Nike Vapor Pro Combo Irons - THP Review Thread

[afwcardinal]

I had the chance to get these on the course again today while playing with the DFW crew. I am still really impressed with these. The only issue that I have with them is that there us not a 5i in the bag. Could have used it a few times today. Will remember to put my 5i in for tomorrow round.
These have been a solid set of irons for me. They get the new ball higher than I am accustomed to and the ball seems to hold it's line in the wind. Haven't noticed any serious side spin being generated by these. I don't recall missing the center very often, so that may be part of it, but I haven't produced any hard hooks. I tend to get one ever now and then.
I also thought that I was getting a little less carry, but did not see that today. I actually had one 7i fly an elevated par 3. The pin was 159yds(per range finder) and I stepped off the carry at 171yds. Easy to see where it hit, as it was plugged in the dirt.
Will be getting out again, with DPC 5i also, and try some new shots. Haven't hit the 8i or 9i more than one or twice each. Tomorrows round should put them in okay quite a bit.

 

[JimmyG]

Saw these for the first time yesterday...

Have to say, they looked really good.

First iron that has made me consider testing something since switching to my Apex Pros.

 

[chasd3]

Nice dude, for as much of an improvement as these are on the previous PC versions (IMO), they are still demanding. Theyre in that tweener or "game enhancement" category, and they won't be as long or forgiving as a GI iron no matter what.

Actually LITERALLY just finished the review on these and sent it on to Editor Hawk, was a fun one to do.

Looking forward to reading this even though I ended up with the Speeds. Just because

 

[xThor]

Pretty anxious to hit these once my wrist heals up.
Coming from Apex now, i'm guessing the PC's will quite a bit more demanding?

 

[chasd3]

I believe they are but they were not as demanding as they look. I almost went with them but I know my first bad ball striking day I would be questioning my decision and once that happens it goes down hill from there. Playing Covert 2.0 and these were similar with less noticeable offset. Nike really stepped it up over the last year IMO

 

[Jman]

Nike Vapor Pro Combo Irons - THP Review Thread

Pretty anxious to hit these once my wrist heals up.
Coming from Apex now, i'm guessing the PC's will quite a bit more demanding?

IMO, about the same.

Edit!!!! Thought it said pro, apologies, see below!!

 

[#Cookie]

IMO, about the same.

You think Apex and PC's are the same from how demanding they can be?

Or did I misinterpret this?

Asking for obvious reasons and my experience.

 

[Jman]

Nike Vapor Pro Combo Irons - THP Review Thread

IMO, about the same.

Waaaait! Thought you said Apex pro, yes more demanding than apex reg, def def def

 

[Jman]

Nike Vapor Pro Combo Irons - THP Review Thread

You think Apex and PC's are the same from how demanding they can be?

Or did I misinterpret this?

Asking for obvious reasons and my experience.

See above, I misread.

Apex are much more forgiving, by nature of the design traits they have to be.

 

[ATLGolfer]

Waaaait! Thought you said Apex pro, yes more demanding than apex reg, def def def

I did a double take when I read the first interaction.

Apex Pros seems like a reasonable comparison.

 

[MWard]

Got a chance to look at the Pro Combo set this weekend, and I definitely see the Apex Pro comparison. Just on quick glance, the offset seemed very low and it framed the ball beautifully, with a nice thin topline like I personally gravitate more towards.

These vs the Apex Pros would certainly make for an interesting comparison.

 

[Jman]

Got a chance to look at the Pro Combo set this weekend, and I definitely see the Apex Pro comparison. Just on quick glance, the offset seemed very low and it framed the ball beautifully, with a nice thin topline like I personally gravitate more towards.

These vs the Apex Pros would certainly make for an interesting comparison.

I think you'd enjoy these wardy

 

[Jman]

I did a double take when I read the first interaction.

Apex Pros seems like a reasonable comparison.

