Blade users thread (NO DEBATING CLUBHEADS! NO Buy Sell Trade!)

[Sir Slicealot]

I tried the iblades and I found them harsh compared to my MP-4's. I found the Titleist 716MB to be nicer.

[Sir Slicealot]

So the heartbreaking story begins...they changed the run on the ship. No more golf in Houston. Clubs being offloaded tonight.

[3woodvt]

Hi all,

 

My name is Jesse and I live in western NY, so golf season here is currently over. I'm in the market for new irons, and find myself very drawn to Ping, specifically the i blades.

 

I married into a golf loving family and have been playing 2 - 3 times a week for 4 years. My goal is to shoot around an 85 but definitely try to stay under 90. That being said my personal best is a 79 and I'd shoot better scores if I didn't put a drive OB and duff a chip or crush a putt a few times around.

 

When I started I'd fight a slice in everything but now everything is pretty much straight (with the occasional slice w the driver).

 

Thank you for bearing with me through all that, so should I really be looking to stay in the GI catagory? Or would it be possible to play the iblades?

 

I appreciate any and all advice.

Thanks

The Iblades are very beautiful irons imo. Good luck on your choice and let us know the progress in whatever you choose.

[Sir Slicealot]

 

There is zero statistically valid correlation between iron type and skill level.

 

Play what your heart desires without any technical fear.

 

But IMHO a blade made from a single block of forged steel will be better feeling than an iBlade.

This is great!

[Sir edward of putternut]

Anyone here live in colorado(denver area) and want to play tomorrow?

[mallrat]

Ok I know I literally just said I wasn't buying irons, but I found used sets of MP-54 and MP-32 on ebay for $76 and $66 respectively. The 54's have a reserve so I'm not sure how much that is, and the 32's have 2 bids on them currently.

 

Doubt I'll find the 32's in a store to try first, but research shows people absolutely love them.

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/...sd=262797031444

 

http://www.ebay.com/...sd=371833952002

 

Welcome to the blade world from a recent convert.

 

Regarding the eBay sets, I was looking for a set of blades and came across a set MP-67's that were in pretty good shape. I just went with the buy it now and including shipping they came out to $270 and was my best golf purchase to date. I have hit them 4 times and my last round I hit a 3 iron that was the best feel I've had in 8 years of golfing. I will never go back now. I use the 67's on the range (off mats right now) and will use my new KZG's in good playing conditions.

 

When looking at what you described earlier, I would get new irons and build from there. You might not need or want some of the woods or hybrids you are talking about. I had money set aside for a new set of irons this year. I ordered the used 67's and full set (3-SW) of KZG heads off the bay and then had then got fitted for shafts and had them custom built for me including grips, shafts and ferrules, all for cheaper than a set of new irons. If you take your time and know what you are looking for but are also willing to take some chances you can put together a great deal.

 

EDIT... Let me not overstate that 3 weeks after my last round, I still get chills from the feeling of flushing a 3i MB.

[Kingcat990]

Ok I know I literally just said I wasn't buying irons, but I found used sets of MP-54 and MP-32 on ebay for $76 and $66 respectively. The 54's have a reserve so I'm not sure how much that is, and the 32's have 2 bids on them currently.

 

Doubt I'll find the 32's in a store to try first, but research shows people absolutely love them.

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mizuno-MP-54-Iron-Set-3-PW-Dynamic-Gold-S300-Steel-Shafts-Mens-Left-Handed/371833952002?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40832%26meid%3D06f13bd63f054399a76e9ae65a499523%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262797031444

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mizuno-MP-32-Iron-Set-Golf-Club-Left-Handed-Stiff-3-PW/262797031444?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40832%26meid%3D0db35e2b42e144bab3fd53fd72c2bafe%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D371833952002

 

I had a set of 54's when they came out. Nice set of sticks. I had to put recoils in them to make em come alive. Between the 2, the 32's are a nicer iron.

 

Can get a new set of Bridgestone 15 MB's on Rakuten 5-P for like $330+shipping. Probably get them on your door step in 12 days around $410. They're a nice blade.

[Kingcat990]

Anyone here live in colorado(denver area) and want to play tomorrow?

 

I used to live close enough to Denver to take you up on that offer :(. Go pound some blades into frosty turf

[bobbyclampett!!]

