Your comments on the forgiveness of modern blades gave me the courage to try the 221. I loved it and bought a set. I've never regretted it for a moment. I love the feel and of course the looks. You can improve your ball striking with practice and this club gives you very precise feedback on where you've struck it. Can't imagine playing with a clicky, clunky chunk of game improvement iron ever again.
You are on point! Just look at what ben hogan hit.....no question its your swing being the biggest problem not the club. That man used persimmon woods 😮...what else to say
My handicap actually went down playing forged clubs. Consistent distances is all I care about with irons. Got sick of hitting my p790 7 iron anywhere from 170 to 200 yards. For me technology packed irons take away all feel I had for hitting the distances I want
As long as you’re consistently hitting your yardages, you could always grab the right club. Distance doesn’t make golf easier. Just like you said. Knowing what’s going to happen makes it easier
Watching all of these again in view of the imminent release of the Mizuno Pro 241/243/245 series. Thanks Jay. Probably THE best golf reviews on the internet.
Jay you are brilliant. I commented on your last video about blades. I’m a 71 year old left handed 15 handicapper and recently went to mp20’s from jpx921 hot metals and you’re 100% correct about distance and forgiveness. I love the mp20’s. I wish more people would listen to what you’re saying about the blades. I too didn’t think I would be able to hit the blades decently but I was totally wrong. They are about 1 club shorter than the 921’s but the feel is incredible. I now know what golfers are talking about when they say a good shot feels like nothing. Thanks again for your enlightenment.
You’re the best golf reviewer on the net. Always look forward to when your reviews drop! The JPX tour vs MP223 on the forgiveness side would be interesting. Of course that requires another 80 plus swings 🥺
@@AskGolfNut I second the best reviewer sentiment, what I’d really like to see is a review like this one on consistency alone but between one of these blades and the JPK 923HL to see how much inconsistency is added with the springy hot face vs the extra forgiveness
Hi David, like the idea. Could you describe in detail how you think it would be best explained, produced and delivered to the viewer so I can understand exactly what your idea entails 👍
@@AskGolfNut Hi, I’m glad you like the idea. After thinking about it though I decided it would be too daunting and stressful of a task for you to do what I was originally thinking, however what you could do is make a FUN video where you play several different distance par 3 with blades or just some clubs that are designed to give consistent distance like the ping i230 or maybe your own clubs as well as the JPX 923 hot metal and the HL, this way we see the issues you run into with the strong lofts vs HL and how much better do you do with your own irons? Then do the same thing again but with a 75 mph max swing and see what happens, what new issues are there? Does it cause you to struggle with your own irons or are you able to MacGyver a solution with what’s in your bag? Does HL win over strong lofted irons both times or just when the swing speed is low? With a fun video like this you’re just having fun and people can glean principles from it and just be entertained. Maybe hit 3 balls with each set of irons per hole. If you have to do a practice shot or two to figure out how far each iron goes then definitely do that, then complete. Don’t compare 7 iron to 7 iron, instead just use whatever iron from each set is best suited for that hole and do some short ones like with 9 irons as well longer irons. Maybe pick a few greens that are small and fast to make them harder to hold etc. of course instead of looking at the normal numbers it will be all about how close to the hole can you get, however, of course you should still throw in some numbers to showcase a point that you want to make etc. I know that these clubs are on the opposite end of the spectrum and have never been compared before but that’s why I’m so curious to see what happens. Just giving you ideas, maybe you can come up with a different idea as a result of this, either way I appreciate all the hard work you put into your videos and honest feedback. Keep up the good work.
Man this video makes me feel so much better about my purchase today. I’ve been playing p770 irons for about a year and a half. I just got fitted and landed on the mizuno pro 221 blades. I hit the 7 extremely well and was carrying it consistently in the 168-170 area. I was so worried about how well I would hit the 5 and 4 iron as I’m a 8 handicap but this video gives me hope on being ok!
Have you received them yet? I’ve had the p770s for two years now and I’m thinking of purchasing 221 or 923 tours. What’s your experience of the your new 221s?
@@nilsnordlund65so I have now played a lot with my 221s. My iron play is the best it has ever been by a lot. They are not scary to play if you are a decent striker. I still have my 770s and I sometimes hit them with the 221s back to back. The 770s feel like crap compared haha. I’m much better with my 221s for some reason. On grass the 221 cuts through turf much better. Gapping is better. The only place the 770 is better is long iron forgiveness. 4 and 5 iron are more forgiving with 770.
@@joesti7607 Thanks for the insight! Sounds great. Will see if I can try the 241s when they launch here in Europe otherwise I will probably go for the 221s! Best of luck and thank you for the response :)
Much appreciated Don, it takes a lot longer than most people think to do. I guess that's why no one else does it as I can't be the only brain on UA-cam to work out how to do it, but maybe the only idiot that wastes that much time doing it 😊 most just want to churn content out for clicks to get paid. If rather my clicks be useful to the viewer 👍 Thanks for the comment and for watching 👍
I got fitted last year as a 27 handicap. All gi and sgi irons wouldnt stop on a green. Fitter told me to humor him. Didnt tell me what I was hitting, just to try it. Proceeded to hit towering shots with great spin and holding greens with these irons. I didnt purchase though because I do need more lessons first but this helps me realize that maybe, that fitter was onto something. I also felt that socially, I shouldn't be using these irons but maybe I should!
