the whole field on medium putts (-5.9). The lime-green Vice branding divided testers. The performance did not.
PV HCP: -5.8 | Short: -7.9 | Medium: -5.9 | Make %: 47.6%
Final thoughts
In 2026, five putters under $250 proved they can hang with the big names. The good news for golfers is that it no longer takes $500 to find out whether zero-torque technology works for your game.
For full results across all 26 putters in our 2026 Most Wanted Zero-Torque test, see the complete Best Zero-Torque Putters of 2026.
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