Another great example of why I don't multitask. Ha ha

 

[MWard]

I think you'd enjoy these wardy

I agree very much as well. They have a very hard ponder activated. The only thing that's keeping it in check though is the distance I'd have with them. You get an iron you visually like and it goes far, that's awesome. While these are very sexy looking, there is a hesitation that I'd hit these shorter than the current gamer set. A simple fitting would answer or solve that for me, but that needs to happen to see if that's a concern.

 

[chasd3]

Some comparisons to the finish first:

OK, so, the bottom pic is of the final finish. I had a good talk with the Nike guys about what we saw with the review set and they immediately wanted to see the rest of the pictures, turns out this was a concern with the pre-production irons. There were about 30 sets, one of which THP got for review, essentially there was one coat of PVD on them as opposed to 6 or 7 on the production run of irons. They have taken the production run and really tested the finish extensively (bag shake test, its a dolly cut off at the top with a bag strapped on and a ton of irons, hooked to a motor and it shakes the heck out of it for HOURS to simulate YEARS of bag wear) and they stated they have no problem saying that it will hold up fine.

Cookie and I got the sets which were fit to us out on the course and we both kept eyeing this as we wee pulling clubs from the bag, I can already say I visibly can see the finish difference and there was NOT the wear like I saw with the early set. It will be a relief for some I know, and yet there are others who were hoping it would strip off easily. Its PVD so good luck with that, it would take some serious things to remove it.

I'll have more performance thoughts tonight, and I know Cookie is out playing with them right now so I'm sure he will chime in as well.

Saw a review of the Pros in another forum. Poster Had a set of Pros that showed similar wear after a few rounds. Wondering if the early production for release had issues but they corrected it on the next batch? I'm not familiar with how many sets are usually made at a time for sale but does it seem possible that sets made and released are of the version with 1-2 coats vs the 7-8.

 

[JimmyG]

Got a chance to look at the Pro Combo set this weekend, and I definitely see the Apex Pro comparison. Just on quick glance, the offset seemed very low and it framed the ball beautifully, with a nice thin topline like I personally gravitate more towards.

These vs the Apex Pros would certainly make for an interesting comparison.

I hope to make this comparison. This is the first season my eyes didn't wonder at all for new irons since switching to the Apex Pros. Miracle for me.

Didn't think I'd like to look of the VPC's but something about them at address really fits my eye. They appear to be a touch bigger than the Apex Pros and definitely a different shape profile. Little more squared off that actually fits my eye very well.

Hope to do some testing over the next few snowy months.

 

[xThor]

Waaaait! Thought you said Apex pro, yes more demanding than apex reg, def def def

That's what I thought. I'm glad to see it's a comparison to the Apex Pro, still definitely interested to try these out as another option for when i'm feeling extra frisky on the course.

 

[Jman]

I agree very much as well. They have a very hard ponder activated. The only thing that's keeping it in check though is the distance I'd have with them. You get an iron you visually like and it goes far, that's awesome. While these are very sexy looking, there is a hesitation that I'd hit these shorter than the current gamer set. A simple fitting would answer or solve that for me, but that needs to happen to see if that's a concern.

Can't recall what you're gaming at the moment but they were a 1/2 club shorter for me than my Apex FWIW.

Saw a review of the Pros in another forum. Poster Had a set of Pros that showed similar wear after a few rounds. Wondering if the early production for release had issues but they corrected it on the next batch? I'm not familiar with how many sets are usually made at a time for sale but does it seem possible that sets made and released are of the version with 1-2 coats vs the 7-8.

Addressed this in here after getting to visit with Nike, the finish on the production models has shown no issues in the same amount of use on the pre-production, and side by side you can tell the quality/layer difference in the PVD. The set that shows the wear here was one of the first 30 sets made, WAY before they went into full production and they recognized there would possibly be some finish issues with the sets that went out for early play/review. Rest assured, its not been an issue with my production set at all, and I believe Cookies set is the same way.

I hope to make this comparison. This is the first season my eyes didn't wonder at all for new irons since switching to the Apex Pros. Miracle for me.