Hi Jay, new to your videos but not to much of your thinking. Just finished a week of hitting a lot of Mizunos and aside from loft differences I find very little performance differences between my previously gamed AP2s/223s and 221s/241s/jpx923Ts. Had a blast looking at them all and walked away with new 221s because I like the chrome. Glad to hear someone else out there who reinforces what I have suspected for many years. Thanks for the great content.
This is a great video. We have almost exact swing numbers and I am determining which one I will come out with on a fitting. Looking forward to it. Thanks for busting these myths, by the way.
Perfect example of how golfers all differ in their own game. I'd suggest getting some lessons booked in to help with the short game and putting woes. 👍 Life Stream every Monday night 7:30pm UK Time would be good to have a 30 hcp's view on things 👍
Just got a set of 923 Tours today. I am a decent ball striker but not great. I was shocked at how well I hit them and how consistent they were for me. I knew when I didn't hit them perfectly but they still performed well.
Thanks very much for the kind feedback, going live in about 30 minutes and it's a open all access (normally access via membership only). Would be good to have your input 👍🏻
Thank you so much for this entire series. I let my fitter talk me out of trying these and only hit game improvement irons… All because I couldn’t get comfortable in the sim.. I knew it wasn’t right, just wish I’d have found these videos literally 48 hours earlier. Based on my practice regiment and personal goals, these clubs are much closer to what I’m looking for. Your club comparisons and mis-hit data is second to none. I cannot imagine how many hours you put into each video to create this data. Best club reviewer on UA-cam, including club fitters. I sincerely believe more people should use normalized head data when selecting clubs due to the variances we create between shots. Absolutely tune the shaft to your swing, but club head forgiveness in fitting rooms needs a complete rethink. *Calls fitter to modify order*
Agree. Nearly everyone telling me blades is for the pros, but I love playing with them. Can't stand chunky clubs. Buy an older mp set. U might be able to come a cross a mp 20 set for half the price...
I dunno. Even Ricky Fowler has switched to slotted cavity irons. But I can see for young golfers looking to get better and stronger and wanting to put in the time, 923 Tour, ZX7 or T100s would be great.
Hi, nice video - I haven't seen the JPX Tour irons in person yet but they are definitely on my radar. I have to say it's so refreshing to see someone review/test blades without whining about lack of forgiveness, more compact looks, smaller top line, etc. 👍🤘
Jay I hope you are right. Bought a used set of JPX 923 tours based on your advice. The problem I have is that I’m too fast for game improvement irons and not good enough for the blades. Bought these as I need more feedback on the bad shots.
Wow, I finally found a club reviewer that speaks from data analysis. I specifically like the part with missed hits. All the other reviews have a scratch golfer that hit perfectly every time. Good explanation about playing blades or not 👍
Very sadly, just got too old to play my MP4's, didn't mind hitting 6, when similar ability younger golfers were hitting 7, switched to JPX 921, okay, but I do not like the clunk off the face and never will. Just tried the new 245's and it is probaly the closest I am going to get to the MP blades and the feel and the sound is quite close, and definately no CLUNK, I have ordered a set but was quoted 10 weeks delivery.
Nice review! Love my JPX 900 Tours, went from 15 handicap to a 10, less than a year. The blade like and blade clubs I feel actually provide more confidence for me. My 3i is my favorite club on par 5s. Still torn on the 923 Tour or Pro 221 though…
Fantastic video ... I agree only blade are the real game improvement irons ... I was 18 HCP and by chance i played blades once ... fantastic feeling and i bought a set (Wilson model blade) pure feeling and buttery feeling .. and i improved more than 5_8 points Only comment is the distance ... But that's because I am getting old and need to reduce the eight of the shaft
Great video! I've been hitting the 221's and absolutely loving them. Such accurately performing golf clubs. You can practically stack golf balls on top of eachother in the scoring irons, and I agree that people would be shocked at how forgiving they are. I was playing the 223's in the 4 and 5 but I don't like looking at that chunky top line and just don't seem to hit them as well. That with the occasional insanely long flyer has me wanting to get refit and just go 923 tour through the whole bag. Plus, I'm kind of the opposite of you. Where you love chrome, I LOVE a matte finish. Is there really pretty much no difference in feel between the two? I would definitely miss the amazing feel of the 221's if I lost it. Oh, and I've heard that the 923 tour's offer a little bit more help with thin shots which is my most likely miss.
Thanks for sharing, i totally agree with you. People should pratice more instead of relying on technology ,even though technology means you can save time practicing haha.
