Wedge Review - Edel vs Scratch vs Vokey vs Hopkins - Lots of Pictures

[Hstead]

Ok, so I recently decided I wanted to address my wedge game since the Scratch 1018s had been around a while in the bag. So first, I bought some Hopkins' 52 and a 58. The 52 is the full grind and the 58 is the heel/toe. Both were ordered with the Nippon Pro WV wedge shaft. I never seemed to get along with the set at all. The 58 just wanted to dig too easily on me. The spin was the same as the Scratch, which I later learned was not very much. The Scratch and the Hopkins wedges do not spin as much as the Vokey, Ping, or Edel. I thought it was the cc grooves, but that is not the case, neither the Hopkins or Scratch 1018 spin much. I had Scratch 8620s that did spin similar to the TVD and Gorge however.

 

The Scratch have the 1018 forged feel, which is softer to me than the Hopkins for certain. I just wished I had figured out within 30 days that the Hopkins were not going to work for me.

 

Next purchase was the Vokey TVD K 58 and the Ping Gorge WS 54 with the lob combo grind. Both of these wedges were ordered with the S400. I liked both of these wedges quite a bit, much improved in the feel department and much better in the spin department than the previous wedges. Neither gave me any trouble digging at all. I preferred the TVD slightly over the Gorge and it was my go to club around the green. The Gorge just was not quite as user friendly around the green as the K grind. They both were quite good out of the bunkers.

 

I had been looking at the Edel wedges for a long long time. I never pulled the trigger mostly due to the price tag

way back then when they were all forged and $350. But after reading some reviews from some guys on this site and another site, I thought I would check them out. Just so happened their was a demo day and fitting in Charlotte NC and I was going to be passing through so I set up an appointment.

 

I really went in a little closed minded because the TVD K had been working so well. We started on the range and I was hitting the Edel ok, but I wasn't making the best pass at it in the world that day. I hit ten or so different shafts, none of which had bands so I had no idea what I was hitting with the exception of the C-taper for obvious reasons. After hitting quite a few balls, it became apparent which shaft was the tightest dispersion and best trajectory. Also, the divots were telling me that the driver and digger grinds worked best. I do not have a real steep AoA, but those grinds gave me the most uniform, long bacon strip instead of a big pork chop that was deep at any one point. Again, there was nothing fantastic about these Edels on the range, other than I found a shaft that worked best, which happened to be a 120 gram KBS. I play Nippon SP Blues X in my irons and they weigh around 128 I believe. I do not go after my wedges hard so it was fine by me. I am looking more for feel, trajectory, and most importantly how they work around the greens.

 

Once I got to the practice green, I could tell right away the large amount of bounce on the digger was going to work really well with the way I play my shots using the bounce. It took me some getting used to them for a minute, and then they started getting really consistent. I then went to the bunker and again, very easy to hit high low, spin was good, probably even easier than the TVD K but similar. The Edel wedges spin really well from the rough and fairway.

 

Next up, nasty lies in the rough. This is where I then became sold. The thinned out hosel makes them really cut trough the rough with ease. Also, the grooves run all the way to the toe and the center of gravity is farther out toward the toe, so when I open the face I was able to get more spin and more consistent distance control with the face wide open.

 

So I ended up ordering the 54 in a driver 22* bounce and the 58 digger with 26*. I didn't really like the look of the wedges because they are so rounded with the toe and leading edge. I am more comfortable with a little more squared off look. So they ground them to be a little more square for me. I used Paint to mark up the pictures from their website and Neil knocked it out of the park and ground them just the shape I wanted them. They are a little smallish compared to the TVD but not by much. I went with the KBS Tour wedge S flex at 120 g.

 

So far, I haven't been able to play a bunch of rounds with them and haven't hit a ton of full shots with them, but I have spent several hours on the practice green with them and played four rounds with them. They feel good, the look is growing on me, and they are great around the green. Very hard to make these dig. I can now use some shaft lean and the bounce and never worry about hitting the shot fat, They work great off of tight lies and everywhere in between. I have hit some shots off of the practice green without making a mark and the ball goes high and soft. Here are some pictures.

