Honma -- anyone have a constructive, experienced opinion?

[SeaIsland]

I've never heard a negative comment about this brand, other than being crazy expensive, which is no longer true. Honma's core lineup now mirrors mainstream, top manufacturers in terms of variety and price point. Along those lines, they seem to remain truer to classic head shaping.  For example, you can get a thin top-line in a performance club from Honma instead of being told that what we actually want is a "confidence-inspiring thick top-line" that no one wants, except the marketing departments of mainstream manufacturers. Would love to hear from WRXer's that have experience with the heads and shafts, etc., I can't figure out why Honma isn't a more popular option. 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by SeaIsland

[CasualLie]

Honma is not more popular simply because it's hard to crack into the market to be alongside TM, Titleist, Callaway, and Ping.  It has nothing to do with the product itself.  To be a world dominant brand you have to sell well in America and to sell in America you need tour presence.  There's no getting around this.  If you do not have tour presence then you are a niche brand.

 

Honma is a different animal for sure.  All their legacy reputation is pretty much gone.  They are not the "go to" for $25,000 gold irons. That Honma went bankrupt, and now are owned by Chinese.  Now imagine, you are old school Japanese with endless money...Honma owned by Chinese is dead to you.  Not that it matters, that's old days.

 

New days is try to retain JP craftsmanship, so design in JP, but manufacture in China, down play the Beres line (pricey) and go after America market with more traditional designs.  For the owners is sort of working, they are profitable.  But sales in America is nowhere near the big 4, so marketing budgets are slim.

 

The Justin Rose experiment didn't help matters, but ownership is in it for the long haul.  They will do ok, but popular??? That will never happen the way we think of popular, but investors are ok with the slow progress.

 

In terms of irons, they make solid product; it's good stuff.  But winning the hearts of golfers with Drivers is so hard for them.  And you need that to succeed.  But you can't tell me if you play Honma irons properly fit will be worse for you vs the more known brands.  That's simply not true.  

 

Play what you like.

Edited December 29, 2020 by CasualLie

[95124hacker]

Agree with CasualLie. No PGA presence esp. after JR switched back will limit it’s brand appeal. I once owned the TW-717V forged irons and currently own a set of TW-X. Good clubs but unless they get into more shops for people to demo & getting fitted into, they will remain a less popular option.

[JungleJimbo]

@SeaIsland: i have the TW717v irons in the gamer bag (They've kept out my Miura PP9003 irons).
There are some good reviews of Honma on GolfWRX (examples linked below).

 

..https://www.golfwrx.com/468752/review-honma-tw737-vs-forged-irons/

..https://www.golfwrx.com/620464/what-golfwrxers-are-saying-about-honma-equipment/ 

[ephmen]

I game the XP-1 hybrids as they were the best fit for me- slightly better than the G410s. I love them. Stock shaft didn't fit me well, but that went for Ping also. Solid clubs. I almost went for the FW as well, but the Epic Flash fit me a tiny bit better. Definitely take a look at them. 

[mootrail]

Honma has a storied and sorted past; hard times, a smuggling scandal and finally bankruptcy.  To add insult to injury, the proud JDM manufacturer was purchased and saved by a Shanghai businessman.

 

The World line is designed to make inroads in the (guess!) world market.  Most, if not all of the lower entry point World products are made in China.  Absolutely nothing wrong with this, but if you think you're getting Japanese forging like their super premium products, think again.  I bought a TW driver and sent it back.  Even at my R to S speed, the made in house shaft was a bummer.

 

Like Srixon before them, it takes time to figure out what the USA market demands.  Srixon came and went in a year, even with their newly acquired Cleveland distribution network.

 

I tried to demo Srixon when the first entered the market; the shops laughed and the Cleveland sales team told me they were junk.  You shouldn't bite the master's hand that feeds you.  Srixon pulled out of the USA and let Cleveland flicker down to just a couple of wedges.

 

Now, Srixon's has it figured out with excellent forgings at a more than reasonable price point (maybe following Mizuno's lead?).  Cleveland's back and golf in the USA for Dunlop / SRI is bright.

 

As for Honma with Shanghai at the helm, I expect them to skip the Japanese virtue of patience and keep on coming.  I'm betting they will figure it out fast, but I'll stick with my almost obscure Bridgestone brand.