Fantastic content as always! Have you considered hooking up a spectrum analyser to your impact mic to quantify the impact sounds? The visuals from even a freeware FFT is quite telling...
Would the slight differences in strike and therefore mat contact muddy the waters as such? Would I have to use a controlled surface like a tee so the noise of the mat doesn't interfere with any data?
@@AskGolfNut Unless your hitting mat is made of hard plastic, the noise addition from that would be in the "pleasant" spectrum for any club. The "clickeyness" is found at a much higher frequencies. I'll head out to a mat and do some qualitative testing today and report back.
@@AskGolfNut Results are in, more or less. We've had some wind lately. The mat impact will be at 100-400Hz for a thick range mat, while an indoor hitting mat might stretch into the 600s. On the other hand, toe hits on my cobra f7 hybrids (very tingy) had harmonics on 3kHz, 5kHz and 9.5kHz. With center strikes the picture was a bit different (2.5-6kHz peaks). Also mic placement plays a role. If you are too close, you will get quite distorted by the whoosh of the club. In other words, I think you should be able to get sensible qualitative data out of your studio mic and a spectrum analyzer.
Exactly the vid I wanted to see, thank you. Any chance you might be willing to do a 2023 Srixon ball review in the near future? I'm testing the 2022 Diamond right now.
I’m very much like you…I prefer a smaller head and more bladish. I’m fairly accurate at knowing where I’m hitting on the club face…and hitting a square shot is unparalleled…I currently game the 923 HMP and I’m getting rid of them for 221s or 223s…the HMPs are just way too big and chunky for me, and I actually hit them very poorly compared to a blade…
Wowsers that's an old set. I think the 221s would have less playing marks 😊 but both a lovely feeling irons, the 221s would have a more balanced miss hit performance though 👍
I'm always Toey (Aussie slang) lol Question - Why do blades or similiar "Jar" our fingers when we strike the ball, i hit zx7's and they were shockers for that, turned me off the brand. It was me not the club but that feedback was not nice - one iota. yet i tried similar in the other brands and didn't experience the level of numb fingers.
Very much considering these 2 sets of irons. Perhaps a blended set of the tour 4-7 and 221 for 8-PW? I wonder if it's even worth it considering your results where they are super similar. 4 hdcp player and my miss would be more towards the toe than a heel miss, and according to your data, the tour might just be the better fit.
Only if we are taking about extreme misses, normal miss hits are within an extremely small margin so you could go either way. I'd make the decision based on what you prefer to look at in the bag as they are that close 👍
Great review 👍🏻 If you put this up against a GI 8 iron, ie 34 degree, what do you think the difference in smash factor would be? Having hit lots of different types of irons, I think tech and forgiveness is a lot less real than the marketing says. The only real difference I’ve seen is in launch. Loft is king IMO!
Thanks for the reply. I would consider forgiveness as the range of smash factor results. When watching reviews, within reason, I don’t see any difference between blades and other clubs. Missing the grooves is the exception! I think more golfers and reviewers should look at numbers and not listen to folklore!
Dramatic difference no, but enough to make a difference especially over a season for someone who isn't a fairly consistent ball striker. The 223’s also have the JPX923 style micro slot in its design that, gives an advantage to ball speed and off centre ball speed over that if the 221. The 221 has it on looks though, that part is absolutely my preference though 😊👍
@@AskGolfNut Not only did I like your video I went in and traded a set of CB's for the Mizuno 221's. It had been on my mind to ditch the CB's for weeks. First round with the 221's felt like a warm pair of old slippers. Backstory... I Played Mizuno MP-32's for almost two decades, but broke down a couple of years ago thinking I needed a little bigger sweet spot... nope! Nothing and nobody makes irons like Mizuno!
@davidgolfer glad you have found your love for your equipment again! It's important that golfers enjoy using their equipment rather than only focusing on what is technically the best for them. Enjoyment is the point of playing! It's supposed to be a game that we all have fun playing 😊 some don't have as much fun as they should 👍🏻
By looks alone it looks like the mb has more help in the heel and the tour has more help in the toe. It’s a wash. Tour would definitely win on which looks better after a year of playing them. My mp 20 mbs look like they’ve been put in a blender after about 1 year of playing them. Too soft, period
Hello. I know this video has been out for for a while but I wanted to ask about the shafts used in this video. I play the 221 with the Project X LS shaft. I know you don’t worry about shafts too much but have you hit the 221s with these If so, do you hit them higher or lower than the IOs? Particularly in the 3-5 irons. Thank you.
Hi Trey, the media samples I had in the 221s were the LS. Nice feeling shaft, not too heavy. Shafts make absolutely no difference to the height I hit so for me it's more about the feel of it. Under normal circumstances though the IO would tend to want to flight the ball higher than the LS. The LS has a very stiff butt section. 👍
@@AskGolfNut Thank you. I appreciate the info. Keep up the awesome work. If there is anything I can do to help support the channel please let me know. Take care.