 

the 58's - from top to bottom - Hopkins, Scratch, TVD K, Edel

 

Edel at address, the leading edge sits low even though it has 26*

Hopkins Bounce

Scratch DS Grind - Geoff Jones hand ground the bounce some on this one.

Vokey TVD K

Edel Digger

[Hstead]

Hopkins 52, Scratch DS 53, Gorge WS 54, Edel 54 Driver

Edel Driver

Gorge WS 54 Lob Combo

Scratch DS 53

Both Edels

[That Bob Guy]

How are they for head size? Using Vokey and ATV for comparison.

[talksalot81]

And how come Edel have latched onto this big bounce but the mainstream guys are much less inclined?

[dpb5031]

Cool review. I just ordered 2 new Ping Gorge wedges with shop credit, 54 and 60 with lob combo grinds. My iWedges are getting old plus I've been frustrated by the weights falling out.

Sounds like you play a lot of your short game shots like I do, opening them up to varying degrees and using the bounce. If I try a wedge and the sole snags or catches rather than glides, I know inside of 3 chips or pitches that it's not for me.

The Edels look great, just out of my budget at the moment.

[lowdraw16]

Great write up, very thorough and clean. I still wonder what makes the k grind such a good wedge, and I even posted a thread about this, and I still don't know why. But whatever it is, it ust seriously work if it outgunned the ping gorge and some scratch wedges. Again, great write up.

[nova6868]

Great review, thank you.

Is the Edel basically a multi-bounce sole, like Scor or TM ATV?

Also, just curious. Why would you order the lob grind (heel,back) on a 54? Do you play open faced shots with a 54, outside of the bunker?

[the.landshark]

Excellent review Hstead, thanks for taking the time :-)

Compared to the S400, what was it (from a feel standpoint) about the KBS Tour S you liked better? Was it the counterbalancing that's inherent to KBS Tours design? Also, were swingweights consistent with what you normally play, or was each a little different from wedge to wedge?

Thanks man!

[eagle1997]

fantastic review, thanks for the comparison pics and in-depth thoughts. well done!

[That Bob Guy]

[quote name='talksalot81' timestamp='1386851483' post='8287843']
And how come Edel have latched onto this big bounce but the mainstream guys are much less inclined?
[/quote]

Exactly!

[indyvai]

Note that the Hopkins 58 with heel and toe grind has less effective bounce than full sole or wide grind. From what I've read so far everyone goes nuts with the grind options and neglects to read the description or regional considerations.

Nice review!

The excels look pretty beefy... are they heavier than average?

[Hstead]

@ThatBob - the Edel is slightly smaller than the TVD, not a great deal but definitely noticeable.

I have no clue why the mainstream OEMs only offer wedges with 12-14 bounce? Mike Adams came up with the increased bounce concept because he claimed that when he gave amateurs lessons they tended to hang back and try to help the ball in the air and flipped at the ball in fear of digging etc. It is Adams' concept.

@dpb - one thing I should have clarified is the cost - I mentioned $350 and that is the cost of the hand forged model, which I do not think they sell many of as the rep didn't even mention them to me. I bought the cast models that retail for $199 I think but I paid $375 for both wedges including shipping and no tax, so not too bad I thought. They were $180 each plus $15 shipping.

@lowdraw - the K grind is a very functional grind, I think the wide sole and camber make the effective bounce play pretty high which is why I liked it since I play everything with the bounce.

@nova - I do lay the 54 open in bunkers and around the green. I basically use iteachs short game technique where you use the bounce on every shot for the most part, including when I use the 54. In the past, I never have found a 52, 53, or 54 that I really loved around the greens, I always tended to use the 58 or 60 the most. I will pull the 54 when I have more green to work with. With these Edels, the 54 is my favorite. I can hit it higher than any other 54 I have ever had. I think the increased bounce makes it easier to flop, not that I choose it for a flop shot very often or at all. But, I like the ability to hit it higher if I need to around the green.

