ZX5 irons vs ZX5 MKII irons.

[Jeff58]

14 hours ago, nmahmud said:

I have found the Mk II’s to be lifeless. The ZX5’s were alive. Compared to the ZX5’s the ZX5 Mk II’s have;

 

A distinct lack of feel. Where the ZX5’s feel buttery, the Mark II’s are clicky.

 

A shocking loss of distance on full shots on every iron.
 

Difficult to control distance and unreliable distance on anything less than a full shot. The ball sometimes explodes off the face whilst mostly clicking off on an unreliable trajectory. 

Unreliable shot profile and patterns. 
 

I initially felt that the changed set up and the shafts needed getting used to.

Just my experience-

 

Hit back too back with the same shaft and ball, it was almost impossible to tell the them apart on good contacts.

 

The original version had a slightly higher trajectory and spin, which gave it slightly more carry but similar overall distance.

 

When we buy new club(s) and they don’t match our swing mechanics, we tend to do two things. First, we blame the club head, since that’s how we tend to mentally identify the club. Second, we assume that if we use the mismatched configuration/mechanics long enough that the two will magically merge into a new cohesive whole. Sadly, there is no magic.

 

IMO have one of the new heads installed on one of your previous shafts.

[tlinnert]

4 hours ago, Jeff58 said:

Just my experience-

 

Hit back too back with the same shaft and ball, it was almost impossible to tell the them apart on good contacts.

 

The original version had a slightly higher trajectory and spin, which gave it slightly more carry but similar overall distance.

 

When we buy new club(s) and they don’t match our swing mechanics, we tend to do two things. First, we blame the club head, since that’s how we tend to mentally identify the club. Second, we assume that if we use the mismatched configuration/mechanics long enough that the two will magically merge into a new cohesive whole. Sadly, there is no magic.

 

IMO have one of the new heads installed on one of your previous shafts.

Agree with all of this. 

[BostonWRX]

19 hours ago, nmahmud said:

As a general intro to put my comments into perspective; I am 60 and play off a 6 handicap and generally play 2 to 3 rounds a week. 
 

As a point of reference; I hit my 8 iron 150 yards. 

 

I have played the Srixon ZX5 irons with UST Mamiya Recoil 760 ES SW F3 Shafts for some time and absolutely love them. Having played a lifetime of golf and having tried just about everything available out there; I can safely state these are the best irons I have ever had the privilege of gaming. 
 

Recently; I decided to buy the Srixon ZX5 Mark II’s expecting them to be a substantial upgrade to my old ZX5’s. The experience so far has been disappointing.

 

In all fairness I must point out that I decided to make a few adjustments to my set of ZX5 Mk II’s as compared to my ZX5’s.
 

I’m tall and hit the ball very high and with advancing age felt I was losing a bit of distance. Therefore, I decided to look for a shaft very similar to my previous set’s Recoils but with a lower trajectory whilst keeping an eye on torque. I also decided to order 1 degree stronger lofts to offset the distance loss. 
 

I settled on the UST Mamiya Recoil Dart F3 shafts which offered a similar weight profile and feel. 
 

The set was ordered with much enthusiasm and anticipation to my regular custom specs; ½ inch longer, 2 degrees upright and the 1 degree stronger lofts was the only change to the specs other than the shafts of course.

 

Unfortunately the enthusiasm has been severely stunted and the anticipation rewarded with extreme disappointment.
 

I have found the Mk II’s to be lifeless. The ZX5’s were alive. Compared to the ZX5’s the ZX5 Mk II’s have;

 

A distinct lack of feel. Where the ZX5’s feel buttery, the Mark II’s are clicky.

 

A shocking loss of distance on full shots on every iron.
 

Difficult to control distance and unreliable distance on anything less than a full shot. The ball sometimes explodes off the face whilst mostly clicking off on an unreliable trajectory. 

Unreliable shot profile and patterns. 
 

