12 Hdcp buying new irons. Suggestions of best ones to test?

Nice choices - if you want to add another at a premium price, I'd say Miura PP-9003. A no frills, well crafted iron. Of course, a fitting comes with the set.

I would not consider the JPX line for 1 second. I have the 63's and would consider the 64's if buying new. A couple of the most famous Mizuno players have the 64's in the bag. Between the two you listed I suppose the AP2 because it's found in a lot of Titleist staff players bags. I know we're not professionals, but if they all tend to put a certain set into play that tells me something. There might be a few guys with 710 AP1s in the bag, but most Titleist guys I see have the 710 MB or AP2 or the newer 712 AP2 or MB, or a combination of the AP2/MB and or CB/MB. I can't name one single Mizuno player with JPX irons, but there probably are a few somewhere.

Titleist and Mizuno are really the only makes I would consider, but that's just me.  Which club really depends on what you want from your clubs.  The AP2 is honestly a great choice for any golfer except maybe a true beginner.  The heads are workable yet forgiving, and with the right shaft options you can dial them to a low or high ball-flight bias.  Only problem is hitting them with the variety of shafts--all you'll find at the local golf shop is TTDG S300, or maybe a PX.

I haven't done Titleist fitting, and not sure how many of the custom shaft options they bring.  Another great thing about Titleist is that you can order them directly from Titleist with dozens of different shafts, many with no upgrade charge.  Of course, first you have to find out which shaft you want!

It tells me that they are getting paid enough money to make it worth their time and they don't think the clubs will hurt their game. For what it is worth Charles Howell III used to play the JPX 800 (and I have no clue to much they were modified) before switching.

That being said, if I liked the jpx825 I would definitely hit the mp64 (or 53/h4 ) and draw your own conclusions. Heck hit the normal 825's and see if they fit your game better.  The vr_s forged (if you can stand nike) is another club in the same ballpark as the jpx's and if your more of GI player than a blade guy, the i20s have a lot of fans.

Honestly there isn't much absolute performance difference between any of these clubs. You need to find one that fits your swing and to your brand preferences. Take a couple hours at store, hit a dozen clubs and then focus on your 2 or 3 favorites. I can assure you that at the end of the day, no one cares what you play. Pick whatever makes the game the most fun for you.

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It seems like Mizuno lets their players have older models in the bag and a lot of them don't currently have the jpx irons. It's a personal preference, but when I think of Mizuno irons I think of "MP" followed by 2 digits and everything else is off the radar. Even the Grads which by all accounts were great.

I was responding to the question he asked in his first post. If you would consider the JPX line, great for you. I would not.

Titleist AP1s & Mizuno JPX 800 if your looking for game improvement irons, But Titleist AP2s, MP64s or TaylorMade MCs if your looking for a forged head.

Pro or Max?

Cleveland CG16 and CG16 Tours. One hit and you will be sold. Great feel, forgiveness and yet workability. What more can you ask for? Oh, yeah they're cheap too.

Have you seen that version of the S3 in person?

I'm in the same handicap range as you and am very happy with the Taylor Made Tour Preferred irons I got this summer.  Sadly, the Tour Preferred CB, which is a forged club was replaced by the R11, which isn't.  Of course, whether or not you'd want to do the full cavity back irons on the long irons depends on your game in any case, since there's a ton of different ways to get to a 12 handicap :)

I hit the Titleist and Mizuno as well as Callaways, Adams and Cleveland before getting the Taylor Made irons.  They just felt the best to me.  My only gripe with them, and it applies to almost every 'modern' set of irons that aren't traditional blades, is that the lofts were pretty strong.  Even on the MB short irons I needed to have them bent back to closer to my old DCI lofts...

I am a 10 handicap. I play the Titleist 712 CB with KBS shaft. It is an amazing set of clubs. Highly Recommended