PING i25 Irons - Review Thread

[Jman]

At THP, we believe that testing should be done not only by us, but also by the wonderful forum members and we have another new testing project. One of the cool features about being an active member of the THP Forum is that we look to you guys/gals, the consumers, to give feedback on equipment to golfers all around the world.

THP and PING have sent out 4 PING i25 iron sets to forum members that were selected after signup and they will be providing feedback on the new irons in this thread. They will be joined by THP Staff Writer Jman on this review. Feel free to join in the conversation with your own reviews as well as ask questions to those that are doing the hard work of testing these out.

Testers:
Jman
GolferBest
ChristopherKee
Troyefl
C0ncept

PLEASE keep this thread clean until the testers have begun posting!



HOMEPAGE Review can be found here: http://bit.ly/1pHtz3t

 

[Jman]

I am fortunate to be able to join in on this forum testing with the four members who were selected as well as writing the frontpage review on PING's new i25 irons. I was actually fortunate enough to be part of the PING i20 testing here on THP, and those irons were quite good for me as far as taking my game to a new level. So taking part in the review of the new version of the i-Series irons is quite a big deal to me.

The i20 irons were, and honestly still are, the most popular and widely accepted line of irons that PING has released in some time, with this i25 iteration they have the daunting task of improving on a wildly successful predecessor, not an easy task.

LINKS TO PREVIOUS UPDATES:

As is standard practice for me in a forum review, I will place links to prior posts/reviews within this thread on these irons here, once the list becomes too long it will be placed into spoiler tags.

• Initial Unboxing/Info: CLICK HERE

FROM PING ABOUT THE i25's:

The 17-4 stainless steel irons deliver forgiveness and distance with control to inspire confident shot making. In the progressive set design, the long irons are designed with head sizes and sole widths that deliver high trajectory and extreme forgiveness. The more compact mid and short irons have narrow soles and less offset for enhanced accuracy and scoring.


Narrow face-stabilizing bars in the long irons increase ball velocity for added distance and height while wider bars in the short irons produce a controlled, lower ball flight with softer feel. The careful design details in the club’s shape and set progression are captured with an inspiring foggy chrome finish. Tungsten weighting in the low toe increases forgiveness. A machined face and grooves deliver control and consistency.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Standard spec's for the set are listed in the image below:

Spec's for my set are listed below:

Set Makeup: 3-PW, UW, SW, LW

Lie: Black (Standard)

Loft: Standard as listed in the image above.

Length: Standard PING length.

Swing-Weight: Standard as listed in the image above.

Grips: PING 360 id8 - Standard White

INITIAL THOUGHTS:

I have said it before and will again, I'm not sure there has been another iron that I have put into play which fit my eye and swing as much as the i20's did, so with that came a lot of anticipation as well as trepidation when PING announced the i25's. I have always been a fan of the progressive offset and progressive head sizes (longer blade in the long irons and shorter in the short irons) as it provides for more forgiveness and playability where most golfers need it, additionally the offset is never over-done IMO, that allows the i-Series to walk that GI w/ a players twist line.

I was openly pretty critical of the look of the i25's when THP first got the images in of what the line would look like, to me it was not so much a step back, but it just also wasn't necessarily a step forward. The argument can be made that they are definitely a bit more clean in the cavity though and that will suit many quite well. I can say after getting them in hand first at the PGA Show and now here they are much more well done than I gave them credit for aesthetically, its a different look, but its not bad at all. Best yet, as I said in the S55 review, I truly believe that PING has THE best satin finish out there of ANY manufacturer. Its nice to see that with this line they stayed with the all light finish instead of the darker faces which had durability issues in the initial i20 release.

For the purpose of this review PING sent out the 3i-PW setup w/ stock CFS Stiff steel shafts and also included the set UW, SW, and LW which was a really cool addition as in the i20 review I put those wedges into play for an extended timeframe with a solid mix of results both ways. The long irons are the most intriguing here though as the i20's were the first set I put a 3i into play and hit it really well, they elevated the ball quite easily and according to PING they have actually improved that even more making them some of the most playable long irons they have ever released.

