Most Forgiving One Pieced Forging

[T_Golf_23]

2 hours ago, edwelly said:

 

I never found the J40 DPC to be a very good feeling. I currently game the J40 CBs and found those clubs ti be easier to hit and the felt 100x better. Maybe to got a dud set.. ?

 

-Erik

They are very unique feeling. Very soft. Ball almost melts into the face. But somehow still travels very far…. 

 

it may be the difference between the DPC and CB. The combo of feel, forgiveness in a players package…. Not many compare. 
 

very different from the more dense feel of Miura and new level …

feel is a very subjective thing. 

 

[Ty-Webb]

14 hours ago, T_Golf_23 said:

I also game the PF2/PF1 irons from NL….. great irons. I prefer the slightly higher COG and less offset. The new 623 CB is a wider sole and lower CG making them more forgiving. Better for steeper players. The PD irons are thinner sole and better for less steep players…..ERIC will tell you this himself. It’s more a preference thing… I think the PF irons are the best of both…the PF irons are gamers for me from time to time. 

 

 

Interesting that the 623 has a wider sole than the 902 PD. I sold the OG 902's and was looking to get the 623 when the MB's come back with the intensions of combo the MB/CB. 

[morgan1819]

5 hours ago, edwelly said:

On 8/15/2022 at 9:13 PM, T_Golf_23 said:

New level irons are a good place to start. 
 

The J40 DPC may be the most forgiving single piece forged ever made. One of the best feeling too. A little tougher to find these though. 

 

I never found the J40 DPC to be a very good feeling. I currently game the J40 CBs and found those clubs ti be easier to hit and the felt 100x better. Maybe to got a dud set.. ?

 

-Erik

Agree Erik.  The DPC's are nice, but the longer blade length almost seemed to take away from the club somehow.  J40CB's are fantastic for feel.  There are some similar TourStage models like the 707 that were also incredible, but primarily a Japan product.  The J15CB was great.  Srixon Z765 was similar as well, but maybe even more forgiving.  Really splitting hairs with this group though.  All great irons.

[EastpointeCC]

7 hours ago, Stonewalled said:

Stenson Legacy Black's are pretty forgiving, pocket cavity up to the 7 iron, Endo forged if I'm not mistaken. Not the easiest to find thou. 

Would love to try these some day. Hope they are terrible lol

[dmeeksDC]

16 hours ago, Ty-Webb said:

 

Interesting that the 623 has a wider sole than the 902 PD. I sold the OG 902's and was looking to get the 623 when the MB's come back with the intensions of combo the MB/CB. 

I’ve had the PD and 623 and if the PD has a wider sole, I’d need to see it measured. Can barely tell them apart and that is only because the PD sole has tiny notches. They are very, very similar. 

[Stonewalled]

On 8/17/2022 at 4:44 PM, EastpointeCC said:

Would love to try these some day. Hope they are terrible lol

Keep your eyes open on the BST, have seen sets come and go. I don't think one can find a better forgiving CB iron, they are still relevant in pro Golf as Stenson recently won 4 mil playing his.  Pretty sure he can afford something new in the bag, but keeps playing these. Got to something he likes about them, thinking  less frequent fliers out of the rough was his initial goal. Obviously nothing has topped them in his world.  Worth a look.  

[tmax77]

4 hours ago, Stonewalled said:

Keep your eyes open on the BST, have seen sets come and go. I don't think one can find a better forgiving CB iron, they are still relevant in pro Golf as Stenson recently won 4 mil playing his.  Pretty sure he can afford something new in the bag, but keeps playing these. Got to something he likes about them, thinking  less frequent fliers out of the rough was his initial goal. Obviously nothing has topped them in his world.  Worth a look.  

Actually have a couple sets of these and been playing them for a couple years…have yet to find anything that feels as good and is super consistent yardage wise…as someone who has gone through so many irons I can’t list them all it’s nice to finally find something 

[jomatty]

Epon makes some fairly intricate one piece forgings from what I recall.  I say recall because I’ve never hit them.   If I was looking for a one piece forging that offered some forgiveness I would definitely be checking them out though.  I don’t know if they have a forgiving, one piece forging without tungsten though.  I also don’t really understand avoiding tungsten aside from just a completely theoretical discussion.  Anyways, some of those Epons look great and I wish there was a convenient place for me to give them a whack…

[tmax77]

Another sneaky good one is the cobra cb (not the MiM although it’s an excellent golf club as well) the cb does have a little bit of tungsten in it but it’s incredibly solid feeling and extremely consistent 

 

[alecfeltman]

pulled the trigger on t100 with x100 shafts.

thanks everyone! 

