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i20s vs JPX 825 Pros vs Rocketbladez Tours

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murph

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Hi all,

I'm a long time reader (lurker!!), love keeping an eye on what everyone has to say .... but never joined in the conversation! I'm looking to make a change from Wilson Staff FG Tour V2s, beautiful irons but I don't practice enough to cope with the lack of forgiveness. I'd also like to pick up some distance, I've always found the V2s to be a little on the short side of things.

I've tried all three of the irons listed, and feel like all would be a step in the right direction .... I thought I was set on the JPX 825 pros but have found the RB Tours to be almost the exact same head size and similar shape, and with a surprisingly solid, feel when struck well.

I did take a look at the Ping G25s as well, which I like the look of, but don't love the amount of offset ...

I'm having a hard time choosing one way or the other, so would love to hear anyone's thoughts on the three sets, any pros/cons and particularly anyone's thoughts on forgiveness as I definitely want to take a step in that direction ..

Thanks in advance!
 
well, I played i20 all last season. I tried JPX 825 pro at the store at least 3 times so far and I am thinking of switching it
 
Thanks ND .. what is it that has you thinking of making the change? I like the i20s a lot (and love the Ping brand) but for some reason the i20 head looks really compact when I look down on it, but when I compare to the other irons side by side there's really nothing in it. Consequently I feel a little more confidence over the JPX and RB Tours. But having read the i20 forum on here I know everyone has for the most part been really impressed with the i20 forgiveness level.

The 825 Pros feel terrific to me, and seem to have a good strong kick off the face.
 
murph said:
The 825 Pros feel terrific to me, and seem to have a good strong kick off the face.
Click to expand...
exactly that and how it the club felt throughout the swing, not just at impact
 
I love my JPX800s but recently hit the 825s and they are very tempting. I also really liked the new Ping Anser irons. Not sure if those are on your radar.
 
I generally feel that irons performance (really all clubs) from the top OEMs are basically the same. But for some crazy intangible reason, everyone hits one set better than another. For me, I cannot hit TM irons. Absolutely murder TM woods and hybrids, can't hit TM irons for crap. I'm pretty low launch with callys. Mizunos are like the overspin putter for me: money! The 825 pros are great. They launch well, spin well, and go as far as anything out there. The set I'm ordering for this season and beyond are these 825 pros (with aerotech steelfiber shafts *barfs from the sticker shock*)

One thing I like about them, that hopefully would be helpful to you, is their look. If you look at them at address, their topline and overall look are extremely similar across their entire offering. The 825 pros obviously looks like the 825s with a lot of the same forgiveness properties, but they also look very similar at adress to the entire MP series. They give you a very good blade look but with all the fun of cavity backs. Also, if you ever feel compelled to go to one of the MP series blades, you'd have the immediate advantage of being used to something that really looks similar at address. Anyway, hope that helps.
 
I hit both the JPX825 and the Ping i20s with my instructor and we both thought I hit the i20s a little better although I really liked them both.
 
The Anser irons do look great, but the price point keeps me from looking at them seriously ... it's a shame they're so significantly more than most other irons, I'm sure they would sell more at a lower price point.
 
Thanks Manlai .. I think you're absolutely correct that at the end of the day most of the top OEMs produce good equipment, so just a matter of finding what fits best, or looks best if there is no other criteria to chose on .. I think on looks from the three I listed I have a preference for the 825 pros, I think they look really sharp.
 
Murph, I tested out a lot of irons over the last month. You can't go wrong with any of those choices. I really liked the i20 first, and used them as my comperison clubs as I continued testing other OEMs. The JPX825 pros, the new clevelands, and the Bridgestone J40 were all pretty fantastic. The JPX825 pros were probably my favorite of all the clubs, but I went with the J40. I talked with a very good club builder closer to where I live and I was talking to him about driver shafts, when we switched over to talking about the new irons. I told him what I was doing and which irons I was contemplating. He explained to me that, both clubs were phenominal clubs. When either club was hit well. they both performed equally. When either were hit great, the JPX would be longer and more rewarding. But when either were mis-hit, the J40 was going to be more forgiving. So, I chose the club that was going to help me the most. And that meant the one that was more forgiving. I have more mis-hits per round than great hits. When It was expliained to me this way, it made the choice a bit easier for me.
Don't get me wrong though. I would still like to have the JPX825 pros. But as of now, the J40s are on order and scheduled for delivery in two weeks.
 
