Set of Irons within Budget

[GarhwalR]

Hello everyone,

Time has come for me to replace my Mizuno MP25s (5-PW) and I'm looking into best set of New forged Irons (blades or small cavity) and Wedges, something with a smaller profile & minimal offset. The only problem is I'm looking to buy or build on a budget of roughly around $500-$700. Any suggestions besides eBay for Pre-owned? Looking in Golfworks Maltby iron heads and wedges. IDK anything about them. Did anyone play with them? Also, looking to FLO and frequency match shafts so they all play similarly. I checked with local club fitter, typically brands like Mizuno or Wishon cost about $150/club, that will run up the cost to $1200 roughly twice. I'm looking to you guys for the suggestion. How you guy do it without spending a fortune?

Thanks

R

[rgk5]

Pre-owned Srixon 585 or Wilson Staff W6 will fit the budget. Maltby irons are okay but will have virtually no resale value down the road.

[Jc0]

Go to the classified forum here. Tons of stuff for sale.

[Nessism]

You can easily hit your target cost with a set of Wishon's. I haven't bought anything from them since Diamond Tour took over distribution but previous to that I assembled several sets and every time the products were excellent.

[wam78]

Agree with consistent patrol of the bst. You could find some gems at times. There was recently a run on some Bridgestone irons for what seemed like 2-3 weeks. Which is not always easy to find. Put a discussion up in the WTB forum and see what that gets you. All you can do is say no. Dallas Golf might have some decent stuff as well as Callaway PreOwned. Good luck.

[soundedgoodtho]

$500-700 is plenty to find a new-to-me forged irons. I'd keep an eye out for some srixon z745/765 if you want something similar to your MP25s but a little chunkier/more forgiving.

[RogerinNewZealand]

Srixons above great recommendation

[BCULAW]

I have bought numerous sets of new or mint irons over the last couple of years (Mizuno mp4, 5, 15, 64, 69, 18, Srixon z785, Callaway Apex Pros, ping s56, iblade, titleist 716 Ap2 & MB) from the board or reputable sellers on eBay.

[B-Nads]

The Wilson V6 is a great suggestion, but they'll take a serious resale hit too.

[Sparky14]

Maltby stuff is very nice, and through their Paks you get free assembly to your specs, including loft/lie adjustments. I love the "Maltby resale is zip" arguments...Maltby resale is like anything else - one you take the wrappers off, the value is down 40%-50%. Only difference is did you pay $1200 or $500 at the start. I'd start here. Maltby TE forged, 3-pw, KBS shafts assembled to your specs for around $400 shipped. I love the Wishon stuff as well.

[propman]

> @Sparky14 said:

> Maltby stuff is very nice, and through their Paks you get free assembly to your specs, including loft/lie adjustments. I love the "Maltby resale is zip" arguments...Maltby resale is like anything else - one you take the wrappers off, the value is down 40%-50%. Only difference is did you pay $1200 or $500 at the start. I'd start here. Maltby TE forged, 3-pw, KBS shafts assembled to your specs for around $400 shipped. I love the Wishon stuff as well.

 

Bingo. there are numerous posts regarding Maltby irons. Best bang for the buck. I never bought into the resale value argument. The vast majority of OEMs gouge the customer iro of their new releases. Wait a year or 2 and buy them them new for 50% of original price.

 

With Maltby, they have just about any shaft you would want, and as Sparky stated, have them custom fit all at at a very reasonable price. Their iron heads are as good as any.

 

 

[mustang]

Maltby believer here.. OR- an older set of Adams if you can find them. I have a set of CB-3- BUT my Maltby TS-2 are BETTER.. I have had nearly every iron Maltby has made and the TE are top notch. As soft, forgiving and playable as ANY. Can't go wrong..

[wrm2120]

You could look into the Ben Hogan Fort Worths. $735 for 4-PW because of the factory direct pricing. They're brand new if you're resistant to going the used route.

[GarhwalR]

Thanks, everyone for your suggestion. I'll look into both used v new options. Not sure about Maltby though..

[Munich77]

For that price you could get some new Hogan forged irons or Sub 70...

[T.B.]

Sub 70 and hogans. Maltby makes great clubs. You have a lot of options at that price range. Take your time and you’ll find something you really want

[deejaid]

> @GarhwalR said:

> Hello everyone,

> Time has come for me to replace my Mizuno MP25s (5-PW) and I'm looking into best set of New forged Irons (blades or small cavity) and Wedges, something with a smaller profile & minimal offset. The only problem is I'm looking to buy or build on a budget of roughly around $500-$700. Any suggestions besides eBay for Pre-owned? Looking in Golfworks Maltby iron heads and wedges. IDK anything about them. Did anyone play with them? Also, looking to FLO and frequency match shafts so they all play similarly. I checked with local club fitter, typically brands like Mizuno or Wishon cost about $150/club, that will run up the cost to $1200 roughly twice. I'm looking to you guys for the suggestion. How you guy do it without spending a fortune?

> Thanks

> R

 

Best new set of forged irons on a budget? Smaller profile with small cavity and minimal offset? You want a set of Kyoei forged KZG Forged Cavity Backs.

 

PM me, I got a sick set I’m looking to move.