[Stonewalled]

13 hours ago, tmax77 said:

Actually have a couple sets of these and been playing them for a couple years…have yet to find anything that feels as good and is super consistent yardage wise…as someone who has gone through so many irons I can’t list them all it’s nice to finally find something 

Very impressive having 2 sets of these!!!  I as well have had way too many sets of irons to list, the Stenson's are just too good to sell. No other set of irons has lasted this long in my possession.  Casket set😀  Funny I was just thinking I needed a spare set, one with the Steelfiber's and one set with PX 6.0.  

 

Do you have different shafts in each set?  Do you have a favourite of the 2 sets?

[tmax77]

Well technically I have 3 sets of these 🤫…they all have different shafts in them (dg 120, modus 130 and MMT 125) all in stiff flex..

I like the modus 130 set the best as it’s my primary set. The dg is the easiest to hit after a long day of working (and standing all day) I’ve literally tried or hit close to everything last few years but for my game nothing combines the look, feel, forgiveness and consistency of these clubs…plus I have realized I really Like Roger Cleveland’s designs…have hit some of the past model’s but never played them until this set. MiM tour and Zx7 would be the most current models that I like even though they are slightly different from a cg perspective…

[wallymann]

On 8/15/2022 at 9:13 PM, T_Golf_23 said:

...The J40 DPC may be the most forgiving single piece forged ever made. One of the best feeling too. A little tougher to find these though. ...

 

fwiw...tech/design wise, the mizuno MP52 is basically identical to the J40...wonder if they play similarly.

[Stonewalled]

16 hours ago, tmax77 said:

Well technically I have 3 sets of these 🤫…they all have different shafts in them (dg 120, modus 130 and MMT 125) all in stiff flex..

I like the modus 130 set the best as it’s my primary set. The dg is the easiest to hit after a long day of working (and standing all day) I’ve literally tried or hit close to everything last few years but for my game nothing combines the look, feel, forgiveness and consistency of these clubs…plus I have realized I really Like Roger Cleveland’s designs…have hit some of the past model’s but never played them until this set. MiM tour and Zx7 would be the most current models that I like even though they are slightly different from a cg perspective…

Wow, you don't fool around when you like a set of iron's tmax, very impressed. Smart play having your favourite set with 3 different shaft options.  Feel like tinkering that day, grab one of the others.  I remember having 4 sets of the Cobra S3 pro irons with all different shafts.  Thinking I'm going to take my own advice from a previous post and keep my eyes peeled on the BST for another set of the Stenson's.  

 

WE have similar tastes, the MiM tours and the Zx7's are very high on my list to own.  Why do you prefer the Modus 130's over the other's?

 

I have some modus 125x in some Cal 18 forged, had been thinking some 130's in stiff would be better for me at the moment. Never hit one thou....  

[tmax77]

19 hours ago, Stonewalled said:

Wow, you don't fool around when you like a set of iron's tmax, very impressed. Smart play having your favourite set with 3 different shaft options.  Feel like tinkering that day, grab one of the others.  I remember having 4 sets of the Cobra S3 pro irons with all different shafts.  Thinking I'm going to take my own advice from a previous post and keep my eyes peeled on the BST for another set of the Stenson's.  

 

WE have similar tastes, the MiM tours and the Zx7's are very high on my list to own.  Why do you prefer the Modus 130's over the other's?

 

I have some modus 125x in some Cal 18 forged, had been thinking some 130's in stiff would be better for me at the moment. Never hit one thou....  

 

I prefer the modus 130 it feels good to me and feel I have better control both higher and lower shots. I have honestly hit every single steel shaft out there except for x7 and Oban…and of all of them Modus 130 for me is by far my favorite.

 

hope this helps 

[Broken3wood]

Well this is one I can weigh in on having owned many of the sets mentioned within this thread in the past year. Wrx has turned me into a certified club ho without a doubt. Recent models it's the 5/7 series from srixon. Past models its really, really hard to beat the j40 dpc. I did find the j40 cb to be easier to hit as a whole, when pured though nothing compared to the dpc.

 

Currently messing with a set of wilson staff fg59 tour blades that I don't know about. Feel is amazing, turf interaction from all different lies is super consistent, distances are consistent. It's my game from 5i down that's not ready for a full blade yet. 

