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Mizuno MP-H5 Irons Review Thread

SuperStroke
jlukes said:
Hawk, with your launch monitor is swing speed simply calculated based on ball speed?
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No, this is a camera based system that actually tracks CHS. My Vector does not, but I wasn't using it yesterday.
 
I just spent about 45 minutes at GG hitting a few clubs, but spent a lot of time comparing the 850f to the H5. I just hit the 6 irons. The bottom line for me was I hit the 850f much better. It was way more forgiving, went further, higher and straighter. I compared the club heads and the H5 is just a tad higher, while the 850f is a tad longer and thinner. Just a tad though.

I really enjoyed my time with the H5's yesterday, especially with the shorter irons, but now I want to check out the 850f short irons to figure out any differences in those clubs.

Admittedly, my swing was not 100%, but I was getting much better results with other clubs with the same swing (including very good results with the 850f), which tells me these clubs may not have the type of forgiveness I need at least in the mid and long irons. Still, I'd like more time with the mid and long irons, especially when my swing is a bit more cooperative.
 
Nice Philly! So the H5's weren't that much smaller to you? Genuinely curious as I've not gotten to see the 5's in person yet (this weekend I hope).

Hawk, we need to measure 8i's!
 
Dangit I forgot to do that.
 
Dealio.
 
Jman said:
Nice Philly! So the H5's weren't that much smaller to you? Genuinely curious as I've not gotten to see the 5's in person yet (this weekend I hope).
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Yeah to me the heads looked very similar. I actually had to get down on the ground and look at them to see if I could tell of any differences. At address though, the 850f seemed to have a thinner profile.
 
No offense taken. I couldn't begin to count up the number of posts and published reviews I've had ignored by people on the forum. It happens and I don't fret over it. We have thousands upon thousands of readers who will never make a single post on this forum.
 
Now can we get back to people fawning over me?
 
MBBG said:
Let me add that I wasn't trying to be combative, as a newer member I have been trying to add some things where I have some knowledge and personal experience, but it has seemed many times like people aren't seeing or are ignoring my posts, only to fawn over the simplest comment from someone with a huge post count. It is obvious that there is a great deal of well earned and almost clannish respect for what, in my mind, seem to be the THP "Patriarchs" who do most of the posting and testing of clubs. Like any social community, acceptance and respect takes time, I just wanted to make sure that my feedback was visible to everyone and/or appreciated or I wasn't going to waste my future time posting it.

Not that I need validation or anything, but after X number of times of this happening, I was honestly thinking that perhaps there was a built in thing here that not everyone saw posts from newbies. Or that maybe some members had specifically chosen to only see posts from people with certain posts counts or badges in their avatar or something. Or that maybe I was irritating people by posting findings and thoughts in the review threads which might be taking away from the main tester's findings. Sometimes it is hard to get a feel for a community.
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Never fear sharing info as the more the merrier.
I think some people look to the people they have met at THP Events to info, or better way to put it, respond to those they have met in person. But I can tell you, that I have never met hundreds of thousands of our readers and share the info I do day to day because people seem to like it based on what I see that is read.

Your info on any subject from whats for dinner, to where should the THP Tour Van go next is always wanted and appreciated.

Now back to fawning on Hawk.
 
Just some final personal thoughts before this one gets written.

I like the set of irons. Quite a bit for a few reasons, even though they probably aren't my true ideal setup. Mizuno irons have this great way of sort of sucking me in - at least in an ephemeral way. They look good and feel good at impact - the MP lines that I've hit at least. The 54's really captured the dreamer side of me last year, but I saw some performance issues that turned me off pretty quickly.

These still create that feeling, but not so much of a downside in performance (for what they are). I think they have a great shaft in them that makes sense based on the intended player. It's not heavy, is designed to help with what the irons are designed to help with, yet it still maintains that performance/players edge to it. Probaby the coolest looking steel shaft on the market too of course.

Love the MP look and they are a nice mid sized golf club that I feel comfortable swinging as a normal golfer. I think the pickier among us will say the toplines are too big or complain about the exposed cavity/sole in the long irons, but if you're just looking for an added element of sexiness without going all-in on the slender lines then there's an option in the MP line with the H5's.

