Machspeed Irons Review

[dncfry]

I have a few rounds on my new Machspeed Irons 4-PW, with dynalite 90 stiff shafts. I am playing to a 5 handicap currently and have gamed Titleist AP2's with PX 5.5's. Also had a little stint with Diablo Forged with PX 5.5's. My driver SS is around 105, irons are actually the strong part of my game, I prefer chunkier irons as they inspire more confidence for me.

 

Looks- The look of the cavity is something that shouldn't really matter, but I will say they are very tech looking. The great thing is when you are at the address position, they look great, I would say they are in between the AP2's and AP1's size wise. They do not look huge at all, maybe a little chunky but nothing extreme. 8/10

 

Feel- These are a great feeling set of irons, when hit flush you hear a nice click and get a fairly soft feel, up there with all the current non-forged sets. You can also tell when you mishit one out on the toe, but the shot seems to be only minimally effected. I believe they feel less muted than the AP1's. You will be pleasantly surprised with the feel of these irons. I have hit some bad shots with these but I was 100% sure my swing was crap. 8/10

 

Performance- This is what it's all about, and where these irons really shine. I find that the smoother more compact my swing, the better results. If you are the kind of guy that likes to club down and go after the ball you may be hitting moon balls (although even when I feel I sky one they still go the intended distance). I really like to take an extra club and make a smooth compact swing and these irons fit that method beautifully. I can actually controll my trajectory with these very well. As far as working the ball, right to left is easily done, I can hit a soft fade but not as easily done as a draw. 10/10

 

Forgiveness- is top notch with these, I have never had such a tight dispersion pattern with any set of irons and I have played a few. A fat or thin shot will still get you to the front of your target. These are also very forgiving when talking about direction, I have only noticed pushes and pulls, along the same lines as the machspeed driver. I think it may be due to the fact that these give you so much confidence as far as getting the ball airborne and at your target that it allows you to make smoother swings and improve your tempo. You will get the best results with a smooth swing. I don't know how a shaft change would affect them but I am so impressed with these in stock form that I won't mess with them. 10/10

 

Overall- I would say these irons can be played by any handicap as long as you are not a super high swingspeed guy. Smooth and compact and these will give you all the forgiveness and performance you need. I think Nike has done a good job at using technology that really translates to the golf course and will benefit the average golfer, as well as low handicappers. If you aren't hung up on looks you should really give these irons a shot.

[flameball]

Nice review. Thanks for posting. A few questions ... What are your distances? Can you feel where on the face you are hitting it? How forgiving are toe hits compared to ... ?

[dncfry]

My distances are a little off due to playing at high altitude and the strong lofts, going off of todays round I hit my 7 iron anywhere from 165-170, PW-125-135, 9 iron-140-150ish, 8 iron-150-160, 6 iron-170-180, 5 iron 185-200. I dont have a GPS so I just go by yardage markers and pin locations. I like to play alot of knockdowns so I never find myself really going to the higher end of the yardage. Today I hit my 5 iron to the back of a Par 3 from 210 and overshot a 215 par 3 with my 4 iron with a high trajectory. You can definitely tell where you hit the ball on the face, as far as toe hits the machspeeds are superior to the AP1's and AP2's, I would like to try the G15's and see how those stack up, couldn't imagine anything being more forgiving as these, unless you went to a hybrid set. I think these work great for me because I can feel the head really good throughout my swing due to the light shaft.

[KYMAR]

Thanks for taking the time for the extensive and thoughtful review. I Like a more classic iron head and therefore really want to hate the Machspeed, But i just cant! they just look cool ( I NEVER say that about Nike gear) It actually sounds like we approach the game similarly in that we take an extra club and focus on tempo. I'm not in the market for new irons, usually i build my own components, But I am looking forward to maybe taking a swing with these at a demo days. Thanks again, glad you found something that works so well for you!

