Mizuno JPX 800 Pro Iron Set

I had been hitting my MP57's with a large draw in the short irons that I figured the reason was I needed a larger head to compensate for my poor hitting.  So since I love the forged iron feel of Mizuno's, this seemed like an interesting choice.  I bought the entire set from P to 3iron, but figured I would only switch out the MP57's on 6 iron and above.  To be honest although they were quite easy to hit, I had absolutely no control over my distances.  Some seemingly good hits would go anywhere from 15 yards too long to 15 yards too short.  Anyway I have since figured out that my problem was caused by my forged irons lies being bent out of whack and have fixed them.  Since then I have gone 180 degrees and bought a set of MP63's ... and I have been shooting my lowest scores ever (7 handicap).  My last 5 rounds have all been at least 3 shots below my handicap and I feel I have control over my distances again!

One thing about the JPX Pro's ... I checked the lofts and they are about 2 degrees (or maybe even 3 degrees) strong on all clubs.  Also the clubs feel a tad longer than usual.  Ball flight is very high (S300) in comparison to my Project X 6.0 on my MP 57's.  If you like large cavity backs like the G20's, you will probably like these, but I certainly felt I couldn't control them.  Also if you are expecting to feel that Mizuno buttery forged iron feel, you will be disappointed, they did not have the Mizuno forged iron feel at all.

I too just bought a set of JPX800 Pros, 4-AW, with DG S300 shafts (I almost bought Project x 5.0's (or 5.5's), but there was a $15 upcharge - another $100 bucks! *sniff*). I have played two rounds with them so far - both better than earlier rounds this season.  I got the New Decade Grips.  They are *awesome*.  I've used Lamkin Permawraps and Wynn Excel's before these (plus whatever comes on Cleveland wedges and irons), and these are the best so far.  Lamkin's were also very good, though, too.  Wynns seemed to wear out quickly, and were a little "squishy" feeling.  Probably should not have gotten the squishy Excel grips, then.  But hey, it was college, I was experimenting...

I tested Burner 2.0, Callaway X-22's, and Ping G15's and the JPX-800 regular alongside the pros before I bought (outside at a range, probably 100 balls hit with each over the course of 2 weeks).  I am a 15 handicap USGA.

Length:

The Burner 2.0's, X-22's and JPX-800 reg's were longer than the Pros.  The 2.0's and X-22's were quite a bit longer - 7 iron was going 160+ and 6 iron would regularly reach 180, sometimes 185.  Crazy long (for me, at least).  On most courses, though, I don't need that much extra distance, so the extra length was not a big seller to me.

The Pro's for me are about 155 for a 7i and about 165-170 for a 6i.  Twice I hit a 5 iron into a green 180 away, and twice I found my ball 10 yards past the hole - so the length is good on the pros (much better than my old set of Cleveland TA4's), just not crazy long.

Feel:

Pro's were the best.  JPX regulars, Callaway and G15 were actually pretty good too.  Burners felt a little "stiff" for me.

Accuracy:

They were all really good, in general.  The 2.0's were a little harder to keep on line, but I suspect that was because the club length and lofts are a little higher than the other sets (i.e. I was comparing 7i accuracy, but in realy the 2.0 was a 6 iron-ish comparable, so was a little less accurate).  The Pros gave me a little "less" on off center hits than the rest of the sets, but not penalizingly so (I still had a lob wedge into the green).

Overall:

They were all good clubs.  I don't see how anyone can go wrong with any of the new irons out there.  I had borrowed a set of MX-300's for 3 weeks prior to buying, and I think that familiarity gave the edge to the Mizunos.  I have to say, the MX-300's are remarkably close to the 800-pros.  Very close.  If you can get those used, or at a discount, it might be worth it, but most pro shops won't fit the MX-300, since Mizuno won't customize an order for those anymore.  Weak!

I was very close to getting the JPX-800 regular line, figuring I could use the extra forgiveness.  Callaway X-22 (and Razr's) were also very close 2nd place.

Played my JPX-800 Pro's for six rounds now. Getting the feel for new distances. 14 greens in regulation Saturday -- that's very good for me. Really only missed two greens with an iron in my hands.

So here's my review:

1. Straighter than my old 2005 Fusions in part because they set up better -- more square for my eye. The flight is also straighter -- sometimes a little fade, mostly dead straight, almost never a draw and I never feel like a snap hook is possible. This could be the shaft fitting me well (stock XP S300) as much as the heads being awesome.

2. About the same distance as the Fusions. 5-iron may be 10 yards shorter. Fusion long irons could be nuked on occasion (sometimes without warning) which was not always a good thing. A well hit lay-up Fusion 5-iron (my 180 club) could go 175-205 yards. Mizuno 5-iron is consistent and is not randomly going 205 yards.

3. Much easier to control height of ball-flight and adjust distances. For example, I can hit a low PW 90 yards or a full high wedge 115 yards and I can jump on that wedge and hit it 130 with a medium-high flight. Perhaps this is what better players rave about when they talk about forged irons. From inside 130 yards, I have lots of club and shot options. I've already learned that there is no reason to jump on any of these clubs. On a bet I could hit my PW 145 yards but, what is the point of that?

4. I really want to hit the sweet spot and I find that I swing easier and better in an effort to try and hit that sweet spot more often.

5. Bad swings are still bad swings. These are not magic clubs that correct for my many flawed swings. I find really thin shots produce worse results that really thin shots did with my Fusions. I'm sorry to say that the sample size is large enough for me to know this.

5a. Swings do not need to be perfect to get great results. I did not think I had the game for Mizuno forged clubs. These are forgiving enough for my game. A good swing is enough for these clubs to make you feel super.

6. It could just be the greens and weather these last few rounds, but I think these clubs spin less than my Fusions on full iron shots. It could also be the easy swing I am using compared to the harder swing I used when hitting my Fusions. A full 7-iron, well hit with my Fusions would land and release about 12 inches. These release much more -- maybe even 12 feet. But the Fusions are in the garage so I have not tried them on the same day head-to-head. And I hit the Mizuno's much lower on purpose. I've never been a spin-it-back guy. If they do spin less, I is OK with me. 

7. Range balls feel rock-hard with these clubs. I never noticed the hardness of the range balls at my home course with my Fusions. These Mizuno's are nice enough that I feel like using range balls is a crime. Kind of how I would feel cutting sticks with my good kitchen knife. I do not know if the soft feel of the Mizuno's translates to wear from hard range balls, but it feels like it must.

8. The flatter-than-others lie seems fine. My dirt marks, matt marks, and ball flight indicate that the clubs fit well. I am fitted 1 degree flat on my Fusions and bought these 1 degree flat before finding out that standard lie Mizuno's are flatter than other brands' standard lies.

9. These cut through rough much better than my Fusions. I have a flat swing and was shocked how little the rough tugged my club.

Bottom line: I love these irons and expect they will serve me well for years. If my ball striking improves, I expect I'll love them as much or even more. If my ball striking wanes, I expect they will offer enough forgiveness to remain in my bag. They seem perfect for a guy who's handicap flutters around 7-11 and harbors hope of being a consistent 3-5 before age reverses any downward.