I have a stupid question (not an econ guy): will price of used BBs go up or down? Please say down... And the ultimate question someone else hinted at: will the used BBs still feel as good at bargain prices?

 

Ps: Putternut I live in Cheyenne, pretty close to Denver but probably can't play tomorrow. Sometime we should though.

[DeNinny]

I have a stupid question (not an econ guy): will price of used BBs go up or down? Please say down... And the ultimate question someone else hinted at: will they still feel as good at bargain prices?

 

Not that I would consider selling mine, but if I did and now with this news I would definitely ask for more. Also it depends on whether or not the BB line survives the culling of the herd.

 

LOL if someone tracks the current price, I will gladly share how good mine feel as it changes. I'm gonna go out on a non-technical limb and say they are going to feel even better. :beach:

 

I'm sorry if someone else mentioned this already but I am curious what this is going to do to current Miura blade sales numbers and how they will change moving forward. Get 'em while they're hot!

[kadillackountry]

Ok I know I literally just said I wasn't buying irons, but I found used sets of MP-54 and MP-32 on ebay for $76 and $66 respectively. The 54's have a reserve so I'm not sure how much that is, and the 32's have 2 bids on them currently.

 

Doubt I'll find the 32's in a store to try first, but research shows people absolutely love them.

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/...sd=262797031444

 

http://www.ebay.com/...sd=371833952002

 

I still play the mp32s...my personal favorites.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I hit the iblades at a recent demo. Feel was OK (the crappy range balls didn't help), and I found them very easy to hit. I hit four or five 7i shots with a nice little draw right at the target. The Callaway Apex Pros, on the other hand, I was hooking like mad... Can't remember what shafts either had in them, but the iblades were definitely a surprise.

[duffer987]

I hit the iblades at a recent demo. Feel was OK (the crappy range balls didn't help), and I found them very easy to hit. I hit four or five 7i shots with a nice little draw right at the target. The Callaway Apex Pros, on the other hand, I was hooking like mad... Can't remember what shafts either had in them, but the iblades were definitely a surprise.

 

Not to be too superficial, but I just couldn't get past that stupid iBlade lettering on it. If it could be debadged it would look fantastic. Much like the completely white driver heads, it just stops it cold me, regardless of performance. I really like my S55s anyways, so they can keep the non-forged irons slot on the shelf.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I hit the iblades at a recent demo. Feel was OK (the crappy range balls didn't help), and I found them very easy to hit. I hit four or five 7i shots with a nice little draw right at the target. The Callaway Apex Pros, on the other hand, I was hooking like mad... Can't remember what shafts either had in them, but the iblades were definitely a surprise.

 

Not to be too superficial, but I just couldn't get past that stupid iBlade lettering on it. If it could be debadged it would look fantastic. Much like the completely white driver heads, it just stops it cold me, regardless of performance. I really like my S55s anyways, so they can keep the non-forged irons slot on the shelf.

 

The lettering I can get over because I can't see it when I look down at the ball at address. The white driver heads I can't help BUT see, and that makes them a no-go for me. Incidentally, I think I prefer the S55s over the iblades. I won't be getting either, because I have already reached club saturation point, but secretly I regularly hit the S55s on sale at my local shop. I just never tell anyone abou...dammit!!

[Kingcat990]

What do you guys think of the Yonex N1-MB with that....slot technology? I'm told they're pretty long heel to toe. All I can picture is a FH1000, which were very long heel to toe for an MB chassis.

 

 

[duffer987]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

At $800 just for the heads on eBay that I was watching forever I balked, but I was really keen on those this past summer and never pulled the trigger.

Those and the previous generation look super cool. The previous gen was definitely less busy, but talk about clubs that are difficult to find info on. IIRC I asked you about the 'hybrid' MBs they made. I know JDM is necessarily easy to find out about, but it's like they're not even trying.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

At $800 just for the heads on eBay that I was watching forever I balked, but I was really keen on those this past summer and never pulled the trigger.

Those and the previous generation look super cool. The previous gen was definitely less busy, but talk about clubs that are difficult to find info on. IIRC I asked you about the 'hybrid' MBs they made. I know JDM is necessarily easy to find out about, but it's like they're not even trying.