[captwilks67]

I have 902PD and O S combo set. Absolutely LOVE these irons and now thinking about getting the 623CB. I am fairly new to golf and these are super forgiving. The weight and balance of these is perfect. My game has improved a lot with them. 
 

i do have my eyes on Muira KM700s as well as the CBs. Those look amazing but the price compared to New Level is a bit of a shocker. 

[revanant]

The 620CBs are magical for my swing. I get perfect spin and really great trajectory if I put a decent swing on the ball.

 

I'm also partial to my MP-4s. They have the same vertical CG location as the 620CBs, so something about that setup just works for me.

 

Lastly, you can't go wrong with Hogan. Redlines, BH Grinds--Ben Hogan was a master of irons. The redlines have illegal box groves, but if you're not playing in tournaments, you won't find a higher spinning iron, except maybe for a set of Ping Eye 2s--with similar grooves. 🤣

[NRJyzr]

58 minutes ago, revanant said:

The redlines have illegal box groves, but if you're not playing in tournaments, you won't find a higher spinning iron, except maybe for a set of Ping Eye 2s--with similar grooves

 

With apologies for not being on the main topic....

 

A fun fact about the Eye2's you mention.  Thanks to the settlement between Ping and the USGA, they Eye2 are still conforming under the new groove rule (Eye2+ and plus-no-plus are not, however).  The Eye2 cannot be used in Pro tournaments, or USGA amateur events, but they're still good for the rest of us.  Even past the 2024 potential deadline mentioned in the 2010 groove rule.

 

Now back to One Piece Forged Iron discussion  🙂

 

[HiCapGolf]

On 8/17/2022 at 7:40 AM, alecfeltman said:

Description and response for the win. Thank you!

 

I was leaning away from TCB as I heard most blade like out of the set. My number one choice was t100 or 223s but the 223 been getting some interesting responses. I play x100 so I don’t think I can wrong anywhere. 
 

zx7 was an option as I have a steep attack angle but that is an iron I would need to test fully before jumping into the mix on these. I was loving the X Forged CB for a variety of reasons but it may not be the one. They are gorgeous though and provide forgiveness and looks.
 

never considered Muira but good call! 

 

 

His response was definitely spot on. I have hit all of those irons except TCB. I currently game X Forged CB’s. They are fantastic irons. Offset is a bit much but I have gotten over that fortunately. Really not sure why Callaway did that but they are a great set nonetheless. 
 

I really want to try New Level. May pick up a set in the near future. But I think next years gamers will be Miura 501’s. Will be looking to get fit for those early next year. 

[Hoff_19]

Eric at New Level has forged iron design on lock down. No frills, no gimmicky "tech", just simple good design at an unbeatable price. Honesty is the biggest trait that comes to mind when I think about the New Level brand.

 

I play the original 902's and like everyone else says, they're amazing and amazingly forgiving. If you're looking for a one piece forged iron but forgiving, New Level is the best. They have multiple options for every playing style/skill set and balanced design. It is hard to come up with enough different ways of saying they're perfect; right down the middle; not too hot, not too cold, the perfect bowl of porridge.

 

I was in OP's exact situation 3 years ago, looking for a one piece forged, forgiving, cavity iron. You really have 3 general avenues for salvation:

1) Older used clubs, probably around 10-20 years old. Think Mizuno MP-60's or MP-59's, Bridgestone, Titleist, etc. 

2) JDM market irons. Miura ($$$$), Epon (s*** load of offset), Proto Concept, Fourteen, etc. Beware of the different build specs from Japan, lighter head weights, 1/2" shorter shafts.

3) Direct to consumer brands. Sub 70, Hogan (RIP), Takomo, Haywood, and New Level. New Level is the premier DTC brand, has the highest quality and best customer service. 

** Unfortunately, most or all OEM brands only make forged cavity irons, sans technology injections, for low handicap players. Ping could be considered an exception with the i210's if you don't consider the elastomer insert "tech". Anything marketed towards 15+ HC players will have some sort of "tech" built into the irons.

 

For background, here are other options that I've either played, demo'd, or looked into:

• Taylormade 2011 Tour Preferred MC (Daniel Berger's irons) - Played these for 3 years, pretty small, felt amazing, got me hooked on the forged feeling but looking for something with more forgiveness. 
• Wilson Staff CB 
• Bridgestone J15
• Mizuno MP-30, MP-60, MP-59, MP-64, JPX 900, etc... All are great options but if you want a set in good condition you're going to pay close to the same amount for New Level irons but won't get the custom options you get from NL.
  • I played JPX 919 forged for one year, too inconsistent on distance, didn't work well with my own swing problems. Not to mention they were almost double what I paid for my 902's.
• Titleist CB - very small
• Taylormade P750, P760, P770 - I remember playing a round with a set of 760's and I wish I bought them. These have a lot of tech but it is blended and seems minimal compared to the 100% hollow body options that TM offers now.

