Best Blade Irons
Getting the right set of blade irons is clearly going to be important to your overall game. After all, you will be using them on a regular basis throughout your round, so being comfortable with the set you have in your bag makes a whole lot of sense.
But there’s a problem.
The problem is that you have so many options out there on the market that choosing the right one for your needs is not easy. So, we are about to simplify things to a certain extent by checking out a number of the best blade irons on the market right now.
Table of Contents
- 1. Best for Advanced Players - Callaway Apex MB Irons
- 2. Best Medium Range Set - Srixon Z-Forged
- 3. Best for Reduced Shock - TaylorMade M6 Iron
- 4. Best Pro Set - TaylorMade P790 Iron Set
- 5. Best Bargain Set - Wilson Staff Iron Set
- What to Look For with Blade Irons
- Balance, Touch, and More
- The Importance of that MB Part
- What to Avoid with Blade Irons
- Overall Conclusion
1. Best for Advanced Players - Callaway Apex MB Irons
- Available in individual irons as well as sets
- Light, regular and stiff flex available
- Tungsten energy core
- 34.6 degrees of loft for mid-range
Callaway has always been known for producing quality irons, and their Apex MB irons will not disappoint. They claim they have added some extra technology to the clubs, and the outcome is something pretty spectacular.
First, they do come with a Tungsten energy core. This has helped them to move the center of gravity in the club into the perfect position to provide you with a real sense of control over each and every shot.
At the same time, this gravity position does make the iron that bit more forgiving when you hit the ball away from the middle of the face. It’s going to help to partly pull things back in line, so it has the ability to correct things to a certain degree.
The actual architecture of the club is also important. The unique design has been created in order to help you achieve a higher ball speed, so people with a slower swing speed should feel that this club can help to compensate for that.
Also, the control aspect of the club is wonderful. It’s all thanks to the precision engineering on the face, so the ball won’t simply slide off and do its own thing without you having your input.
Overall, these irons are impressive.
Pros
Cons
The Conclusion
If you want to work on distance and control, then these irons are the perfect solution. You feel as if you are in control of what happens to the ball even after it leaves the face of the club, and that’s a good thing to experience.
However, we do take off half a mark as they may not be suitable for people that are still working on the basics of their game. The need to work on spin and overall control is surpassed with dealing with accuracy at that point, but at least it has a huge sweet spot.
2. Best Medium Range Set - Srixon Z-Forged
- Utility iron available in different loft degrees
- Comes with graphite shaft
- Milled pattern increase ball speed
- Tungsten in base pushes gravity lower
Srixon has been behind the creation of some pretty impressive clubs in recent years, and this Z-forged line of irons is continuing that impressive trait.
An impressive feature of these irons is the way in which they interact with the ground. They sweep along without being too caught up in the grass, and that does provide a cleaner contact with each shot.
The fact that they have Tungsten in the base, the idea of the center of gravity being pushed downward in the clubhead is going to mean you get a much higher launch off the club. This is ideal if this is an area you have been struggling with before.
But let’s look at the construction, and what you have here is a carbon steel body that is specifically designed to soak up those vibrations. That makes this a far more comfortable club to use, and it offers greater feel with each shot as those shockwaves won’t make their way up the shaft.
However, don’t think that this is a solid club. Instead, it does come with a hollow construction, and this has been shown to be a good move especially for utility irons.
Thanks to this construction, you should have no problem when it comes to dealing with distance, accuracy, and control as the club doesn’t twist, and it delivers such excellent feedback.
Overall, this club attempts to deal with all of the main aspects you would expect from an iron. It does so pretty well, but then it needs to as this is a tough market to crack.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
Srixon has produced a quality set of irons. They do help with height, distance, and control, so you are covered no matter the issues you tend to have with your iron shots. As a set, it deals with everything you should be looking for.
The sweet spot and the level of forgiveness it offers is also impressive, so that makes it suitable for people that are struggling with hitting in the heart of the club. However, we are going to deduct half a point simply because the utility iron is the best in the set rather than it being balanced across the range.