 

By "hybrid MBs" do you mean the TC forged? There's a set on sale at my local second hand shop with my preferred shaft, and I have been pondering them for a while. In fact, if I had not stumbled across those RAMs, I would have bought them. They have very little offset, and provide a pretty pleasant thump. I think the Ezone blades (the model before) were more aesthetically pleasing, but these are probably a bit easier to play, especially in the long irons.

[DeNinny]

What do you guys think of the Yonex N1-MB with that....slot technology? I'm told they're pretty long heel to toe. All I can picture is a FH1000, which were very long heel to toe for an MB chassis.

 

Immediately NOT a fan just by looking at them and also I just checked the website info on them.

 

From a harmonic vibration standpoint, the two materials, carbon steel and a graphite composite, will absolutely vibrate differently and so because of this the feel will be different and specifically the composite will make the head have a little less feedback because at the material interface between them, there is imperfection at the molecular and micro levels. Two different materials never really perfectly match up to each other no matter how you try, and so there are void spaces in the interface that will damp and add 'noise' to a vibration as it travels through it. You can think of the interface itself between the two materials conceptually as a feel damping wall.

 

An issue with the slot technology itself which supposedly provides a stronger face wall than solid steel is that it is questionable whether or not the composite adds structural benefit while also (key point here) maintaining a consistent flex in the process. I'm not saying this for sure and the issue is likely marginal, but I just want to highlight it because I see little tangible benefit from the composite instead of the head itself just being a traditional blade with a thick muscle made from a single block of forged carbon steel. And for anybody to really determine whether or not the composite flexes less or more than the steel under a given force, they would specifically have to know the materials properties of each like the Young's, bulk, and shear moduli and coefficient of friction. With all this information then one could determine the relativistic benefit (or detriment) of the composite. This is conjecture only, but specifically, if the shear modulus (https://en.wikipedia...i/Shear_modulus) of the composite is greater than that of the steel, then as a first approximation one could conclude that the composite doesn't bend as much as the steel and thus it would be the stronger material and actually add some amount of theoretical benefit.

 

Now all that said, because those darn three moduli are going to be different the interface wall is going to be a point of conflicting forces on the head during impact. At the interface, the two materials will tend to slide and rub against each other more because they literally bend differently. As the steel face wall starts bending inward a little from the ball pushing into it at impact, all points of contact with the ball are going to bend and then this will bend the composite. And just like those darn voids create inconsistency in the harmonic vibration and feel, they are ultimately going to create a theoretical amount of inconsistency in the flex during impact which will theoretically add some spin error. This is hard to explain but when there is just one material there are no conflicting forces because there is no more interface. I really hope I made sense here.

 

Since I never hit the club I can only theoretically derive that it is not going to feel as good as a pure steel blade, but it will feel OK. Will the performance be better? Theoretically possible but highly unlikely.

 

Outside of the physics they don't look bad at address. But still I'd personally never game them because of the multiple materials and how that affects feel. Ever hear of a graphite composite tuning fork?

[Kingcat990]

I like them, as I like pretty much everything Yonex produces. Just caught a little off guard with that slot technology. I picked up a Yonex 5 wood on the bay for $61 brand new in the wrapper. How can you beat that? I bought their 3 wood brand new at a similar price and has undisputedly been the best blind purchase I have ever made for a club. Their stock graphite wood shafts are out of this world good. Love the nano shafts.

[Kingcat990]

As the steel face wall starts bending inward a little from the ball pushing into it at impact, all points of contact with the ball are going to bend and then this will bend the composite.

 

This is probably going to sound stupid; Does the face of a forged iron flex when making contact with a urethane ball? Follow up question; Would a cast club flex less than a forged club?

[DeNinny]

As the steel face wall starts bending inward a little from the ball pushing into it at impact, all points of contact with the ball are going to bend and then this will bend the composite.

 

This is probably going to sound stupid; Does the face of a forged iron flex when making contact with a urethane ball? Follow up question; Would a cast club flex less than a forged club?

 

It is not stupid at all. I think many people that don't understand materials science engineering struggle a lot conceptually and thus your questions. In short my answers are "yes" and "I don't know", respectively.

