Editor Review: Mizuno MP-69's

Introduction-

This in my non-biased review of the Mizuno MP-69s, first I must say that I have played Mizuno blades on and off for many years, I have played the MS/MP-9s, MP-11s. MP-14s, MP-29s, MP-33s, MP-27s,MP-63s and my favorite TN-87s, they all were great feeling and top notch quality irons but I always found something I didnt like, either they had to much offset or to round or to square looking, so in nutshell I have been well aware and kept up with Mizuno irons for many years, for the past three years I have been playing Bridgestone/Tourstage blades and CBs. I have playing the MP-69s for a few weeks (about 15 rounds) now and have practiced with them extensively.

Pros-

On April 23, 2012 I met with Mizuno to get a complete fitting for a set of MP-69s, it was very impressive, especially the shaft optimizer, after an extensive two (2) hour fitting session I was fitted with the KBS x-stiff, std length and std grip, and 1* upright. It was an awesome experience! After I left the session Coby (with Mizuno) sent me an email and told me I would have the irons on the April 30th, well he was correct, they were on the door step. One thing I found out about Mizuno is they are very detailed about their fitting and they will not tell you what you want to hear, they will tell you the facts. They will fit you with what will work for you.

Now to the irons, the looks of these irons are a thing of beauty, really to beautiful to hit, what I really like about them is there is minimal offset especially in the short irons, the head shape has a soft roundish look which I really like a lot, the heads took me a little to get use to because of the size, they are somewhat small but very confident looking, the first iron I hit was the 8 iron and it was love at first shot, the MP-69s have the traditional buttery feel like as usual, in fact I believe they have the buttery feel of the TN-87s. I was a little concerned with the sole width, they are thin, but after a few shots the concerned disappeared quickly.

Cons-

As a +2.1 GHIN these irons are perfect, for the higher handicapper it might not be the best choice because of the small head, thin sole and very little offset. I have thought long and hard and cannot say one negative thing about these irons, maybe the only thing that was not ideal was several of the grips were installed a bit crooked.

Quality-

The quality of the MP-69s gets an A, the swingweights on all irons were D-3, all the lengths were spot on, all the lofts and lies were spot on, I must say I was really shocked about the lofts and lies being spot on, this is the FIRST time ever that the loft and lies were spot on after getting fitted, this was very impressive. The only thing that was a little less desirable was there were a few grips that were crooked.

Review-

MP-69s are grained forged with 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel, 4D muscle design delivers unmatched ball and trajectory control by maintaining the perfect COG design in each club head.

Looks- The looks of the MP-69s are stunning, pure beauty, shiny chrome with soft edges, no fancy or gimmicky look, very minimal offset with a smallish type head. The leading edge has been soften some to prevent digging, the soles look thin but surprisingly very workable. I really like the edges, they have a nice round and soft transition rather than an abrupt edge, Mizuno went all out on these irons, they were very detailed when designing these paying a lot the attention to details.

Performance/playability- I practiced extensively and played about 15 rounds with these, to be honest at first I was very intimidated because of the size but after one hit I was in heaven, the performance is absolutely top notch, the sole design cuts through the turf without digging, they are very easy to hit any type of shot, fade, draw, high, low, really easy to manipulate the ballflight. After hitting a lot of balls I figured out the only way to miss the sweetspot is to miss the ball completely, sound strange but that is what it came down to for me, in fact to me the MP-69s are easier to hit than cavity backs. I really like the sole design, when I think of thin soles I think of digging into the ground, the sole design is thin but will not dig unless you want it to, very easy to hit out of divots and deep rough.

Feel-The feel is what is to be expected from Mizuno, soft and buttery, to me they very comparable to TN-87s, which to me is the all time best feeling iron. Dont get me wrong, all Mizuno irons I have had were soft and buttery when struck but to me I feel like the 69s are the best they have made in years. Mizuno did a great job building the 69s, all the irons have a consistent swingweight of D-3. All I can say is the MP-69s are impeccable in feel, I have played many irons over the years and to me these are the best feeling blades since the TN-87s.

