Taylormade Burner 2.0 Irons & THP Testing

[Timbao]

I would really much appreciate if someone could post some pictures of comparison between X-24 and the Burners 2.0. perhaps 5, 7 and pw?

Thanx in advance

 

[tdotsports1]

Im not sure what strong lofts have to do with a golfers skill level. All distance is manufactured whether it is shorter or longer based on the lofts one is given. Just because one is used to traditional lofts does not make it correct or incorrect. I have not seen a tester say that they dont offer as much forgiveness. Can you show me that, because I might have missed it. I have been testing them and find them to be super forgiving and definitely as forgiving as most of the other GI irons on the market. Shaft length, face technology and other things all play a role in adding forgiveness on misses and increasing ball speed.

Im always baffled when golfers (not you, just in general) knock length based on loft. Its the same golfers that look for many different things in an iron that I dont understand, but that is for a different thread. Distance is only created by ball speed and angle. That is it, nothing more. The same reason they offer different lofts in drivers. In the end, what is the difference.

That's why I asked, I really wanted to get to heart of this matter and if I am wrong, I am wrong. I am just glad somebody is tackling this issue strongly as you are and giving me a straight answer, hard to find sometimes and much appreciated, believe me.

I do remember a tester on this thread praising the forgiveness but also stating they aren't THAT forgiving compared to his Callaway's (I believe) or an SGI.

 

[JB]

That's why I asked, I really wanted to get to heart of this matter and if I am wrong, I am wrong. I am just glad somebody is tackling this issue strongly as you are and giving me a straight answer, hard to find sometimes and much appreciated, believe me.

I do remember a tester on this thread praising the forgiveness but also stating they aren't THAT forgiving compared to his Callaway's (I believe) or an SGI.

I find them more forgiving than the X-24s, especially in the long irons. Far more forgiving in fact. Less forgiving than many SGI irons, as in my opinion they should be. That is a category for the Burner Super Launch, etc...

 

[coolbreeze]

Yes the lofts are strong on the 2.0's but as an example I am hitting the 2.0 6 iron farther than I hit my old 5 iron. This is not just due to the lofts as after checking my 2.0 6 iron has 2 degrees less loft that my old 5 iron. The face is definatly hotter and the ball flight is much higher and more penetrating than any iron I have tried. The combination of loft, shaft kick points, cg, and face thickness make these irons as long as they are. Plus who cares? I now hit a 6 where I used to hit a 5, those are just numbers all I want to do is shoot a low score and there are no pictures on my scorecard.

 

[Kmac]

I would really much appreciate if someone could post some pictures of comparison between X-24 and the Burners 2.0. perhaps 5, 7 and pw?

Thanx in advance

Timbao, if you go back to around page one or two I added pictures of both the X-24 and Burners side by side.

Edit: Yeah I missed that by a bit, thanks One-T.

 

[One-T]

As many of you already know a few THP members have been selected by Taylor Made and THP to test the new Burner 2.0 irons. I was lucky enough to be one of those testers. So first I need to say thank you to both Taylor Made and THP. I think its important that everyone understand that these irons came with no clause that I have to give them a good review. Just as THP always does a non biased honest review, I will do the same for my long term review of the Burner 2.0 irons. Many and most all you know that the THP Fall Outing just concluded. It just so happened that upon arrival at the PGA National resort in Florida I was given the new Burner 2.0 irons. So this initial post will be with just a short time with the new irons and in a different place then most of my testing will take place. And being that this was a THP outing that meant there was lots of competition there for the new Burners. How did they stack up? That was one of my main goals while at the outing.

First lets get into a little technology and nuggets of Taylor Made Burner 2.0 goodness. Most of you probably know that the '09 Burners were the best selling irons in golf last year. I played them for a good part of year and know they were great irons. These new Burners have a lot to live up to. This is from the Taylor Made Burner 2.0 website:

• Mulit-functional Sole: TaylorMade's Multi-Functional iron sole is beveled at the back to make it perform like a much thinner sole, which increases playability from a variety of lies, yet it also features a low and deeper center of gravity that makes it easy to launch the ball on a powerful and penetrating flight.

• Sound System: Burner 2.0 Irons have been uniquely tuned to produce a sound (or feel) to match the power inside every iron.

• Progressive Weight Distribution: Each iron individually engineered, resulting in the enhancement of multiple club properties, that promote distance. As you go from a PW to a 6I to a 3I the weight gets lower and wider for maximum forgiveness.

• Head shapes and MOI: Again as you go from 3I to 6I to PW each club is different and there is a shift from fogiveness in long irons to control in the shorter ones.

