Best Nike blades

[barriec]

I am interested in understanding Nike's progression of various blade offerings through the years. Is there a consensus of a model that stands apart or conversely is a dog? I understand blades are blades but with Nike's relatively new entry into club making one might expect some variance in quality and playability through the years/ generations of iron sets.

 

Thank you.

[npham]

Rory and Tiger game them. Probably good enough for you....

[barriec]

The clubs are not for me but thanks for stopping by with your non-productive comment...please leave my thread. So...there is Mizuno. Their blade offerings appeal to many players but each model has its character. The MP67's for example are different in character than MP69s. I am sincerely trying to learn about Nike and forged irons over time.

[Nuggets]

originals are best

[Armypilot84]

This is kind of a tough question to answer IMO, because Nike really hasn't mass produced that many sets of true forged blades. They have made several sets but they were mainly tour issue stuff that was hard to come by. The first true blade they mass produced are the Vrs blades that Tiger and Rory both currently play. I guess you can also include the Vrs Pro Combo set too, but they were cavity backs in the 3-6 irons. So...it will be hard to compare the sets. Some die hard Nike guys may have gotten their hands on the older sets. I can tell you though that the Vrs are nice sticks. All of Nikes forged options are Endo forged and are really soft feeling. With that being said though the Vrs blades are blades in every sense of the word. You need to have a good bit of SS to play them properly, and they are not very forgiving, and have little to no offset. They are a true players club. Anyone above a 5 handicap would have a hard time playing them IMO.

[ddetts]

The first true blade they mass produced are the Vrs blades that Tiger and Rory both currently play. I guess you can also include the Vrs Pro Combo set too, but they were cavity backs in the 3-6 irons.

 

I thought the original Nike Forged Blades (the first model TW played after the switch from Titleist) were the first mass produced? I had a set for a couple of years and didn't have to do anything special to get them, they were just available at a retail store.

 

 

On a side note, does anyone remember another iteration of those blades that TW played for awhile that had the swoosh inverted and centered on the muscle instead of on the toe as pictured above? I don't think they were materially different from the original, but I did think they looked sweet.

 

I spent some time trying to find an image, bust so far unsuccessful!

 

The closest thing I could find:

[Golfingfanatic]

Lookswise definitely the original blades, vr pros are nice aswell

[barriec]

Thanks for the replies guys. Food for thought. Nuggets...why are originals best? Army pilot thanks for thoughtful response.

I have a friend who is a strong player but has only played four years...same set of clubs. Now they 'must' have blades. I will not try to dissuade or not dissuade as this is a personal path we all know. But...it seems to me that one might get their feet wet with an older model blade and lessen initial investment. We all know people (maybe us) who buy blades at $1000 only to face the harsh reality of our swing....almost a golfer right of passage.

So...if an older set of Nike blades (and yes...it has to be nike for this person) might allow a less expensive learning experience. I think what they are going to be unprepared for is the higher center of gravity...

[ddetts]

What I found with the original blades when I played:

1. Factory specs were very weak/traditional lofts as per what Tiger played. I believe the PW was 49*. I had to have them bent 2* strong because I hit moon balls and lost a lot of distance into the wind; admittedly this probably also had to do some with swing issues and having excessive spin
2. Because I had them bent 2* strong, this also reduced bounce on all clubs and it was easy to dig with them when I got steep and thus a lot of my misses were fat
3. When I was swinging well, bothing beat the feeling and the ball flight, but when you're off you lose a lot, and I mean A LOT of distance for heel and toe hits.

Finally, I just didn't swing well enough often enough to keep them in play. Had a few of my best rounds with them, but also had a rounds that were a lot worse because mishits killed me. I ended up trading them for my Titleist 735s which I still have. I was just out of college and didn't have them money to keep them and just buy a new set, but in hindsight wish I would've kept them just to have.

[AceDad]

Original nike forged blades hands down. No other reason than it's personal. Love mine, longer irons can be intimidating to some and are are harsh when not struck properly. The 7-pw is the clubs u want to have in your hands for so many shots. Great to look at, hit, feel and so workable. Now i wanna leave work and just go hit my irons, thx guys!

[setter02]

I'm likely in the minority, but I didn't think outside of looks that the orig blades were all that. I got to play 2 sets, one with S400's and another with PX 6.0s and I couldn't feel the head weight through my swing to save my life, felt like swinging a shaft with no head on it. Promptly traded them for a set of TM MB TP's which I thought were a more forgiving, better playing set of blades. Over the past half dozen years or so, I think they've gotten better with their offerings in the feel department, and a bit in looks, tho the orig blades were by far the best looking they've produced.

[AceDad]

[quote name='ddetts' timestamp='1406736046' post='9817203']
What I found with the original blades when I played:

1. Factory specs were very weak/traditional lofts as per what Tiger played. I believe the PW was 49*. I had to have them bent 2* strong because I hit moon balls and lost a lot of distance into the wind; admittedly this probably also had to do some with swing issues and having excessive spin
2. Because I had them bent 2* strong, this also reduced bounce on all clubs and it was easy to dig with them when I got steep and thus a lot of my misses were fat
3. When I was swinging well, bothing beat the feeling and the ball flight, but when you're off you lose a lot, and I mean A LOT of distance for heel and toe hits.

