Miura MB 001 vs Srixon 745/945 - a review

[cnnmaverick]

Hey folks, wanted to wrote a quick review as I've recently purchased a set of Miura MB 001 irons (total vanity purchase to be honest, I really didnt need them at all but was always curious about Miura after having read the love fest on these forums) and put them against my Srixon 745/945s. Note: I have the 545 in long irons - yes they are a different iron and yes I will be mainly focusing on the 745 and 945 to be fair in comparison

 

New set:

Miura MB 001, 0.5" over standard, DG S300

 

Old set:

Srixon 545 4-5iron, 745 6-7 iron, 945 8-PW

 

Game:

Used to play well with a 3-hcp, now more like a 9-14 due to lack of practice. Fast swing, can hit the ball a long way but not always accurate. Digger more than sweeper with a full swing and a somewhat aggressive transition. Short game is terrible, iron play mediocre to good and driving pretty solid but I like to go wild from time to time.

 

 

Looks:

Miura wins out here flat out. While the Srixons are lovely designed and the x45 series is a lot more pleasing than the x65 series, the Miuras are just timeless. Lack of logos, very classic lines and a nice satin sheen to all of them. Head wise they are very compact and seem a little more boxy and square than the Srixons. Srixons are longer heel to toe and more of a tear drop shape while the Miuras are more square all around and less rounded near the toe box. Short irons are almost a wash with almost the same size while long irons are definitely smaller footprint on the Miuras. Top line is definitely thinner (from the 8 iron down almost the same) but getting more think in the long ones in the Miura. Frankly cant imagine anyone playing anything less than a 5-iron as they are getting very knife-y...

 

Feel:

Miura is slightly ahead on this one. The Srixons are some of the best feeling irons around, so there's little upside. That said, the Miuras feel very solid. It's not the "orgasmic" feeling people make it out to be on this forum (not sure any iron is) but when you hit one flush, it's hard to describe. Thick is probably most like it. Doesnt feel as mushy as a Mizuno and definitely not super soft but just a solid thick malleable piece of metal hitting a ball. Really good and a tick above the Srixons. The Srixons are a little more clicky (esp the 545s) and feel a little more hollow... but not by much

 

Forgiveness:

The Miuras have a pre-ground front edge, so there's less digging than previous irons. That said, the Srixons here are in a class of their own with the V-Sole. Initially I really dug some kid graves with the Miuras and was like "wtf just happened here!?!" as I am used to having a lot of help with the V-sole and just throwing the club into the ground and having it bounce back up... they still dig if you're not careful. Forgiveness wise I was somewhat impressed by the Miuras for pure blades, but a blade is a blade is a blade - you're only getting so much help. Srixon definitely has the upper hand here and for long irons, it's not even a contest.

Getting more used to them, the Ms are nice out of longer grass and once you know how to handle, they feel like they're just able to slice through the ground (almost like a scalpel) vs having a streamlined plow if you will. Neither sting and both will let you know if you hit them flush or not, with the Ms having a slightly more precise feedback feel

 

Distance wise I dont think there's much in it either way. Both lose distance when mishit (the Ms more so than the Srixons, esp in the longer irons where the tungsten plug comes in handy) but the Ms are slightly more severe in their loss. I get the sense they dont like to be "forced" / swung hard. The easier I swing the better results get, whereas the Srixons can be handled more aggressively

 

Overall:

I like both sets and will happily rotate between them and can provide an update once the honeymoon is over. For now I'll focus on the Miuras to get a better feel and acquaintance with them. I like them quite a lot and can see them growing on me. They are definitely a step up in craftsmanship and have a slightly better feel. In the short term : it was a vanity purchase that I dont regret. Is the feel, workability or looks alone worth the significant mark-up? I'm not sure if it is for most people to be honest, especially since Srixons are such a steal. But I'll use them exclusively for a period to truly get the difference and report back

 

 

Any questions, let me know!

[craz-e]

Very nice write up, and awesome sticks by the way!!

[Golf64]

Gorgeous sticks! ;)

[vanla01]

Great review, cant go wrong with Miura's if you are testing out blades!

[cnnmaverick]

Quick update after another 36 holes:

Growing on me continuously. 7 iron down is just awesome and very dart-like. Still taking large divots but the clubs slices through and doesnt get stuck in the ground.

Long irons are still finnickly (looking at you 5-iron)... when you hit them well they actually launch quite high and have good stopping power on greens, to the point of getting some backspin on a 5 or 6 iron shot. That said, easy to push them right (my usual miss) where they lose a lot of distance

[duffymoon]

Hi Cnnmaverick,

I’ve just come back from my mb001 fitting.

I too have come from z745 (4-pw) and was just blown away by the feel from these blades.

I also hit the cb501 (?) I think it was as they didn’t have all the mb001s with every shaft option. Personally I couldn’t tell the difference in feel between either head, they both felt phenomenally soft yet solid.

I’ve never hit a blade that felt as good as these and I’ve owned a few...mp14s, mp33s, mp68s and Titleist 690s.