[dncfry]

Yeah like I said my Driver SS is around 105 while feeling really smooth, I am sure I go above that when I am going after it but that's what I use as a reference. I actually found that with players irons my habit was to really go after the ball to ensure I got enough height on the ball, I feel with the design of these irons I can club down and be more accurate, I have had the best ball striking stats of my life with these so far, I am now able to put more practice in on my short game/putting which was always my goal.

Also- I found my set brand new on *Bay for 380 shipped. Pretty good for 2010 technology.

[magsgolfho]

i really like these as well but have only hit them in the store. was concerned on how they interact with the turf/grass. the head seems a little flat. just curious on your thoughts. they do feel great and the ball just wants to go straight. its between these and the ap1 for me

[OneBowTie]

I have a new set of Machspeeds..... played them once..... I really wanted to like em.... but they seem heavy to me compared to my sumo irons.....

I will say that the Machspeeds look awesome at setup..... but something about the weighting of them compared to my other irons....don't know that I would ever get used to .

Oh well.....live and learn

nice review by the OP

[Nota_Bogey]

dncfry, can you tell me what it was about the Diablo Forged that you didn't care for?


I have been intrigued by the Nike Machspeed [b]Forged[/b] Irons from Japan. They just look a lot cleaner and... well... they're forged.

[BeTheBall]

dncfry
We have similar games and tastes in clubs......... my driver SS is 103ish and have a 4.4 index at the moment. I grew up playing PINGS so have always played GI irons, however, when I got down to a 3 I feel for the hype and bought Ping S59's and handicap about doubled. So I bought a set of Raptures a few years ago but seemed to turn my draws into hooks with the heavy offset. I wish I kept and got use to them, I loved the height and forgiveness. I have been playing Mizzy MX900s since they are forged, have less offset, and forgiving but I'm really curious about new R9's and Ping G15's. Have you hit either? I too like the looks of Machspeed unlike my fellow "single digiters". How would you compare them to G10's, G15's, or R9's? Congrats!

[weten2]

Betheball;
I will give my opinion based on several range tests and one lengthy demo day all off of mats. The Machspeed has a better feel and much easier to look at address. I have had several Ping sets and find the g15 getting clunkier looking and dull feeling in comparison to the Machspeed. The R9's were very nice however the Machspeed was more forgiving and felt better. The R9's equate to $300 more when you consider the $200 credit Nike is giving towards other Nike products.For me it's between Machspeed and mx200. And I'm starting to lean towards the forgiveness and confidence the machspeed gives.

[dncfry]

[quote name='BeTheBall' date='29 March 2010 - 09:51 PM' timestamp='1269917486' post='2349204']
dncfry
We have similar games and tastes in clubs......... my driver SS is 103ish and have a 4.4 index at the moment. I grew up playing PINGS so have always played GI irons, however, when I got down to a 3 I feel for the hype and bought Ping S59's and handicap about doubled. So I bought a set of Raptures a few years ago but seemed to turn my draws into hooks with the heavy offset. I wish I kept and got use to them, I loved the height and forgiveness. I have been playing Mizzy MX900s since they are forged, have less offset, and forgiving but I'm really curious about new R9's and Ping G15's. Have you hit either? I too like the looks of Machspeed unlike my fellow "single digiters". How would you compare them to G10's, G15's, or R9's? Congrats!
[/quote]

I demoed a set of R9's for about a week, they are cool looking clubs, but they just didn't stand out in any area compared to the Machspeeds, the R9's looked jumbo sized to me. The Machspeeds are more compact and chunky if that makes sense? Machspeeds are more forgiving on every type of mishit and feel a lot better on pure shots. I played again with them today and hit a lot of greens with my misses never leaving me to far left or right. I actually mishit a 9 iron really bad and didn't want to watch where it was going, when I looked up it was on the back fringe. I put 3 PW's about 5-6ft, playing knockdowns into the wind,(missed the birdie putts). I have never been a huge equipment junkie but I can't stop raving about these irons. I had the worst putting round in quite some time and had a blowup round of 82 but I still had alot of fun playing my iron shots. I looked at some G15's today, they look really nice and simple, I would not hesitate to try them out.