@@AskGolfNut Yeah awesome. I have a HCP of 16.8, i have just ordered KBS staper 130's with the jpg 923 tours. So excited - had to go heavy shafts because swing speed is quite high, more or less around 93/94 mph. And this was the shaft that generated the lowest spin rate, it is still around 7500 with a 7 iron. might need a new swing...
@willderbyshire8297 maybe just a tweak than a new one, excess spin is either from an open face to path or a spin loft delivery issue. Either one can be sorted with a few lessons and then a few practice sessions to groove in the change and also learn your new patterns and flight 👍🏻
I play 919Ts and I’m a long way from being a good ball striker or distance machine etc… I play them for the feel, looks, turf interaction and consistency or lack there of lol. I don’t play for $ and instead of whacking around a trampoline 7 iron I use more bladed irons so I know whether or not the strike was shit etc.. the good shots are way more rewarding and it forces me to focus and produce better shots. Losing a ball in the water or woods does suck but again that comes down to me hitting a shit shot. I do switch over in the 3/4 irons because I just don’t have the speed to get the ball launching high enough and go for the forged or hmb etc.. would love a side by side comparison of the 923s vs 919s because mine are getting beat up. As crazy as this might sound I actually found the 919s a tiny bit long in terms of blade length with a fraction to much offset. Haven’t been able to find 221s to physically look at but most pure blades are just a fraction to small for comfort. If they shrunk these 923s to be almost the size of a true blade I might grab 6-pw
With so many people getting paid my manufacturers within the content creation world its very difficult to find unbiased measured data driven results. Seems very opinion ball performance based mostly shown in edited own version graphics, which obviously can be created and displayed in anyway the creators bias wants to show 👍
I got no end of grief last season for using blades. People just wouldn't STFU about it. Some popular comments from fellow club members: "Oh look, it's Tiger!" "11 HC shouldn't be using blades, you're off your head" "I see you're using blades, must be a sandbagger" "Even tour pros don't use blades" "Is that your da's set of clubs mate?" Honestly, most of the golfing community is full of toxic empty shells of people, just waiting to dish out abuse, to cover up their own insecurities about their own golf game. Needless to say, I ended up trading the clubs in and will start this season with T100, and no doubt they'll have something to say about that too. It's not just my club. It's everywhere.
The pro from Andy (average golfer) appears to have challenged you. Look at the latest video. It is controversial. Personally I think he's a bit of a door handle. I've recently had a go with someone's apex tour 7. 5 shots, dead straight and all the same distance. I think maybe feedback is your friend if you really want to improve.
Would have been interesting to see your strike misses to see the variance. With the blade forged feel, the good feel amazing, the slightly off feel mediocre at best and the poor feels horrific, although when you see the actual ball performance in drop off its actually no where near as bad as it feels it was. When I play and I'm having an off day on the strike, the impact feeling is terrible compared to the middle but the actual result from the ball is no where near as bad as I thought 👍
Your comments on the forgiveness of modern blades gave me the courage to try the 221. I loved it and bought a set. I've never regretted it for a moment. I love the feel and of course the looks. You can improve your ball striking with practice and this club gives you very precise feedback on where you've struck it. Can't imagine playing with a clicky, clunky chunk of game improvement iron ever again.
You are on point! Just look at what ben hogan hit.....no question its your swing being the biggest problem not the club. That man used persimmon woods 😮...what else to say
Used mp 15 for the last 8 years or so. Bought a set of jpx hot metal pro. Back to the mp 15 …. Nothing like the buttery feel of mp
My handicap actually went down playing forged clubs. Consistent distances is all I care about with irons. Got sick of hitting my p790 7 iron anywhere from 170 to 200 yards. For me technology packed irons take away all feel I had for hitting the distances I want
As long as you’re consistently hitting your yardages, you could always grab the right club. Distance doesn’t make golf easier. Just like you said. Knowing what’s going to happen makes it easier
This is an underrated comment.
Watching all of these again in view of the imminent release of the Mizuno Pro 241/243/245 series.
Thanks Jay.
Probably THE best golf reviews on the internet.
Probably??......... 🤣🤣🤣
Jay you are brilliant. I commented on your last video about blades. I’m a 71 year old left handed 15 handicapper and recently went to mp20’s from jpx921 hot metals and you’re 100% correct about distance and forgiveness. I love the mp20’s. I wish more people would listen to what you’re saying about the blades. I too didn’t think I would be able to hit the blades decently but I was totally wrong. They are about 1 club shorter than the 921’s but the feel is incredible. I now know what golfers are talking about when they say a good shot feels like nothing. Thanks again for your enlightenment.
