Callaway X Forged CB Irons Review

[Greg Kulbick]

I'll probably go find them and hit them somewhere. I'll probably end up buying a set. I'll probably end up back in my J40s, because I always do. Its a disgusting, vicious little cycle.

 

[1ironrocks]

These a ugly irons! Look at the metal thing they screwed on the back!! No thanks! Callaway really blew it with this set of irons.

 

[Canadan]

The more I look at these, the more they fall short for me. I am not talking about the performance aspect, because @Canadan showed us in the video these perform really well across the face. I just prefer a cleaner look and the screws bug me. Maybe removing the screws would give it a better look?

Either way I know I am in the minority here and probably not the type of golfer they are targeting with this release, but I was hoping for something better looks wise with this release because the previous version nailed it imo.

The screws definitely give a bit more of an industrial vibe, but I kind of like that.

Speaks more to the benefits of the weighting and fortunately we can't see any of that at address. Once you see them in person, you'll probably change your tune - I know I did.

 

[GolfFest]

The screws definitely give a bit more of an industrial vibe, but I kind of like that.

Speaks more to the benefits of the weighting and fortunately we can't see any of that at address. Once you see them in person, you'll probably change your tune - I know I did.

I need to see them in person. Pictures don’t always look as good, the the old ones looked good both in pics and in person.

I see a lot of comments about people saying they don’t have the game for these. I don’t have the game either but I had way more success with XForged than I did with Apex. Huge improvement in the number of greens hit and more importantly held.

 

[radiman]

 

[Tywithay]

I think they look okay, but the performance and fitting opportunities really interest me. Can't see the screws midswing, so that's really a non-issue, though I would prefer they'd hidden them.

 

[Jiffypop]

Wow! Xander is making the switch?
I loves his Apex Pro dot

 

[McLovin]

Yes. Then add smaller production runs, etc. All can lead to higher prices.
Back to the CB line, I am going to put them in play for a Sim round tomorrow.

 

[JB]

Very much enjoy the feel here. I think I talked about the crack at impact and it’s kind of addictive. I normally enjoy something with a bit larger sole, but these aren’t too demanding based on blade length, and I hit them pretty well today. They also seem pretty forgiving for what they are, which is a decently demanding iron.

Flighting it up and down was pretty easy, even for a steeper guy like me and overall just a very solid iron that I enjoyed.

 

[mpeterson]

I will admit I did not like the look of these upon first glance - but like the Mack Daddy CB wedges, the more I see the more I like. I am starting to enjoy the kind of industrial look Callaway seems to be going in the direction of.

My gut says these are probably "above my pay grade", but I'd like to give these a shot once they're available to demo. The PX IO is very similar to the shaft I got fit into recently (CTL). Still, my gut is that the next Apex will be the right club in the Callaway line for me. I tend to play a more "boring" game with my irons and just try to play a stock shot. If I'm trying to move the ball, it's usually by a lot to get around a corner or something. And that's something that's doable with a more chunky iron.

But the profile of these at address? I love how they look, and I love the satin finish.

 

[shanewu]

These are priced fairly for the value imo, go down the JDM rabbit hole and see the pot of gold at the bottom (for them) $300 per stick is cheap for the higher rated stuff.
The X is really not what I need anymore but I would love to know if they have truely embraced the fitting / build process with these weights or if they are just intended for the special builds like the pros and will not take the time or money to actually use the tech for Joe Public or will sell whatever they consider a stock option and not change things as needed.

The looks of the club are pretty close to perfect to my eye, not too flashy and not too bland.

I am now firmly stuck halfway down the PXG rabbit hole which can give me just what I need in a design (hollow but smaller overall) and even with the discounted from stupid prices they are still in the JDM higher end catergory and to me the X look 100% better than all the damn screws.

It is not out of the realm of possiblilty that I will demo them at some point, but unless they were adjusted 2 deg stronger I doubt I could tolerate the lose of distance.

The external weight is to help with getting required/requested swing weight on custom builds in general, not just exclusive to special builds. So think of it as a custom build thing but not a fitting thing (in most cases).

Wow! Xander is making the switch?
I loves his Apex Pro dot

That is interesting. He may just be getting a set built up to test.

Very much enjoy the feel here. I think I talked about the crack at impact and it’s kind of addictive. I normally enjoy something with a bit larger sole, but these aren’t too demanding based on blade length, and I hit them pretty well today. They also seem pretty forgiving for what they are, which is a decently demanding iron.