3. Best for Reduced Shock - TaylorMade M6 Iron
- Includes speed bridge structure
- Reduced levels of vibrations helps with the shock aspect
- HYBRAR compression dampner included in the club
- Lower gravity offers better distance and control
TaylorMade are known for quality clubs, and this M6 iron is not going to let you down. It incorporates some innovative technology that’s designed to assist your shot, and that applies no matter the level you play at.
Now, you may have heard of the M5, but the first thing you will notice with the M6 is that it is somewhat lighter. That’s going to help people with a slow to moderate swing speed as it will cut through the air faster leading to more energy when you strike the ball.
Also, compared to the M5, this M6 version has a bigger offset, so it’s going to be far more forgiving. This is coupled with the center of gravity being pushed lower in the M6, so it opens up the sweet spot hence it being kinder to you when you hit off the middle of the face.
The loft angle sits at 30 degrees, and this is the same as the M5, but the cool part is that the M6 generates less spin. This is due to it being lighter, so not only will it get more distance due to the weight, but less spin means it cuts through the air better.
Overall, when you then add in the Speed Bridge to the club, which makes the club more rigid so less energy is lost through the club along with the HYBRAR dampner, then you have an amazing club. The need to lower the level of vibration gives you better feel over the shot along with it not exhausting your grip.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
TaylorMade has long made a habit of taking technology to a new level, and this iron is keeping that trend. It looks to provide you with greater control and feel by reducing vibrations. It opens up the face with a massive sweet spot, and it’s lighter than earlier models.
Overall, this club is amazing, and it will push your shot to new distances while still helping you out when you don’t quite hit it in the heart of the club. However, we do take off half a point simply because of the cost associated with the club. Also, it’s more for experienced players, so it’s not suitable for everyone.
4. Best Pro Set - TaylorMade P790 Iron Set
- SpeedFoam technology contained in the club for better COR
- Carefully positioned tungsten weighting around the club
- Forged blade
- Constructed from carbon steel
This is another entrant by TaylorMade, but they are so good at what they do that it’s no surprise we have included more than one.
This set comes with a huge cavity, but there are several other parts of the design of the club that will have a serious impact on the outcome. Instead, it gives you a straight topline mixed in with quite a shallow face. However, the face is open and offers you ample opportunity to make a clean connection.
But we can mention SpeedFoam as TaylorMade does make a big deal of this, and it does make a massive difference to how the club will operate. With this technology, it gives you more sensation upon connection. It makes it easier to determine if you hit the sweet spot thanks to that feel.
The club also has a more compact head than most irons out there, but don’t think that this means you will find it harder to get that contact. That’s just not true.
Instead, TaylorMade counteracts the compact size by using tungsten weighting throughout the club. This will increase the inertia, and then there’s the ultra-thin skim on the face of the club. Considering we are not talking about much at all here, it does provide a great transfer of energy from swing to ball without too much being lost.
Overall, this set is going to give some fantastic feel to your shots, and it does make it relatively easy to hit the sweet spot. The SpeedFoam does deliver greater ball speeds, so that’s going to make it easier to send the ball to whole new distances.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
Putting the expense of the club to one side, what you get here is something that feels exceptionally balanced along with highly forgiving. It encourages advanced players to let rip with their shots knowing the club will help them out.
However, it does drop half a point simply because of the price. It’s going to eliminate so many people who don’t feel like throwing so much cash at a set of irons if they are still trying to master so many of the basics of the game.
5. Best Bargain Set - Wilson Staff Iron Set
- Offers precision milling for better control and accuracy over your shot
- Fluid feel hosel delivering wider sole and a lighter club
- Optimized sole chamber
- Stiff flex
Wilson has also been responsible for producing a series of quality golf clubs, so it’s interesting to see what this Staff iron set has in store.
The first thing that strikes you is that you have consistent weight throughout the entire set. This makes it easier to sense the overall feel and balance of the clubs with each shot.