first time seeing one of your reviews, really great analysis! The best I've seen, you've got a new subscriber
You’re the best golf reviewer on the net. Always look forward to when your reviews drop! The JPX tour vs MP223 on the forgiveness side would be interesting. Of course that requires another 80 plus swings 🥺
My poor poor body 😁
@@AskGolfNut I second the best reviewer sentiment, what I’d really like to see is a review like this one on consistency alone but between one of these blades and the JPK 923HL to see how much inconsistency is added with the springy hot face vs the extra forgiveness
Hi David, like the idea. Could you describe in detail how you think it would be best explained, produced and delivered to the viewer so I can understand exactly what your idea entails 👍
@@AskGolfNut Hi, I’m glad you like the idea. After thinking about it though I decided it would be too daunting and stressful of a task for you to do what I was originally thinking, however what you could do is make a FUN video where you play several different distance par 3 with blades or just some clubs that are designed to give consistent distance like the ping i230 or maybe your own clubs as well as the JPX 923 hot metal and the HL, this way we see the issues you run into with the strong lofts vs HL and how much better do you do with your own irons? Then do the same thing again but with a 75 mph max swing and see what happens, what new issues are there? Does it cause you to struggle with your own irons or are you able to MacGyver a solution with what’s in your bag? Does HL win over strong lofted irons both times or just when the swing speed is low? With a fun video like this you’re just having fun and people can glean principles from it and just be entertained. Maybe hit 3 balls with each set of irons per hole. If you have to do a practice shot or two to figure out how far each iron goes then definitely do that, then complete. Don’t compare 7 iron to 7 iron, instead just use whatever iron from each set is best suited for that hole and do some short ones like with 9 irons as well longer irons. Maybe pick a few greens that are small and fast to make them harder to hold etc. of course instead of looking at the normal numbers it will be all about how close to the hole can you get, however, of course you should still throw in some numbers to showcase a point that you want to make etc. I know that these clubs are on the opposite end of the spectrum and have never been compared before but that’s why I’m so curious to see what happens. Just giving you ideas, maybe you can come up with a different idea as a result of this, either way I appreciate all the hard work you put into your videos and honest feedback. Keep up the good work.
@@davidjoseph7142 This is a great idea, data set with pured blade v pured HM Pro would be great!
Man this video makes me feel so much better about my purchase today. I’ve been playing p770 irons for about a year and a half. I just got fitted and landed on the mizuno pro 221 blades. I hit the 7 extremely well and was carrying it consistently in the 168-170 area. I was so worried about how well I would hit the 5 and 4 iron as I’m a 8 handicap but this video gives me hope on being ok!
Have you received them yet? I’ve had the p770s for two years now and I’m thinking of purchasing 221 or 923 tours. What’s your experience of the your new 221s?
@@nilsnordlund65so I have now played a lot with my 221s. My iron play is the best it has ever been by a lot. They are not scary to play if you are a decent striker. I still have my 770s and I sometimes hit them with the 221s back to back. The 770s feel like crap compared haha. I’m much better with my 221s for some reason. On grass the 221 cuts through turf much better. Gapping is better. The only place the 770 is better is long iron forgiveness. 4 and 5 iron are more forgiving with 770.
@@joesti7607 Thanks for the insight! Sounds great. Will see if I can try the 241s when they launch here in Europe otherwise I will probably go for the 221s! Best of luck and thank you for the response :)
I love your videos. The data on forgiveness you provide is priceless!
Much appreciated Don, it takes a lot longer than most people think to do. I guess that's why no one else does it as I can't be the only brain on UA-cam to work out how to do it, but maybe the only idiot that wastes that much time doing it 😊 most just want to churn content out for clicks to get paid. If rather my clicks be useful to the viewer 👍
Thanks for the comment and for watching 👍
@@AskGolfNut Please keep it up. The info you provide really is priceless!
The feeling of hitting these blades are awesome, even if the ball do not fly far, pure enjoyment
I got fitted last year as a 27 handicap. All gi and sgi irons wouldnt stop on a green. Fitter told me to humor him. Didnt tell me what I was hitting, just to try it. Proceeded to hit towering shots with great spin and holding greens with these irons. I didnt purchase though because I do need more lessons first but this helps me realize that maybe, that fitter was onto something. I also felt that socially, I shouldn't be using these irons but maybe I should!
I just bought the 221s and I’m super excited to hit them. I felt what you were describing with forgiveness as well. Great video and review.
Well??!
WELL?!
Hi Jay, new to your videos but not to much of your thinking. Just finished a week of hitting a lot of Mizunos and aside from loft differences I find very little performance differences between my previously gamed AP2s/223s and 221s/241s/jpx923Ts. Had a blast looking at them all and walked away with new 221s because I like the chrome. Glad to hear someone else out there who reinforces what I have suspected for many years. Thanks for the great content.
Welcome along to the channel, thanks for your comment and for watching 👍
This is a great video. We have almost exact swing numbers and I am determining which one I will come out with on a fitting. Looking forward to it. Thanks for busting these myths, by the way.