afwcardinal said:
When either were hit great, the JPX would be longer and more rewarding. But when either were mis-hit, the J40 was going to be more forgiving. So, I chose the club that was going to help me the most. And that meant the one that was more forgiving. I have more mis-hits per round than great hits. When It was expliained to me this way, it made the choice a bit easier for me.
Click to expand...

Great comment. It is this exact reason that I chose the 825 pros. I really wanted a club that rewarded great ball striking (but with a nice margin for error of course :p ) as more pure ball striking is my primary practice goal this year. I get a better boost from great striking than I do with better-result average striking. That kind of reinforcement works well with me so it'll be a club that'll grow with me and help me in a sense.
 
manlai said:
Great comment. It is this exact reason that I chose the 825 pros. I really wanted a club that rewarded great ball striking (but with a nice margin for error of course :p ) as more pure ball striking is my primary practice goal this year. I get a better boost from great striking than I do with better-result average striking. That kind of reinforcement works well with me so it'll be a club that'll grow with me and help me in a sense.
Click to expand...

I totally agree ... great comment ... I feel like at the moment this is the exact opposite to what I'm playing. The FG Tours reward a good strike, but I'm no where near the level to be playing irons just for that 1 in 10 great shot. Growing with the clubs is something I agree with also, and it's what appeals for both the 825 Pros and the RB Tours .. I think perhaps the Mizunos, or even the J40 DPC as afwcardinal mentioned, might be a little more 'classic' and keep me happier for several years to come. I have to admit that with the i20s I'm tempted to wait and see what the i25s will be like!
 
afwcardinal said:
Murph, I tested out a lot of irons over the last month. You can't go wrong with any of those choices. I really liked the i20 first, and used them as my comperison clubs as I continued testing other OEMs. The JPX825 pros, the new clevelands, and the Bridgestone J40 were all pretty fantastic. The JPX825 pros were probably my favorite of all the clubs, but I went with the J40. I talked with a very good club builder closer to where I live and I was talking to him about driver shafts, when we switched over to talking about the new irons. I told him what I was doing and which irons I was contemplating. He explained to me that, both clubs were phenominal clubs. When either club was hit well. they both performed equally. When either were hit great, the JPX would be longer and more rewarding. But when either were mis-hit, the J40 was going to be more forgiving. So, I chose the club that was going to help me the most. And that meant the one that was more forgiving. I have more mis-hits per round than great hits. When It was expliained to me this way, it made the choice a bit easier for me.
Don't get me wrong though. I would still like to have the JPX825 pros. But as of now, the J40s are on order and scheduled for delivery in two weeks.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the thoughts afwcardinal .. I had forgotten about the J40s (you don't see them much in Australia) but they are available and I really liked the look of them last year when they were released. Will have to add them to the list to test if you think they pack a little more forgiveness than the 825s. Now that I think about it you're right, another great club that's in that same zone ... it seems like there's a real sweet spot there at the moment with a number of great irons.
 
I recently purchased the RocketBladez Tour, but I really liked the way the Ping i20s felt. I just was moving away from a set of Pings, and wanted to try something different. To be honest, I probably hit the i20s every bit as good.
 
These are just some general statements from probably 2 dozen fittings with these irons included - there really is not all that much difference between them:

Ping i20 - The lowest spin iron head of the three - if you are a high spin player, you will see your best launch/spin/distance numbers with these. Not a good head for low spin players or for those who miss thin. Probably the best sole grind of the three for most (not all of course) players. Stock CFS gets good feedback from customers for feel and gives mid-launch & spin.