I think the biggest selling point Mizuno advertises is the launch forgiveness particularly in the long irons, but I think you have to look at that in a relative sense. Good long iron players, especially those with an MP iron set in the bag, looking for more height and softer landing while keeping at least a semblance of visual consistency should be looking at these. Poor long iron players are probably going to still see the same problems they have with them all, though when I the stars aligned and I did get some good strikes on the ball they did show good height. Still though, I can do that 5x as often with a hybrid, so it makes me wonder what the point is for my personal game. Still though - great option for the right person.

I like that the ball speed, launch, and spin numbers I see are repesentative of the iron they are. That's where they lost me with the 54's.

Distances are consistent and what they are. For my personal needs/wants, I like to hit the ball farther iron for iron. Some don't care about that so much. Forgiveness is fine, but again I think you have to look at that in a relative sense. For the MP line they seem quite forgiving. Compared to my normal choice of iron, they fall behind a little. If there weren't other midsized irons out there that went far and were forgivining as I'd like I think it would be the perfect set to gravitate towards. If I was already long and hit the ball in the center a little more, but still needed a modicum of help, I'd say again that this would be a great set for me to look at. If that is you, or you aren't distance minded so much like I am, I'd have to recommend at least taking them for a test run. Same if you're looking at the long iron benefits.

There is a big part of me that wants to keep them as a players iron option to take out when the desire strikes me though. A big one - like I said, Mizuno irons are good at making me want them. They do hose up what are pretty established wedge/hybrid gaps in my bag though and that's caused some minor issues in the short term, but that would be something I could adapt to given some time.

Anyway, personal verdict is a thumbs up, but won't be irons I play long term.
 
Great stuff, Hawk!
 
Great insight on these, Hawk.
 
Thanks guys.
 
I have noticed a new element to your forum review / formal write-up, Hawk - this more personal "human" assessment of the clubs. I love it. Well done.
 
Thanks Frankenstein ;-) Trying to separate the two elements as much as possible.
 
Thank you sir.
 
The personal creates context that makes the info easily consumable.
 
Tadashi70 said:
have you hit both to make an informed decision? I mean, the recommend that you wait 20 minutes after eating before you swim. We all know that is just a guideline. That is exactly what Mizuno is providing with their HDCP rating. You can know which will work better for you unless you hit both.
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Exactly. There's a lot that goes into handicap. You can be a great iron player but just have the worst short game. I think Mizuno puts that out there to give people an idea. The same thing with their Iron Advisor. When I put in my average score it tells me that the EZ Forged are the ideal clubs for me. Yet, they are probably he worst performing clubs for me that Mizuno offers.

Hawk said:
Now can we get back to people fawning over me?
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I never stopped, Ryan. Every time I'm in the Atlanta airport I look for you in Sweetwater....just hoping to see you.

Back to these irons....

I hit these when I did my fitting back in August and came away wanting. While it was only the 6i, the launch numbers for me where pretty high and the feel at impact wasn't as solid as I prefer. I LOVE the way they look though. Great progressive looking set that I think can stroke the ego of the mid-handicaper wanting to play an MP iron. I did consider doing the 3,4 and 5 in the H5 for my set but the topline was just a bit too hefty for me. Plus I really struggled with the H4 4i for the brief period of time I gamed it last year.
 
Hawk, since its been a while and I think you play the 545 now would you rate the H5 in the same forgiveness zone as the 545 more or less?

Reading back though your review it seems they are a bit shorter overall. Looking at them side by side with the 745 they seemed a bit larger but not hugely different and about the same size as the 545 to my eye. Came across a great deal at a local shop who has these in stock with the CTL uncut so I could get the 1/2" over I like and the proper grip size. I hit them very well on the sim, but that is just a 6 iron.

Did you feel the shorter iron performed well for you as compared to the 545?
 
I have both and you can see which set I'm playing now if that helps.

545's are longer and more forgiving. Some impact tape testing I did showed the 545's were more than forgiving enough for me. When you factor in that they look like they do it's quite remarkable what they did with that set. Full cavity with tungsten weighting in the longer irons, but you are correct that they have a similar look to the H5 at address - in overall size, topline, and offset.

In the end, I'll take the added forgiveness and distance, especially since the looks are so close, though some of the distance considerations are related to a wedge setup that is fairly established in my bag.
 