[dncfry]

[quote name='Nota_Bogey' date='29 March 2010 - 09:15 PM' timestamp='1269915340' post='2349083']
dncfry, can you tell me what it was about the Diablo Forged that you didn't care for?


I have been intrigued by the Nike Machspeed [b]Forged[/b] Irons from Japan. They just look a lot cleaner and... well... they're forged.
[/quote]

It's not that they were that bad, I think they were hyped up to much, and I found them to be very similar to the X-22's, you may like them a lot. I just didn't really understand them, they have a big sole and still look pretty chunky but don't have the forgiveness of the Machspeeds. I guess if you need some forgiveness and want to say that your irons are forged, they are the perfect match. I really don't have a preference between forged feel and cast. My understanding is they can weight the cast irons more effectively than the forged in terms of forgiveness, so I will stick with cast.

[emac417]

great review.
thanks for sharing.

[flameball]

Nike SQ Machspeed Irons. Here's an outside review to compare w/ the OP

Written: Jan 25 '10 (Updated Jan 25 '10)

 

Product Rating:Pros: Long, Easy to Hit, Forgiving, Good Feel and Balance

 

Cons: Funky Look

 

The Bottom Line: If you need a club that allows you to get the ball airborne easily, hits it long and straight, and packs as much forgiveness as Mother Theresa---look no further.

 

berniez40's Full Review: Nike SQ Machspeed IronsTHESE SHOULD BE IN STATESIDE STORES NEXT WEEK!

That is kind of funny, considering this design has been all over Asia for roughly a full season now. Nike has spent a lot of research money on this line, and placed a rather huge bet on "The Machspeed Name." Considering the funky look, and the Asian Wide Tour before hitting The States, one can't help but be twisted enough to have a "Speed Racer In His Powerful Mach 5" type flashback. These clubs, however, were designed by Tom Stites, Nike's head club designer, and not Pops Racer and designer builder of "The Powerful Mach 5." The Machspeed name is not only coming to the states in the form of these irons, but as hybrids, fairway metals, and a driver as well.

 

I think Nike finally got the message that both The Sasquatch, and The Slingshot series were awfully long in the tooth, and that they'd better do something quick or risk losing their reputation for cutting edge designs. For the first time since the original Slingshot Irons, Nike has really come out with a game improvement iron that says---"This Is Our Ddesidn--And It's Pretty Darned Cutting Edge Too!" Seriously---that last set of Nike SQ Irons, the one with the ugly yellow gummy inserts, was such a 3rd rate "ME TOO" copy of the Cleveland Irons, that many people were beginning to wonder if Nike had finally quit trying to come up with any of their own innovations.

 

For all high cappers, and real Nike Fans--these Machspeed Irons, unlike Speed Racer's girl friend Trixie, are deserving of much more than just a cursory glance. Here's why.

 

DISTANCE--5 Stars

 

These are the 2nd longest game improvement irons I have hit this year. Top honours goes to the R9's, but these babies were right on their tail. They are so easy to put a good swing on that I couldn't help but remember the first time I hit a first generation Nike Slingshot Iron. Now, as then, I couldn't believe how the ball came popping off the face after making a sound similar to, "Spingk!", and just flew, and Flew, and FLEW! Trajectory was indeed high, if not stratospheric, but that did not hamper the distance at all.

 

Nike always did have one of the best batches of 455 Carpenter Steel that was ever welded to an iron. This time, however, they are using something different. It's called AM355, and I suspect that that is short hand for a new blend of Alpha Maraging Steel --thus the AM prefix. I believe other companies will be forced to play catch up with Nike on this one, and they will be the one's crying, "Me Too, Me Too!" I'm going to get in trouble for this--but "I liked it better than Titanium". More on that when I cover how these Irons "Feel", and the "Technolgy" used.

 

BALANCE--4 Stars

 

These are very well balanced for game improvement irons. My only problem with them was not club head awareness in the sense of "Where's the club head at?" during my swing. My problem, of all things, was actually--"Club Head Over Awareness." I mean this is superb for beginners and high cappers who are just developing a sense of club head awareness--but this baby "telegraphs" where she is at all times. Subtlety is definitely not her strong suit.