Overall bottom line- Years of playing on and off with Mizunos the MP-69s are the best blades they have put out since TN-87s, I had planned on playing these for a few weeks and putting the Bridgestones back in the bag BUT that did not happen, the MP-69s are in the gamers and the Bridgestones are a memory. My review sounds like I am loyal to Mizuno, I have no loyalty to any company, I use what works for me, it has been many years since any iron just shocked me with the feel, playability and quality,,,,,the MP-69's have done that.

Check out all the pics...

Fitting Day, this was really impressive;

5 thru 7 iron;

8 thru wedge;

back of irons and address;

Comparison pics with the MP-69's and bridgestone J-38 CBs;

Gotta show the irons in the bag, and the divot pattern;

Awesome....so much fun!!! I have the 59s and this makes me want the 69s....ugh...

[quote name='topekareal' timestamp='1337384113' post='4940034']
Awesome....so much fun!!! I have the 59s and this makes me want the 69s....ugh...
[/quote]

Let me tell ya, the 69's really blew me away! I could not believe how great these irons are!

My brother (Rustynuts) has the 69's. Seems to hit them allright. I on the other hand, just bought some new J38's!

wish I was good enough - I would play the 69s or VR Pros in a second!!!!!

(probably the VR Pros, drool!!!!!!!!!)

Will certainly try a demo with those. Unfortunately, my old age budget keeps me playing my MP14's, but they have been terrific. Ohhh to be young again...

Awesome review and photos, still thinking about going to the MP69's from the 68's but I am unsure if it would be worth the extra $$$

Excellent review, Floyd. Knowing that you play the same irons for several years running [like the J38s] affirms all you have said about the MP- 69s...they must be special and offer you an advantage to have made it into your bag. Enjoy them, friend.

Rev.

Thanks for the review! I have not hit the 69's yet but plan on it. I have hit the 59's and if they are as soft as those then Mizuno did it right. How they can make an iron feel this soft I don't know. The heads sound different just clicking together when handling them.

Why did they not include the Lefties?

[quote name='craz-e' timestamp='1337420890' post='4941478']
Awesome review and photos, still thinking about going to the MP69's from the 68's but I am unsure if it would be worth the extra $$
[/quote]

u gotta go with the 69's. when it comes to irons mizuno has it all. if i didn't get such a good deal on my 63's these would be in the bag.

i'm surprised it took this long for such a good review on these.

I love my 68's. I have been a lifetime Mizzy guy, and will buy the next generation in a couple of years. You cant go wrong with any Mizuno blade, period.

The MP69 are amazing and so forgiving (if you're a half decent ballstriker), I tried the MP68 (before the supply problems and ended up waiting 9 months and getting the MP69), and to be honest I think the MP69 is a very good upgrade.

I even find the 3-iron easy to hit compared to my previous blades, like any forged Mizuno blade the distance is very consistent


Treat yourself, the best blade out there in 2012 IMHO.

Great review and beautiful irons. Your a lucky guy to have that oppertunity. I would love to do something like that. Nice work!!!

Awesome review and pics!

I have been playing a set of MP68's since they were released in 2009 and I have a new set of MP69's with KBS Tour's on order from Mizuno. Can't wait to get my hands on these gorgeous blades and take them out on my local course. It'll be interesting to see how they play in comparison to the 68's (which are the best feeling irons I have ever played with thus far).

Great review; Ive only ever owned the one set of Mizuno's and Im pretty keen to keep this brand in my bag, I would also be interested in a comparison between the MP68's & 69's

They've certainly got the bling factor going on but personally they look a bit chunky for a 'blade'........ more like an extreme muscle back.

