Mizuno HMB vs Titleist U500 3 Iron

[jwat142]

I’m looking to purchase a 3 iron that will give me a little more forgiveness than my current Bridgestone J40 CB. I’ve used and enjoyed the Titleist TMBs in the past and was going to get a U500, but then saw the HMB, which is a little less expensive and I could get the shaft I want at no upcharge. Does anyone have any insight into the flight/spin/forgiveness characteristics of these two clubs? Thanks.

[aenemated]

Totally different clubs IMHO. I've hit them both recently - and may even be adding the U500 to my bag - and the HMB doesn't really share any of the "driving" or "utility" iron characteristics of the U500. It's more like the TMBs. The U500 has a MUCH bigger footprint and launched crazy high for me - and went much further - than when I was giving the full set of HMBs a go.

If you're just looking for a bigger, more forgiving 3i - the HMB is exactly that. The U500? It's more a big ol blunt object. Fun as hell to hit, though.

[getitdaily]

Yeah, the u500 is an interesting club when you consider the t200 and t300 options. You'd think the u500 would be limited to 2 and 3 iron lofts to make it a utility iron only.

[GolfMinimalist]

Pretty much this, though I think the U500 is still pretty nice to look at by driving iron standards. I found the U500 much easier to hit than the HMB.

[aenemated]

Oh yeah, definitely looks great behind the ball given how big it is.

[Pepperturbo]

Generally, I can't get my head around hybrid replacement irons. I didn't test Mizuno HMB partially because it's called a hybrid, but the loft of HMB two (2) iron is 16* too strong and jumps three (3) iron and 19* too weak. The similarities between driving irons are surprising. My bias is I been playing either 17* or 18* 2 iron for a long time. An additional factor, I am told, bending these "type" of clubs can necessitate sending it to the OEM to ensure warranty coverage, as they can be fragile and break in the wrong hands.

No interest for me in the Titleist U-510, but I tested U-500 2-iron. IMO it appears more of a cosmetic difference from T-MB 2-iron, maybe that's all. It came down to liking the muscle back look of T-MB in my eye, distances were similar, but T-MB was a tad higher. Forgiving or not wasn't much of a concern. Yes, the shaft upgrade for T-MB increased the price of the club by $53. But since T-MB is now a previous model, pricing is trending downward, matching up to U-500. Another, although minor issue, I never liked the Smoke line of OEM shafts, so I was going to replace the shaft no matter what. In the end, T-MB has a bit more of the muscle back look and especially like the soles contrasting color and with my current shaft able to efficiently work the ball. Good luck with the decision.