From a technological improvement through R&D standpoint PING has doen some very specific things. First the CG of each iron has been adjusted in coordination with bounce and offset so that each iron in the set has a specific job thanks to the progressive nature of the set. The irons also feature PING's Custom Tuning Port (CTP), a dual stabilizing bar (narrower in the long irons for more launch/ballspeed and wider in the scoring irons for lower launch and optimal control into greens), and of course tungsten weighting in the toe (increase stabilization and to reduce twisting at impact).

In hand, the build/size is definitely what I have come to expect form the i-Series, slightly wider soles, a PING like toe angle aesthetically, clean overall lines, and a well thought out total package. The proof though as always is in the results and I look forward to getting them out ASAP in order to get info for you all.

Pictures are in spoilers though for ease of surfing.

3i:

Spoiler

4i:

Spoiler

5i:

Spoiler

6i:

Spoiler

7i:

Spoiler

8i:

Spoiler

9i:

Spoiler

PW:

Spoiler

UW:

Spoiler

SW:

Spoiler

LW:

Spoiler

I'm looking forward to the other 4 testers getting these in hand and jumping in, lets please try to keep the shipping info and queries out of this thread though if at all possible. If anyone else has the irons or hits them and wants to chime in, please feel free to!

AS ALWAYS if you have ANY questions etc, PLEASE post them up in here and we will all do our best to get you some answers/insight!

 

[Jman]

Additional In-Hand Pic's:

 

[Canadan]

I'm very glad to see you reviewing these irons James. Having enjoyed your thoughts around the i20's, I am sure you're going to give the i25's a very fair shake.

It intrigues me a lot that they introduced some similar tech elements from the S55 irons and I look forward to not necessarily hearing the comparison, but whether those elements benefit the i25's.

 

[Mmaynard11]

Man those are some beautiful looking irons. Based upon the pictures it looks as if that is a chrome satin finish?

 

[ddec]

Love the pics James. I know how excited you are about these clubs and can't wait to see if and how they improved on the i20 line. Did you think about going graphite with these?

 

[War Eagle]

Great initial thoughts there James. Will be interesting to see how these work, especially with some of the tech from the S55s incorporated in them. Should be some great feedback on how that works between the two sets, and what changes are made from the i20s, with you Having tested them in such close proximity time wise.

 

[Jman]

I'm very glad to see you reviewing these irons James. Having enjoyed your thoughts around the i20's, I am sure you're going to give the i25's a very fair shake.

It intrigues me a lot that they introduced some similar tech elements from the S55 irons and I look forward to not necessarily hearing the comparison, but whether those elements benefit the i25's.

It'll be fun for sure to see whats what having gamed the i20's and the s55's in the last 6 months, thanks my friend.

Man those are some beautiful looking irons. Based upon the pictures it looks as if that is a chrome satin finish?

Skimmer.

Yep, classic PING satin finish, best satin finish out there too IMO. Love it.

Love the pics James. I know how excited you are about these clubs and can't wait to see if and how they improved on the i20 line. Did you think about going graphite with these?

Didn't have a choice since my set are for the frontpage as well buddy, I will say the graphite shafts would be on my radar for sure and the new ones look SICK form what I have seen graphics wise in them.

Great initial thoughts there James. Will be interesting to see how these work, especially with some of the tech from the S55s incorporated in them. Should be some great feedback on how that works between the two sets, and what changes are made from the i20s, with you Having tested them in such close proximity time wise.

Thanks Beags, this is one that you know interests me on a ton of levels. It will take a hell of an iron IMO to live up to what the i20's were for me.

 

[Mmaynard11]

I even looked back to make sure I didn't miss it. And I did. Great initial thoughts.