I initially felt that the changed set up and the shafts needed getting used to. Perhaps I was not loading the shafts with my standard smooth swing rhythm ? However, after many range sessions,  confirming swing speed and club head speed, several rounds, several opinions from fellow golfers who tried my irons; I feel my comments above are validated. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m with you. The new zx5s feel very blah vs the old zx5s. Imo

[vonbonds]

I’m about to buy a set for myself. Since the consensus is the MKII aren’t appreciably better than the MKI I’m going to save a few bucks and get them instead. Coming from Cleveland UHX irons I already know how good a v-sole is and since I’m a decently steep iron striker there’s no sense in trying anything else.

[PickItUpGolf]

At the risk of bumping an old thread...

I'm looking at ditching my Titleist T300s and getting a set of ZX5 MKIIs to use as my "gamer" set.

Has anyone compared the MK 2s directly to T300s? Compared to them, they felt amazing to me. But I haven't tried the MK1s to compare them to each other.

I've also got a set of Mizuno 923 Tours and Cobra CB/MBs (I know they're both above my pay grade), and I'm searching for some of that "feel" but in a more forgiving club, so looking to see what others may suggest, might be worth starting a thread to seek help on that?

[Jmccas]

2 hours ago, PickItUpGolf said:

At the risk of bumping an old thread...

I'm looking at ditching my Titleist T300s and getting a set of ZX5 MKIIs to use as my "gamer" set.

Has anyone compared the MK 2s directly to T300s? Compared to them, they felt amazing to me. But I haven't tried the MK1s to compare them to each other.

I've also got a set of Mizuno 923 Tours and Cobra CB/MBs (I know they're both above my pay grade), and I'm searching for some of that "feel" but in a more forgiving club, so looking to see what others may suggest, might be worth starting a thread to seek help on that?

I hit the MKI and owned the MKII. I think the MKI felt better than the MKII. I also tested the T300 in my fitting with the ZX5 and the ZX5 was better for feel and looks. T300 won on ball speed but I couldn’t stomach the size of the iron. 
 

ZX5 and maybe the Mizuno Forged and/or HMP is where you’ll find the best feel in this type of iron. You might want to give Ping/PXG a shot as well even though they’re cast both have great feel. 
 

I’m currently in Cobra Tours and they’re wonderful. Probably the only other set I’d consider is the JPX Tours. Let me know if you’re interested in getting rid of those Mizuno Tours 🙂

[PickItUpGolf]

7 hours ago, Jmccas said:

I hit the MKI and owned the MKII. I think the MKI felt better than the MKII. I also tested the T300 in my fitting with the ZX5 and the ZX5 was better for feel and looks. T300 won on ball speed but I couldn’t stomach the size of the iron. 
 

ZX5 and maybe the Mizuno Forged and/or HMP is where you’ll find the best feel in this type of iron. You might want to give Ping/PXG a shot as well even though they’re cast both have great feel. 
 

I’m currently in Cobra Tours and they’re wonderful. Probably the only other set I’d consider is the JPX Tours. Let me know if you’re interested in getting rid of those Mizuno Tours 🙂

Thank you for sharing your experience!

I hit the T300s well, but the lacking in feel is what's edging me towards something else. And yeah they're a little big looking too...

I haven't had the chance to try the Cobra tours yet, how are they working for you? Enough forgiveness for a higher hdcp'er to grow into them? The older model CB/MBs I have feel amazing, just a little outside my current game. Although I can hit them when I'm hitting well (which isn't often enough at the moment haha).

 

[Jmccas]

11 hours ago, PickItUpGolf said:

Enough forgiveness for a higher hdcp'er to grow into them?

 

Forgiveness depends on the golfer and how they hit the ball. Some irons are better for different golfers depending on their miss, their angle of attack, etc.  What works for me might not work for you because we likely have different swings. I get along really well with blades because I like a thin sole and my miss is heel side. I didn’t get along with the i230 because it’s higher bounce and the weight configuration in the head. 
 

I think there are better options than the Cobra Tours if you need forgiveness. While they are forgiving compared to blades they are not as forgiving as the ZX5. But that being said, go hit them. That’s really the only true way to find out. 
 

