ZX5 vs. ZX7 -- a 6HC's review

[AcesAndHoles]

5 hours ago, rxk9fan said:

I went from Z945's to Z-Forged, then back to Z945's and now to a combo set with ZX7's 7i-PW, then ZX5's.  I preferred the Z945 over the Z-Forged.  The ZX7 has the same great feel but absolutely a bit more ball speed.  I am finding a consistent 1 club increase over the same number on the sole. They for sure have that same great feel.  

I tend to flip a little at the bottom and any more spin would be detrimental for me personally.  For example, on my home course using the Z945's a stock 8i would be 135ish and stop very near the divot.  Yesterday I hit the ZX7 8i 145ish and it backed up 15 feet to the fringe.  This is my home course so the observation was made on the same green and same pin (apples to apples).

The ZX5 looks and feels surprisingly close to the ZX7.  I think it has to be the best combo candidate in golf today.  They are a little wider and a little hotter.  Now that I have them I might have gone all ZX7 on a re-order, but that extra distance is kind of nice for an aging golfer.  I was pretty repeatable at 190 with the 5i on the range, and that yardage was previously reserved for a choked down 5 hybrid.  

 

Do you find a noticeable difference at the split? A lot of posters have been weakening the Zx5s a degree to compensate and keep them in line with the 7s. 

[rxk9fan]

I do see a significant gap.  But to be honest, with my swing speed I need the gap to get up where I want to be with my long irons to hybrid.  I feel my best bet is to throttle down the 6i (choke down or knock down)when needed than not have enough between my 5i and first hybrid.  My 5i to first hybrid gap use to be too significant and I have less ability to throttle down my first hybrid to deal with that gap.  If that makes sense?

[Imp]

Double post

Edited April 16, 2021 by Imp

[Imp]

26 minutes ago, AcesAndHoles said:

The 921 Forged were really nice when I demo'd them. Mizuno always measures up. 

They were, yes, and I went in with the goal of buying those.. (because I have Mizunos). But the dispersion was a little wider for some reason, same shaft too (Nippon 105 S). The Srixons were tight. 

[AcesAndHoles]

38 minutes ago, rxk9fan said:

I do see a significant gap.  But to be honest, with my swing speed I need the gap to get up where I want to be with my long irons to hybrid.  I feel my best bet is to throttle down the 6i (choke down or knock down)when needed than not have enough between my 5i and first hybrid.  My 5i to first hybrid gap use to be too significant and I have less ability to throttle down my first hybrid to deal with that gap.  If that makes sense?

What's important is you found a system that works and fits with your game. 

[AcesAndHoles]

19 minutes ago, Imp said:

They were, yes, and I went in with the goal of buying those.. (because I have Mizunos). But the dispersion was a little wider for some reason, same shaft too (Nippon 105 S). The Srixons were tight. 

I had the same findings with the D7 Forged. I just couldn't fight the numbers. So far I like the Zx7s too but the place I tried them at had very limited shaft options and head configurations. I'm hoping to go to one of those demo days at a local club and hit them on grass. Then hopefully I can sneak another large cardboard box into the house without anyone noticing 😬

[PaulNY]

My dealer ordered my custom ZX7’s and Zipcore wedges on 3/17.  They were shipped to him on 4/14, and he checked specs before shipping to me.  I received them today which ironically is exactly 1 month from ordering.  1/2” long, 2* upright, +1 wrap on all with MCC black grips and KBS tour 90 shafts (zips have spinner shafts).  ZX7 driver, ZX 5 wood, and ZX 20* utility iron at my door this Monday.  Golf porn.......

 

[SuperDave]

really like that ZX7 Gap .. might need one to go with my ZX 5's on order. 

[Anser]

One of you has to have bought ZX 5's and now hates them and wants my P790's.  Let's do this 🙂 

[Steelhead]

I took a few ZX5 demo irons out this weekend and they felt incredible! I was able to A/B them on the Fox Club Saturday, against my Ping G425s. It was a slow day there, no one behind me, and played both, played two balls most of the day. Stock steel, regs. Both are strong performers!