@shark - When they did the shaft fitting it was more based on dispersion and trajectory than feel, although I wouldn't play a shaft I didn't like the feel of. The fitter actually wanted me to go with the C-taper, which I have played before, but I wanted a different feel than the C-taper and more spin than the C-taper. Compared to the S400, the KBS felt better to me because it was slightly lighter, and I play my wedges +1/2" so the swing weights can at times get heavy feeling. The lighter counter balanced shaft seems to help keep the feel that I like better. But, I do like the S400 and I had Ping keep the swing weight at D5. I haven't thrown the Edels on a swing weight scale yet, but if I had to guess the 58 is around D5 and the 54 is probably D7, it feels a little heavier to me. The shaft is a little longer than the Ping and the 58, so I was just thinking yesterday I am going to take 1/8" off of it when I regrip it.

@indy - The Hopkins definitely plays as a lower effective bounce than the rest of the wedges. I like a heel grind so I can lay the wedge open and lower the leading edge a little. The Hopkins just would dig too much and too often around the greens. It was killing my short game.

[Beastmode Broker]

wow really good review
Edel has never been on the radar, those look really good IMO

[finalist]

Great review and GREAT pics. You really show the shapes well. I love the straight leading edge of the Scratch 1018 and I can't stand the roundness and overall shape of the Edel, but that's just personal stuff. I find the straighter leading edge gives me a better idea of how much I am opening the face as it acts like a visual line. With the rounder Edel style it is designed to mask how open the face is - it sort of looks the same from a variety of face angles... just personal preference. I read Scratch is making the new 1018 line with a rounder leading edge than what is shown here.

[Super Tuna]

[quote name='nova6868' timestamp='1386853755' post='8287939']
Is the Edel basically a multi-bounce sole, like Scor or TM ATV?
[/quote]

The 54 pictured above certainly is with the V grind that's applied.

The 58 with the channel wouldn't be.

[vertigo88]

@Hstead

Would you be able to give the reason why you ordered the Nippon wedge shaft? Especially when there is KBS hi-rev and DG Spinner out on the market?

Do you like them/recommend them?

[Hstead]

[quote name='vertigo88' timestamp='1386876811' post='8289823']
@Hstead

Would you be able to give the reason why you ordered the Nippon wedge shaft? Especially when there is KBS hi-rev and DG Spinner out on the market?

Do you like them/recommend them?
[/quote]

The main reason I ordered the Nippon WV in the Hopkins was mostly to try it out. I have been a big fan of the Nippon SP Blues and thought it might be similar. I have tried a bunch of different shafts in the past in the wedges so I thought I would give those a shot with the thought that I have a bunch of other wedge shaft laying around I could throw in them if I really didn't like the WV.

As for recommendations, I think it is a good shaft. I haven't used the DG Spinner or KBS Hi-rev mostly due to negative reviews I have read about them. I spin the ball a lot and really do not want something that spins too much. I like the KBS Wedge and the S400 the most probably, but the WV is a good shaft too, not real dissimilar than the other two.

[bph7]

[quote name='talksalot81' timestamp='1386851483' post='8287843']
And how come Edel have latched onto this big bounce but the mainstream guys are much less inclined?
[/quote]

Think its because most people have no idea how to properly use the bounce and would therefore not be able to take advantage of the extra bounce. For a more specialized wedge maker though, such as Scor or Edel, the clientele is more likely to be looking for such a thing, and could therefore take advantage of it. In a vacuum though, I think almost everyone would be better off playing much more bounce than they do, provided they learn to do it properly. A lot of people however just cannot and will not get over that to "use" the bounce a lot of times pretty much means hitting an inch behind the ball. Once people get used to doing this, and a lot of them realize how much easier bounce can make things, but it's a big hurdle for many to get over and probably would just be a huge headache for a major OEM to deal with.