Flighting it up and down was pretty easy, even for a steeper guy like me and overall just a very solid iron that I enjoyed.

On the Fitting Room podcast, Nate said he almost thinks they are more forgiving than the Apex Pros thanks to the longer blade. What are your thoughts on that comparison?

 

[JB]

On the Fitting Room podcast, Nate said he almost thinks they are more forgiving than the Apex Pros thanks to the longer blade. What are your thoughts on that comparison?

love me some Nate. I think he might me right, at least laterally.

 

[shanewu]

love me some Nate. I think he might me right, at least laterally.

Nice. And I think that's at least part of what he was getting at - lateral forgiveness - if I understood him correctly. Nate is pretty awesome, isn't he?

 

[Snickerdog]

I'll probably go find them and hit them somewhere. I'll probably end up buying a set. I'll probably end up back in my J40s, because I always do. Its a disgusting, vicious little cycle.

Will go good with the B21 driver you had to have.

 

[radiman]

Nice. And I think that's at least part of what he was getting at - lateral forgiveness - if I understood him correctly. Nate is pretty awesome, isn't he?

He mentioned something about the slightly longer blade length making it slightly more fade biased too. Longer face takes longer to close or something to that effect. Was a great podcast.

I like hearing an explanation of the design and reasoning behind it right from the source. Have to give Callaway credit there. They always do a pretty solid job putting out content that gets in depth on their gear.

 

[Tevenor]

These a ugly irons! Look at the metal thing they screwed on the back!! No thanks! Callaway really blew it with this set of irons.

Do you plan on putting them on the wall and looking at them or are you planning on hitting them?

 

[shanewu]

He mentioned something about the slightly longer blade length making it slightly more fade biased too. Longer face takes longer to close or something to that effect. Was a great podcast.

I like hearing an explanation of the design and reasoning behind it right from the source. Have to give Callaway credit there. They always do a pretty solid job putting out content that gets in depth on their gear.

Yup, I like to hit draws so I didn't love the sound of that but .... I ... still ... want ... some.

 

[chpar4]

Yup, I like to hit draws so I didn't love the sound of that but .... I ... still ... want ... some.

No worries, just get yourself a little over the top move. I have a slight one and had no problem hitting a draw with these. Only had about 15 swings but they feel excellent. Coming from 2 years with Apex19 they definitely looked small (actually scary small) at first. Need to spend a bit more time and try a few different shafts but color me very intrigued by these. Visually in person they are much better looking. The finish is really good.

 

[zooropa]

If I was in the market for new irons, the new srixon 7 series are much more appealing from a looks and price point. The callaways don't look good at all in the cavity and there is too much offset. The mb's look really good.

 

[OITW]

Great Tech Studio vid.

good to see that there is plenty of lateral forgiveness in the head as well seeing @Canadan working the ball both ways.

The tungsten weighting behind the face helping with distance is pretty cool

 

[Muchmore18]

I honestly think this is my favorite picture of them so far! I'm loving the look of these irons the more I see them

 

[aljaklaw]

The more I look at these, the more they fall short for me. I am not talking about the performance aspect, because @Canadan showed us in the video these perform really well across the face. I just prefer a cleaner look and the screws bug me. Maybe removing the screws would give it a better look?

Either way I know I am in the minority here and probably not the type of golfer they are targeting with this release, but I was hoping for something better looks wise with this release because the previous version nailed it imo.

I would gone with an embossed Callaway badge glued/taped to cover up the screw(s). These seem like protos to me, I don't think they're ugly but the previous version looks better. Although that one pales in comparison to the JDM X Forged

 

[GraniteRoost]

I finally got to watch the whole video last night. Really, really impressed with the presentation - from the graphics showing the head from 5 different angles, to the 6 shots including a face and draw at the end. This video told me a bunch of things I wanted to know in a really engaging way. Great stuff!

 

[McLovin]

I finally got to watch the whole video last night. Really, really impressed with the presentation - from the graphics showing the head from 5 different angles, to the 6 shots including a face and draw at the end. This video told me a bunch of things I wanted to know in a really engaging way. Great stuff!

it's showing me my will may not be as strong as i thought it was. their siren song is becoming irresistible.

 

[radiman]

it's showing me my will may not be as strong as i thought it was. their siren song is becoming irresistible.

See, if you lived by me, you could avoid having to worry about what clubs to play for like the next 6 months. Can't say that it helps the will power though. But, I think I may be able to at least hold out until next year at some point