Mizuno JPX 825 Pros - Least forgiving of the three on toe hits (by a noticeable margin). Overall though, the best for people who miss thin. By far the widest selection of shafts available without upcharge - and you can find them all on a Mizuno fitting cart.

RB Tour - As far as forgiveness, sits between the other two on lateral and thin hits. Sole grind somewhat similar to the Mizunos with a sharper leading edge. KBS Tours are a nice stock shaft obviously but also pretty tip stiff so be cautious there.

murph said:
Hi all,

I'm a long time reader (lurker!!), love keeping an eye on what everyone has to say .... but never joined in the conversation! I'm looking to make a change from Wilson Staff FG Tour V2s, beautiful irons but I don't practice enough to cope with the lack of forgiveness. I'd also like to pick up some distance, I've always found the V2s to be a little on the short side of things.

I've tried all three of the irons listed, and feel like all would be a step in the right direction .... I thought I was set on the JPX 825 pros but have found the RB Tours to be almost the exact same head size and similar shape, and with a surprisingly solid, feel when struck well.

I did take a look at the Ping G25s as well, which I like the look of, but don't love the amount of offset ...

I'm having a hard time choosing one way or the other, so would love to hear anyone's thoughts on the three sets, any pros/cons and particularly anyone's thoughts on forgiveness as I definitely want to take a step in that direction ..

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
 
When I did my GolfTEC fitting back in January, I hit the JPX-800, a RocketBladez (non-tour version) and the Adams V4 against each other on the launch monitor and the clear winner was Mizuno both on feel and results.

I now have a set of 825 Pro irons in my bag and they have been great so far on the range -- the crummy weather hasn't let me get them on the course yet.
 
JPX 825 pro with Dynamic gold XP s300. that is really good.. I think that will be the set I am getting
 
I've hit the pros against the i20's quite a bit and while I like the 825 pros, the i20's felt better and were also more forgiving.
 
I have not hit the Rockrtbladz tour but have hit the other two. Both seem to be very good irons but I think for me the i20's were more forgiving and maybe a little longer. It would depend on what you want out of your irons but both have good feel and feedback.
 
bellairemi said:
These are just some general statements from probably 2 dozen fittings with these irons included - there really is not all that much difference between them:

Ping i20 - The lowest spin iron head of the three - if you are a high spin player, you will see your best launch/spin/distance numbers with these. Not a good head for low spin players or for those who miss thin. Probably the best sole grind of the three for most (not all of course) players. Stock CFS gets good feedback from customers for feel and gives mid-launch & spin.

Mizuno JPX 825 Pros - Least forgiving of the three on toe hits (by a noticeable margin). Overall though, the best for people who miss thin. By far the widest selection of shafts available without upcharge - and you can find them all on a Mizuno fitting cart.

RB Tour - As far as forgiveness, sits between the other two on lateral and thin hits. Sole grind somewhat similar to the Mizunos with a sharper leading edge. KBS Tours are a nice stock shaft obviously but also pretty tip stiff so be cautious there.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thoughts bellairemi .. interested to hear you say you think the 825s are the least forgiving on toe hits as that's typically my most common miss. I play the KBS tour in my Wilson's now, so great to have them standard in the Tours, but I think they are a no up charge option on the Mizunos also.
 
murph said:
Thanks for the thoughts afwcardinal .. I had forgotten about the J40s (you don't see them much in Australia) but they are available and I really liked the look of them last year when they were released. Will have to add them to the list to test if you think they pack a little more forgiveness than the 825s. Now that I think about it you're right, another great club that's in that same zone ... it seems like there's a real sweet spot there at the moment with a number of great irons.
Click to expand...

Hit them all first. See if you can get them out on the range, if not actually on a course. It really made a big impression on me, being able to game the J40s for a round. I would not have had a problem getting the JPX 8325 pros out too. But that was not an option for me.
I was just so impressed with the quality of all the clubs I was testing. It really is a hard choice, but what ever set you end up with will be great. But, like I said, hit them all. Check the hard numbers and the dispersion of each, and if possible, get them outside and see how they perform in the real world.
Good luck.
 
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