Best Maltby Iron for me (Please see description)

Considering MMB 17, TE Forged and TS-1s. I hit the ball too low and have an out to in bias that produces toe hits often. I am a 2 but have no ego. I do like less graphics on clubs however and that knocked out TS-2s. I don't love the looks of the TE forged and that will lose in a tie breaker. I want the highest flying, easy to hit club out of the 3 (Seem very close in MPF, could it be for MMBs?? ). Coming from JPX 850 Forged which are surprisingly low on MPF.

PTM forged. Nice and soft. Clean look. Progressive weight starting in the toe on the long irons moving more central in the mid and short irons. Low cog to get the ball up. Minimal offset.

Great call. First hand experience with any or all? That is a great looking iron.

I’ve only hit the PTM indoors, but I was super impressed. They had the recoil 680’s too which were just effortless to swing. I was set on Ping i210 and now I don’t know what to do. $430 for the PTM with graphite is hard to beat.

DBM forged! I played them most of this season before going to i210’s and iblades. That are stupid easy to elevate (shaft selection also helps) and very forgiving on toe strikes. Also, stop looking at MPF scores. The people who actually believe it those scores also believe in Santa Claus.

> @ReidThompson said:

> Considering MMB 17, TE Forged and TS-1s. I hit the ball too low and have an out to in bias that produces toe hits often. I am a 2 but have no ego. I do like less graphics on clubs however and that knocked out TS-2s. I don't love the looks of the TE forged and that will lose in a tie breaker. I want the highest flying, easy to hit club out of the 3 (Seem very close in MPF, could it be for MMBs?? ). Coming from JPX 850 Forged which are surprisingly low on MPF.

Of the three listed, it's definitely the TE Forged. They are built for high launch and for forgiveness near the toe.

Definitely the TE Forged/DBM based on what you described.

Also, the Maltby numbers are pretty revealing on the Mizuno 850 Forged. I do not use the overall MPF but rather focus on specific measurements that affect my game. The 850's have a high center of gravity at .863; the equator of the ball is .840. You had better get down and through to get the most out of those irons. The TE Forged, by contrast, has a .675 center of gravity which is great for me as a picker.

Might peruse through the 26 page [Maltby TS 2 thread](https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/1658646/maltby-ts2/p1 "Maltby TS 2 thread") for insight. All the heads you're considering are discussed at various points. Popeye64, in particular, having more than common knowledge on all things Maltby.

Evaluated a TE 7 iron for much of last golf season. It ticked a lot of boxes in design attributes (low bounce, minimal offset, forged, clean design) that I was after. Really wanted to like it, build out a set. But one major flaw to it that could not be overcome. Despite testing it with three different shafts. It launches **really** high. As a high ball hitter to begin with, a factor that could not be overcome. I lost a full club in distance compared with the irons that were in use at the time (only one degree of loft differential) The opposite of what I was after in considering a new set. Wanted to increase distances realized. WTS, if maximizing a high ball flight and forgiveness, the TE would likely be the ticket.

The MMB-17 was a non-starter. Wasn't looking for a MB style head. The PTM was initially intriguing. However, the TS-2, and subsequently the TS-1 were more intriguing. The hollow bodied, foam filled design. Went with the TS-1 heads (5 - GW). Often said that if someone were to make a blade-style players club with SGI attributes, in a not overly large size, would be all over them. Exactly what the TS-1's are. They have excellent curbside aesthetics. Equal to if not better than many OEM offerings these days. With that being entirely subjective. The feel on a flushed hit is what I expected. Solid. Reasonably tolerant to a toe side mishit (my typical). And super easy to adjust the lie (mine are 3* up) according to my bender. Stronger lofts for sure (45* PW) that is the nature of the game these days, but not to the absurd. I've picked up about a full club of distance compared to the prior set, while still hitting a moderately high trajectory shot. (Much improved over the TE head.) Required an adaptation to assessing the club required from a particular distance. And as a picker my nature, the modest bounce figures and sole design, allows for more consistency to making a solid ball strike than the irons in use prior (Ping i20's and the notorious ping bounce). And most other wide® soled SGI irons on the market. They are a great head, and more than satisfied by the choice. As always, installing the correct shaft into them makes a big difference in how they will perform for an individuals tendencies.

Other considerations on the subject. The DBM coating on any of the iron heads prevents bending beyond +/- 1*. Per Golfworks. If you need adjustability beyond that, best to look at the non-DBM models. The MMB-17 is .370 bore, the others are Universal. If that makes a difference in shaft selection considerations.

As always, YMMV. One can build a demo club rather inexpensively to test for yourself.

For you, I would rank them......TE, DBM, PTM, TS-2, TS-1, MMB17. If you don't like the TE/DMB look, then I'd give the PTM a shot. They are a bit more forgiving than the TE in my opinion.

I voted MMB. They are not the highest flying. The TE/ DBM are, at least of the 3 that I have tried, which include the TS-1.

But, the TE/ DBM flew too high with way too much spin for me. And I’m not a high ball flight player. You may get different results.

