Honma CL-606 irons

[malelee21]

Does anyone still play or played these vintage irons? I just picked up a set (3-10) of CL606 "+2 high powered" because there was something about them that made them feel special / exotic. Must be older JDM irons with fancy engraving. :)

 

From what I found out, there were introduced in 1986 and were considered high-end clubs.

 

Will post some pictures when I receive them. Hope they are not too difficult to hit.

[Soloman1]

They are very soft heads - perhaps the softest of any irons ever made. The lofts will be a little stronger.

The shafts wills be more flexible than comparable flex shafts in the west, and they [i]may[/i] be 1/2" shorter than you expect.

[malelee21]

Thanks. You seem to know a lot about JDM irons. Out of JDM irons for under $300, do you have any recommendation? I see many JDM iron sets listed on eBay from shops in Japan, but says there could be import tax.

[Soloman1]

Well, I live in Japan, so I'm just around them all the time.

There shouldn't be any tax shipping to the U.S. Some countries do, though.

The best place to get used clubs is Yahoo auction Japan. [url="http://list4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3-%E7%94%B7%E6%80%A7%E5%8F%B3%E3%81%8D%E3%81%8D%E7%94%A8-%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%96-%E3%82%B4%E3%83%AB%E3%83%95-%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%84%E5%88%A5-%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%84-%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A3%E3%83%BC/2084032191-category.html"]http://list4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3-%E7%94%B7%E6%80%A7%E5%8F%B3%E3%81%8D%E3%81%8D%E7%94%A8-%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%96-%E3%82%B4%E3%83%AB%E3%83%95-%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%84%E5%88%A5-%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%84-%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A3%E3%83%BC/2084032191-category.html[/url]
Here's the page for right-handed irons. You can just select different brands on the left (even though you can't read them ...) and move from page to page. You'll see what the brand is after you see the first page.

The exchange rate is about 104 yen to the USD, so that gives you an idea of what the going rate for clubs is in Japan.

I wouldn't buy anything off of e-Bay. Yahoo and Rakuten sellers are all going to be legitimate, since both sites have a seller verification program that's very strict. They even have someone come to your house or business and verify your identity before you can put anything up for auction.

Rakuten has a basic fee of US$7,000 just to open an online store with them. People actually pay through Yahoo, so they act as a middleman to protect buyers froma anyone unscrupulous.

Everything I've every bought through Yahoo has been in better condition than advertised. I think you're going to pay a premium buying through e-Bay. Simply because it's in English and the seller can get away with much higher prices.

Anyway, There are a lot of bargains in Japan. I saw a set of Honma's like the ones you bought for about US$30 at a second-hand golf shop the other day. They weren't in great condition, but good.

There are some unusual models and brands that never make it out of Japan. I saw a set of clubs designed by Isao Aoki with a Tungsten face and Rifle 6.5 shafts that looked pretty cool. I think they were about US$60 for 4-PW, AW, SW (9 irons) set.

Everyone has there own idea of what looks good, so I don't think I could recommend anything particular.

If you see something on line and have a question about the Japanese, just post it and I'll translate it for you.

[malelee21]

Do you think sellers on yahoo and Ruketen are willing to ship to US for reasonable shipping cost? Also, what iron sets are considered popular JDM irons for around $300-400 range? Thanks!

[James Ng]

If you can understand Japanese, this yahoo site is great place to shop for JDM clubs. I will probably have to ask a friend to do translations for me.

[313]

[quote name='malelee21' timestamp='1388762831' post='8390493']
Do you think sellers on yahoo and Ruketen are willing to ship to US for reasonable shipping cost? Also, what iron sets are considered popular JDM irons for around $300-400 range? Thanks!
[/quote]

its cheaper for them to ship here w tracking than for us to ship there w/o tracking... no idea why. for example, had a purchase run me 14bucks shipping, sent one item back & that cost me 25 going the cheap route w no tracking.

but a couple of clubs for under 20, highest was 75 for 10clubs, and that price was higher than you will find on rakuten. it isnt that expensive, all things considered.

some boxes came bent & mended, others just fine. also, pretty sure several boxes were opened & retaped at customs, but never had a tax or tariff charge imposed.

[malelee21]

Can you find me a nice set of onoff and send to me here in NY for a small fee?

[Soloman1]

Most Yahoo sellers won't ship overseas because they don't speak English, so they can't answer any questions or problems a buyer might have. Shipments within Japan are never lost or damaged, but there seem to always be problems shipping to the U.S. That's the biggest problem because a buyer could still hurt the seller's reputation even though the U.S. shipping company lost or damaged the goods.

I can appreciate their position. I personally never send anything through the USPS anymore. Every present, box, Christmas card and letter in the past 5 years was stolen or disappeared after it entered the U.S. Every single one. Even tracked and insured, it's too much trouble to deal with every time.

Rakuten does have more people who will ship overseas because they are businesses and not individuals. If their page has some English, they will usually ship overseas. Either way, they will say so on their page.

Shipping costs are not usually marked up like in the U.S., so the shipping costs are what they are.

Sometimes you can find Tourstage irons for about that price. Tourstage are beautifully made irons. Usually, the only OnOff irons you find are the "plus" versions which are a little big. The heads are a little clunky, so that's why there are so many for sale.

I had thought about setting up a site some time ago and shipping good condition, used JDM gear, but there isn't enough demand or profit to offset the headaches and time to solve shipping problems and fighting Paypal.

[malelee21]

I finally got my irons today.

I was expecting beat up / rusted clubs, but these look as if they've been sitting in someone's garage for the last 20+ years. Incredibly grips feel and look near mint too.

Club head feels heavy / solidly built and looks like typical MB club, but with smaller size. 3 iron looks imtimidating due to compact head size. Overall, I would game these irons, but doubt I will ever use 3-4 irons.

[malelee21]

I had a chance to hit some balls in my basement today.

Wow.... these irons feel amazing and buttery smooth. Definitely less forgiving, but I will definitely game these irons.

[justy214_2000]

If anyone interested on any used JDM clubs hit me up. I have the resources here in Japan that I can ship to US via USPS and it is more cheaper than commercial shipper.

[pizzaman]

I had just bought a set of CL 606 but they look different from the ones in the pic. They have lesser engravings and with a green badge. Anyone know what's the difference?? and also what's the difference between green badge and the normal ones. Thanks in advance!