The precision milling is important with this club. It does provide a greater sense of precision with each shot. Having better feel with each shot does offer you more confidence as the round continues, and that’s only a positive thing.
The design of the club is that it’s far more rounded than other versions. This leads to that optimized sole chamber, and it allows the club to effectively brush along the grass without being caught up. That means a smoother connection on a more regular basis.
Finally, there’s the hosel. It’s fluid, and that means it’s going to remove weight from the hosel, and it has meant Wilson has been able to put on a larger head. All of this is achieved without it having a negative impact on the overall feel of the club.
Overall, Wilson is going for real feel and touch with this set, and they aren’t going to disappoint.
Pros
Cons
The Conclusion
Considering the relatively low price, this set by Wilson is above average when it comes to what it can offer. The balance and weight distribution means you can swing these irons without tiring. Also, the rounded head does provide a cleaner shot, and that applies no matter the standard of player you are. This is a great change to the overall feel of the clubhead, and if you have never played with a more rounded sole before, then we recommend you check it out. The way it can offer you such a crisp and clean connection is amazing.
Overall, it’s tough to see why you would be able to take any point off these clubs. After all, they don’t overdo things, and yet they still make it easier to get a clean connection. For players just really starting out, then this is an excellent set of clubs.
What to Look For with Blade Irons
So, what should you be really looking for when it comes to buying blade irons? Well, first, we need to examine why people bother with these clubs, and it comes down to a couple of things.
The feel that you get from these clubs will be exceptional. It makes you feel as if you are a real player as the control and touch that comes from a quality set of blade irons is unlike anything else you will have experienced.
The other main thing is the control, but then that does tend to come naturally when you have a superior sense of feel over the shots. That’s why the clubs we have selected here do provide that pretty much across the board.
What this means is that blade irons have the ability to really improve your game. However, that only applies when you have the correct set for your needs and game, but we aren’t talking about brand names here.
Balance, Touch, and More
The problem with irons is that you need to make sure they fit you correctly. If not, then your stance is going to change, and that then alters how you address the ball.
Check the length of the club, and also the size of the grip. You don’t want your hands to be clasped together too tightly. That’s gonig to lead to you often pulling your shot, and considering you are going to probably be laying up, or trying to hit the green, you don’t need this to happen.
Finally, consider the flex of the shaft.
If you have a slower swing speed, then you need a higher level of flex. This allows the club to snap around and generate more power which then leads to greater distance. Of course, the opposite will also be true.
The Importance of that MB Part
Knowing if you are looking at blade irons is not always straightforward. However, look for irons that list MB in the name, which stands for muscleback. That’s a surefire sign that you have a blade iron in your hands.
These blade irons are compact in size, deliver real power, and generally produce a lower flight. That pushes the ball greater distances with reduced spin, so you aren’t wasting energy with flighting something in.
It’s also important to know that the modern MB irons are far superior to those from previous generations. Their flexibility when it comes to the shots that can be played with them have pushed them into a whole new stratosphere, and that’s why they are becoming so popular today.
What to Avoid with Blade Irons
But there’s one thing that you need to do when it comes to dealing with blade irons, and that’s to not be drawn into their appearance.
Blade irons really do look the part, but it’s not how they look that will affect your game. Instead, you need to look at weight distribution, the size of the sweet spot, the MOI, and even the flex of the shaft. There are lots of clubs out there that look amazing, but they don’t deliver on what they offer.
Don’t be blinded by the name either. You need to know if these irons fit in with your swing style and how the weight can either counteract your problems, or further exacerbate them.
Instead, focus on what fits in with your game. That’s the most important thing, and then allow the features of the clubs to come into play and make their difference to your shots.
Overall Conclusion
Out of the various sets we have listed above, the one that stands out is the Wilson Staff iron set. That’s because it balanced effectiveness without breaking the bank opening it up to even more players as a result.
However, if you want to go for something at the upper end of the price range, then the TaylorMade M6 is a wonderful club. However, that’s only really for advanced players who are looking for that extra bit of something added to their game.
