Mizuno Irons - What is the hype?

[Furrankee]

It seems like a lot of us in this form use them for irons.

Hi guys. I'm relatively new to this golf site and while searching thru most of the members' bags, I noticed a lot of us use Mizuno irons. I went to a golf store the other day and demoed some. They're soft, yes, but do they make a difference in terms of feel off the face? Do people purchase them because the price is reasonable for what it's worth? I personally love irons that allow me to actually feel a mishit even if the mishit is off by fractions of an inch...provides good feedback in other words. Maybe I can't feel how soft some of the irons are because my swing speed isn't fast enough.

[Viking Golfer]

I think it has a lot to do with tradition and branding.

 

Mizuno has arguably been one of the most outstanding - if not THE most - outstanding forged iron throughout the last decade. Nick Faldo, Seve and several other of the best in the early 90's played with Mizuno irons and this reputation has made Mizuno a brand that the "elite of golfers" want to use and have in their bag.

 

On top of that Mizuno can forge an iron like no other factory and the design is great looking too.

 

Mizuno has slowly built a reputation of being "the players iron", a reputation they share with Titleist (why I don't know, because I personally don't think Titleist makes irons in the same class as Mizuno does)

 

I don't think swing speed has to do with the ability to feel the softness of a Mizuno forging - if you hit it in the sweetspot, everyone, no matter the swing speed, will feel the softness of the Mizuno forging.

 

But I also think there is a SNOB factor to buying Mizuno irons.

It's like the Loius Vuitton of irons, if you know what I mean ;) :vava: :)

 

I'm a BIG fan of Mizuno irons myself - but also like Miura, Hogan and Ping :crazy:

[tbowles411]

Reasonable price? Hardly. It's a feel thing. Forged clubs will definately give you feedback. I personally wasn't impressed with them. I liked KZG forged due to the silky feel. And paid half as much.

[matt411]

Great looking irons

Great feeling irons

Reasonably priced new

Fairly low resale value so good young players can afford them on ebay

 

Older models such as mp29, mp14 still look like a modern blade and have that same grain flow forged feel.

[Furrankee]

Sorry, I'm not sure how my initial post was put into the "Ladies Forum".

[hayam]

If u ask me ..

 

Believe in the Bridgestone or Srixon Hype. They are real cheap and really really good.

 

Mizuno had been always good but expensive

[Furrankee]

 

But I also think there is a SNOB factor to buying Mizuno irons.

It's like the Loius Vuitton of irons, if you know what I mean :crazy: ;) :)

 

 

I never knew that. I always thought of Mizuno irons as a lesser known club, a club where only touring pros that didn't want to follow convention would use. I never considered them over-rated or under-rated. Just thought of them as such another line of irons made by a company that really was known for baseball equipment, i.e., how Nike was with other sports other thah golf.

[Eazy_B97]

My dad hit both the MP17 and MP23's and neither were as close in distance to the Callaway BB '04's he hit. He was roughly 20 yards shorter with a 7 iron on both the Mizunos. He currently hits his old Titleist ('70s model) the same as the Callaways. I'm going to try some Mp17s soon, just to see if I can tell the difference, but my feel isn't that good. My dad really liked the Mizuno fells, but the distance was troubling.

[StarFleetGolfer]

The Callaways have jacked up lofts, that is why they go farther. As for the MX-17's they are cast so they will not have the same feel.

[Viking Golfer]

 

But I also think there is a SNOB factor to buying Mizuno irons.

It's like the Loius Vuitton of irons, if you know what I mean :crazy: ;) :)

 

 

I never knew that. I always thought of Mizuno irons as a lesser known club, a club where only touring pros that didn't want to follow convention would use. I never considered them over-rated or under-rated. Just thought of them as such another line of irons made by a company that really was known for baseball equipment, i.e., how Nike was with other sports other thah golf.

 

You have to remember that I'm from Europe and over here Mizuno is regarded as an expensive top brand (within the iron category) in the same league as Titleist and Taylor Made.

 

Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros were both european players and as such probably attracted more attention among european golfers than among US golfers.

 

If you see a golfer with Mizuno in the bag you know that he is serious about his game and plays quality equipment. If you see a player with Callaway irons in his bag, you know that he thinks he is serious about his game but probably got persuaded by the local golf shop into buying these irons.

[rchanvit]

i started my first set ever with the 981 dci. Within two years, I had jumped ship to the mizuno mp 29s. I made the mistake of taking those irons and leaving them in thailand (because I wanted the titleist 690 mbs). Why??? Because of the name (bad mistake). i had those for about 6 months and bought the mp 30s when they came out and upgraded to the mp32 when they came out last year. As you can see, it's a preference issue here. I know titleist makes great clubs and so does mizuno. mizunos just feel better to me. they are great clubs and if you've tried them, you definitely won't be dissappointed. good luck

 

ronnie

[steph1964]

Luis Vuitton? Ick...who would be seen with an ugly brown bag?

 

Anyway, the Mizunos feel good...and when pros get off their contracts, they tend to put them in their bag. I got a deal on mine through a pro with whom I take lessons.

[Yellow Jacket]

For the longest time, the MP-14 was THE forged iron, followed up with the MP-29. During the same time, the 962/B followed by the 990/B were the cast choice for better players (I don't say cavity-backed choice because I doubt anyone bought them for forgiveness). It wasn't until Titleist dumped the DCI series and went after the forged market that Mizuno got a serious, wide-based challenger.