 

It's not a matter of the club being "Too Heavy" either, as we're talking a D1 Swing Weight from 3 Iron-Approach Wedge. It's a matter of the fact that in order to make this club almost impossible to miss hit with--Nike relocated--"50"---that's right "FIFTY" grams low and back for maximum effective depth on the center of gravity. That's what accounts for that attachment on the back that looks like a suspension bridge in miniature. If you can't feel where this club head is at during your swing--you'd better get your pulse checked.

 

FEEL--5

 

Okay so the feel during the swing is on the clunky side. If that were simply because the club was poorly designed--I'd be hammering it for both poor balance and sloppy feel. The fact of the matter is this--it was designed to get the ball up in the air easily, hit it long, and hit it straight. As you can see by the distance rating--that's what she does, and she does it well. As far as my titanium comment earlier, lets just say that fairway metals and irons don't have a large enough facial area to get a consistent level of springiness across the face--much less an entire set. Carpenter Steel, and Maraging Steel are actually springier than titanium--at least consistently, when talking these smaller sized faces.

 

The feel at impact on these is very--very good. I'm not rating it for buttery blade-like feel, as that is not what this club is all about. A solid feel with a quick pop off the face helps instill a sense of confidence to beginners and high cappers, and this club offers that in great abundance. Buttery feel is for clubs attempting to be workable. This club is all about long, high, and straight. Basically--she feels like what her job actually is, and does it well. Besides--I just love that "Spingk" sound. It's really kind of cool, and reinforces the club's overall identity as long, straight, and powerful. AM355 is probably going to start making its appearance on more club faces throughout the industry.

 

TECHS and SPECS--5 Stars

 

The technology that went into this series of club is second to none. Nike bet the farm on these, and it shows. Lots and lots of new and innovative ideas, that help the ball achieve maximum distance without maximum over-juicing of the lofts as a prerequisite. The 50 grams low and back gets the ball airborne so quickly it'll make your head spin. The spread on that center of gravity is quite good too, andreally enhances MOI. Forgiveness on this club is tops in her field. The AM 355 that is "welded off the face" is one of the hottest faces in golf right now. The Power Bow technology, though clunky looking--even at address--actually lives up to manufacturers's claims. That's rare in this business of game improvement where snake oil and placeboes abound. A UST/ Mamiya AXIV as the OEM Graphite shaft is by far one of the best offerings to come out this year.

 

3I=20*

4I=23*

5I=26*

6I=29*

7I=33*

8I=37*

9I=41*

PW=45*

AW=50*

SW=55*

LW=60*

 

OVERALL--5 Stars

 

Nike's absolute best game improvemnt offering in many years. The best part is that it is unquestionably Nike's own design. I had grown rather tired of their anemic re-hashes of "ME TOO" and " 2nd/3rd Rate Copies of other maker's clubs. Admittedly, the "Love Child of a Callaway X-22 making hot monkey love to an Original Nike Slingshot" isn't a look for just anybody. I, however, find them to be a very interesting look indeed.Franz Kafka would love the techno -industrial look.

 

These are part of Nike's new fleet of an across the board over haul. Better yet--they were field tested in the Asian Market first. That may have been part of what eventually led to MacGregor's downfall, as Functional Asian Clubs don't always translate well into an American Market that is overly concerned with looks-. None the less-- I personally feel that these are top notch. Otherwise-due to the huge backlog of reviews I am working on at present, I wouldnt have taken the time to write this review. If you need high, long, and straight--you really need to look at these clubs.

 

 

I'd like to thank Abraham, my Category Lead, for providing the link that allowed me to write this review.

 

Recommended:

Yes

[sharkiesj]

I just wanted to add something to this topic.

Was just messing around at a local shop and I love to try different things. I've seen the Machspped irons before but never had the urge to hit them. I currently use i15's with KBS and I do have a set of Nike Sumo irons for my winter beater set. But after reading this thread, I was mildly curioius about the Machspeed irons.