 

 

[iNeedMoreGolf]

I played the tw 747p irons for a few months and they did everything that was advertised. They went further for sure and easy to hit in a very impressively small package. Lot of forgiveness. The finish was really durable and superb honestly. They looked expensive and high quality. The one thing i couldnt get over was they were kinda dead feeling... no matter where you struck it their seemed to be no real feel and that too me mainly was a turn off. Otherwise i would have kept them. I probably had the best despersion of any iron ive had with them. Couldnt get over the dead feel becuase i need to feel the strike... maybe not too intensely but enough that i know ive hit something and if it was good or bad and where. One of the main things to me in golf is feel. I dont want to swing and not even know i hit something.

[SmashGolfBall]

They make nice clubs, look good and perform well. But does it mean they worth the high price? When there are buyers, there will be sellers...

 

[ephmen]

Not all of their clubs are high priced. The hybrids were at the same level with other OEMs. XP-1 hybrids best for my swing in a brand agnostic fitting. 

[Nixhex524]

I gamed the 737v for a short time, and from address they have to be the best looking irons I have seen yet.  I was having a rough ball striking life at the time so I moved them fairly quickly, but I have always loved the way they look.  Minimal offset, soft forged feel when pured... they just demanded a little more than I had at the time.  As far as price goes, I can not complain.  I got a floor demo set which was almost brand new (plastic still on most grips) for $499 as the 747 was just about to come out.  Great clubs.

[wobgon]

My second new set should be arriving at my house on Thursday. 747v.... I have not found anything better in this type of iron.. they check all the boxes for me including price.. 4 through wedge brand new for 449.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[golf1010]

737p player here who could play anything and most likely did. 
At some point we must stop ... these irons which are dirt cheap and cast... are spectacular. So many clubs today are perfect so it’s not that hard to find a great set. I love the honmas and tweaked them with new shafts and bent them to my specs and I’m as thrilled as ever with a set 

[CJINC]

I have the 747 driver and 3 wood in regular flex. One the best combo's I have ever owned. Tried the driver in stiff and switched to regular flex. Perfect for my swing. The stock shaft is very good, similar to a stock Mizuno shaft. The driver to my eye is pretty square to my eye and being lefty is rare. Very good dispersion and long.   Need to try the 747p irons in regular flex.  The stiff were  too stiff. Had the wedges and did not get along at all with them at all.

 

CJ

Edited December 30, 2020 by CJINC

[ephmen]

Their "one size fits all" approach to shafts is certainly not helping them sell clubs either. Stock shaft didn't work for me in hybrids.

 

[J13]

I play Honma irons and love them.  I highly recommend them. Woods are also pretty darn good although i've never played them.

[Tree Levino]

I had the Honma Rose Proto for a short spell before getting my dream irons. They were fantastic. Plan was to game them for the coming season. 

[ChipNRun]

I'm not sure what market Honma is pursuing.

 

At a 2017 LPGA mini-tour event, a couple of the women were playing Honma drivers.

 

And, the PGA Superstore in Myrtle Beach had a rack of Honma drivers that were reduced price. Sorry, can't remember the model or price. (This was maybe 2018).

 

[Freeze]

I've been playing the tw 747p irons since early last summer and think they are fantastic. Very well made, easy to hit, forgiving, long, have a terrific sole design, and little to no offset. They have retired my old TourStages to the garage, something  multiple sets of other high end clubs have been unable to do. They get a big "thumbs up" from me (for what that's worth).

[wobgon]

The Pittsburgh golf galaxy took a large area of their store and dedicated it to Honma......Large display of clubs and special fitting area for just Honma....After a short while, all that is left is a small rack of honma clubs at closeout clubs.  even at closeout, more than twice what they cost online.

[wam78]

I think Honma makes incredible irons and really should focus educating the public about how great they are.  We all know drivers move the needle.  And Honma woods are pretty damn good as well.  They look classic with minimal designs, which I love.  However, their irons are as good as any and feel incredible.
 

They did something pretty awesome when the 747 line was released.  PGA Superstore had an entire hitting bae set up just for Honma and had an entire set of 747v irons on demo to try, 4-pw.  No other OEM was doing that.  It was pretty awesome to test the entire set.  
 

I came very close to bagging the 747v irons and probably will bag a set at some point.  

[wobgon]

On 12/30/2020 at 10:47 PM, wam78 said:

I think Honma makes incredible irons and really should focus educating the public about how great they are.  We all know drivers move the needle.  And Honma woods are pretty damn good as well.  They look classic with minimal designs, which I love.  However, their irons are as good as any and feel incredible.
 