[paztormike]

I am a Srixon staffer. Back in 2021, I chose to game the ZX7's because of their feel. I tried the ZX5's and they didn't seem that much more forgiving than the 7's.

 

In 2023 I am gaming the ZX5 mkii's.  They feel amazing to me, and I like the feel more than the og zx7's.  I'm not sure what "clicky" means to people, but that is not my perception at all. They sound and feel sweet and soft. It is a great feel to me. In my career, these are the best match of feel and forgiveness that I have ever gamed from any manufacturer. 

 

I personally can't imagine what golfer would shy away from them because they don't feel good. Feel is totally subjective and I guess that not every "feel" suits every person. I just can't imagine someone not gaming the because of their feel, or even worse, for someone else's comments about their feel.

 

Just my opinion.

[ephmen]

Hit them both in same set up. Virtually indistinguishable z 

[skmiec4]

Have a set in route but i testing didn’t feel much different between the 2

[dmeeksDC]

On 6/12/2023 at 1:46 PM, paztormike said:

I am a Srixon staffer. Back in 2021, I chose to game the ZX7's because of their feel. I tried the ZX5's and they didn't seem that much more forgiving than the 7's.

 

In 2023 I am gaming the ZX5 mkii's.  They feel amazing to me, and I like the feel more than the og zx7's.  I'm not sure what "clicky" means to people, but that is not my perception at all. They sound and feel sweet and soft. It is a great feel to me. In my career, these are the best match of feel and forgiveness that I have ever gamed from any manufacturer. 

 

I personally can't imagine what golfer would shy away from them because they don't feel good. Feel is totally subjective and I guess that not every "feel" suits every person. I just can't imagine someone not gaming the because of their feel, or even worse, for someone else's comments about their feel.

 

Just my opinion.

This was my experience. If there is a feel difference between the og ZX5 and the new ones, it is very subtle. I don’t think I could tell them apart in a blind test. I had a ZX5 5 iron in the bag yesterday as a long iron contender and it was excellent. I would say hit them both for anyone worried about it. I’d buy the one I could get the best deal on. 

[Qegurezi]

Apparently the short irons on the new model have a less bulky sole. 

[ob1soccer]

On 6/12/2023 at 1:46 PM, paztormike said:

I am a Srixon staffer. Back in 2021, I chose to game the ZX7's because of their feel. I tried the ZX5's and they didn't seem that much more forgiving than the 7's.

 

In 2023 I am gaming the ZX5 mkii's.  They feel amazing to me, and I like the feel more than the og zx7's.  I'm not sure what "clicky" means to people, but that is not my perception at all. They sound and feel sweet and soft. It is a great feel to me. In my career, these are the best match of feel and forgiveness that I have ever gamed from any manufacturer. 

 

I personally can't imagine what golfer would shy away from them because they don't feel good. Feel is totally subjective and I guess that not every "feel" suits every person. I just can't imagine someone not gaming the because of their feel, or even worse, for someone else's comments about their feel.

 

Just my opinion.

I think the zx5 feel amazing, and are so forgiving, and have no offset. Perfect set of irons

[paztormike]

On 6/14/2023 at 4:40 PM, ob1soccer said:

I think the zx5 feel amazing, and are so forgiving, and have no offset. Perfect set of irons

I was talking with one of the Srixon reps not long ago. Both of us are surprised at how many people ask to try the ZX7's and end up purchasing the 5's or even the 4's. 

 

The 5's are every bit as sleek looking at address, they are more forgiving, and feel amazing. I personally prefer the 5's over the 7's in every way. I even like the feel more.

[ob1soccer]

I totally agree, they look the same, feel the same and the 5 are more forgiving

[mogc60]

On 6/12/2023 at 11:46 AM, paztormike said:

I am a Srixon staffer. Back in 2021, I chose to game the ZX7's because of their feel. I tried the ZX5's and they didn't seem that much more forgiving than the 7's.

 

In 2023 I am gaming the ZX5 mkii's.  They feel amazing to me, and I like the feel more than the og zx7's.  I'm not sure what "clicky" means to people, but that is not my perception at all. They sound and feel sweet and soft. It is a great feel to me. In my career, these are the best match of feel and forgiveness that I have ever gamed from any manufacturer. 

