Callaway X Hot vs. X2 Hot Irons

First time poster.  Really appreciate this forum for all the great info!

I just got into golf last year and have a set of clone clubs I'm looking to upgrade.  Started out shooting in the 110 - 115 range, have taken some lessons, and am now shooting in the mid 90's.  Looking to upgrade the clones and have swung some different options.  As the title suggests, I'm really interested in some of the Callaway game improvement irons.  Anyone have any thoughts between these two?

The reviews I've read say the X2 are longer, more forgiving, etc.   However, it looks like the X Hot are in the GI category and the X2 Hot are in the SGI category, do I have that right?  I know, I shouldn't get too caught up in categories, but I'm wondering if this is the reason why the X2 Hot are more forgiving.  I'm wondering if the X Hot are maybe a little less forgiving but may be a better option for a better player or something I can grow into?

I appreciate any thoughts!

I randomly looked up the X2 Hots the other day on the Maltby Playability Factor and remember them being rated lower on that scale than I thought. I just googled it to confirm and the XHots are rated Ultra GI and X2 as GI. Now, this isn't a perfect measure and the X2 Hots are really friendly, but I just think you got them twisted in your head. If I recall, the XHots were pretty chunky, which would make sense for why they would be more forgiving.

Thanks.  I didn't look up any factors, didn't even know they existed.  Just by reading reviews, one or two of them stated that the X Hots fall in the GI category, while the X2 Hots fall in the Max GI category.  Maybe I do have it backwards based on the ratings you're seeing though.

Yeah, a lot of these labels are subjective and don't really mean all that much. I would think Callaway themselves would call both GI irons and I'd agree. I think their Big Bertha irons would fall more into the SGI or UGI range. For what it's worth, I've hit the X2 Hot irons, including their 4 iron. Incredibly easy to hit and I suck.

The three-way splitout of golf clubs into SGI, GI and Player's categories come from the Golf Digest Hot List system. Hot List assigns clubs based upon perceived market niche.

The Maltby Playability Factor, however, measures clubheads on 6 variables that it plugs into an math equation to determine playability score. The original MPF system has six categories of clubs, plus a seventh for clubs that score minus points.

The GD people collapsed the Maltby concept into three categories; I have contacted GD twice to find out their category cutoffs related to MPF, but I have never received a reply.

As far as XHot vs. X2Hot irons, discussion boards have generally favored the original XHot irons.

I tested the XHot and XHot PRo when they came out. I was playing X20 Tours with the original Project X 5.0 shafts at the time./ For X.Hot Pro, I was surprised how much smoother the lighter Project X 95 / 5.0 shafts felt, and the clubheads felt excellent also. (But, I didn't buy irons that year - I got a new driver.)

I tried out the X2Hot pair the following year, and they just didn't feel as lively as the XHots. (And, X2Hots had that creepy Hallowe'en orange trim)

If you can find a used XHot variant set in a golf shop, try them out and see how they feel. For the XHots, make sure the shaft isn't too light for you:  the stock steel shaft was the TT Speedstep 85, only about 89 grams.