 

[JollyGrnBucket]

Holy crap...those are fantastic looking. I was between I20's and JPX825 Pros when I bought last year, but those have me thinking about selling the Mizunos on looks alone! I'll be interested to see how they hold up, I know the I20's had a few cosmetic issues. Wow, am I envious!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[T2GRN18]

What is that notch for on the back of the hosel? I've seen that on other Ping offering and wondered.

 

[bellairemi]

To facilitate bending - that 17-4 is stout stuff

What is that notch for on the back of the hosel? I've seen that on other Ping offering and wondered.

 

[Jman]

What is that notch for on the back of the hosel? I've seen that on other Ping offering and wondered.

To facilitate bending - that 17-4 is stout stuff

Nailed it. Its for fitting purposes, PING has done it for a while but we are seeing others start to as well (TM).

 

[checkered]

Nice initial thoughts and pictures. I like what they have going on with these. Looking forward to how you guys get along with these.

 

[O'Carroll]

I think they look better than the i20s, and am super curious to hear your performance comparison thoughts forthcoming.

 

[ddelloch]

They don't quite catch my eye like the i20s did but I'm sure seeing them in person I will fall in love with that ping iron finish just like always.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I have not been a fan of Ping iron looks for the last few years these look very nice looking forward to the reviews

 

[GregDan]

I don't think these re the best looking irons has come out with but they are still not ugly either.

What I find interesting, and didn't know about the i20s, is the progressive face and sole widths. That's a great idea and I guess that's why do many loved the i20s. Looking forward to hearing all the testers thoughts when they get them in.

 

[50wyldeman]

Jman Did you game these Irons this weekend?

 

[IceyShanks]

Great pictures James, so cool to see a full set all the way to LW, I can't wait to hear how you and the other testers find the progression between all of them.

 

[Jman]

Jman Did you game these Irons this weekend?

I did not, they were waiting for me when I got home from Texas last night.

 

[Jman]

I don't think these re the best looking irons has come out with but they are still not ugly either.

What I find interesting, and didn't know about the i20s, is the progressive face and sole widths. That's a great idea and I guess that's why do many loved the i20s. Looking forward to hearing all the testers thoughts when they get them in.

How well done that progression was, was in fact a huge part to why I enjoyed them so much, they were the first set where I could actually get a 3/4i upon into the air hahaha

 

[GregDan]

How well done that progression was, was in fact a huge part to why I enjoyed them so much, they were the first set where I could actually get a 3/4i upon into the air hahaha

Haha. That's awesome. Guess I have been missing out all these years. Guess I have never really given Ping a chance because they just really aren't loved by the masses. They usually just have their cult followers and those are few and far between in the real world.

 

[bellairemi]

Well I tried to avoid the i25s in the shop as I certainly cannot afford new irons now and they look just about perfect to my eye. The i20s were a bit of a disappointment to me performance-wise as a picker. They felt really hard to me, especially on slightly thin misses. Also had some problems with low spin on misses that led to some serious flat missiles.

Strangely I am not having the same issues with the i25s. The feel is softer to me and I have not had any unusually low spin misses either. Numbers are very good - almost as long as the Apex but more forgiving for me and just a tiny bit less forgiving than the AP1s but much better ballflight. With the eye, I can't see any differences in the sole grind from the i20s although the width is a bit different. Our Ping rep said they were more of an evolutionary design where they put even more emphasis on maximizing the performance with each iron. It would be great if the fitting cart came with a few more of the irons so you could see the benefit of the progressive design.

I envy the testers!

 

[Jman]

Haha. That's awesome. Guess I have been missing out all these years. Guess I have never really given Ping a chance because they just really aren't loved by the masses. They usually just have their cult followers and those are few and far between in the real world.

I think it depends on where you play, they have a HUGE grass roots market in pro shops in a lot of the country, but as for mass marketing and such you're absolutely right, we are seeing them get out there more in commercials and such but traditionally not so much. PING is definitely one of the most recognized names on golf though, be curious to see how they adapt the next few years, but that's for another thread.