 

I personally can't imagine what golfer would shy away from them because they don't feel good. Feel is totally subjective and I guess that not every "feel" suits every person. I just can't imagine someone not gaming the because of their feel, or even worse, for someone else's comments about their feel.

 

Just my opinion.

After hitting these today and also ordering a set today I have to agree completely. I hit the ZX7 and they are great. Then on a whim I hit the new ZX5, just because I love how they look at address. First swing, just the most pleasant flush feel. Next swing, flush. Slight misses I could feel but they still felt crisp. Clicky never entered my mind and after 20 or so swings I just decided why not get a bit more forgiveness. I’m excited to get these and get to work with them. I’ve always leaned towards blades or smaller cavity blades, but looks, feel, and performance these just might be a great combo 

[Qegurezi]

It's fascinating how varied the difference of opinion is on feel for the ZX5 MKII. Many think it's clicky and just as many think it's quite pure.

 

Goes to show how personal such things can be. Normally something like this isn't split near so evenly. 

[jeffg21]

Ordered a set of ZX5 5-AW yesterday. First time doing a fitting outside, and ball flight and especially turf interaction was just what it was looking for.

[dolleris]

On 6/12/2023 at 7:46 PM, paztormike said:

I am a Srixon staffer. Back in 2021, I chose to game the ZX7's because of their feel. I tried the ZX5's and they didn't seem that much more forgiving than the 7's.

 

In 2023 I am gaming the ZX5 mkii's.  They feel amazing to me, and I like the feel more than the og zx7's.  I'm not sure what "clicky" means to people, but that is not my perception at all. They sound and feel sweet and soft. It is a great feel to me. In my career, these are the best match of feel and forgiveness that I have ever gamed from any manufacturer. 

 

I personally can't imagine what golfer would shy away from them because they don't feel good. Feel is totally subjective and I guess that not every "feel" suits every person. I just can't imagine someone not gaming the because of their feel, or even worse, for someone else's comments about their feel.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Just my opinion as well - coming from the Z565, I am very happy with my new MKII ZX5 set - the 'clicky'-thing mentioned here, I do not feel or hear at all. I think Srixon hit a sweet design and balance here. BTW, playing them with the KBS Tour Lites, coming from Nippon GH980 in my old set.

[Jeff58]

On 6/16/2023 at 5:58 PM, Qegurezi said:

It's fascinating how varied the difference of opinion is on feel for the ZX5 MKII. Many think it's clicky and just as many think it's quite pure.

 

Goes to show how personal such things can be. Normally something like this isn't split near so evenly. 

 

As a ZX5 and 2021 P790 owner and user, I can say with complete certainty that the ZX5 can be “clicky”. That’s the club’s way of trying to tell you that you missed badly. Pure center strikes are indeed very pure. Thin shots are higher frequency but not objectionable. The ZX5 is a distance iron that still communicates well while maintaining adequate flight across a large face area. 

 

The P790 is never clicky. Your feedback is to watch the ball flight and guess what caused the variation. In this regard,  they are from the worst thought. Many players either may prefer this lack of feedback or just don’t care.

 

The other aspect to be aware of IMO is that in the ZX5, Srixon has (arguably) for the first time a clearly class-leading club set. They are excellent in every regard and have no even minor weaknesses. That makes them a target. I think that anyone who’s been on this forum for a while understands that some percentage of posts have an unstated agenda.

Edited June 20, 2023 by Jeff58

[m4harrah]

On 6/14/2023 at 8:02 AM, Qegurezi said:

Apparently the short irons on the new model have a less bulky sole. 

I’ve seen this feedback a couple times. Wish I had taken pictures but I held both up side by side to compare and could see 0 difference in sole width, bounce, etc. If there is a difference, it’s incredibly subtle.

[LRick]

On 3/30/2023 at 10:59 AM, MitchCumstein said:

I've heard these are very clicky even compared to last gen.

 

i found both to be clicky but so many other people have said they feel great. makes me think i just wasn’t hitting them   well. 