Didn't think I'd like to look of the VPC's but something about them at address really fits my eye. They appear to be a touch bigger than the Apex Pros and definitely a different shape profile. Little more squared off that actually fits my eye very well.

Hope to do some testing over the next few snowy months.

Very comparable to the Pro's from my testing performance wise.

 

[afwcardinal]

Can't recall what you're gaming at the moment but they were a 1/2 club shorter for me than my Apex FWIW.



Addressed this in here after getting to visit with Nike, the finish on the production models has shown no issues in the same amount of use on the pre-production, and side by side you can tell the quality/layer difference in the PVD. The set that shows the wear here was one of the first 30 sets made, WAY before they went into full production and they recognized there would possibly be some finish issues with the sets that went out for early play/review. Rest assured, its not been an issue with my production set at all, and I believe Cookies set is the same way.

I can verify Cookie's set has had no issue with the finish. They have retained their look quite well.

 

[MWard]

Can't recall what you're gaming at the moment but they were a 1/2 club shorter for me than my Apex FWIW.

SLDR irons when not testing anything. My guess is they're probably half a club short as well. Think that means I need to hit these

 

[adamw238]

Finally got a chance to hit these over the weekend.

Nike has definitely taken a step forward with this iron. I was a huge fan of the last iteration and pondered purchasing them before deciding on the Apex Pros. What initially jumped out at me was how sexy these set up to the ball. The top line appears thin, but the club doesn't perform that way. The weight feels good throughout the swing. I was hitting these with stock DG Pro shaft and really liked how the shaft performed with these irons. I've generally not had a lot of success with DG shafts, so this was a pleasant surprise.

I hit these indoor on a launch monitor at Golfsmith, so I won't be able comment on turf interaction. Contact with these feels sublime when hit pure. Almost like hitting a marshmallow. I would put these in the "better" sounding and feeling category for me. Others will likely experience it differently since we all perceive impact differently. I was hitting the 7 iron and carrying it to 170 on average. This is about 5 yards shorter than what I hit my MP15. Different reasons for this though. Different shaft being the main one for me. Ball flight was right in the middle and my spin numbers were averaging around 6000 which is about average for me. There were a couple I really compressed and got up around 7.

Mishits aren't as penal as past models. The ball definitely doesn't go as far on toe misses, but I didn't see too much deviation from the target line. High and low misses are what I would expect from an iron like this. Thin shots felt thin and flew like thin shots.

I would game these in a heartbeat if I were in the market for irons. They've got a really neat "techy" look to them that really stand out in a crowd. The finish is perfect and I really love how they set up to the ball. There aren't many better irons than this that I've hit in the recent release cycle. I'd still rank the 850 Forged and MP15 above them in terms of overall performance and feel. That doesn't make them bad irons at all, though. If I didn't already have a set that's only 2 months old and I were in the market, the Vapor Pro Combos would be right in the mix.

 

[Jman]

Nice Adam, been waiting on you to hit them. The biggest knock on them, for me personally, is the distance loss, its a half club for me compared to an Apex/850F/Etc, and I'm greedy.

But, they're going to make a hell of a run at my bag full time. Legitimately.

 

[JimmyG]

Can any of your seen distance lost be attributed to shafts? Weight? Etc.

 

[Jman]

Can any of your seen distance lost be attributed to shafts? Weight? Etc.

They're a GE iron, not a GI iron so it could be any number of design reasons there IMO. They aren't designed as distance irons, so its very expected to see a drop IMO. As a matter of fact, its happened with any GE/Players set I have ever reviewed vs the GI/SGI sets, except the EZ Forged, but those were flawed.

 

[afwcardinal]

I wanted to post some pics of how the finish was holding up. Decided I would throw comparison pics of my DPCs for size comparison too. I was actually surprised when I placed them side by side. I actually thought the Nike's where a hair larger than the Bridgestone.
I took shots of the PW and 6i.
The finish on these looks to be holding up quite well.