I took my Sumo irons to compare and hit them side by side with the Machspeed irons (outdoor range connected to shop). All I can say is wow. I am a believer. I'm a 5 handi and have played with every iron under the sun and these Machspeed irons are incredible. They are ugly but they do perform and they feel really solid. Missed shots are definitely helped, but a bad shot with these is still a bad shot. The Sumo irons are somewhat clunky but ultra-forgiving, more for smash-and-mash golf than hitting finesse shots and feeling the shot. The Machspeeds are definitely more workable and hitting little shots are alot easier vs. the Sumo's. Jeez, they almost feel better than my i15's.

Nike gets bashed alot, and I have done my share of Nike bashing, but I have been humbled today. Bottom line, sometimes equipment you avoid because of whatever reason, can quite possibly be the best thing for your game.

I am in full agreement with the OP who started this topic. If you put a nice smooth swing on these irons, they take care of you. If you swing for the fences, then the ugliness can come out, but that can happen with any iron. The Machspeed's arent' sexy, they aren't sweet, they aren't alot of things but they sure do swing great, they feel great, and they aren't as nasty when you take them outside and hit them vs. just looking at them in the store.

I like my i15's but I may trade in my Sumo's for a new winter beater set of clubs...the Machspeeds. Wow, I never in a million years would've thought I'd say that.

[Boogs2]

I'm getting really curious about the Machspeed irons...anyone have a comparison between the Machspeed vs. the VR Full Cavity irons? I'm going to go GI irons this year and would like to get some opinions on the two head to head. I'm liking the Machspeed irons more just because im hearing they are more easier to hit.

[weten2]

From my experience from demo days the Machspeed is more forgiving, better feel, confidence inspiring at address and longer. The VR Full has more workability.

[avrag]

[quote name='ionakana511' date='06 April 2010 - 06:32 PM' timestamp='1270571556' post='2363703']
I'm getting really curious about the Machspeed irons...anyone have a comparison between the Machspeed vs. the VR Full Cavity irons? I'm going to go GI irons this year and would like to get some opinions on the two head to head. I'm liking the Machspeed irons more just because im hearing they are more easier to hit.
[/quote]

I tried both on a demo day, when I was looking for a really forgiving iron set. The demo day was held at a grass range and it was quite windy. It was not even close between the two Nike sets.
The Machspeed irons are really forgiving, the VR Full Cavities aren't, period. They are a set of cavity backs that are really hard to play in my view, much harder than many "player's irons" I have tried. The Machspeed on the other hand are everything they are supposed to be, plus they look quite good at address and they feel good. I was really surprised by these.
Just to complete this:
On that day, I also tried Cobra S2 and S2 Max, Cleveland HiBore Xli, HB3 and CG7 BP, and Wilson Di9 and Ci9 and FG.
Did not like both Cobra models at all, although I really wanted to like them before, was very surprised by the fact that I found the Cleveland CG 7 BP much more forgiving than either of their hybrid irons, and was blown away by the performance of the Wilson Ci9, especially because of the stock FST shaft. But the Machspeeds were really, really good, as well. But it is still hard for me to see myself with a set of Nike irons (although I have two Nike woods), so I would probably decide in favour of the Wilsons, if I had to right now.

[Boogs2]

[quote name='weten2' date='06 April 2010 - 01:18 PM' timestamp='1270574318' post='2363808']
From my experience from demo days the Machspeed is more forgiving, better feel, confidence inspiring at address and longer. The VR Full has more workability.
[/quote]


[quote name='avrag' date='06 April 2010 - 02:42 PM' timestamp='1270579334' post='2363997']
[quote name='ionakana511' date='06 April 2010 - 06:32 PM' timestamp='1270571556' post='2363703']
I'm getting really curious about the Machspeed irons...anyone have a comparison between the Machspeed vs. the VR Full Cavity irons? I'm going to go GI irons this year and would like to get some opinions on the two head to head. I'm liking the Machspeed irons more just because im hearing they are more easier to hit.
[/quote]