[Shauck2]

Here is something really strange that happened to me. I ordered the original zx5 from an online retailer for a great price. When I opened the box the 5 and 6 iron were the MKII version not the original. The retailer said Srixon does not have any more components of the original zx5 and I could return them. I decided to keep the set because of the great price and everyone is saying there's really no difference between the two. It just sucks that I have a mismatched set. I order clubs all the time and nothing like this has ever happened. I'm thinking it was the end of the original zx5 production and someone screwed up at the factory. I won't mention the retailer because they have been great and I don't want them to have a negative reputation. Has anything like this happened to anyone else? 

[1Ante]

Never heard of, in my mind you should at least have been notified beforehand. Maybe a non supervised decision made by a guy shafting irons all day, and this was his very last mk1 order.   
 

And he will probably get away with it, right…?

[BallerNate]

Very interesting thread here. I just read through it all.

 

I previously owned the Z785, and ZX7, and had OG ZX5 4 and 5 irons.

 

This season I gamed a set of ‘23 P770 5-PW and currently a ‘23 P790 4-iron.

 

Since the end of the season I’ve been doing research on Distance irons that will offer more forgiveness and distance, and I’m planning a return to Srixon.

 

I hit both the ZX5 and ZX5 MKII on the simulator at my Golf shop the other day, and looked at both extremely closely.

 

For me, I think the MKII head is ever so slightly more compact, the V-sole is a little bit more subtle, and the finish is slightly different.

 

I think they both feel fantastic and perform really well, and I would happily play either set! I preferred the MKII a little bit, but not enough to pay double the price.

 

If I can’t find a good set of OG ZX5’s, I’ll order a set of MKII’s…but most likely I’ll be adding the OG ZX5 to my bag in the next couple of weeks.

[anth]

Long time Srixon user. Currently playing the Mk II ZX5 and I could not be happier. I agree that this series are ever so slightly more compact than their predecessors and to that end you may feel more comfortable going from the ZX7 to the ZX5.

 

This is what I did (with an unsuccessful stint in between with the Z-Forged II) and it has paid dividends for me. Ball striking confidence has returned and scoring well again after many months in the doldrums.

 

I understand the clickiness comments because the ZX5 are not as soft or nice feeling as the ZX7. The OG ZX7 were one of the best feeling and most playable irons ever made.

 

Why I love the ZX5 Mk II:

 

Ballflight is strong with the ability to hit the ball high. Well struck shots just feel solid and they go forever.

 

Still workable and movable. It’s true they want to go high but you can still control trajectory easily.

 

The extra forgiveness is welcome. It’s great when you know you didn’t quite catch it but it still clears the bunker or hazard.

 

The V Sole still works for me.

 

The Approach Wedge is a wonderful club that matches the set nicely, is versatile in that it can be used comfortably on full shots and for chips and pitches, and it transitions nicely into your specialty wedges (granted I use the Callaway Jaws which are a touch larger than most other wedges).

 

Things I don’t like about the ZX5 Mk II:

 

One day in the future the badge will fall off the back of the head. May it be many years away.

 

Srixon Irons played:

 

ZX5 Mk II 

Z-Forged II

ZX7

785/Z-Forged combo

765/965 combo

Z545

[MitchCumstein]

18 hours ago, anth said:

Long time Srixon user. Currently playing the Mk II ZX5 and I could not be happier. I agree that this series are ever so slightly more compact than their predecessors and to that end you may feel more comfortable going from the ZX7 to the ZX5.

 

This is what I did (with an unsuccessful stint in between with the Z-Forged II) and it has paid dividends for me. Ball striking confidence has returned and scoring well again after many months in the doldrums.

 

I understand the clickiness comments because the ZX5 are not as soft or nice feeling as the ZX7. The OG ZX7 were one of the best feeling and most playable irons ever made.

 

Why I love the ZX5 Mk II:

 

Ballflight is strong with the ability to hit the ball high. Well struck shots just feel solid and they go forever.

 

Still workable and movable. It’s true they want to go high but you can still control trajectory easily.