Most of my review is going to be a direct head to head battle between the new Buner irons and the Callaway X-24 HOt irons. These are my current irons and what I think most people looking at the new Burners will be comparing them with. So my pictures include the 7I from both sets side by side.

Looks and first impressions

I think they look great.Black finish with chrome accents. The familiar but also updated Burner bagde design looks good too. I think they have the X-24's beat heands down here. Orange? Not my first choice when it comes to colors. But in the end its all about the performance and the X-24's don't disappoint. But back to looks. The new Burners keep the look from the '09's and build on it. I think they look sleeker, have a better looking badge and I love the two tone black and chrome. So far from limited range time it seems to hold up too. Grips? I don't love them but I don't hate them either.Not as bad as Nike or Ping grips but they are not a whole lot better either. Im keeping them on for a few more range trips and a couple rounds but will most likely change them should I decide to game the new Burners.

Testing and first swings

My first chance to really hit the new Burners came early Saturday morning at the PGA National resort. After working off some rust I took aim at a green that looked about 150 and just blasted some 8I shots right over it. Let me just say these irons are long. They fly high but not too high. And I hit a high ball too. I find the feel to be very good. Its not x-24 feel its more of a Taylor Made feel that is a combination of last years Burners and current R9's. And that makes the feel of the new Burners. I knew when I hit it flush and I knew when I caught it a little high or on the toe. Forgiveness is excellent with shots still having good distance and straight. Another thing you should be able to see in the pictures is a little less offset. I like this. Why? I don't know I just do. They look a lot smaller at address then you'd think. Is it smaller or is it a Taylor Made trick? Whatever it is it works and works well. The shafts just seem to work well with the heads and I don't foresee needing to change them. The Burners are longer then most clubs but I really didnt have any issues with this. Maybe because Ive played the '09 Burners but I think with a little range time this wont be an issue. Playing at the PGA National was a huge challenge. While I struggled with driving the ball I hit some really great long iron shots with the new Burners. Some of the best 5I shots Ive hit all year. Im excited to get more time with them and look forward to sharing my thoughts here in this thread. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer. And will I game the new Burners full time? Will they boot the X-24's out of the bag? That remains to be seen.

here are Burner and 24 comparisons

 

[One-T]

Timbao, if you go back to around page one or two I added pictures of both the X-24 and Burners side by side.

1 or 2.....haha, it was around 21 I think.

 

[Kmac]

1 or 2.....haha, it was around 21 I think.

lol yeah, oops. Thanks man

 

[One-T]

I am glad he asked for that, looking at the 2.0's next ot the 24's again, I am just loving the look of the Burners more. and more. and it really shows off how you(OEM) were saying that TM managed to make the topline look smaller.

 

[Kmac]

I am glad he asked for that, looking at the 2.0's next ot the 24's again, I am just loving the look of the Burners more. and more. and it really shows off how you(OEM) were saying that TM managed to make the topline look smaller.

I agree. I just love the finish on them. As much as I liked the finish on the 24's when I first saw them, they just dont hold up as well as the Burners have so far.

 

[tdotsports1]

Yes the lofts are strong on the 2.0's but as an example I am hitting the 2.0 6 iron farther than I hit my old 5 iron. This is not just due to the lofts as after checking my 2.0 6 iron has 2 degrees less loft that my old 5 iron. The face is definatly hotter and the ball flight is much higher and more penetrating than any iron I have tried. The combination of loft, shaft kick points, cg, and face thickness make these irons as long as they are. Plus who cares? I now hit a 6 where I used to hit a 5, those are just numbers all I want to do is shoot a low score and there are no pictures on my scorecard.

That's good to know, and makes some sense also.

 

[underpar4]

Thanks for all the detailed info.
Can anyone please compare Burner TP and Burner 2.0 ?

TIA

 

[JB]

Thanks for all the detailed info.
Can anyone please compare Burner TP and Burner 2.0 ?

TIA

Stronger lofts and longer shafts on the 2.0. Slightly larger club heads and slightly more offset.

The 2.0 irons offer far more forgiveness. Especially out on the toe and high on the club face.

 

[underpar4]

Thanks JB.
Just looked up the spec, starts from 60 with a gap of 5* till 7 iron and then goes to a gap to 4/4/3/3/ till 19* for the 3 iron.
I have tried the burner and they are way forgiving than my blades, 2.0 looks way better than burner and looks like I have to try them now!

 

[waterlogged]

here are Burner and 24 comparisons

Thanks for the pics. 2.0's are even better looking in person. Love the thin top line.