[That Bob Guy]

[quote name='talksalot81' timestamp='1386851483' post='8287843']
And how come Edel have latched onto this big bounce but the mainstream guys are much less inclined?
[/quote]
Hey, just remembered, the Solus wedge introduced a few years ago, the "crescent cut" sole grind not unlike Edel's DIGGER models.
What became of them? Lots of TV infomercials. I think..."all sizzle - no steak"?
Anyway, not saying anything bad about Edel. Don't get me wrong. Just in case you misremembered.

...they still have a website! Dual 18' soles. Did anyone use one with any success?

[That Bob Guy]

Look and ye shall find. I found a head down in the shop. SERIES 7.1, black oxide finish, 61 degree, and heavy at 311g. I better stick a KBS HiRev in this thing. Maybe not....it looks like a .370 bore.

[setter02]

Got myself a set of Edels for a wedding present and have played them for the past 2 seasons. I'm a steep AoA guy and have the high bounce wedges. After you get past the looks, they are fantastic wedges. Price sadly is an issue with replacing sooner as I get great deals on basically everything else, and these would run double the price, but they are nice wedges.

Will likely start next season with some CC Oil Can Vokeys which I had played before the Edels and see if they can keep their spot.

[pr123]

Have had my edels for 2 years. Fantastic wedges haven't even thought about switching since I picked them up

[Hstead]

@setter and pr - Which bounce and shaft did you all get fit into?

[ferreta]

Can you put the spin in best to worst? Can you also add the 8620 in there since I play them? Great review, thanks!

[Hstead]

Spin - from Least to Most and out of 10 with 10 being screaming back at you, and 1 is like you are playing on airport runaways.

Scratch 1018 - 5
Hopkins - 5.5
Scratch 8620 - 7.5
Ping Gorge - 8.5
TVD K - 8.6
Edel - 8.8

The Ping, TVD, and Edel are all really close off of a good fairway lie. The Edel beats the other two from the rough slightly and I mean slightly. I do not think you can get a wedge to spin more than the Ping Gorge, TVD, or Edel with cc grooves.

I base these spin numbers off of short shots around the green. I love to be able to hit a 25 yard shot and fly the ball to the hole and make it grab and stop within 5 feet. The Gorge, TVD and Edel can all do that, the 8620 could when it was new but it wore off quickly. The Hopkins and 1018 never grabbed that quickly. That is one reason I went with the KBS Wedge shaft instead of the C-taper, I didn't want to give up anything around the greens.

[nova6868]

I like how Edel takes the grooves out closer to the toe. Seems like it would be helpful on flop shots. Wonder why more companies don't do that...?

[RMGC_NV]

[quote name='That Bob Guy' timestamp='1386887108' post='8290867']
[quote name='talksalot81' timestamp='1386851483' post='8287843']
And how come Edel have latched onto this big bounce but the mainstream guys are much less inclined?
[/quote]
Hey, just remembered, the Solus wedge introduced a few years ago, the "crescent cut" sole grind not unlike Edel's DIGGER models.
What became of them? Lots of TV infomercials. I think..."all sizzle - no steak"?
Anyway, not saying anything bad about Edel. Don't get me wrong. Just in case you misremembered.

...they still have a website! Dual 18' soles. Did anyone use one with any success?
[/quote]


Solus became Renegar.

[kwooten31]

As many have said and I will follow, great review. The Edels really caught my attention here, I really like the look of them, beefy with an attitude. I think I may have to give one a go soon just to test the waters. Thanks again, without this review I may not have given them a look!

[Qqq123xx]

Excellent pics.

[setter02]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1386894763' post='8291629']
@setter and pr - Which bounce and shaft did you all get fit into?
[/quote]

Can't remember for sure, but I think my 54* was 24* of bounce and my 58* had 27* of bounce. Could play almost any shot I could think of until the ground got very hard, then just had to change my style a bit and pick it more. Got fit into DG Spinner shafts but actually lost yardage and created a large gap with the stronger loft of my XHP PW being 45*. will be reshafting them over the winter to S400, have PX7.0s in my irons, and have matching in a Cally forged set, but its too much.