 

The extra forgiveness is welcome. It’s great when you know you didn’t quite catch it but it still clears the bunker or hazard.

 

The V Sole still works for me.

 

The Approach Wedge is a wonderful club that matches the set nicely, is versatile in that it can be used comfortably on full shots and for chips and pitches, and it transitions nicely into your specialty wedges (granted I use the Callaway Jaws which are a touch larger than most other wedges).

 

Things I don’t like about the ZX5 Mk II:

 

One day in the future the badge will fall off the back of the head. May it be many years away.

 

Srixon Irons played:

 

ZX5 Mk II 

Z-Forged II

ZX7

785/Z-Forged combo

765/965 combo

Z545

 

 

Spot on.  I love the ZX5 MKii.  Had OG ZX5 and hated the sole width.  New ones are slightly narrower in the sole and just look so good.  They play way way better for my game with the narrower sole and to me feel just the same if not better than the OG.  Absolute home run clubs.  

[BallerNate]

On 12/9/2023 at 3:45 AM, anth said:

Long time Srixon user. Currently playing the Mk II ZX5 and I could not be happier. I agree that this series are ever so slightly more compact than their predecessors and to that end you may feel more comfortable going from the ZX7 to the ZX5.

 

This is what I did (with an unsuccessful stint in between with the Z-Forged II) and it has paid dividends for me. Ball striking confidence has returned and scoring well again after many months in the doldrums.

 

I understand the clickiness comments because the ZX5 are not as soft or nice feeling as the ZX7. The OG ZX7 were one of the best feeling and most playable irons ever made.

 

Why I love the ZX5 Mk II:

 

Ballflight is strong with the ability to hit the ball high. Well struck shots just feel solid and they go forever.

 

Still workable and movable. It’s true they want to go high but you can still control trajectory easily.

 

The extra forgiveness is welcome. It’s great when you know you didn’t quite catch it but it still clears the bunker or hazard.

 

The V Sole still works for me.

 

The Approach Wedge is a wonderful club that matches the set nicely, is versatile in that it can be used comfortably on full shots and for chips and pitches, and it transitions nicely into your specialty wedges (granted I use the Callaway Jaws which are a touch larger than most other wedges).

 

Things I don’t like about the ZX5 Mk II:

 

One day in the future the badge will fall off the back of the head. May it be many years away.

 

Srixon Irons played:

 

ZX5 Mk II 

Z-Forged II

ZX7

785/Z-Forged combo

765/965 combo

Z545

 

13 hours ago, MitchCumstein said:

 

 

Spot on.  I love the ZX5 MKii.  Had OG ZX5 and hated the sole width.  New ones are slightly narrower in the sole and just look so good.  They play way way better for my game with the narrower sole and to me feel just the same if not better than the OG.  Absolute home run clubs.  

Good to hear the rave reviews on the ZX5 MKII!

 

I thought the differences to the size of the top line and sole are pretty minimal from the OG to the MKII, but they are definitely there if you look closely enough to the two side by side.

 

In hitting both back-to-back on a simulator, I preferred the MKII as well, but it was very incremental. 
 

It’s probably like if there’s 90% of what I like about the feel, performance, dispersion, launch etc with the OG ZX5, I’d be at 93% with the MKII.

 

Just not sure if that 3% is worth it for me personally to spend more than double the price of what I can get a used set of OG ZX5’s for.

 

Might just get OG ZX5 for now, and when I’m ready for a change I’ll get the MKII. We’ll see how it goes.

[jonteistockholm]

First time ever owned a set of Srixons

Been all over the map from Miura TC201 to Titleist to Mizunos etc

 

Have a combo set of ZX5ii 4-7 and ZX7mkii 8-9  with AMT X100

Are able to get both T100 and KT

The will not make my bag for sure because this is for me such great irons

Love the sole deisgn- heck It got me to get a WW 58V😍

 

Clicky hmm no not really but for sure another sound than the ZX7 

I really feel the hit and for me I get away with some bad strokes for sure in the longer irons.

 

I will get another set for sure