Bridgestone J40 Dual Pocket Cavity Iron Review Thread

Wrong thread but I don't care.. That bag is fricken gorgeous!
 
Here are the photos of the J40 DPCs with the PX 5.5 Graphite shafts. Blue/black midsize ndmc grips

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Now up next to the TM MBs. j40s are in the middle.
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7i head comparison j40 is on top
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PW comparison j40 is on top
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Didn't get to the range I ran out of time. Looks like first swings will be in Indy! Maybe I can get one of the guys to film the first swing for me. They are definitely lighter than the MBs with the DG s300s. Looking forward to putting them in play tomorrow!

Fear the Sober Frog!! Amphibians can Tapatalk
 
Nice pictures BF. Those PX shafts are sweet looking.
 
Here is my unboxing. I wound up having to run somewhere after I made this video. My plan was to go play but that didn't work out.
 
The heads are bigger too. Man they are sexy! What a great looking MC bag!
 
The PX graphite looks pretty damn good in those heads. Hit them well tomorrow and come back with a full report!
 
The PX graphite looks pretty damn good in those heads. Hit them well tomorrow and come back with a full report!
I hope I hit them well too. Full report coming. Be late tho. Leaving at 4 am probably not home till 8 pm at the earliest.
 
Happy for you bullfrog! Anxious to hear how those graphite shafts work for you, definitely want to hit those myself in a few weeks.


Tappin' from the iPhone!
 
Happy for you bullfrog! Anxious to hear how those graphite shafts work for you, definitely want to hit those myself in a few weeks.


Tappin' from the iPhone!
How you like the iron covers? :)
 
How you like the iron covers? :)

They look good man, think I commented in the other thread. Keeps that forged goodness from getting all nicked up!!


Tappin' from the iPhone!
 
Great looking sticks frogger. Can't wait to see these in person. Only a few more weeks now!
 
Spent some time with the DPC and Cb this morning, about 2 buckets of balls worth. They were standard L/L/L, DPC with the Project X 5.5 and the CB with the 6.0 - both flighted. I warmed up with my Mizuno MX17 6i and then got to work with the Bridgestones. First, let me say that I have been getting more consistant with striking and while I hit my current set well enough, they do not fit my height or swing. This is why I am going through fitting and an new club purchase. The Bridgestone irons are well designed, thin sole and a thin top line which suits my eye better. I have always been drawn to the under the radar clubs and Bridgestone checks that box, but at the moment I am open to others. Mizuno and I really get along, with the exception of the 59's. I had planned to go with a set of the JPX 800 pro's, but then the 53's and 63's showed up at the dance as well. I was fitted to Ping i20's, and while great clubs, it would not be uncharacteristic for me to drop coin on hard to find clubs, which makes me happy to find a Bridgestone ball fitting with their irons in the staff bag.

I started with the CB just to compare it to my MX17 and set a base to judge the DPC which was going to be my main focus. I will not use the term in a groove or nailed it, nor will I say that I immediately became comfortable with it. I did hit some great shots, on line or within 20 or so feet either side. Yes I had misses, which cost yardage or went farther right or left than I would have liked. But, I will say that I had more good than bad shots. Next was the DPC and quite honestly, I do not think that I could say the good and bad shots were much different than the CB's. Maybe a skosh less penalizing on slight miss hits, but a miss hit is still a miss hit. Distance control was much better with these than my current set. No fliers, and yardage was much more consistant - another good reason to get away from the MX 17's. They both are really fine feeling heads, close if not equal to the heralded Mizuno forged feel. Bridgestone has done a wonderful job with this forging which I was told are done in the same factory as Mizuno. Shaft wise, I liked the feel of the 5.5 more than the 6.0, but my straight shots seemed more tight on the 6.0. My 6i SS is usually between 82-85 and I my swing feels better with a lighter shaft. Not that I could feel that between the 2, but I think a stiff in 120gm or under suits me better.

In the end I feel that either head is a great choice and would offer me similar forgiveness. I hit both well enough, and while I wanted to like the DPC more, I didn't. I find them equal in use however the added length heel to toe would make a small difference when not swinging well, especially when the round is getting long. Both were equal in distance when struck well and both penalized the same with a bad shot. It will all come down to how far I want to get away from the GI category..
 
Appreciate the update Mr. G. Sounds like you are taking some time to find the right set for you. I played the MP 53's for a season and really like them but to me the J40's would win head to head due to the fact that the DPC is longer from head to toe. This really helps me as my typical miss is to get it out on the toe a bit.
 
Thanks Howzat, now the decision. I really like both, but can't have both..

(Yes, I over analyze and research any buying decision til I am nuts)
 
Now that I have had these irons in the bag for 45 holes of golf I figure I can throw in some initial thoughts on them. As a quick background I am coming from a set of Ping i10's with their stock AWT Stiff flex shaft.