JB said:
Never fear sharing info as the more the merrier.
I think some people look to the people they have met at THP Events to info, or better way to put it, respond to those they have met in person. But I can tell you, that I have never met hundreds of thousands of our readers and share the info I do day to day because people seem to like it based on what I see that is read.

Your info on any subject from whats for dinner, to where should the THP Tour Van go next is always wanted and appreciated.

Now back to fawning on Hawk.
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Until you meet somebody it would take time to establish credibility on a golf board. This holds true for many forums with the exception of WRX which I avoid like the plague due to rudeness and everyone is a scratch golfer gaming xxxxxxx stiff, forged blades and a thousand dollar putter with milled edel wedges. Lol....but honestly THP seems to be the most intellectual, knowledgeable and personable forum online. The generosity I've experienced while on this web site has been unprecedented. It really is a quality page and I'm not one to brown nose purposely.
 
Great review Hawk! it prompted me to go and try a few clubs i am lusting after. I've been trying different irons and narrowed it down to the JPX 850 and the 545 until I saw this review.

I had a chance to hit 6 irons with the H5, 545 and 850F, yesterday at an outdoor range. I am not the best ball striker and my distance needs help. With that in mind, the H5 gave me the highest and straightest flight out of the 3. I really love the feel on contact.

it was hard to judge distance on this range but it seemed that the H5 kept up with the other two. I do want to go to a fitting session to confirm but the combination of the CTL shaft and the H5 head worked for me.

I'm surprised that Mizuno seems somewhat ambivalent in their marketing efforts for this club. Maybe they're really trying to push the JPX line. But people should definitely at least try this club. It may pleasantly surprise you.
 
Hawk said:
I have both and you can see which set I'm playing now if that helps.

545's are longer and more forgiving. Some impact tape testing I did showed the 545's were more than forgiving enough for me. When you factor in that they look like they do it's quite remarkable what they did with that set. Full cavity with tungsten weighting in the longer irons, but you are correct that they have a similar look to the H5 at address - in overall size, topline, and offset.

In the end, I'll take the added forgiveness and distance, especially since the looks are so close, though some of the distance considerations are related to a wedge setup that is fairly established in my bag.
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Thanks for the reply, I am strongly drawn to the 545 after my experiences with the 745 which is great but like you I am seeking more on course help. Just have to be patient. (which is my worst trait when dealing with clubs)

I just confirmed I will be a guest at the PGA show so I should be able to try them there. I would hope they have a full fitting cart that works.

The Mizuno's have been in the local shop for quite while so I doubt they will move anytime soon. great deal 4-PW $856.00 out the door with midsize UTx installed...but they are still sitting there for a reason.
 
Hi all,

First Post here...

I'm in the market for a new set of irons because my Mizuno Pro 2's that I have been playing for like 15 years now are finally telling me to get into something more forgiving since my play time has dropped to under 10 rounds a year. Once upon a time I was in the business and hit balls daily and played 3 times a week, but those days are now long gone and so is the consistency I once enjoyed.

I just finished hitting the Mizuno H15, H5 and JPX 850F in a local shop indoors into nets with their computer simulators. I brought my irons to the store and compared them to all the clubs mentioned. The staff was considerate and let me try some different shafts which is so convenient these days. Basically, I have to say the H5 is what impressed me the most. I was going into the store already feeling biased towards the JPX 850F, because I'm looking for more forgiveness overall, easier to hit long irons, and the feel of forged which is what I've been using for a long time. I tried the 4 iron in all the sets and the best results came from the H5. The H15 felt ok as did the 850F (btw, the 850F is very sexy looking), but distance wise I actually hit the H5 slightly farther and with good trajectory. The shot dispersion was more consistent and felt more solid at impact with the H5. The 6 iron yielded very similar distances/results with each club, but the feel of the H5 again was better overall between the three new clubs. I find that very interesting since I guess 1-6 isn't actually forged steel in the H5. All three models are a better option for replacing my Pro 2's due to their precise requirements that I'm not willing to work that hard for any longer. I'll have to hit all of them a bit more over the next month or so before making a final decision, but so far, the H5 is really solid. Some of the folks in the shop said they have replaced their low irons with the H5's, which is a good sign for the club I guess.
 
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