  The ZX5 irons have one degree more loft but the shaft/head combo allowed me to gain 5/10 yards over the G's, depending on my strike, with a slightly, slightly lower trajectory. Drop and stop seven from 150 is all I ask. It delivers and damn if I can't shape a baby draw/fade easier now! The Srixon impact is much softer than my G's and for the range sessions and on course results, I had to grab the last set of 5 thru A. Haven't bagged a Srixon iron since the 1-403....15 years ago. Benched my G's...for now 🙂 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Steelhead
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[Pepperturbo]

On 4/12/2021 at 4:40 PM, endy said:

Haha I know, doesn’t make sense and really didn’t expect such an easy transition to be honest. As a positive side effect It’s actually helped slow my tempo down too. I tend to get quick, especially with my irons. About a month I believe, had really great results so far. I had just gotten a like new set of 785’s built with $ taper 130 before I switched as well. The the Z Forged i95 combo just produced effortless power. Just a weird equipment thing I never would have tried. Next on the list is the auto flex in the driver 😂

Good decision.  I hope it remains that way for you. 

 

I have a set of i95cw "S", they play stiffer than flex.  It's quite common for people to play "R" in that shaft for that reason.  They are popular on a few men's tours.  I also have a set of i110cw "S", which are amazing.  Their design, for some reason, makes it easier to transition from heavier steel shafts; while other graphite shafts don't accomplish that same feel.

 

I came to graphite from PX 6.0 120g.  I played i110cw "S" for a while, but switched to Mitsubishi Tensei AV White AM2 "S", in 2-SW, as their designed has a HIGH bend.

[spartY84]

Can anyone explain to me the strange factory loft gaps (41 9i to 46 pw) on zx7? I changed mine from factory lofts. The 4i and pw stayed the same but I adjusted basically every other iron. 

 

Is there a reason for these degree gaps? Short irons launching differently?

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, spartY84 said:

Can anyone explain to me the strange factory loft gaps (41 9i to 46 pw) on zx7? I changed mine from factory lofts. The 4i and pw stayed the same but I adjusted basically every other iron. 

 

Is there a reason for these degree gaps? Short irons launching differently?

Distance wars. Most tests use the 7i.

[ARL67]

I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy, who got me some heads which I received a month+ ago.  I ordered ZX7 7-8-9-PW,  ZX5 5-6-GW,  ZXU 4i, and Zipcore 58 Full & Mid and 54 Full.

 

I did a short increment MOI build on these with Steelfiber i110cw Stiffs.  In a nutshell, 9-LW are SL at 36.0 ungripped then 1/4" increments with 5i at 37.0".  To assist with swing-weighting in such a short build I used heavy ferrules ( coloured aluminum=4.5g, stainless=13g, copper=15g ) from BigFootGolf ( check his eBay store ).  The ZX heads are few grams lighter than what I'm used to with many previous Mizuno sets, and the i110cw Stiff are a bit counter-balanced compared to the i95cw Regular -> hence lots of tip weights and heavy ferrules.

 

I could not hit the 4U worth sh*t ( long irons not my forte ) , and not did I like the feel when I did hit it well, so sold off that 4U head and plan to order a ZX5 4i.  Though I have a TS2 23* hybrid in that 4i slot, but good to have choices depending on the course and wind.  I've been gaming 2 sets of MP-18 MMC over the last 3+ years, also with Steelfiber i110cw and i95cw in a short MOI build.  I am very pleased with the feel of the Srixons, though not as "dense" feeling on a pured hit.   I'm very happy with this ZX combo set and they will be in my main bag for this season.  In the Sim, the spin is a bit low, and I only have 6 rounds on them so far, so still need to many rounds on them to see how my green holding ends up.  For wedges, I' not putting a SW into the bag, and just going with a Zipcore 58 Full -> I've used and been happy with an RTX-4 58-Mid but want to see how I fare with a Full this season. 

 

Below are pics of the ZX5 GW against a JPX-900 Forged GW.  I've loved the JPX GW and its ground leading edge.  Also pics of the ZX7 7i against the MP-18 MMC , and ZX5 6i against the MP-18 MMC.  I still need to take pics of my completed set.  Cheers ~ Andy

 

[spartY84]

1 hour ago, jvincent said:

Distance wars. Most tests use the 7i.

 

Anyone bend lofts 2+ degrees weak? Worried about the bounce with the v sole. 

[jvincent]

5 minutes ago, spartY84 said:

 

Anyone bend lofts 2+ degrees weak? Worried about the bounce with the v sole. 

I did on the Z785. Not quite the same some as the ZX7, but pretty close. No issues.

[portland]

I was told by Srixon that iron heads are supposed to arrive on 5/1.  They told me that most shafts and grips are in stock.

 

I hope so, I would like my ZX5s by mid-May 🤞

[Joe Jordan]

3 hours ago, portland said:

I was told by Srixon that iron heads are supposed to arrive on 5/1.  They told me that most shafts and grips are in stock.