[bheidepr]

My MP-60's will be here tomorrow....I love the hype ;)

[jmb731]

I've played and tried just about everything. I bought a set of MX23's a couple of years ago (replaced Callaways) and liked them. Tried a full set of MP32's with Rifle 5.0's and fell in love. When the MP60's were introduced, I bought a set with the Rifles and they felt like bricks at the end of a broom stick. Went to the NV105's (long story) and because of pricing and custom problems, was offered a free set of irons from Mizuno. Tried MP60's with soft stepped Nippon 950's hated them and then bought a set of MP60's with Nippon 850's. Now back playing the MP32's. My handicap runs between 10-12 (I'm 71 years old and at one time carried a 1-2 handicap) and I love the 32's. Can't seem to find the right shaft for the 60's or they don't seem to feel as good to me as the 32's. I'm lucky enough to be able to afford any iron I want to play and have tried most. Will probably stick with Mizuno. Just my humble opinion.

[powaygolfer]

i picked up the mp32's and i love them, i've had them for a few months now and won't switch back to my pings. i do like the look at address of the new 695's but haven't hit them yet. i don't really understand the cost factor here, i got mine for about 730 out the door, thats cheap compared to similar offerings from taylormade and callaway, 1k each.

[millercg]

I switched from Cleveland irons to Mizuno for a few reasons:

 

1. Looking for more feel in my irons, so I tried the Mizuno forgings. Love the feel and feedback I get from my MP-60's.

 

2. Accuracy. My shot dispersion with the Mizuno irons was a lot better than the other manufacturers that I tried (including Cleveland, Callaway, Titleist, Ping, and TaylorMade). I've landed more iron approach shots so far this year with my Mizuno MP-60 irons than I did all of last year with my Clevelands (TA6).

 

3. Consistency. May have been the high launching shafts in my Clevelands, but I'm getting better consistent distance out of my MP-60's (with DG S300's).

 

So far, Mizuno irons seem to work best for me, but everyone is different. For me the choice had nothing to do with reputation, but rather performance (Serious Performance :crazy: )

 

;)

[six00imola]

mizuno are not louis vuittons. they're about PERFORMANCE not style or prestige. anyone who doesnt associate mizuno with golf is not a golfer.

 

for me, the ballflight of the mp32 is superior to anything on the market. the feel and appearance at address are also better than anything currently offered.

 

distance control is exceptional, feel and consistency on half shots are exceptional.

 

i've tried everything and i would absolutely refuse to play another iron.

[IMAGOLFER]

Hi guys. I'm relatively new to this golf site and while searching thru most of the members' bags, I noticed a lot of us use Mizuno irons. I went to a golf store the other day and demoed some. They're soft, yes, but do they make a difference in terms of feel off the face? Do people purchase them because the price is reasonable for what it's worth? I personally love irons that allow me to actually feel a mishit even if the mishit is off by fractions of an inch...provides good feedback in other words. Maybe I can't feel how soft some of the irons are because my swing speed isn't fast enough.

 

Mizuno is VERY overrated in my opionion. Do they make great quality products? Yes. Do they make equipment that is superior to anything else out there? No. Not to mention that Mizuno's customer service is the WORST in the industry.

[SwingMan]

I've played and tried just about everything. I bought a set of MX23's a couple of years ago (replaced Callaways) and liked them. Tried a full set of MP32's with Rifle 5.0's and fell in love. When the MP60's were introduced, I bought a set with the Rifles and they felt like bricks at the end of a broom stick. Went to the NV105's (long story) and because of pricing and custom problems, was offered a free set of irons from Mizuno. Tried MP60's with soft stepped Nippon 950's hated them and then bought a set of MP60's with Nippon 850's. Now back playing the MP32's. My handicap runs between 10-12 (I'm 71 years old and at one time carried a 1-2 handicap) and I love the 32's. Can't seem to find the right shaft for the 60's or they don't seem to feel as good to me as the 32's. I'm lucky enough to be able to afford any iron I want to play and have tried most. Will probably stick with Mizuno. Just my humble opinion.

 

Try some Nippon 1150 stiff softstepped twice to get near a regular flex - the 1150s are about the same weight as your Rifle 5.0 and the tip of the Nippons softstepped should be softer like the Rifles (the difference between the 1150 and other Nippons is the stiffer tip and higher weight of the 1150s) - I think that's a more valid comparison than Nippon 950 or 850 - which are fairly light and require a really smooth tempo. Just don't know if the 2x softstepped is enough - I think it would get you to about a Rifle 5.2 equivalent.

[herrhagen]

To my suprise I put my belowed MP 33 out for sale ( I have removed the add now, not going to sale).

First respone was from a guy who´s just bought a new set of Titlesit 710 MB. He regret selling his MP 33´s and now he asked if we could do a swap?
We couldn´t...

[baseballfrk8998]

5 and a half years and back from the dead..

I took my 53's out of the bag a month ago or so for TM TP CB's.. I hit the 53's today and now I remember why I loved them so much. They just feel outstanding..

[starsail85]

better feel than just about anything out there, the newer stuff is better performing AND better looking than just about anything aswell, i mean titleist make some very nice blades, but the feel is far inferior to mizuno, infact I believe alot of people play titleist thinking they offer great feel becuase they simply dont know any better

id say nike is the closest to them, in blades anyhow , feel wise--apart from other high end Japan stuff etc

[Geohans]

Let's call this the "Lazarus" thread. . . .

Of course it's appropriate-- the hype really started with Nick Faldo in the 80's and 90's.

[Geohans]

Oh, and the OP is banned-- probably happened before Kathy Lee left Regis. . . . .