Curiously though I was fitted into a Shimada Tour Lite S flex shaft. I’ve never heard of shimada shafts before today. But they gave me the best distance and dispersion. I’m usually an s300 kind of guy. But these lighter shafts certainly felt and worked best for me. Plus I gained a lot of clubhead speed with them. I’m normally about 86-88 mph with a 6 iron. Today I was 92-94!

They’ll be ready in a couple of weeks. MB001 5-pw. Roll on the new season.

Quick question; has anybody tried/use shimada shafts? Any thoughts or opinions much appreciated.

[Oldplayer]

Hi Cnnmaverick,

I’ve just come back from my mb001 fitting.

I too have come from z745 (4-pw) and was just blown away by the feel from these blades.

I also hit the cb501 (?) I think it was as they didn’t have all the mb001s with every shaft option. Personally I couldn’t tell the difference in feel between either head, they both felt phenomenally soft yet solid.

I’ve never hit a blade that felt as good as these and I’ve owned a few...mp14s, mp33s, mp68s and Titleist 690s.

Curiously though I was fitted into a Shimada Tour Lite S flex shaft. I’ve never heard of shimada shafts before today. But they gave me the best distance and dispersion. I’m usually an s300 kind of guy. But these lighter shafts certainly felt and worked best for me. Plus I gained a lot of clubhead speed with them. I’m normally about 86-88 mph with a 6 iron. Today I was 92-94!

They’ll be ready in a couple of weeks. MB001 5-pw. Roll on the new season.

Quick question; has anybody tried/use shimada shafts? Any thoughts or opinions much appreciated.

Shimadas are fantastic shafts. Great choice. Very high quality control. All the feel and performance of nippons but even better.

They are not the stoutest for stated flex but are the top of the tree for lighter weight steel.

[duffymoon]

Many thanks Oldplayer,

They certainly felt smooth compared to the other shafts I tried yesterday (dgs300, modus 120 S, modus 125 TX and another Shimada which I can’t remember exactly....Shimada pro S(???).

I got the best smash factor with the Shimada Lite too, up to 1.39 on occasion.

If anyone out there is interested I’ll post the trackman pdf of my fitting when it’s emailed to me.

[Nixhex524]

Love the leading edges on those Miuras. The V sole on the Srixon is great but I like the subtleness of that grind on the Miura, like Titleist did with some of their late offerings. Clean looking.

[duffymoon]

Yeah, that leading edge grind is actually quite pronounced. I was a bit taken aback by it. Seemed to work though.

[cnnmaverick]

Yeah, that leading edge grind is actually quite pronounced. I was a bit taken aback by it. Seemed to work though.

 

Honestly it's not as much as the second picture makes it out to be... light plays some tricks here.

It's pretty subtle and the bounce definitely is way lower than the Srixons. That said, I have not touched the Srixons in quite some time after my purchase. Having gotten used to the boxy look of the Miuras, I just can't pick up any Mizunos (or even the 945s) any longer. They all look like round spoons to me :-)

[duffymoon]

There’s not a lot not to like about the z945 (I still have the z745s as my back up....i.e. if I ever lose or have the mb001s stolen) but I’m totally in awe of the feel of these irons.

I played a comp (badly...not the clubs fault I just had a bad day) last week and have had quite a few range sessions under my belt now. Admittedly I’m still in the honeymoon phase but I can’t see it ever ending.

That leading edge is quite sharp which will suit me on the links as the ground hardens.

But the feel. Oh my god. People often say it’s not as soft as mizuno. I agree. Here’s my take on it. When you hit a mizuno blade it’s like hitting a golf ball made of butter. But when you middle the Miura it’s like hitting a golf ball made of plasticine or play-doh. Absolutely sublime.

Made a few changes to my swing with the new clubs at the range earlier this evening and I’m grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Baby draws! I’m hitting baby draws...like a proper golfer again!

On a training course for the next six weeks so won’t be back out on the course again til March. Looks like I’m going to be spending a lot of money at the range for the foreseeable. Talk about addiction!

 

[HiGun]

> @duffymoon said:

> There’s not a lot not to like about the z945 (I still have the z745s as my back up....i.e. if I ever lose or have the mb001s stolen) but I’m totally in awe of the feel of these irons.

>

> I played a comp (badly...not the clubs fault I just had a bad day) last week and have had quite a few range sessions under my belt now. Admittedly I’m still in the honeymoon phase but I can’t see it ever ending.

>

> That leading edge is quite sharp which will suit me on the links as the ground hardens.

>

> But the feel. Oh my god. People often say it’s not as soft as mizuno. I agree. Here’s my take on it. When you hit a mizuno blade it’s like hitting a golf ball made of butter. But when you middle the Miura it’s like hitting a golf ball made of plasticine or play-doh. Absolutely sublime.

>

> Made a few changes to my swing with the new clubs at the range earlier this evening and I’m grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

>

> Baby draws! I’m hitting baby draws...like a proper golfer again!

>

> On a training course for the next six weeks so won’t be back out on the course again til March. Looks like I’m going to be spending a lot of money at the range for the foreseeable. Talk about addiction!

 

HI

How are you getting on with your MB001's, I have the chance of a set and was wondering if the 'honeymoon' period has worn off?

I have a set of Z765 and wondered how you felt they compared e.g. flight, lack of distance etc

Cheers