 

Per the math behind those three moduli, ALL solid materials flex when a force is applied to it. Period. The face could be diamond and it would still flex if a fly landed on its surface. I know some may laugh at this but you can actually calculate it if you knew the weight of the fly and the three moduli of diamond. Let's just say it would be a very small number. So if you apply a force to forged steel, it will flex. This is unequivocally true but may be hard to grasp. Also, if you apply a force to a urethane ball***, it will also flex (or rather compress). The material applying the force itself is virtually irrelevant to the fact that the material receiving the force is going to flex. The only things that matter mathematically are the magnitude of the force and the direction of the force. So at impact, the urethane ball and steel face are both applying forces and counterforces against each other at every point that they are on contact and again these forces, if known, will dictate how much each material deforms. It is NEVER a matter of "if" they will, it is a matter of "how much".

 

Again I would have to look up the moduli differences to know for sure, but conceptually lets just say that the Young's modulus for urethane is 1 and for that of steel it is 1000. Again as a disclaimer I have no idea if these are true. This is a thought experiment only. Anyway so then from this let's say the urethane ball is experimentally observed to compress or deform by 1 mm. Because of the Young's modulus difference of 1000x, as a first approximation one could conclude that the steel flexed on the order of 1/1000th of a millimeter. This is how the math of flex and deformation works and so really your question isn't stupid if you don't know the science at this level. Now as another disclaimer this is NOT at all exact. I said first approximation for a specific reason. The round ball compressing against a flat steel face wall adds some interesting dynamics but as stated one can make a first approximation on how much two different materials flex against each other based on simply noting the relative differences in those three moduli.

 

So this is why I can't answer your second question. I don't know the differences in the three moduli for cast and forged steel. I would love to know, though. I would love a table of these values for all golf materials.

 

And since you brought it up, I want to caution you that some club "designers" will throw out hardness differences as also a factor to consider between cast and forged steel, but LMAO they are not good materials science engineers if they do this, so I caution you to question the credibility of anybody that uses hardness instead of the three moduli in determining how different materials flex. Why? Because hardness specifically is a materials property that is for PERMANENT deformation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardness). The three moduli cover the range of temporary deformation. So when hardness is put on the table, QUESTION the source! I mention this because I've seen folks on WRX post about hardness differences in cast vs forged debates. In the context of golf, unless you want to talk about clubs and balls breaking, hardness is irrelevant.

 

***Edit: Also BTW Kingcat, remember too that the ball is not all urethane, that is just the cover material. Another big factor is the polybutadiene that is part of the ball's core.

[John L.]

There are some advances over the years in club components that even a old school player like myself have come to appreciate. Today at 59 years old, I can swing my TM 580 and still fly a ProV1 in the air past my best drive at 23 years old using my old Powerbilt Citation and balata ball.

 

The advancement in steel shafts, graphite shafts, grips, and balls have been incredible.

 

But, I still have to put my foot down at some point.

 

Does a golfer play any better with any of these 6 and 12 piece irons?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C'mon man.......is this chit is getting a little ridiculous?

 

Or..... shut up and go away old man!

[Z1ggy16]

Ok I know I literally just said I wasn't buying irons, but I found used sets of MP-54 and MP-32 on ebay for $76 and $66 respectively. The 54's have a reserve so I'm not sure how much that is, and the 32's have 2 bids on them currently.

 

Doubt I'll find the 32's in a store to try first, but research shows people absolutely love them.

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/...sd=262797031444

 

http://www.ebay.com/...sd=371833952002

 

Welcome to the blade world from a recent convert.

 

Regarding the eBay sets, I was looking for a set of blades and came across a set MP-67's that were in pretty good shape. I just went with the buy it now and including shipping they came out to $270 and was my best golf purchase to date. I have hit them 4 times and my last round I hit a 3 iron that was the best feel I've had in 8 years of golfing. I will never go back now. I use the 67's on the range (off mats right now) and will use my new KZG's in good playing conditions.

 

When looking at what you described earlier, I would get new irons and build from there. You might not need or want some of the woods or hybrids you are talking about. I had money set aside for a new set of irons this year. I ordered the used 67's and full set (3-SW) of KZG heads off the bay and then had then got fitted for shafts and had them custom built for me including grips, shafts and ferrules, all for cheaper than a set of new irons. If you take your time and know what you are looking for but are also willing to take some chances you can put together a great deal.

 

EDIT... Let me not overstate that 3 weeks after my last round, I still get chills from the feeling of flushing a 3i MB.