I’m a 30 hcp but I play the 923 tours. All my lost strokes come from chipping and 3-4 putting
Perfect example of how golfers all differ in their own game. I'd suggest getting some lessons booked in to help with the short game and putting woes. 👍
Life Stream every Monday night 7:30pm UK Time would be good to have a 30 hcp's view on things 👍
30 handicap and you are a good ball striker? Ya ok lol
@@FGrecoJR nice reply to a almost year old comment. I'm now a 10 hcp but keep flaming people online to make yourself feel better.
Just got a set of 923 Tours today. I am a decent ball striker but not great. I was shocked at how well I hit them and how consistent they were for me. I knew when I didn't hit them perfectly but they still performed well.
Love your channel. The way you do reviews is awesome !!!
Thanks very much for the kind feedback, going live in about 30 minutes and it's a open all access (normally access via membership only). Would be good to have your input 👍🏻
Thank you so much for this entire series. I let my fitter talk me out of trying these and only hit game improvement irons… All because I couldn’t get comfortable in the sim.. I knew it wasn’t right, just wish I’d have found these videos literally 48 hours earlier. Based on my practice regiment and personal goals, these clubs are much closer to what I’m looking for. Your club comparisons and mis-hit data is second to none. I cannot imagine how many hours you put into each video to create this data. Best club reviewer on UA-cam, including club fitters. I sincerely believe more people should use normalized head data when selecting clubs due to the variances we create between shots. Absolutely tune the shaft to your swing, but club head forgiveness in fitting rooms needs a complete rethink. *Calls fitter to modify order*
Agree. Nearly everyone telling me blades is for the pros, but I love playing with them. Can't stand chunky clubs. Buy an older mp set. U might be able to come a cross a mp 20 set for half the price...
I dunno. Even Ricky Fowler has switched to slotted cavity irons. But I can see for young golfers looking to get better and stronger and wanting to put in the time, 923 Tour, ZX7 or T100s would be great.
Great comparison! Looking forward to the video on blade or blade-like clubs being more forgiving than you think.
Hi, nice video - I haven't seen the JPX Tour irons in person yet but they are definitely on my radar.
I have to say it's so refreshing to see someone review/test blades without whining about lack of forgiveness, more compact looks, smaller top line, etc. 👍🤘
Hi Mark, glad you enjoyed the video 👍
Jay I hope you are right. Bought a used set of JPX 923 tours based on your advice. The problem I have is that I’m too fast for game improvement irons and not good enough for the blades. Bought these as I need more feedback on the bad shots.
Wow, I finally found a club reviewer that speaks from data analysis. I specifically like the part with missed hits. All the other reviews have a scratch golfer that hit perfectly every time. Good explanation about playing blades or not 👍
Hi Patrick, thanks for the kind feedback, hopefully you are subscribed with the notification bell on as there are more on the, horizon 👍👍
Love that he finally says what no other golf reviewers won’t admit: game improvement is a scam, *speed improvement is what chunky irons actually do.
Just when I think I’ve finally decided I shouldn’t even be considering blades… 🤔
Sorry Rob mate if I've caused your back pocket to burn 😁😁
Very sadly, just got too old to play my MP4's, didn't mind hitting 6, when similar ability younger golfers were hitting 7, switched to JPX 921, okay, but I do not like the clunk off the face and never will. Just tried the new 245's and it is probaly the closest I am going to get to the MP blades and the feel and the sound is quite close, and definately no CLUNK, I have ordered a set but was quoted 10 weeks delivery.
Nice review! Love my JPX 900 Tours, went from 15 handicap to a 10, less than a year. The blade like and blade clubs I feel actually provide more confidence for me. My 3i is my favorite club on par 5s. Still torn on the 923 Tour or Pro 221 though…
Me now too! But the chrome of the 221 wins 😊
Fantastic video ... I agree only blade are the real game improvement irons ... I was 18 HCP and by chance i played blades once ... fantastic feeling and i bought a set (Wilson model blade) pure feeling and buttery feeling .. and i improved more than 5_8 points
Only comment is the distance ... But that's because I am getting old and need to reduce the eight of the shaft
Great video! I've been hitting the 221's and absolutely loving them. Such accurately performing golf clubs. You can practically stack golf balls on top of eachother in the scoring irons, and I agree that people would be shocked at how forgiving they are. I was playing the 223's in the 4 and 5 but I don't like looking at that chunky top line and just don't seem to hit them as well. That with the occasional insanely long flyer has me wanting to get refit and just go 923 tour through the whole bag. Plus, I'm kind of the opposite of you. Where you love chrome, I LOVE a matte finish. Is there really pretty much no difference in feel between the two? I would definitely miss the amazing feel of the 221's if I lost it. Oh, and I've heard that the 923 tour's offer a little bit more help with thin shots which is my most likely miss.
Good players miss the thin 👍 and nope no difference in feel whatsoever. I could swap everytime and feel no difference 👍
@@AskGolfNut thank you! Appreciate the great reviews.
Great video and excellent analysis.