 

I hope so, I would like my ZX5s by mid-May 🤞

I was told the same. When did you order? I ordered 4/1.

[portland]

19 minutes ago, Joe Jordan said:

I was told the same. When did you order? I ordered 4/1.

I ordered on 4/5. 

[Joe Jordan]

2 hours ago, portland said:

I ordered on 4/5. 

I was just informed that they are waiting on the 4 and 5 iron heads. Other wise everything is ready to go.

[portland]

24 minutes ago, Joe Jordan said:

I was just informed that they are waiting on the 4 and 5 iron heads. Other wise everything is ready to go.

That’s interesting because I have a ZX4 5 iron and ZX5 6 iron.  I am waiting on ZX5 7-P and ZX7 Gap Wedge.  
 

I may need to call again tomorrow 

[Joe Jordan]

1 minute ago, portland said:

That’s interesting because I have a ZX4 5 iron and ZX5 6 iron.  I am waiting on ZX5 7-P and ZX7 Gap Wedge.  
 

I may need to call again tomorrow 

I agree...this is crazy and confusing. I’m not sure how they decided how there building or shipping out.

[rondre3000]

*DELETED*

Edited April 21, 2021 by rondre3000
wrong thread

[PaulNY]

ZX7 Driver and 5 wood are in.  Only awaiting utility ZX 3 (20*) iron, then new custom set complete.  Just got my new Scotty manifold head cover on as well.  4.5 weeks to get all of these clubs in.  Interesting utility iron is lone straggler.  Again, golf porn 😉

[Joe Jordan]

I have a question for you that have or have ordered the ZX5’s. Did you notice the offset? Was it a big deal? When I hit them a few months back, I did not notice them being extremely offset. I’m coming from I210’s. I don’t think I would have noticed if someone had not brought it up in another thread. Send pictures if you can. Thank you in advance.

[Morety]

Got a set of ZX7s to try this weekend.  Looking forward to seeing how they do after all the feedback on the forum. 

[rondre3000]

14 hours ago, Joe Jordan said:

I have a question for you that have or have ordered the ZX5’s. Did you notice the offset? Was it a big deal? When I hit them a few months back, I did not notice them being extremely offset. I’m coming from I210’s. I don’t think I would have noticed if someone had not brought it up in another thread. Send pictures if you can. Thank you in advance.

Didn't notice the offset at all. They aren't Great Big Berthas, but they aren't butter knives either. I don't like looking down at offset and the ZX5's aren't offensive at all. Great looking head at address IMO.

[Shilgy]

On 4/19/2021 at 5:56 PM, spartY84 said:

 

Anyone bend lofts 2+ degrees weak? Worried about the bounce with the v sole. 

May I suggest hitting them first? How do you know what the proper gapping is in this set for you?  Srixon is not the only company using this method of gapping. The number of brands using the traditional 4* gap between irons is dwindling.

[BetterAtBingo]

On 4/19/2021 at 2:05 PM, Steelhead said:

I took a few ZX5 demo irons out this weekend and they felt incredible! I was able to A/B them on the Fox Club Saturday, against my Ping G425s. It was a slow day there, no one behind me, and played both, played two balls most of the day. Stock steel, regs. Both are strong performers!

  The ZX5 irons have one degree more loft but the shaft/head combo allowed me to gain 5/10 yards over the G's, depending on my strike, with a slightly, slightly lower trajectory. Drop and stop seven from 150 is all I ask. It delivers and damn if I can't shape a baby draw/fade easier now! The Srixon impact is much softer than my G's and for the range sessions and on course results, I had to grab the last set of 5 thru A. Haven't bagged a Srixon iron since the 1-403....15 years ago. Benched my G's...for now 🙂 

 

Played the Florida Club in the AM and Fox Club for the afternoon round last Friday!  There was a helicopter parked on the back of the range...was that you? 😲

[mogc60]

On 4/12/2021 at 5:47 PM, Pepperturbo said:

I vote is for Z-Forged.  My only concern is stronger lofts and trailing edge bounce.  Offset is similar to my 620s.

The best part...there really isn’t any trailing edge bounce. The trailing edge never hits the ground. It’s hard to tell in these pics but the only wear is before the V...none behind it. ZForged has the best sole I’ve used. As a good player Pepper...you know there are times you need to get the leading edge into the turf. These allow you to do that without the club getting stuck in there. The V keeps it sliding through the turf and you don’t get that bounce feeling you get in more GI type soles. It’s so versatile and feels perfect through the turf. 

Edited April 23, 2021 by mogc60