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- Staff
- #51
I do think you're right, at least on the latter point. I think nostalgia/brand identity plays a part for some people. I'd argue that it's not very many though.
Wilson Staff Model Blade and CB Irons
Love or hate Wilson, their Staff Irons always look fantastic!!!!!!
Really good point. I’m older. Grew up playing Wilson. It taints on my feelings for the brand. They won’t pick up any market share unless they target younger golfers with money to spend . Nostalgia is one thing. Disposable income is another.
They look pretty good. I don’t think they are much different from the 5 year old irons they are replacing in the MB. Looks to me like they too that iron and said. Instead of straight. Adjust the milling pattern to have angles.. sell it!!
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- Staff
- #55
Yea. The thing about leaning on nostalgia is that we're not far away from there not being any people playing/buying that remember the glory days.
In my case, I came into the game when Staff was having a little resurgence, and they're always going to be in my mind to some degree. Better yet, they offered an incredible performance vs cost ratio back then. As a new player, the FyBrid and Ci7's were affordable and really good golf clubs.
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- #56
Circling back to the irons, there are tons of comments about how great they look.
Question for those that love the look of them. Will you be testing them out?
Question for those that love the look of them. Will you be testing them out?
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- Staff
- #58
Don't let that stop you. I played FG V2 for a whole season and it was a great experience.
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- #60
Based on the jarring number of responses, I think I have my answer sadly.
Pretty to look at, but so many good options that are really pushing a tech forward message. Or really any message.
I understand that these are more of an aspirational launch, for a lot of golfers, so maybe that changes with the next release.
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- #63
In diving in, what do you think the reasoning was to move on from a denser material like tungsten in the CB design, when so many other irons are moving towards it? Or better yet, not all designs in the class use it, but let's examine a few others in a similar class.
Mizuno 243 - Multiple materials used including copper and chromoly.
Callaway Apex CB - Multi material using mim weights progressively
Srixon ZX7 MKII - Big sole design story and pureframe
Cobra KING CB - This might be the closest comparison
Titleist T100 - Multiple materials including tungsten
Obviously the list goes on, but if you are a fan, what's the grab? Do they look better? Perhaps, that is subjective and super important.
The only other irons that I can remember reducing tech, so to speak, were the 620 CB. Compared to the 718CB, they took some of the offset out and removed the tungsten from the 5 through 7 iron, only keeping it in the 3 and 4 iron.
I personally prefer the 620 CB over the more techy T100, but I am probably in a pretty large minority with this opinion.
I personally prefer the 620 CB over the more techy T100, but I am probably in a pretty large minority with this opinion.
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- #68
So, I did some research on this in preparation for the review. I came up with the exact same closest comparison being the Cobra CB. In some ways, you could even argue that Cobra dropped less of a technical story than Wilson is here. Cobra is really leaning on the looks, consistency and feel aspect, so their main technological point is their 5-Step forging process and materials. Both seem to talk about combo sets, though it seems like Wilson brushes on that more than actually encourages it. Cobra leans more into the flowing design of their two irons. Priced the same as well. If you look at those two in a vacuum, I guess you have something to directly compare. Maybe Taylormade too I guess.
However, bringing any of the others into the discussion and you really see a drop-off in what's available. I have to think that the two most played on iron that list (on Tour) are probably the most technologically advanced as well.
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- #69
I think you would find that to be correct, both in and out of contract players.
One other area of note with the Cobra is they were launched with a 3rd set, not just the two, which adds something to that story from a split mentality.
So it brings me back full circle. Does this set grab attention? Its similar to what I ask in most threads when there isn't a larger swell. Outside of the heritage of the logo, is there a reason someone jumps in? I ask that genuinely because generally speaking, from an innovation, marketing, management and even ownership, nothing at Wilson now is the same as it was just a handful of years ago. So it has to be the logo, right? I think nostalgia with this brand, especially with this class of iron has to be the draw, because if they aren't putting out a ton on it to create a larger buzz, the audience is already defined in some ways.
That is another area of departure I guess.
Not only nostalgia, I like the fact that the irons are pretty much plain, no colors etc on the CB, which is what I like. Probably won’t get the attention due them. I’m a big fan of W/S and Cobra as well though. I’d really like to see both get more love, but we know the struggles of one of them! Great irons nonetheless! Just a clean, classic look!
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- Staff
- #71
When I see something like this, where you're offering a very minimalistic look and tech package, you instead push feel, uncluttered designs, and craftsmanship a little more. I don't think you rely on brand identity/nostalgia if you want to actually sell irons.
Granted, irons like this will generally be on the lower end of the buzz scale, but we have threads on mid-level golf balls getting more attention right now. Take away this conversation we are creating and it gets much more sparse.
These look sweet. Have had staffs in past. May go hit these if I can find a place to.