Glad you liked it Brendon. Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already 👍
Thanks for sharing, i totally agree with you. People should pratice more instead of relying on technology ,even though technology means you can save time practicing haha.
Fantastic content as always! Have you considered hooking up a spectrum analyser to your impact mic to quantify the impact sounds? The visuals from even a freeware FFT is quite telling...
Would the slight differences in strike and therefore mat contact muddy the waters as such? Would I have to use a controlled surface like a tee so the noise of the mat doesn't interfere with any data?
@@AskGolfNut Unless your hitting mat is made of hard plastic, the noise addition from that would be in the "pleasant" spectrum for any club. The "clickeyness" is found at a much higher frequencies. I'll head out to a mat and do some qualitative testing today and report back.
@@AskGolfNut Results are in, more or less. We've had some wind lately. The mat impact will be at 100-400Hz for a thick range mat, while an indoor hitting mat might stretch into the 600s. On the other hand, toe hits on my cobra f7 hybrids (very tingy) had harmonics on 3kHz, 5kHz and 9.5kHz. With center strikes the picture was a bit different (2.5-6kHz peaks). Also mic placement plays a role. If you are too close, you will get quite distorted by the whoosh of the club. In other words, I think you should be able to get sensible qualitative data out of your studio mic and a spectrum analyzer.
Exactly the vid I wanted to see, thank you. Any chance you might be willing to do a 2023 Srixon ball review in the near future? I'm testing the 2022 Diamond right now.
I'm rethinking the strategy on ball reviews going forward for the time being, long story, so bear with me and I'll get back to you on that 👍
Another interesting video, really like the look of the 221 but I still think I'd benefit from from a 'game improvement ' iron
Subscribed. Thank you for the video
Thanks for subscribing 👍
I’m very much like you…I prefer a smaller head and more bladish. I’m fairly accurate at knowing where I’m hitting on the club face…and hitting a square shot is unparalleled…I currently game the 923 HMP and I’m getting rid of them for 221s or 223s…the HMPs are just way too big and chunky for me, and I actually hit them very poorly compared to a blade…
Thank you, great video!
Still playing the Mizuno tzoid pro from 1997. How do those compare to the beautiful 221s?
Wowsers that's an old set. I think the 221s would have less playing marks 😊 but both a lovely feeling irons, the 221s would have a more balanced miss hit performance though 👍
I'm always Toey (Aussie slang) lol Question - Why do blades or similiar "Jar" our fingers when we strike the ball, i hit zx7's and they were shockers for that, turned me off the brand. It was me not the club but that feedback was not nice - one iota. yet i tried similar in the other brands and didn't experience the level of numb fingers.
Very much considering these 2 sets of irons. Perhaps a blended set of the tour 4-7 and 221 for 8-PW? I wonder if it's even worth it considering your results where they are super similar. 4 hdcp player and my miss would be more towards the toe than a heel miss, and according to your data, the tour might just be the better fit.
Only if we are taking about extreme misses, normal miss hits are within an extremely small margin so you could go either way. I'd make the decision based on what you prefer to look at in the bag as they are that close 👍
Great review 👍🏻
If you put this up against a GI 8 iron, ie 34 degree, what do you think the difference in smash factor would be?
Having hit lots of different types of irons, I think tech and forgiveness is a lot less real than the marketing says.
The only real difference I’ve seen is in launch.
Loft is king IMO!
You aren't too far wrong there, Dave. It's mainly launch help, may gain 0.02 in smash/efficiency and the help from extreeeeeeeme mishits 😊
Thanks for the reply.
I would consider forgiveness as the range of smash factor results. When watching reviews, within reason, I don’t see any difference between blades and other clubs. Missing the grooves is the exception!
I think more golfers and reviewers should look at numbers and not listen to folklore!
Those that actually bother to capture the head data 😉😂😂
Question…how would you compare 221s and 223s….can the same golfer pretty much play both or is there a dramatic difference?
Dramatic difference no, but enough to make a difference especially over a season for someone who isn't a fairly consistent ball striker. The 223’s also have the JPX923 style micro slot in its design that, gives an advantage to ball speed and off centre ball speed over that if the 221. The 221 has it on looks though, that part is absolutely my preference though 😊👍
Why would anyone choose one of these over the other? The JPX are quite a bit cheaper
Exceptional video... thx!
Glad you liked it! 👍
@@AskGolfNut Not only did I like your video I went in and traded a set of CB's for the Mizuno 221's. It had been on my mind to ditch the CB's for weeks. First round with the 221's felt like a warm pair of old slippers. Backstory... I Played Mizuno MP-32's for almost two decades, but broke down a couple of years ago thinking I needed a little bigger sweet spot... nope! Nothing and nobody makes irons like Mizuno!
@davidgolfer glad you have found your love for your equipment again! It's important that golfers enjoy using their equipment rather than only focusing on what is technically the best for them. Enjoyment is the point of playing! It's supposed to be a game that we all have fun playing 😊 some don't have as much fun as they should 👍🏻
Considering you hit the demo clubs low and toe down, do you usually play a half inch longer irons?