[dbornack]

On 8/16/2022 at 3:29 PM, blakesmittkamp said:

long time mizuno user. i've recently transitioned to New level 623 CB and they are the most accurate irons i've gamed.  

Never even heard of these.  They look great, how's the quality?  I've dabbled in some Sub 70 stuff recently, and the finish on them doesn't last long - so I'm not happy there.

 

Edit - well, they don't make a 3i, soooo..  I'm out.

Edited August 25, 2022 by dbornack

[blakesmittkamp]

14 hours ago, dbornack said:

Never even heard of these.  They look great, how's the quality?  I've dabbled in some Sub 70 stuff recently, and the finish on them doesn't last long - so I'm not happy there.

 

Edit - well, they don't make a 3i, soooo..  I'm out.

Good question.  Feel and finish/durability isn’t up to Mizuno standards yet in my opinion but the performance sure is! 

[Jmccas]

3 hours ago, blakesmittkamp said:

Good question.  Feel and finish/durability isn’t up to Mizuno standards yet in my opinion but the performance sure is! 

The NL irons are more like Miura than Mizuno in the feel department. I’ve only had my set of 623CBs for a few months but they seem to be holding up well. I’ve put thousands of range balls  on them in the Florida sandy soil and they are holding up remarkably (I am a range rat). 
 

NL clubs are built to spec and at least on my set, they nailed every little detail. 

[T_Golf_23]

On 8/21/2022 at 6:59 PM, tmax77 said:

 

I prefer the modus 130 it feels good to me and feel I have better control both higher and lower shots. I have honestly hit every single steel shaft out there except for x7 and Oban…and of all of them Modus 130 for me is by far my favorite.

 

hope this helps 

The modus 130 are some of the most unique shafts I have ever hit. Insanely stable shafts….. but don’t feel as heavy as they should. 
 

the KBS tour V would the cousin of the 130.  Very similar profile and available in lighter weights. 

[dmeeksDC]

On 8/25/2022 at 4:43 PM, dbornack said:

Never even heard of these.  They look great, how's the quality?  I've dabbled in some Sub 70 stuff recently, and the finish on them doesn't last long - so I'm not happy there.

 

Edit - well, they don't make a 3i, soooo..  I'm out.

3 irons notwithstanding, the quality of New Level irons is very high. They are 1020 steel forgings, very solid and satisfying feel, like Bridgestones in my personal experience. 
 

I have played several models and they really perform. Very playable irons. 

[Whatnogarnish]

Im gonna bet the new 222cb+ from Bridgestone will be high on this list. 
 

https://www.tourspecgolf.com/bridgestone-b-series-222cb-irons-5-pw-6pcs.html

[fjk]

On 8/18/2022 at 5:36 AM, dmeeksDC said:

I’ve had the PD and 623 and if the PD has a wider sole, I’d need to see it measured. Can barely tell them apart and that is only because the PD sole has tiny notches. They are very, very similar. 

Can you compare how they played differently? I’m not really seeing that the PD is more forgiving. Just stronger lofts. 

[miles2go]

On 8/19/2022 at 6:21 AM, jomatty said:

Epon makes some fairly intricate one piece forgings from what I recall.  I say recall because I’ve never hit them.   If I was looking for a one piece forging that offered some forgiveness I would definitely be checking them out though.  I don’t know if they have a forgiving, one piece forging without tungsten though.  I also don’t really understand avoiding tungsten aside from just a completely theoretical discussion.  Anyways, some of those Epons look great and I wish there was a convenient place for me to give them a whack…

Epon AF302 have knocked all challengers out of the bag.  Cavity back with low center of gravity. Extra weight behind the sweet spot. Super solid/soft feel.  Older club but can’t find anything better.  Have them with NSPro 1050’s.  Perfect. 

[dmeeksDC]

On 9/2/2022 at 10:28 AM, fjk said:

Can you compare how they played differently? I’m not really seeing that the PD is more forgiving. Just stronger lofts. 

I really could not say. New Level would know. They look similar in overall size but perhaps the PD has a lower or deeper COG to aid launch, or is a little better on thin hits. I am sure there differences related to those aspects. 
 

Right now my comparison is 623CB vs the original 902s, and the 902s are definitely more forgiving.