Ping G400 Irons Finish

[mcgeec79]

Has anyone else had a problem with the finish wearing off on these irons? I’ve had my set for about a month now and the finish shows all kinds of marks and such. I even have browning on a few iron faces. I’ve maybe played 8 rounds with them and about 20 practice sessions. I clean them after every use. I’ve had G25’s and G30 iron sets and they never showed this much wear this fast. Even some of the paint fill on the iron number markings is coming off. Really disappointed on something I spent $1K on. Great irons but certainly not as durable as the past.

[erock9174]

Can you post some pics ? Maybe a hydro pearl issue

[Derek666]

Have ping changed how they finish their irons now? That used to be one of the great things about pings, my neighbour has some Ping i3 blades and they look like new and they were bought when they first came out.

[erock9174]

Yeah starting with the I200 and g400’s they began using the same hydropearl finish. It’s a lighter silver finish compared to the old raw ping look.

[Derek666]

pitty the tumbled finish lasts forever altho i do like the way the iblades look and love the sole numbering they used.

[erock9174]

Here’s a pick of the G400 and G. The G added some chrome accents but the sole is that same old industrial Ping look that holds up forever. The G400 has the silver coating added.

 

[mcgeec79]

 

 

Haven’t cleaned the iron faces from this afternoon. I spoke with Ping customer service and they said that the finish is different than any other G iron previously. Said I could send in for them to look at.

[Meanmachinemoe]

my sweet spots are browning a little and I love it!

[mikec3672]

my sweet spots are browning a little and I love it!

Ugh, I would despise that on an iron -- that's the beginning of the end for the face!

[braincramp52]

Clean them up with some soap and water and a fine Scotch bight pad. They should look almost new. Mine look fine after probably 12 rounds. You play in a lot of sand?

[TPG1971]

Clean them up with some soap and water and a fine Scotch bight pad. They should look almost new. Mine look fine after probably 12 rounds. You play in a lot of sand?

 

North Carolina, good bet he does. Also looks like a lot of crappy range ball marks.

[braincramp52]

Clean them up with some soap and water and a fine Scotch bight pad. They should look almost new. Mine look fine after probably 12 rounds. You play in a lot of sand?

 

North Carolina, good bet he does. Also looks like a lot of crappy range ball marks.

 

Heh, I didn't notice where he was from but they look pretty nasty for that short of time.

[mcgeec79]

I’ve had multiple sets a ping irons and none of them have ever worn like this. I barely hit out of the sand and my practice facility has new range balls. I just think that finish is defective

 

I’ve had multiple sets a ping irons and none of them have ever worn like this. I barely hit out of the sand and my practice facility has new range balls. I just think that finish is defective

[asumnerdawg]

Do you just lightly rub down the club head with a green scotch brite pad? Wet it first? Use any polish afterwards? I have i200's and while they don't look nearly that bad, there are a few dark marks I'd like to remove. They are 431 stainless heads with the hydropearl finish. I just don't want to screw up.

[andrieddle]

That does look pretty scratched up

[5hort5tuff]

It's the new finish. They definitely mark up much faster than the Pings of old.

[wjdpar1]

I've noticed Ping irons that have been returned at the store I frequent and the finish sucks. Ping is not what it once was when it comes to a durable finish.

[Nessism]

The heads are chrome plated, which provides an added layer of protection compared to non plated heads, and the chrome finish has some sort of treatment to make them look sort of "frosted." After hitting them for a while the frosting dissipates and the bright chrome shines through in the scratches. In addition, Ping uses a face coating stuff that quickly that wears off. Ping started using this face coating stuff with the i20 or maybe S56. No clue why. Since Ping's like these are stainless steel you don't need to worry about rust or "browning, although when the chrome wears through the nickel will show and that has a slightly yellow cast to it.

 

Scrubbing down the head with a toothbrush loaded with Bar Keepers Friend will remove the face coating and help remove some of those dark chatter marks. I would not take a scotchbrite to the heads at this point though. Wait for them to get worse.

[braincramp52]

There is nothing wrong with those clubs. The heads are chrome plated which provides an added layer of protection compared to non plated heads. The heads have some sort of treatment on the chrome to make them look sort of "frosted" when the clubs are brand new and after hitting them for a while the frosting dissipates and the bright chrome shines through in the scratches. In addition, Ping uses a face coating stuff that highlights the hitting face, and after using the club that wears off. Ping started using this face coating stuff with the i20 or maybe S56. It quickly wears off though so just wait a while. There is no "browning" that I can see on the clubs in the photos.

 

Scrubbing down the head with a toothbrush loaded with Bar Keepers Friend will remove the face coating and help remove some of those dark chatter marks. I would not take a scotchbrite to the heads at this point.

 

I have to disagree a little bit Ness. A white or gray scotchbrite with a little soap and water is less abrasive than bar keepers. IF you don't try to scrub too hard.

[Nessism]

I have to disagree a little bit Ness. A white or gray scotchbrite with a little soap and water is less abrasive than bar keepers. IF you don't try to scrub too hard.

 

Gray scotchbrite is about equal to 600 grit sandpaper, and you can scrub all day with BKF and not approach that level of abrasiveness. Scrubbing with BKF will start the process of stripping off the face coating. You will see the BKF turn gray when scrubbing the face even. If one wants to change the exterior finish from frosted to brushed then go for the scotchbrite.

[Wataca44]

I first noticed the finish problem when I purchased a set of I25's. I have a set of S56's I played with for a few years and they looked far better than the I25's after playing the I25's less than a season.

[Derek666]

Totally off topic but thats the best soles i've ever seen on a GI iron, love the relief type grind they have, But i do agree i wouldn't be happy with that finish myself.

 

If they'd make them with less offset i'd try them out.

[Typhoon92]

My Ping ie-1 faces looked like that too after using them for a few months....hated it. Over the winter I removed the paint fill and hit them with a couple of different scotchbrites.

 

 

[Nessism]

The ie1 irons are raw stainless steel. No chrome so an apples to oranges comparison with G400. They have that same coating stuff in the cavity as used on the face of most other Ping's though. Because they are raw they accumulate scratches and chatter as fast or faster than the G400's. They are easy to refurb though so at least that much is good.

[dmeeksDC]

My Ping ie-1 faces looked like that too after using them for a few months....hated it. Over the winter I removed the paint fill and hit them with a couple of different scotchbrites.

 

I like that better than the factory appearance. Fantastic iron — deserves a good look. Could always add back a little black paintfill, too. Nice job.

[kulreign50]

I purchased a set of G400 irons, noticed the frosted finish wearing off and faces marking up. Took some BKF on a toothbrush, that took care of the face marks. Next I hit the soles with dish soap, scotchbright and BKF. The soles gleam a shiny chrome and look fantastic in the bag starring up at me.

[malelee21]

Anyone else with >20 rounds with surface looking as good as new?

 

My old Ping i20 kept that Hydropearl look after playing for 3 years.

[dpodboy]

G700's are just as bad, same finish. After 5 rounds they look much worse than my G15s that were tanks. So scotchbrite or BKF to make them look good again? I don't want them to look too shiny but I don't want them to look the way they do now either.

[icec0ld]

i had the same issue with my g400 irons. i even used barkeepers friend and it cleaned em up ok, the marks were still there. however the biggest problem was that i had issues in the grooves even when clean. they had sort of a copper / rust color in the grooves of my 8 iron. i decided to just "downgrade" to the g irons with the same recoils. much happier now.

[dpodboy]

Anyone have any pictures of any hydropearl pings after scotchbrite or BKF? Thanks