Mizuno JPX-900 Forged vs. MP-18

[jimnm]

So I was fitted for irons a couple of days ago. I tried the Taylor Made P790, Ping i500 and the Mizuno JPX-900 Forged. Between the 3, I selected the JPX 900 Forged as it gave me the best numbers after being fitted for the correct shaft despite both the P790 and i500 feeling better to me. The JPX-900 Forged felt good, but didn't have that buttery feel that I was after which was a little unexpected.

After sleeping on it, the next day I went back to my coach/fitter and asked, just for kicks, to try the MP-18 blade with the same shaft against the JPX-900 Forged. I first warmed up, then I took several (25+) swings with each 6 iron. The JPX-900 Forged performed pretty much just as it had the previous day. It felt good, but again didn't have that buttery feel with a couple of swings being the exception. Then I hit the MP-18 and I just about fell in love with it. Every good strike had that buttery feel. It seemed to me that I had the same ratio of good to bad strikes with each club. 

With that said... I'd like to get input from others on if there is any significant difference in the data that I'm missing. And an opinion (poll) on which set of irons I should get. Is there any good reason to not get the MP-18 (other than price)? I know the MP-18 was shorter but is there anything else I'm missing?

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by jimnm
removed duplicate charts

[billchao]

Going by your numbers I'd say you launch the MP 18s too high with too much spin, could cause issues in the wind.

But life is short, buy what makes you happy.

[jimnm]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

Going by your numbers I'd say you launch the MP 18s too high with too much spin, could cause issues in the wind.

But life is short, buy what makes you happy.



Thank you for the feedback. I used the same shaft in the MP-18 that was fitted for me on the JPX900 Forged. Would you recommend I get fitted for a different shaft on the MP-18 to bring down the spin and launch? I was assuming that using the same shaft would be a good fit from club head to club head. But perhaps this is not the case?

[colin007]

Imho, you have the swing speed to hit the 18s, but I don't think you have the ball striking. I think your numbers are better with the 900s.

Don't hate me.

[jimnm]

7 minutes ago, colin007 said:

Imho, you have the swing speed to hit the 18s, but I don't think you have the ball striking. I think your numbers are better with the 900s.

Don't hate me.

It's all good. Yeah, the numbers are tighter with the 900's. Thanks for the input!

[billchao]

1 hour ago, jimnm said:

Would you recommend I get fitted for a different shaft on the MP-18 to bring down the spin and launch?

That might help. The important thing is since you seem pretty set on the MP 18s you should be fit for them, rather than getting fit for the JPX 900s and buying MP 18s with the same specs.

1 hour ago, jimnm said:

I was assuming that using the same shaft would be a good fit from club head to club head. But perhaps this is not the case?

The shaft has to work with the head to work with your swing. Different types of heads will might need to pair up with different shafts to hit your optimum numbers. I'm a little surprised that the JPX 900 forged is that far apart in terms of launch characteristics from the MP 18s TBH.

[Adam C]

I would recommend against the blades. More forgiving is always better, and there is nothing forgiving in those 18s. If you are not hitting the center of the club, you will see significant distance and direction loss. At the very least I would look at the cavity version of the 18s if you are set on going that direction. But again they will offer minimal help. Those pure blades are meant for low single digit handicappers and stronger golfers looking to control trajectory and work the ball.