They are eye-catching but I just can't decide if I like the look or not, they almost have got the feeling of a Chromed up street racer, far too busy and not my thing........... best irons I've hit recently were the Callaway Prototypes........... simple yet modern and innovative looks, and a very special club to swing.

Ultimately the feel and performance is what's important and if these feel a good as the legendary TN-87's then that is impressive............. now if only they looked more like them.

These are great looking clubs, I would love to be custom fit by MIZUNO, though I dont think I would be getting the MP-69's....lol thanks for review and pics!

[quote name='Mikepaul' timestamp='1337607337' post='4950122']
The MP69 are amazing and so forgiving (if you're a half decent ballstriker), I tried the MP68 (before the supply problems and ended up waiting 9 months and getting the MP69), and to be honest I think the MP69 is a very good upgrade.

I even find the 3-iron easy to hit compared to my previous blades, like any forged Mizuno blade the distance is very consistent


Treat yourself, the best blade out there in 2012 IMHO.
[/quote]

Is it true that blades are more forgiving now than previous generation blades??? I am on the lookout for new irons, these look fantastic but I am looking at the 59's, perhaps a combo set would be good?

[quote name='pocoloko1' timestamp='1337609796' post='4950354']
Awesome review and pics!

I have been playing a set of MP68's since they were released in 2009 and I have a new set of MP69's with KBS Tour's on order from Mizuno. Can't wait to get my hands on these gorgeous blades and take them out on my local course. It'll be interesting to see how they play in comparison to the 68's (which are the best feeling irons I have ever played with thus far).
[/quote]
[quote name='130R' timestamp='1337651338' post='4954900']
Great review; Ive only ever owned the one set of Mizuno's and Im pretty keen to keep this brand in my bag, I would also be interested in a comparison between the MP68's & 69's


[/quote]


Looking forward to some feedback against the MP68's guys!

I hit the 68 vs the 69 extensively when I was demoing for a purchase over the past few weeks. I noticed the 69 feels a bit softer. The sweet spot definitely seems to have an abrupt edge on the 68, meaning if you get it slightly off, it's off. The 69 seems to offer a better transitional feeling between the sweet spot and the thinner areas.

Also, the 69 sole is a bit tapered, or the back portion of the sole is rounded off a bit, where the 68 isn't really. I think this means the 69 is a LITTLE thicker which would probably add to the forgiveness factor. Keep in mind, we're talking about really really small changes, but if you have consistent ball striking, you will notice.

I was apprehensive about getting blades as I've only been playing golf regularly for a few months, but I'm really happy with these clubs. Since I use them as a practice aid, I can already tell they make a huge difference. They are easy to stripe and I don't mishit any more balls with these than I was hitting my Cleveland TA7's. These feel much better, and having a 3iron blade isn't really as intimidating as it sounds to some people. I hit it fine.

I didn't lose much distance, either. I have an 89mph swing speed with a 6 iron and all of these irons display excellent distance control. I'm guessing shaft choices would make more of an impact.

QUESTION:

Since this is my first set of higher end clubs...are there any special care requirements? I want these to last a long time, because they're really expensive. Aside from keeping them nice and clean, and from clattering around in my bag when walking/riding, is there something I should know about?

Very nice review and thank you for sharing. I am considering the MP-69's and your review has me leaning lol. I guess I'll have to go test them out

I've played MP-29's for ten years or more (two different sets).

I demo'd the 59's, 63's and 69's last week and I'm going to get myself into the 69's.

Feel even better than the 29's.

[quote name='makaveli' timestamp='1337558444' post='4947726']
[quote name='craz-e' timestamp='1337420890' post='4941478']
Awesome review and photos, still thinking about going to the MP69's from the 68's but I am unsure if it would be worth the extra $$
[/quote]

u gotta go with the 69's. when it comes to irons mizuno has it all. if i didn't get such a good deal on my 63's these would be in the bag.

i'm surprised it took this long for such a good review on these.
[/quote]

How much difference between the 63''s and 69 if you have it both