Well, I do "need" the shafts in the woods more than anything. I was recently fit into an M2 9.5* with a 75g XS Black Tie, and I currently swing a 65g Chrome... Needless to say I make that ball spin up pretty high. To top it off, my shafts in both 3w and 5w are Speeder 565's in S flex (weigh 59g). They are hook machines and can tend to balloon up a bit. Nothing worse than flushing my drive on a par 5, only to hook my 3w/5w approach onto the next fairway. On top of that, I'm playing an R flex 60g hybrid shaft that only goes about 5-7 yards further than my 5i. So those 3 things are kind of #1 to tiddy up this year. Are some of those issues my fault due to swing flaws? Yes obviously, but I know now from experience, the right shafts DO help my game. I started golfing earlier this year in an R flex 55g shaft and couldn't hit the ball off the tee further than 240. Went to that 65g Stiff shaft and now I can get them out to 260 regularly, and on ideal conditions (tail wind, hard ground) have hit a few 300.

 

Also, my current irons have Modus 105S shafts in them. Just based on how I swing, I need probably right around the 105-110g iron shaft. The s300's that come in almost all the MP irons are about 125 ish grams which could potentially cause swing issues. If I find they do... Now I'm investing another $200+ in Nippon shafts.

 

Not trying to talk myself out of the purchase here, just saying I have to be picky.

[NRJyzr]

As the steel face wall starts bending inward a little from the ball pushing into it at impact, all points of contact with the ball are going to bend and then this will bend the composite.

 

This is probably going to sound stupid; Does the face of a forged iron flex when making contact with a urethane ball? Follow up question; Would a cast club flex less than a forged club?

 

I see DeNinny has already responded, I haven't read his post yet, but I feel obliged to chime in anyway. :)

 

The question of "cast vs forged" is really not the one to be asking. Some blades are cast, some CBs are forged. Then, there is the question of materials used, 17-4 stainless being generally the firmest steel used in irons, down to the various forms of carbon steel generally used in forgings, like 1018, 1020, 1025. While it's not cost effective for golf clubs, 17-4 stainless *can* be forged.

 

So i must ask, 'Cat, if you're thinking of CBs vs blades in your original question, or if you're thinking of clubs made from harder stainless steel like 17-4 vs clubs made from softer steels?

 

Sadly, probably won't be able to read the rest of the thread until much later. My three weeks of hell starts today....

[Kingcat990]

That's a lot of info to choke down early in the morning. I'll have to come back and read Deninny.

 

NRJ, I was asking about the metallurgy between cast and forged. Nobody cares about CB's :D can find all the info in the world about CB's out there in the Wrx general population. Since 17-4 is harder, I imagine it "bends" less than soft forging due to the materials stress point. Case in point; all of my companies reactors are pressure rated to 300psi, all of the reactor hatch fasteners are carbon steel due to the yield point. Regardless of corrosion, since the reactor is 316 stainless as well as the hatch, it's fasteners are mild carbon.

[DeNinny]

NRJ, you mentioned softness (i.e. low hardness) of all those metals/alloys. As per my post to Kingcat, please note that hardness is NOT the proper materials science property in determining the amount of flex between metals, cast vs forged included. By definition, hardness is a measurement that is based on PERMANENT deformation of the material. This is not the regime of physics in a golf shot. That regime is temporary deformation, so because of that, the Young's, bulk, and shear moduli are the proper materials science properties for determining how a metal will flex.

 

It's all in my post to Kingcat, but I wanted to quickly point this out since you used the term softness in your last post.

 

I know you may have read about hardness and softness in other posts from other club design "pundits", but as I cautioned Kingcat, those that use hardness in determining how much metals will flex are ignorant of the materials science (or they are intentionally misrepresenting the science).

 

Now having said that there is a relationship between hardness and those three moduli, but the more learned materials science engineers would use the direct properties for temporary deformation, not a secondary one like hardness.

[DeNinny]

That's a lot of info to choke down early in the morning. I'll have to come back and read Deninny.

 

NRJ, I was asking about the metallurgy between cast and forged. Nobody cares about CB's :D can find all the info in the world about CB's out there in the Wrx general population. Since 17-4 is harder, I imagine it "bends" less than soft forging due to the materials stress point. Case in point; all of my companies reactors are pressure rated to 300psi, all of the reactor hatch fasteners are carbon steel due to the yield point. Regardless of corrosion, since the reactor is 316 stainless as well as the hatch, it's fasteners are mild carbon.

