Mizuno MX-1000 Irons Reveal & Reviews

Hot off the press: Mizuno has transferred its outstanding hot metal face from its MX-700 range of woods and utilities to it brand new MX-1000 irons.

The Mizuno MX-1000 irons are aimed at golfers looking for extreme levels of distance and forgiveness with a high launch angle.

The ultra-thin ES230 maraging steel face has been plasma welded onto a stainless steel body.

The hollow body and hot metal face pushes the boundaries of R&A and USGA limits to expand the sweet spot across the face. The high launch also allows each club to have a stronger loft promoting increased distance without compromising on shot height.

David Llewellyn, R&D manager at Mizuno, said: "We learned a lot about the possibilities of hollow construction with our Fli-Hi irons. The MX-1000 takes the distance and flight benefits of that technology right through to the GW.

"We've used technology and materials to increase forgiveness rather than the old trick of adding loads of offset to an over-large head. Our quest is to develop equipment that gives amateur golfers every technical performance benefit possible but with head profiles that even professionals could potentially put in their own bags.

"The MX-1000 takes distance and forgiveness as far as they can without the head size becoming offensive to the eye."

Reviews:

BALANCE and FEEL--5 Stars

Yes they look a little clunky, and boy are those top lines just a touch on the thick side. None the less, we are talking Mizunos here. Just as some of those chunkier looking Mercedes Sedans can manhandle a high speed corner, and still take a fast jump off a straight line (in homage to their racing bloodline), these chunkier looking Mizunos let you know exactly where they are throughout your swing, and even though their main attraction is their forgiveness--they reward a well struck swing with both distance and feel as a testament to their tour proven tradition.

DISTANCE--5 Stars

I openly admit I took a star away from the Nike Slingshot 4D's and even my beloved Wilson Staff Di-9's for not including hybrids in the iron set. Here, however, things are just a bit different. The fact of the matter is that the modified U-Grooves on these clubs are, despite their abiity to conform to the new 2010 USGA Wimpy-Spin Rules, able to spin the ball with the lowly 4 Iron. Now I'm not saying you can go out there pin-seeking from 200 yards with these chunksters, swat the ball 10 yards past the hole, and have it do the magic backwards dance and back it into the cup--BUT---What I am saying, is that you can go for the middle of the green from that distance, and the ball will have a better chance of sticking the green than it would with a hybrid. It's a spin vs. loft type of deal, and with these grooves--it really works.

These clubs are stronger lofted than many, but not as strongly lofted as some. I give Mizuno credit for keeping the Pitching Wedge at 44*, which, even though a full club stronger than the traditional 48* of days gone by, it is not as strong as the 42 and 43* lofts I'm seeing on many others. The trick to the distance on these is the technology of razor thin maraging steel faces attached to hollow Stainless Steel Body Frames. With Irons this long, this high flying, and this straight shooting, hybrids actually become an option more than a necessity.

OVERALL--5 Stars

These are the best "Super Game Improvement" irons to hit the market this year. If they don't hit Gold Medal Status on a certain magazine's hit list, it will be a matter of someone else's advertising dollars buying the prize. These guys are really driving home the point that they are capable of competing on a level playing field with any and all iron makers out there. If you're looking at one companie's stuff for distance, or another's for forgiveness, or yet another's for technology, or even one for feel, you really need to try these. Somehow--Mizuno has really rolled all the components into one super long, super forgiving, Super Game Improvement Iron.