With your description, the MMB’s will fly plenty high depending on shaft, and they are very forgiving.

I had the black finish version, and really should not have sold them.

I tried the dbm forged and the ts1. Still have the ts1. DBM looks great but any impact toward the upper part of the face felt like it just died on me. The ts1 feels good, has a bit of a “click” to it, and for me went very high. My golf buddy even asked me if I normally hit my irons that high. Distance is good. They look pretty sharp too, although I covered the medallion with a circle of lead tape.

> @Fellaheen51 said:

> Other considerations on the subject. The DBM coating on any of the iron heads prevents bending beyond +/- 1*. Per Golfworks. If you need adjustability beyond that, best to look at the non-DBM models. The MMB-17 is .370 bore, the others are Universal. If that makes a difference in shaft selection considerations.

>

> As always, YMMV. One can build a demo club rather inexpensively to test for yourself.

You can actually bend them 2* strong/weak. I ordered my DBM set 2* strong. They said it was no problem because they have a -/+ 1* loft tolerance from the factory. So, if you want 2* strong, they find one that’s 1* strong from the factory and bend it 1* strong. I was actually going to do another set but weaken lofts 2* except I wanted the GW at 53* (3* weak) and the rep said they could prob accommodate that.

TE Forged have more traditional lofts, so will hit the ball higher. They have a simple, clean design, much like the old Hogan Edge irons. I built a demo 8-iron recently, and the only negative I could find was that I thought the club had a very sharp leading edge. I was cutting more pronounced divots than usual. Nonetheless, were I to return to Maltby irons, this is the head I would choose. In fact, the very fact that you asked this question had me pulling the club out of the barrel for another test.

UPDATE: I ran my test 8-iron thru the paces over the last couple of days, and I have to say that I'm a bit surprised by the 701+ MPF designation. This is a player's iron, not a game improvement iron. While it has a lovely ball flight, it's quite surgical in its performance. My impression is that it's for low handicappers who know what they're doing.

I went with the MMB vote. I currently game to original MMB version as an 18 HCP (don’t get out much anymore with 3 young kids and two jobs). But they have enough forgiveness and workability to be the best of both worlds. Clean look, can still get some of the Black (DMB) finish if you want, and will have the right height if paired with the correct shaft (I tend to hit the ball high so I actually use project x - old school non-flighted- shafts in mine). I did swap out the 5 and 6 iron for my more forgiving Maltby KE4’s just to just myself a little forgiveness as I’m not playing as much these days. They have a good feel overall (soft but will let you know when you mishit them- but won’t completely punish you). They’ve been my main irons for about 7 years now. Best of luck on your search.

Ok,, since your admitted fault is out on the toe I would steer you away from the MMB. Not that it's not a forgiving design it's just not happy out on the toe. They do fly well though but it barks back at you on the toe.

The TS-1 is a great design and in my second go round with them they have been fantastic. I'm striking the ball really well these days and when hit properly there are not many designs that give you the performance of these irons. Feel is just right between feedback and that smooth forged feel. They spin about as perfectly for my swing as possible stopping in thier ball mark on just about every shot. They have good forgiveness and wont kill you out on the toe.,,,,,, BUT...

The iron I believe you should be playing is the PTM.

The PTM is a victim of the TS series launch. Had it been the only forging in the lineup they would be getting talked about a LOT more. They have minimal graphics, superb feel and are very forgiving. The Pearl finish seems to hold up very well and it's more of a minimalist overall aesthetic look. Of the all the Maltby forgings they are the most happy out on the toe with very little loss of feel, trajectory and distance. They have great perimeter weighting and a top line that has soft lines so it's not that big to the eye.

I am always tinkering with my gear and bagged the PTM 5. 6, 7, this week with the TS-1 8-GW. I hit a 190 yard PTM 6 iron dead off the toe to 15 feet to the left of the pin today. Surprised me quite frankly. Another side benefit is the are only 34 a piece so there's that as well.

If you truly have no ego over irons then you definitely need to make up a PTM head and give it a go. I think it would

When fitting players and giving them all of the mentioned irons to hit 4 have chosen the PTM over everything else. All were good players.

I built a TS-1 7 Iron with DG S300 shaft. The club is a beast, goes long, looks like a blade, plenty forgiving and sexy as f**K. Going to build a full set of them. IMO it is not a high launching club though.

My swing produces a very high launching ball flight naturally and this is the first time I've had an iron that keeps the flight down and under control. It's easy to launch it high as well but you've got to use the right technique to do that. If your natural ball flight is low then you'll need to carefully pick your shaft or try one of the other heads.

Hey There,

Thanks again for the note. My only issue with the PTM, because I think I like the look better, is the pressed forging over true forged of TE. But I think the toe strikes may make up for it....

Reid

> @Popeye64 said:

> Ok,, since your admitted fault is out on the toe I would steer you away from the MMB. Not that it's not a forgiving design it's just not happy out on the toe. They do fly well though but it barks back at you on the toe.