They did something pretty awesome when the 747 line was released.  PGA Superstore had an entire hitting bae set up just for Honma and had an entire set of 747v irons on demo to try, 4-pw.  No other OEM was doing that.  It was pretty awesome to test the entire set.  
 

I came very close to bagging the 747v irons and probably will bag a set at some point.  

That was what Golf galaxy in Pittsburgh did as I posted above....I guess it didn't work out for them as it is all gone.....How about PGA superstore?

[wam78]

44 minutes ago, wobgon said:

That was what Golf galaxy in Pittsburgh did as I posted above....I guess it didn't work out for them as it is all gone.....How about PGA superstore?

Didn’t last either.  Was great while they had it though.  Pretty awesome to test an entire set of irons.  

[GRCMC]

So I just got fitted this week for a hybrid and landed on the TW 747 23U, hoping to get the matching 3 wood but wanted some other peoples thoughts, so this is great timing!

[karstens_ghost]

I dig Honma's 10-iron. That's what it is, so why not?

[WH8844]

Have played 3 sets of 737’s and now 747’s. Best feeling cast irons on the market. Fantastic feel and with their own shaft engineering are extremely underrated. All my golfing buddies have made the switch to Honma irons. 
The graphite shafts are progressive weights and are very responsive and lower torque than others on the market. Not your grandpa's iron sets. They are the real deal!

[swagee]

On 12/28/2020 at 7:54 PM, SeaIsland said:

I've never heard a negative comment about this brand, other than being crazy expensive, which is no longer true. Honma's core lineup now mirrors mainstream, top manufacturers in terms of variety and price point. Along those lines, they seem to remain truer to classic head shaping.  For example, you can get a thin top-line in a performance club from Honma instead of being told that what we actually want is a "confidence-inspiring thick top-line" that no one wants, except the marketing departments of mainstream manufacturers. Would love to hear from WRXer's that have experience with the heads and shafts, etc., I can't figure out why Honma isn't a more popular option. 

 

 

Ive been using Honma Beres driver and woods for a few years now. Top quality for sure. Solid feel and distance on all of them. The driver is a lil loud for my taste, but it’s the best way to announce ur arrival at a range or a course 😆.

They just officially entered the U.S. market a few yrs back, and their pricing is one of the biggest obstacles. They’re been working on more mainstream models (e.g. World Tour). 
I’d like to see them sponsoring more tour players in the near future. 
 

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by swagee

[alancousinsinireland]

Last August I picked up a second hand set of 747-p irons. Wow, they are lovely. The tungsten weight on the sole and the graphite shaft suit my game perfectly. The ball rises to an ideal height effortlessly and the dispersion is great. 

This opened my mind to Honma and I was looking to change my driver. My TS1 was straight but short. I tried a number of other options, but when I first hit XP-1 it was surprising how this performed. Reduced my spin and gave me much improved length. To buy this new would be expensive but their second hand prices are very affordable. It was an immediate improvement. 

I have tried the fairways but they didn't have the same wow factor. I have added a 747-p 5 hybrid and it is doing great too. 

 

I'm so pleased to have discovered Honma. As a senior player with slower swing speed, their shaft & head combo seems to be very well suited. 

[Kmcgee]

Honma TR20 irons are $175 for steel $200 for graphite.  this is equal (or less) than all the major manufacturers in the USA.  The thought that all Honma clubs are expensive because the Beres line is expensive is the same as saying all Cleveland and Srixon clubs are thousands of dollars because XXIO clubs can be.  

Different lines within the same company have different price points.  Yes, Beres can be expensive relative to the US market, but they are tailored luxury clubs.  Often one off with custom colors and engraving, gold and platinum etc.  Designed for slower swingspeeds and older players, much like XXIO.

 But the Tour Release line is affordable and provides players with performance and profiles that are second to none.

 

Just saying its worth a look and wont break the bank.  

[Kmcgee]

23 hours ago, GRCMC said:

So I just got fitted this week for a hybrid and landed on the TW 747 23U, hoping to get the matching 3 wood but wanted some other peoples thoughts, so this is great timing!

The 747 are good.  You may be hard pressed to find one to get fit into as they are out of line.  The TR21 woods are out now and I find them great.  Definitely worth a look/try.  You should be able to go to the website to find your local rep/fitter.  Clubchamp also has them for fitting if that is an option for you.

[GRCMC]

Great timing for this post! I just got fitted for a hybrid and landed on the TW 747 U22, hoping to get the matching 3 wood. The fitter said the shafts were a big selling point for him and what he saw in my swing.

Edited January 2, 2021 by GRCMC