Callaway X Forged CB Irons Review

But.... they were in your examples of a 'cool slick iron' earlier.

..or is the point you're trying to make that irons aren't allowed to have anything interesting going on to pass your smell test? I'm good with that. Feels kinda 'golfer circa 1987' but at least it makes more sense.
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That's a great pic! The more real pics you see the better it looks!

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These were not yet at the golf store ... bummer!
 
Oh common @Canadan . Nobody looks at the end of the club. You know that. Its only the back that matters.
I'm not trying to pile on, I just find it really funny.

...don't even get me started on the irons with material separation on the sole.
 
Cool! No big steel plate on the back like Bumble Bee.

Out of curiousity ( and serious question here), is it strictly the looks that you are going for? That very traditional clean, single piece of metal, approach? Does performance factor in at all? For instance, if you hit an iron that is a single slab of metal absolutely horribly but it looks great to the eye vs a club that looks like a transformer mated with a 6 iron but it performed amazing in distance, spin, and control. Where's the line where you would cross over?

I asked because I am legitimately curious. I have a few friends that are obsessed with seeing "something" on the back of their irons. Doesn't matter what or by what company, but if its too plain to the eye, they won't even try to swing it which never made sense to me. That seems to be the opposite from your viewpoint but similar concept.
 
Out of curiousity ( and serious question here), is it strictly the looks that you are going for? That very traditional clean, single piece of metal, approach? Does performance factor in at all? For instance, if you hit an iron that is a single slab of metal absolutely horribly but it looks great to the eye vs a club that looks like a transformer mated with a 6 iron but it performed amazing in distance, spin, and control. Where's the line where you would cross over?

I asked because I am legitimately curious. I have a few friends that are obsessed with seeing "something" on the back of their irons. Doesn't matter what or by what company, but if its too plain to the eye, they won't even try to swing it which never made sense to me. That seems to be the opposite from your viewpoint but similar concept.
Sure I'll tell yah.

Every company makes a great iron set. There is no difference in my testing of all the irons. So if my 7 iron test yields a distance of 175yrd +/- 5 yrds, spins within 300rpm, height about the same and feels the way I like it to feel, then it comes down to the look. They have to look good to the eye, inspire confidence and look great in the bag.

If we compare Mizuno, Honma, Callaway, TaylorMade, Srixon etc the performance will be similar. Feel and look is then the deciding factor.
 
Sure I'll tell yah.

Every company makes a great iron set. There is no difference in my testing of all the irons. So if my 7 iron test yields a distance of 175yrd +/- 5 yrds, spins within 300rpm, height about the same and feels the way I like it to feel, then it comes down to the look. They have to look good to the eye, inspire confidence and look great in the bag.

If we compare Mizuno, Honma, Callaway, TaylorMade, Srixon etc the performance will be similar. Feel and look is then the deciding factor.

i can definitely see where you're coming from here. if performance is materially the same between or among a given set of clubs, then for me personally i'm going with feel then looks. the only thing i'm going to disagree with here is in definitively saying that all brands "will" be similar. in my own testing during brand agnostic fittings, there's always one or more winners, and one or more losers (for me). it often comes down to launch and spin for me.
 
Sure I'll tell yah.

Every company makes a great iron set. There is no difference in my testing of all the irons. So if my 7 iron test yields a distance of 175yrd +/- 5 yrds, spins within 300rpm, height about the same and feels the way I like it to feel, then it comes down to the look. They have to look good to the eye, inspire confidence and look great in the bag.

If we compare Mizuno, Honma, Callaway, TaylorMade, Srixon etc the performance will be similar. Feel and look is then the deciding factor.

Got it. I don't think I agree with the premise that all irons end up resulting the same but if in your testing/experience that's what you have seen, then ok. I know from my experience, there has been a lot of difference in results between types of heads and the vendor line, mainly in the ball speed, spin and height/descent angle departments.
 
I see what you're getting at, but for me I'd way rather have an iron that looks great at address, like the X Forged CB, than an iron that looks sharp in the bag but not good at address like the HMB or the i500.