Finally, I just didn't swing well enough often enough to keep them in play. Had a few of my best rounds with them, but also had a rounds that were a lot worse because mishits killed me. I ended up trading them for my Titleist 735s which I still have. I was just out of college and didn't have them money to keep them and just buy a new set, but in hindsight wish I would've kept them just to have.
[/quote]

Yes, lofts are weak but really made no difference to me. Actually helped me, dropped my gap since pw at 49, now wedges are at 55 n 60, perfect setup for me. Gave me more play with my fairways n longer clubs.

[donaldp83]

I 100% agree the originals are the best. I played them for a couple years and really regret getting rid of them. They were very playable, and felt pretty good. I would put them up against any newer blades (other than Adams MB2). They can be had for $200-300. IMO it would be crazy to spend more for newer ones right off the bat...

[prhiam]

The VR Pros are amazing as far as bladed irons go and they are now available for something like 599 or less directly from Nike or the Retails stores.

[SC-TX 88]

[quote name='donaldp83' timestamp='1406736766' post='9817301']
I 100% agree the originals are the best. I played them for a couple years and really regret getting rid of them. They were very playable, and felt pretty good. I would put them up against any newer blades (other than Adams MB2). They can be had for $200-300. IMO it would be crazy to spend more for newer ones right off the bat...
[/quote]

I just picked up a set of the originals 3-pw heads only i'm going to pair with some project x 5.5 I have laying around. Excited to try these out.

[BCULAW]

I had a satin set of the originals that I LOVED, but I think the VR TW model was the best performer. It had a great shape and grind, and felt fantastic. Cosmetics were a little funky with the red striped and two-tone finish, but that was easy enough the remedy.

[Oldplayer]

Another vote for the originals. They look the best, had the most pleasing shape in the short irons to my eye and were Endo forged.
As stated by another poster the weak lofts were no problem. Just played like a 4-gw of a modern strong lofted set.

[resnor]

Love my original Nike blades. Looks, playability, everything. I got them when they released, and just bought them at a golf store, they weren't hard to come by.

[steviethev]

I just picked up a used set of the originals from GG for $90 with tax - the clubs look like they had hardly been hit, and when they were hit, the person missed on the toe side. Just a minor amount of bag chatter.

I can say, and well I haven't hit too many blade irons extensively, they are pretty wonderful on well struck shots. The feel is pretty incredible, soft, nice, and they are extremely workable.

I have no intention of fully switching over to them yet - more so picked them up because it would be stupid to leave a 3-p set of forged blades for under $100 in incredible condition behind. Still working with them at the range and loving hitting them.

Main point - they're a really nice set of blades that can be had for a pretty reasonable price.

[CactusGolf]

I thought I'd give this a little bump.

Dos anyone know the specs on the irons?

Forged by anyone special?

[dunn]

[quote name='CactusGolf' timestamp='1422537382' post='10840217']
I thought I'd give this a little bump.

Dos anyone know the specs on the irons?

Forged by anyone special?
[/quote]they're isn't alot of forging houses so it's not like their are bunch of differences between em all.......the steel and what manufacturer specs out is the difference

[djordangolf2]

I am as big of a Nike guys as anyone, but I thought the original Nike blades we by far the worst they have produced. However, each blade release has gotten better and better and now that I have put the new vapor irons in the bag, I have had the last 3 blade releases from Nike. These are by far the best and I cannot wait to have them in play for tournaments

[Ajkelley]

I am years behind on this thread. But I still own my original forged Nike blades and love them to death. The only reason I’m looking to switch is because they don’t conform to the new grooves rules. They are weaker lofts but seem to provide a more even gap between each club. I’m looking to upgrade to the Nike VR pro II Blades as they seem to be the closest to the original but still confirming to the new rules. Otherwise, the New TaylorMade TW blades are nice!

[Duffman57]

I’m really curious. I was just looking at the malt by playability factor rankings from Nike (was thinking of trying to go Koepka and get a vapor fly, not pro 3 iron) and noticed that the VR TW blades were almost in the game improvement category for playability. Are they really that easy to hit as blades?  I just thought that was interesting. 

[Nard_S]

2 hours ago, Duffman57 said:

I’m really curious. I was just looking at the malt by playability factor rankings from Nike (was thinking of trying to go Koepka and get a vapor fly, not pro 3 iron) and noticed that the VR TW blades were almost in the game improvement category for playability. Are they really that easy to hit as blades?  I just thought that was interesting. 

 

The CG is dead center of the face, most blades are somewhat heel bound. They use tungsten to get them that way. They are really quite nice. The face has extra grooves which look spectacular behind the ball. 

[bodhi555]

For looks and feel it's the OG's, for performance it's the VR Pros.

[Kgglonghorn]

VR Pro Blade continues to get knocked off to this day...go look at Tiger's P7TW irons...same down to the tungsten insert