 

[Frisco Kid]

Another pitch for Maltby here...the last four sets of irons for me in order were Nike VRS forged, AP2 714, AP2 716, Ping i200s. I recently picked up some Maltby DBMs and they’re as good or better than those sets at a fraction of what I paid for them. I still have the Pings but they’re in the backup slot. Wish I’d heard of Maltby sooner, would’ve saved me a ton of cash.

[phatchrisrules]

I've gone the Maltby route and I thought they were just okay. I had a GI model so I cannot attest to their forging process or the feel but the Maltby stuff was just okay -- it didn't feel particular exceptional compared to anything else and they were hard to bend for loft and lie (on my own). They also lacked ball speed compared to similar lofted irons of the same category (STi OS compared to Ping G400, Mizuno 900 Hot Metal, and Callaway Rogue). If I was going to do it again I probably would just buy an older set of preowned OEM irons with similar specs. The resale thing is real though, so while it shouldn't matter if you are interested in keeping the clubs for a while, it is a concern for some. For instance, the TS-1 Forged (Maltby's P790) sells for $870 CAD + tax with KBS shafts and a set just on eBay in the same configuration (with upgraded grips) used once for $325. Similarly, if I look at P790 which are $1450 CAD + tax new they are selling for for an average of about $950 on eBay in similar condition. The Maltby's are selling for 37% of their initial value vs. the P790 that are selling for 65% of their original value. The math and resale value problem is real.

 

Anyway, to answer OP: Callaway PreOwned is having a summer warehouse sale, so that is where I would start. The Apex Pro 2016 was a very underrated iron that was almost completely replaced by the X-Forged a year later so it kind of fell under the radar. You can pick these up for less than $500 with varying shafts on CPO. Taylormade P750 (John Rahm and Matthew Wolff iron on CPO) for $600 and under, Callaway's new X-Forged 2018 for under $760 in Like New Condition. They have a great sale going on so I would look there.

[ShakeyT]

Sub70 639s.

https://www.golfsub70.com/sub-70-639-cb-irons.html

[Sparky14]

I'll counter phatchrisrules with my own data. I since I have owned both the P790 and Maltby (have TS-1 now), I'll add these clubs are VERY comparable in quality and performance.

P790 4-aw DG105: $1299 new. Last 10 ebay sales average is $833 (range $699-$999). Resale at 64% of new, $ loss is $466.

Maltby TS-2 KBS105: $579 new (pak). 1 ebay sale of $299. Resale at 52% of new, $ loss is $280. There was also one TS-1 set sold (7 clubs) at $249 (I bought those).

Sure, if you go P790, you might be the lucky one to resale at $999 and only be out $300. That's the same amount you'd be out with the Maltby TS-2. But you might be out $600 with the P790 if you are not lucky. I don't know how much more (if any) to get the P790 built to your specs though.

 

[revanant]

You should be able to do this without much trouble.

 

My MP-4s (3-PW) were $280 from global golf with minimal face wear (good grooves and no rust/wear spots).

[mustang]

Just finished three days with my TS-2. Tournament. Convinced even more every time I use these of their quality.

Iron play has never been better. Worth a look even if you get one club to demo....

[harp98]

I have a Maltby TS2/TS1 combo set. These are my go to irons. Love the feel and distance. I have other maltby irons, Titleist ap2s, Callaway and numerous others. Hit these and I think you will like them.

[Armour248]

For new clubs Sub 70 would fit the bill. A 7 piece set of their forged irons starts at $595.

[kcd38]

I found a set of i210's on ebay for $500 with plenty of other sets in your price range as well. I200's also

[GarhwalR]

Thanks, guys for the recommendations.

Since I'm not a high-speed swing player (~88 MPH with 6iron carries 158-163 )..my MPs have given me consistency. My home course that I regularly play, front 9 is no problem but back 9 requires me to constantly hit mid irons (6 and 5 to an elevated green with a forced carry over bunker/water) from all sorts of lies downhill/sidehill, you name it it's got it. On a good day, I am able to shoot even to couple under par on Front 9 but when comes to back 9, 4 to 5 under is reputable. I tried one of my friends AP1s for the weekend to test how the ball reacts when I hit different shots from different lies (draws/fades/knockdowns), also tried hitting off of Toe and heel to see drop-offs (~7ish yards). Hated the chunky look and clickier sound off the clubface but the performance was very respectable, coming out of rough spin does drop off but then again requires 2 less clubs, where height it's coming in with help. Only problem is sometimes I felt the mid irons were ballooning. Overall, liked the performance, and feel like this category of clubs is probably the way to go for me. Not to mention, I'm not getting younger.

Looking into JPX 919 Hot metal Standard/Pro irons (GW-4 iron), any user reviews on these? Did anyone try mid-launch shaft options in these?

Thx

R

[revanant]

I will say this--I just happened to stop by a golf store, and I realized that Mizuno and Titleist are very effective at hiding just how thick the topline is by leaving only about half of the width in a matte/frosted finish, and letting the back of the topline remain in chrome and be sloped. The AP3 has a topline that's twice the size of the AP2, but because of the optical illusion, it makes it seem about the same size if not thinner.

 

That being said, the optical illusion may stop working once the irons start picking up dings from bag chatter.

[MrFlapjack]

Srixon 745s or 785s for a slightly smaller profile are good choices.

[Larry14]

Get on the phone and call Hogan, can get a couple irons for $20 to try out....close to $700 will buy you some great clubs, try them....will agree with others, as far as Golf Works there will be no re-sale value....