No just with much more sensible lie angles 😁👍🏻
By looks alone it looks like the mb has more help in the heel and the tour has more help in the toe. It’s a wash. Tour would definitely win on which looks better after a year of playing them. My mp 20 mbs look like they’ve been put in a blender after about 1 year of playing them. Too soft, period
Hello. I know this video has been out for for a while but I wanted to ask about the shafts used in this video. I play the 221 with the Project X LS shaft. I know you don’t worry about shafts too much but have you hit the 221s with these If so, do you hit them higher or lower than the IOs? Particularly in the 3-5 irons. Thank you.
Hi Trey, the media samples I had in the 221s were the LS. Nice feeling shaft, not too heavy. Shafts make absolutely no difference to the height I hit so for me it's more about the feel of it.
Under normal circumstances though the IO would tend to want to flight the ball higher than the LS. The LS has a very stiff butt section. 👍
@@AskGolfNut Thank you. I appreciate the info. Keep up the awesome work. If there is anything I can do to help support the channel please let me know. Take care.
Share to social media bud I think is all I can ask. Thanks very much for your support. Much appreciated 👍
Jay…why not have your lie* bent to your +2*, for even deeper comparisons….and same shafts, etc ??
What shafts are you using??
From memory I'm sure they were KBS Tour Stiff 120g 👍🏻
@@AskGolfNut Yeah awesome. I have a HCP of 16.8, i have just ordered KBS staper 130's with the jpg 923 tours. So excited - had to go heavy shafts because swing speed is quite high, more or less around 93/94 mph. And this was the shaft that generated the lowest spin rate, it is still around 7500 with a 7 iron. might need a new swing...
@willderbyshire8297 maybe just a tweak than a new one, excess spin is either from an open face to path or a spin loft delivery issue. Either one can be sorted with a few lessons and then a few practice sessions to groove in the change and also learn your new patterns and flight 👍🏻
@@AskGolfNut Yeah love this. Appreciate this insight. Cheers, Will
I play 919Ts and I’m a long way from being a good ball striker or distance machine etc… I play them for the feel, looks, turf interaction and consistency or lack there of lol. I don’t play for $ and instead of whacking around a trampoline 7 iron I use more bladed irons so I know whether or not the strike was shit etc.. the good shots are way more rewarding and it forces me to focus and produce better shots. Losing a ball in the water or woods does suck but again that comes down to me hitting a shit shot. I do switch over in the 3/4 irons because I just don’t have the speed to get the ball launching high enough and go for the forged or hmb etc.. would love a side by side comparison of the 923s vs 919s because mine are getting beat up. As crazy as this might sound I actually found the 919s a tiny bit long in terms of blade length with a fraction to much offset. Haven’t been able to find 221s to physically look at but most pure blades are just a fraction to small for comfort. If they shrunk these 923s to be almost the size of a true blade I might grab 6-pw
I blame golf media for the myths about forgiveness. They don't have much to say about blades/cbs so bash the forgiveness.
With so many people getting paid my manufacturers within the content creation world its very difficult to find unbiased measured data driven results. Seems very opinion ball performance based mostly shown in edited own version graphics, which obviously can be created and displayed in anyway the creators bias wants to show 👍
I got no end of grief last season for using blades. People just wouldn't STFU about it. Some popular comments from fellow club members:
"Oh look, it's Tiger!"
"11 HC shouldn't be using blades, you're off your head"
"I see you're using blades, must be a sandbagger"
"Even tour pros don't use blades"
"Is that your da's set of clubs mate?"
Honestly, most of the golfing community is full of toxic empty shells of people, just waiting to dish out abuse, to cover up their own insecurities about their own golf game. Needless to say, I ended up trading the clubs in and will start this season with T100, and no doubt they'll have something to say about that too. It's not just my club. It's everywhere.
Paul unfortunately you're not wrong and behaviour like that on course and on social media is far too common 😕🤦
25mm of the middle on the G430 is still the middle 😂
The pro from Andy (average golfer) appears to have challenged you. Look at the latest video. It is controversial. Personally I think he's a bit of a door handle. I've recently had a go with someone's apex tour 7. 5 shots, dead straight and all the same distance. I think maybe feedback is your friend if you really want to improve.
The one that's label brutal honest and controversial or the club review you asked for? 👍
Brutal etc.
too difficult for me. Tour i mean. tested it. dont hit it pure. well im midhadicapper.
Would have been interesting to see your strike misses to see the variance. With the blade forged feel, the good feel amazing, the slightly off feel mediocre at best and the poor feels horrific, although when you see the actual ball performance in drop off its actually no where near as bad as it feels it was. When I play and I'm having an off day on the strike, the impact feeling is terrible compared to the middle but the actual result from the ball is no where near as bad as I thought 👍
Smallest cavity back ever known.... 🤣