Still, plenty of options for everyone. I can only assume by your repeated efforts in this thread that you were hoping to love the XF-CB, and just don't.
 
Still, plenty of options for everyone. I can only assume by your repeated efforts in this thread that you were hoping to love the XF-CB, and just don't.

Based on the posters repeated efforts in every Callaway thread, I would guess that he prefers other brands :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Good news is that there are great clubs out there, and I believe that @Canadan review in the first post really focuses on tech and performance.
 
Not my cup of tea, but I don't think they look that bad and based on the data that Dan posted/spoke to, I think they would TRANSFORM anyone's iron game
The aesthetics are just a very small piece of the puzzle with this iron. I know they are trying to highlight the customization that the centered weight brings. I think the real story is the multi material construction that allows them to deliver a pretty forgiving, pretty consistent iron in such a small package. My time with it was limited. But, I can say that it delivered on what they promised, at least on my initial test.

I can't wait until more people start trying it first hand. The convo will transition from what everyone sees on the surface and start focusing on performance.
 
I've always thought the X forged line was geared towards the"better" players, ball strikers, those that wanted to work and flight the ball or simply the lower cappers. How many of those players are going to need customization from the center weight? I guess I just don't get it like others do. I have no doubt as with Dan's testing video that they hit great and deliver. But I still can't get over the plate and I really want to.
 
I've always thought the X forged line was geared towards the"better" players, ball strikers, those that wanted to work and flight the ball or simply the lower cappers. How many of those players are going to need customization from the center weight? I guess I just don't get it like others do. I have no doubt as with Dan's testing video that they hit great and deliver. But I still can't get over the plate and I really want to.
I'll agree that the plate on the back isn't going to win any beauty contests, but for me it's not enough to keep me from buying and playing the irons. I'm glad that Callaway seems to be continually refining the overall head shape, and this (and the new MB) are really well done on the front side.
 
I've always thought the X forged line was geared towards the"better" players, ball strikers, those that wanted to work and flight the ball or simply the lower cappers. How many of those players are going to need customization from the center weight? I guess I just don't get it like others do. I have no doubt as with Dan's testing video that they hit great and deliver. But I still can't get over the plate and I really want to.
I actually believe those players want to dial in swing weight more than anybody.
 
I've always thought the X forged line was geared towards the"better" players, ball strikers, those that wanted to work and flight the ball or simply the lower cappers. How many of those players are going to need customization from the center weight? I guess I just don't get it like others do. I have no doubt as with Dan's testing video that they hit great and deliver. But I still can't get over the plate and I really want to.
It's not something that only benefits a better player though. Any set of irons should be swing weighted for a consistent feel through the set. I see two benefits. One, is that it is going to be very easy for Callaway to do it at the factory allowing any combination of shafts, grips, and lengths to be used. Two, not having to use tip weights does exactly what they say, keeps the CG in a consistent position behind the ball. Golfers of all skill levels can benefit from that I think.

If you were to ask me how much the CG moves when using tip weights though, I don't have an answer. So, I wouldn't be able to make a definitive argument one way or the other, other than to say the idea seems sound. How much performance a golfer sacrifices using another iron and tip weights, I am not sure.
 
I love my Callaway Apex Pro's!! Just don't like transformer weird looking irons unless it's the hot chick in the movies.
 
I love my Callaway Apex Pro's!! Just don't like transformer weird looking irons unless it's the hot chick in the movies.
Definitely a personal preference thing. I care more about the look from address. Too much offset / very thick top lines / very chunky in general are what I don't like to see. I put performance first. If a club works best for me I can get past most visual objections
 
I see what you're getting at, but for me I'd way rather have an iron that looks great at address, like the X Forged CB, than an iron that looks sharp in the bag but not good at address like the HMB or the i500.

Still, plenty of options for everyone. I can only assume by your repeated efforts in this thread that you were hoping to love the XF-CB, and just don't.
That's what I'm saying. It has to look slick. At address, inspiring confidence and in the bag which is cool when challenging a gamer trying have swagger. Then a huge shut down as the irons fade, draw, fly over the flag and spin back like a stud.
 
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