> The TS-1 is a great design and in my second go round with them they have been fantastic. I'm striking the ball really well these days and when hit properly there are not many designs that give you the performance of these irons. Feel is just right between feedback and that smooth forged feel. They spin about as perfectly for my swing as possible stopping in thier ball mark on just about every shot. They have good forgiveness and wont kill you out on the toe.,,,,,, BUT...

> The iron I believe you should be playing is the PTM.

> The PTM is a victim of the TS series launch. Had it been the only forging in the lineup they would be getting talked about a LOT more. They have minimal graphics, superb feel and are very forgiving. The Pearl finish seems to hold up very well and it's more of a minimalist overall aesthetic look. Of the all the Maltby forgings they are the most happy out on the toe with very little loss of feel, trajectory and distance. They have great perimeter weighting and a top line that has soft lines so it's not that big to the eye.

> I am always tinkering with my gear and bagged the PTM 5. 6, 7, this week with the TS-1 8-GW. I hit a 190 yard PTM 6 iron dead off the toe to 15 feet to the left of the pin today. Surprised me quite frankly. Another side benefit is the are only 34 a piece so there's that as well.

> If you truly have no ego over irons then you definitely need to make up a PTM head and give it a go. I think it would

>

> When fitting players and giving them all of the mentioned irons to hit 4 have chosen the PTM over everything else. All were good players.

> @ReidThompson said:

> Hey There,

> Thanks again for the note. My only issue with the PTM, because I think I like the look better, is the pressed forging over true forged of TE. But I think the toe strikes may make up for it....

>

> Reid

>

> > @Popeye64 said:

> > Ok,, since your admitted fault is out on the toe I would steer you away from the MMB. Not that it's not a forgiving design it's just not happy out on the toe. They do fly well though but it barks back at you on the toe.

> > The TS-1 is a great design and in my second go round with them they have been fantastic. I'm striking the ball really well these days and when hit properly there are not many designs that give you the performance of these irons. Feel is just right between feedback and that smooth forged feel. They spin about as perfectly for my swing as possible stopping in thier ball mark on just about every shot. They have good forgiveness and wont kill you out on the toe.,,,,,, BUT...

> > The iron I believe you should be playing is the PTM.

> > The PTM is a victim of the TS series launch. Had it been the only forging in the lineup they would be getting talked about a LOT more. They have minimal graphics, superb feel and are very forgiving. The Pearl finish seems to hold up very well and it's more of a minimalist overall aesthetic look. Of the all the Maltby forgings they are the most happy out on the toe with very little loss of feel, trajectory and distance. They have great perimeter weighting and a top line that has soft lines so it's not that big to the eye.

> > I am always tinkering with my gear and bagged the PTM 5. 6, 7, this week with the TS-1 8-GW. I hit a 190 yard PTM 6 iron dead off the toe to 15 feet to the left of the pin today. Surprised me quite frankly. Another side benefit is the are only 34 a piece so there's that as well.

> > If you truly have no ego over irons then you definitely need to make up a PTM head and give it a go. I think it would

> >

> > When fitting players and giving them all of the mentioned irons to hit 4 have chosen the PTM over everything else. All were good players.

>

>

I had the PTM long irons in play today and they performed as well as could be expected. They have such a soft feel when struck and they were spot on accurate. I constantly had 180-190 yard shots so the 6 iron in particular got a big work out. Its certainly not as sexy as the TS-1 and isnt the 5 step forging process of the TE but they are a great head. I really recomend putting one together or two of your top choices and give them a head to head try.

For me the modern sole design of the TS and the PTM are tough to over look.

The TE is still a great design but the tech has passed it by.

Popeye,

I have the TEs and the PTMs (black). Besides the stronger lofts and modern sole design, are there other features the PTMs have over the TEs? Also, what is meant by "modern sole design" ?

As of now, I hit the TEs better but plan on reshafting the PTMs,

Popeye-- so the PTM in long irons and TS-1 in short irons for you?

So.....Found some TS1s on Ebay that I could not pass up. 3-56. Won't be needing the 3 iron, so that will be hitting the BST soon. I think the shafts are perfect for me. As much as I wanted to go TE Forged or TS2, I let a little cool factor creep in. We all know an Accord is more reliable and faster than, say an old Lincoln Continental convertible, but which one do you want to drive to the course?? :) If the MPF is anywhere near accurate, they will still be way easier to hit and fly higher than my JPX 850s. So I am really hoping they work out! May look for a 4-5 iron PTM if the TS1s don't work in that end of the bag. All of the input here was extremely helpful and I am very grateful. I will post a thorough review when hit.

For what it's worth, I picked up a set of DBMs with S300s in August (after a few years of really wanting them) and love them. The one issue i have with them is that they launch and fly HIGH so if that is something you are looking for, these might be a good fit. Additionally, I have looked down at the ball marks on some of my mishits and seen that they were pretty far out on the toe and there was NOTHING lost in shot result. Still flying long, high and straight. You absolutely cannot beat the look although the feel isn't as great as some of my prior forged sets but if the results are there, i don't car that much about the feel.