 

You asked a couple of good questions so I thought it best to give you the exact way to derive the answers from a materials science and structural engineering standpoint.

 

LMAO and if you had choked on it, you would understand that softness (i.e. low hardness) has nothing to do directly with gauging how different metals TEMPORARILY deform (flex). To reiterate, the Young's, bulk, and shear moduli are the proper materials science properties, NOT hardness/softness!!!

 

This is NOT a nitpick. It is an important distinction in the realm of materials science and structural engineering!!!

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young's_modulus

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulk_modulus

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shear_modulus

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardness

 

[duffer987]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

At $800 just for the heads on eBay that I was watching forever I balked, but I was really keen on those this past summer and never pulled the trigger.

Those and the previous generation look super cool. The previous gen was definitely less busy, but talk about clubs that are difficult to find info on. IIRC I asked you about the 'hybrid' MBs they made. I know JDM is necessarily easy to find out about, but it's like they're not even trying.

 

By "hybrid MBs" do you mean the TC forged? There's a set on sale at my local second hand shop with my preferred shaft, and I have been pondering them for a while. In fact, if I had not stumbled across those RAMs, I would have bought them. They have very little offset, and provide a pretty pleasant thump. I think the Ezone blades (the model before) were more aesthetically pleasing, but these are probably a bit easier to play, especially in the long irons.

 

Those are them yes, TC Forged, I knew they had a slightly different moniker. Those 3 Yonex models were all on my radar last year, but they got usurped by MP4, X-Forged '13, and now the Ft. Worth purchases.

If I can get back down to 5 sets again I may have to finally get some, to get to an even 1/2 dozen :)

[DeNinny]

There are some advances over the years in club components that even a old school player like myself have come to appreciate. Today at 59 years old, I can swing my TM 580 and still fly a ProV1 in the air past my best drive at 23 years old using my old Powerbilt Citation and balata ball.

 

The advancement in steel shafts, graphite shafts, grips, and balls have been incredible.

 

But, I still have to put my foot down at some point.

 

Does a golfer play any better with any of these 6 and 12 piece irons?

 

...

 

C'mon man.......is this chit is getting a little ridiculous?

 

Or..... shut up and go away old man!

Those advancements (steel shafts, graphite shafts, grips, and balls) applied to all golfers universally and so they advanced the game across the board. Steel was superior in virtually all ways to wood shafts and so universally all golfers eventually benefitted from it, regardless of their skill. They were true technological advancements that have clear justification in the engineering.

 

But now as to that FUGLY multiple material CB you posted, the design simply has detriments that also universally apply to all golfers regardless of their skill. This is why it is not the same as the other advancements you mentioned. There are simply more inherent detriments. Here is a partial laundry list:

 

- The wide sole increases the chance of ground contact before clean ball contact for all golfers.

 

- The thin walled flexing face of it decreases the workability and increases the dispersion for all golfers. It also damps the feedback and feel.

 

- The plastic materials damp the feel of it for all golfers.

 

- The complicated design for all the areas behind where the ball contacts the face create a surface with varying support to bear the "load" of impact. This varying support changes the flex and thus changes the way the ball will react and spin based on location (again for all golfers)

 

Again, partial list here just to add to your point. Basically those other features you mentioned were truly improvements, but for that iron there are some issues that are as significant as the supposed "benefits". What the manufacturers are doing with it is simply trying to give the golfer the APPEARANCE of all that supposedly "significant" engineering. An ignorant golfer is supposed to look at it and think "WOW, that's a lot of engineering so it must be good!" It is a 'feng shui' design rather than a practical one that has universal merit.

 

In my professional opinion, this chit is getting GINORMOUSLY RIDONKULOUS!!!

[Kingcat990]

I took the dive late last night on Rakuten and purchased a bespoke set of blades. It's the first new set of blades I've purchased since the FH1000's I bought in late 2015 and sold the spring of 2016. I got the email confirmation this morning, they won't be available until late February. Looks like I'll have to wait until March :(

 

I'll follow up with photos when they arrive. I hate waiting.