 

[Kmac]

Thought this would be a good time to drop some 2.0 pictures after about a month of use. Ive played just about every weekend and managed to squeeze a few range sessions in between. Finish is holding up very good as you can see.

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Thanks for the pics Kev. I have to agree, the finish and everything is definitely there to stay, it's not like the finish on say the original Super Quad that would eventually fade or scratch up easily, this finish is more than just a paint job.

I am still enjoying the Burner 2.0s, one little thing is that by now I would have hoped to start getting a better idea of the yardages and which clubs to hit, I'm getting it closer but still a little bit off. I have continually been impressed with the balance of forgiveness and feel. I love that I don't have to completely nail one dead on the sweet spot to get a good result, but at the same time I immediately know if I don't hit it there, it really seems to be the best of both worlds!

 

[Kmac]

Thanks, P4B! I echo your thoughts exactly. Starting to get pretty comfortable with the Burners now but still learning them at the same time.

 

[golfingcop]

I finally received my custom 2.0’s yesterday and five minutes after, I was at the range testing it out. I got them, 2* upright, standard length with golf pride new decade grips. These 2.0”s replaced the 09 Burners I’ve had since, well, ‘09, so those of you hackers pondering on switching, here’s my two cents.

Looks: I find the clubhead more appealing with the black finish. There isn’t that much difference in size from the ‘09’s but I can tell there is a difference with the off-set. I like how it sets up with the less off-set especially with the shorter clubs. It is very pleasing to the eye. I think the darker finish makes it look slimmer; and hides the bulk on longer clubs too. The slight length in shaft isn’t that much of a difference if any. If there is, I didn’t notice it in swing performance, distance or ball flight. Whatever it is, based on looks, it is quite a head turner.

Feel: Night and day from the ‘09’s! I think it feels better than the R9’s as a matter of fact (again, personal preference). The 09’s have a “clunk” feel to it. I could tell the difference in feel right away when I was hitting the 2.0’s. I don’t know if some of you guys testing the 2.0’s felt this but, when struck well (or somewhat well even), the ball feels like it sticks to the face longer. I felt this even when I was using range balls.

Distance/Flight: Not much different from the 09’s. My 8 iron still goes about 155 with a high trajectory. The rest of the clubs go the same distance they are supposed to go. If I’m hitting it straight and true, I think my distances are pretty much dialed in with these clubs and I don’t think I need to change anything or get used to one club less/more.

Playability/Performance: I think that with the less off-set and better feel, I was confident in trying to maneuver balls more with this club than I did with the 09’s. For the most part, everything went where I wanted it to go and how I wanted it to get there. The other part was operator error if you know what I mean. I’m not that good of a player, I can get by, but I think players with lower handicaps who want a forgiving club when their “A” game isn’t around would benefit from this. Mis-hits (toe and heel) still went straight with a slight (very slight) loss in distance.

Do I regret the upgrade? Not at all. Is it worth the upgrade? Yes! It looks better and feels better. I also think it performs better even with my homemade swing.

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Great info cop! This is the first I've heard directly from someone going from the Burner 09s to the Burner 2.0s. You're going to keep on loving them each time you paly them, that's one thing I keep on marveling about with the ones I'm playing right now.

 

[tdotsports1]

Weather permitting, I am going to try and test these bad boys out Sunday or Monday.... Forecast not looking promising at this point, which sucks, as the weather won't be this nice for long (65 degrees right now, nice for a Canuck anyway!).

I am currently playing a set of MX 25s, which are nice but want to see what difference the 2.0s could make.... Will make an interesting comp...

 

[Timbao]

@One-T & OEM Kevin:
Thank you guys.

I have the Burners 2.0 at home now. trying to sell the Mizzy MP-53. cant find any love the mp-53. burners look preety nice and not as clunky as expected. hope to try them tomorrow if the weather permits.

 

[TC]

Dude, I use to game the 25's with s300 shafts.....trust me, demo the 2.0's

Weather permitting, I am going to try and test these bad boys out Sunday or Monday.... Forecast not looking promising at this point, which sucks, as the weather won't be this nice for long (65 degrees right now, nice for a Canuck anyway!).

I am currently playing a set of MX 25s, which are nice but want to see what difference the 2.0s could make.... Will make an interesting comp...

 

[Bridges]

How are the grips holding up? We all know TM has kind of struggled in the grip/headcover department (I forgive you TM lol) But just curious if these were holding up ok?


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[JB]

How are the grips holding up? We all know TM has kind of struggled in the grip/headcover department (I forgive you TM lol) But just curious if these were holding up ok?


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I cant help, because I replaced mine with Pure grips. But I think the other guys still have the stock offering.