I tried both on a demo day, when I was looking for a really forgiving iron set. The demo day was held at a grass range and it was quite windy. It was not even close between the two Nike sets.
The Machspeed irons are really forgiving, the VR Full Cavities aren't, period. They are a set of cavity backs that are really hard to play in my view, much harder than many "player's irons" I have tried. The Machspeed on the other hand are everything they are supposed to be, plus they look quite good at address and they feel good. I was really surprised by these.
Just to complete this:
On that day, I also tried Cobra S2 and S2 Max, Cleveland HiBore Xli, HB3 and CG7 BP, and Wilson Di9 and Ci9 and FG.
Did not like both Cobra models at all, although I really wanted to like them before, was very surprised by the fact that I found the Cleveland CG 7 BP much more forgiving than either of their hybrid irons, and was blown away by the performance of the Wilson Ci9, especially because of the stock FST shaft. But the Machspeeds were really, really good, as well. But it is still hard for me to see myself with a set of Nike irons (although I have two Nike woods), so I would probably decide in favour of the Wilsons, if I had to right now.
[/quote]




Wow, I'm not gonna lie, I thought when these came out that they were a little funky looking, and I still do. But there have been several reviews on the Machspeeds and these things are performing. I'm really gonna have to take a look at these. Has anyone tried these with different shafts? I have a set of kbs tour tapers that I'm interested in putting in if I end up with these.

[craz-e]

Certainly will be trying them on Friday when its the Nike demo day.

[Goldenhawk]

[quote name='Nota_Bogey' date='29 March 2010 - 10:15 PM' timestamp='1269915340' post='2349083']
dncfry, can you tell me what it was about the Diablo Forged that you didn't care for?


I have been intrigued by the Nike Machspeed [b]Forged[/b] Irons from Japan. They just look a lot cleaner and... well... they're forged.
[/quote]

Yeah. It looks like that the Machspeed Forged Irons can give a the Diablo Forged Irons a run for the money. Does anyone here have or played with a set of Machspeed Forged Irons.

[weten2]

I heard about these from another forum and went to the store to look at them. I also was turned off at first just looking at them. At the demo day it was a different scene and I was strongly encouraged.The appearance is much better from address than in the bag and the performance was outstanding.

[dncfry]

Still loving my machspeed irons, I went through a rough spell with my swing and these irons really helped, my scores didn't suffer to badly and I am now back on track which is the main reason I put them in play. If anyone is considering these irons, I would still give my strong recommendation after having these in the bag a while, my only problem now is my machspeed driver is wanting to balloon on me now that I have my swing together and am making great contact. My SS is around 105, anyone have any shaft recommendations? I play the dymo 3 wood with the stock stiff axivcore 70 and I get a better penetrating flight with that than the new 55 gram machspeed shaft?

[craz-e]

[quote name='dncfry' date='10 April 2010 - 06:38 AM' timestamp='1270881508' post='2371342']
Still loving my machspeed irons, I went through a rough spell with my swing and these irons really helped, my scores didn't suffer to badly and I am now back on track which is the main reason I put them in play. If anyone is considering these irons, I would still give my strong recommendation after having these in the bag a while, my only problem now is my machspeed driver is wanting to balloon on me now that I have my swing together and am making great contact. My SS is around 105, anyone have any shaft recommendations? I play the dymo 3 wood with the stock stiff axivcore 70 and I get a better penetrating flight with that than the new 55 gram machspeed shaft?
[/quote]


If you can Find a place with the Nike demo cart see if you can hit a few different shafts, I tried a few at a recent demo day and found the Voodoo, Project X and Fubuki to be pretty good, all be it in a different head the VR STR8.

[backfire]

Thanks for this review! It was really helpfull !!!

I'm a beginner at golf, and this set the only set that I find visually attractive! Since many more experienced golfers dislike the Machspeeds, I was afraid of buying them.
Now I've read your review I'll be testing these really soon