Looks: I like the way they set up to the ball, I would say it's a nice classic looking iron at address. The do appear to be longer from heel to toe than my i10's which gives the perception of more forgiveness. My previous irons had a darker finish to them so glare was never an issue, it hasn't been an issue with these either even though they are chrome. As you've seen in pictures, the cavity is very nice looking. No loud colors or fancy badges on the bag, just the dual pocket cavity look and a simple inscribed B.

Feel: I had these paired with the KBS Tour Stiff shaft. It's the first time I've ever owned a set of irons with KBS shafts. I decided on KBS because at the outing I hit a slew of different irons, and one's that I really enjoyed had the KBS Tour shafts in them. Now I know that doesn't always translate, but I just thought the shaft felt very smooth and gave me solid performance. Paired with these irons they feel great. Since feel is often associated with sound it's easy to say these feel soft because when you hit them they are pretty quiet compared to my previous set. When you miss out on the toe or on the inner heel you do get some feedback letting you know that you did not hit a solid shot, but nothing that sends a huge stinger up your arms.

Performance: I had the lofts strengthened 1 degree so they are stronger than my previous set, but not nearly as strong as the irons I used in last years MC. I would say that due to the combination of iron head and shaft I am seeing some slight distance gains. I'm not talking about a full club extra, but probably a good 5 yards. The other night I dropped 4 balls at the 150 marker to the center of green and hit a 7 iron 3 times that flew almost 3/4 of the way in to the green, when I switched to an 8 iron I came about 5-7 yards short of the middle. So for me those yardages are solid enough to know what I'm working with.

The ball flight with the KBS Tour is a higher flight than what I was getting before, which would probably help equate to more distance. Since the ball flight is slightly higher I notice my shots were holding the greens better than before, in fact a lot better. It has given me a little more confidence to actually go at a pin because I feel the ball will hold rather than spring forward, or try to land it short.

The other thing I am enjoying about these is the turf interaction. I'll admit, I chickened out on going 2 degrees strong because I was afraid of hitting the ball fat constantly. Now I think I could have gone that direction. I think these cut through the turf nicely and the beveled edge on the sole seems to help from those fat shots. I don't think the leading edge is as sharp as other irons I've tried in the past.

Grips: I ordered the Lamkin Crossline grips. I think these are a good alternative to the tour velvet that come stock. The crossline grip can feel rough when they are brand new, but after a round of 2 they seem to get softer which is something I like. I played in some serious heat on Weds-Fri and I did not experience any slippage with these grips. So far I like my choice.

Overall: I have enjoyed these to this point. I think the larger blade helps inspire a little more confidence than my previous set, which is nice. I really like the performance I get out of them, esp the ball flight. Heck I've even taken the 5 iron off the tee just because I'm not afraid too:alien:

Once again thank you to Bridgestone Golf and THP for this truly amazing experience.
 
Nice update Ddec. Glad to hear you are enjoying the KBS tours. Even with the same shafts I am finding the DPC's to launch a bit higher than the FG Tours V2's. Created some healthy divot marks yesterday.
 
Nice update Ddec. Glad to hear you are enjoying the KBS tours. Even with the same shafts I am finding the DPC's to launch a bit higher than the FG Tours V2's. Created some healthy divot marks yesterday.

I'm loving the pairing. They actually feel lighter than my other irons, which I don't know if that's true or not.
 
Great update Dean, these are treating you well very early on as expected which is good to hear.

Your last note about the 5i resonated with me as I am going through that right now. We seem to be equal distance wise with the 7/8 so I must ask what you were seeing with the 5i off of the tee.
 
Cookie I was seeing the 5 iron about 180 off the tee.
 
Great write up Deano, I'm glad you're enjoying the DPC's, they're definitely one of the best iron sets on the market right now in my opinion.
 
Cookie I was seeing the 5 iron about 180 off the tee.

Thanks for that, about what I expected. If I can get it up to 190 I think it could be a stellar club for those par 4's at 340 and under. I still don't have that "go to" club off the tee that I have 100% confidence in so curious if the 5i may cover that for me.
 
Thanks for that, about what I expected. If I can get it up to 190 I think it could be a stellar club for those par 4's at 340 and under. I still don't have that "go to" club off the tee that I have 100% confidence in so curious if the 5i may cover that for me.

If there is room to the right, I have no issues hitting the 4 wood and just Jake straighting it out there. Otherwise I'd probably use my 3 hybrid off the tee. If only I were Tmex, I'd have like 10 options:alien:
 
Again great update dean! These irons seem like they are way undervalued on the market right now in both overall value. Performance seems up there with the best and looks are second to none in my opinion! Great stuff guys
 
On a side note, as some of you know, I custom ordered a set recently...I read on another thread that the flighted PX shaft are not the same as non-flighted stiffness wise...I am coming from non-flighted 5.0's and really like them...the flighted appear to be the standard from Bridgestone factory...I have heard the flighted equivalent to non-flighted 5.0 would be 5.5...but I have also read that flighted 5.5 appear stiffer than non-flighted 5.0's...given this uncertainty, I just special ordered the non-flighted 5.0's but had to pay a 15.00 per club up charge...oh well, since I plan on keeping these for awhile.

Cant wait to get them.
 
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