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Callaway RAZR X Black Irons

SuperStroke
TC said:
Doug, I'm mostly playing around with Tmex and deano (the shovel bros). I think this would fit the bill perfectly for you if based on what you describe is precisely what you're looking for. I loved the RXT's dude, such a solid iron, and when I demo'd the RX last year, it was pretty awesome too.
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Gotcha. If I wasn't so skimtastic in this thread I probably would have caught that.
I'm curious about the wear on these. I looked at them last week in GG and something about the finish just looked/felt like it might not hold up well. Hard to explain but that was the first impression I got...
 
TC said:
Doug, I'm mostly playing around with Tmex and deano (the shovel bros). I think this would fit the bill perfectly for you if based on what you describe is precisely what you're looking for. I loved the RXT's dude, such a solid iron, and when I demo'd the RX last year, it was pretty awesome too.
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LOl. Here are my thoughts. If I were looking at Callaway's... the RXF would be my first choice. Then a toss up between the RXT and Razr X Blacks.

The Blacks to me are more along the size of the RXT's than the Razr X's but you definitely notice the offset of the RXT's. I wouldn't consider these true players irons. Much like the Razr X's last year, they weren't players irons but they were some of the first Game improvements irons I played that cut through the turf like a thin sole'd iron.
 
Doug the lefty said:
Gotcha. If I wasn't so skimtastic in this thread I probably would have caught that.
I'm curious about the wear on these. I looked at them last week in GG and something about the finish just looked/felt like it might not hold up well. Hard to explain but that was the first impression I got...
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I imagine they'll wear just like the X 24's of old dude, which is a natural type fade.
 
Yoccos said:
LOl. Here are my thoughts. If I were looking at Callaway's... the RXF would be my first choice. Then a toss up between the RXT and Razr X Blacks.

The Blacks to me are more along the size of the RXT's than the Razr X's but you definitely notice the offset of the RXT's. I wouldn't consider these true players irons. Much like the Razr X's last year, they weren't players irons but they were some of the first Game improvements irons I played that cut through the turf like a thin sole'd iron.
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Interesting. I held the Black up the to RX and thought they were almost the same from heel to toe. I was in a hurry so I may have that mixed up. I thought the RXT was considerable shorter heel to toe. Gotta look at these again...
 
TC said:
I imagine they'll wear just like the X 24's of old dude, which is a natural type fade.
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I'd hope so. Those were nice look irons.

If I were to change something about these clubs, I'd want a smaller iron overall. Like a blacked out RXT (as you said) but slimmer... still packing that forgiveness. I don't need it but it wouldnt hurt :)
 
Doug the lefty said:
Interesting. I held the Black up the to RX and thought they were almost the same from heel to toe. I was in a hurry so I may have that mixed up. I thought the RXT was considerable shorter heel to toe. Gotta look at these again...
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I'm with you DTL, no way the Black is more like the RXT to me. That Messican is loco!
 
Doug the lefty said:
Interesting. I held the Black up the to RX and thought they were almost the same from heel to toe. I was in a hurry so I may have that mixed up. I thought the RXT was considerable shorter heel to toe. Gotta look at these again...
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Heel to toe definitely. But I was thinking from the top down. The RXT's were like not thin looking down imo.
 
Yoccos said:
I'd hope so. Those were nice look irons.

If I were to change something about these clubs, I'd want a smaller iron overall. Like a blacked out RXT (as you said) but slimmer... still packing that forgiveness. I don't need it but it wouldnt hurt :)
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I like it Tmex. Callaway should hire us to help design and market their product.
 
TC said:
I like it Tmex. Callaway should hire us to help design and market their product.
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Agreed dude. I'd love to see they're players irons blacked out. The MB's and RXF.

I still think TBT is making the right call. Those CPC fitters know what they're talking about.
 
Yoccos said:
Heel to toe definitely. But I was thinking from the top down. The RXT's were like not thin looking down imo.
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Gotcha. I just need to hit these and potentially move this ponder to purchase.
 
Yoccos said:
Heel to toe definitely. But I was thinking from the top down. The RXT's were like not thin looking down imo.
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agree. They didn't seem scary thin or anything.
 
I have an appointment this afternoon at the local Callaway Performance Center to hit the crap out of these and the other current offerings.... pretty psyched.
 
golf4life said:
I have an appointment this afternoon at the local Callaway Performance Center to hit the crap out of these and the other current offerings.... pretty psyched.
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nice! I can't wait to see what kind of numbers you get out of this and dare I say, Razr Fit
 
Yoccos said:
I think so too. Just have this gut feeling you'll have them sooner than later!
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You might be right. Driver is bigger priority right now but irons are right behind it.

golf4life said:
I have an appointment this afternoon at the local Callaway Performance Center to hit the crap out of these and the other current offerings.... pretty psyched.
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Awesome. let us know how it goes.
 
I hit these last night. Back is messed up a bit so couldn't take a full swing. Man I swear the topline on these doubled since the last time I played them. These seemed huge last night. I think TC crawled into my head.
 
golf4life said:
I have an appointment this afternoon at the local Callaway Performance Center to hit the crap out of these and the other current offerings.... pretty psyched.
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Have fun and let us know how it goes!
 
Chunkylover77 said:
I hit these last night. Back is messed up a bit so couldn't take a full swing. Man I swear the topline on these doubled since the last time I played them. These seemed huge last night. I think TC crawled into my head.
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No dude, they're just massive compared to the i20's.
 
golf4life said:
I have an appointment this afternoon at the local Callaway Performance Center to hit the crap out of these and the other current offerings.... pretty psyched.
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Yes! you bring the pain with numbers too, I can't wait for your feedback!
 
TC said:
No dude, they're just massive compared to the i20's.
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You are right on that. All that being said, these were 10 yards further than the X Forged
 
golf4life said:
I have an appointment this afternoon at the local Callaway Performance Center to hit the crap out of these and the other current offerings.... pretty psyched.
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Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Have fun!
 
OK, I'm back from my time in the Callaway Performance Center in King of Prussia, PA.

Like Hanks before me, I got Buck as the fitter which I was happy about because this guy has seen it all in his time.

I won't go into excruciating detail about the fitting process as you can read about it in at least 3 Morgan Cupper's threads, but to summarize here's how the equipment works:

There is a hole in the hitting mat through which a sensor is aimed upwards. This is used as the trigger for all of these cameras in the ceiling (and maybe walls) to fire to capture all (and I mean all) of the relevant swing data. You basically place the ball about 4 inches forward of the hole on the mat to hit it so the trigger fires at the appropriate time. He said its the most accurate system there is. I have no reason to doubt this.

I warmed up for about 10 swings with my current 6 iron (TM TP MC with DG X-100) and then he turned on the monitor. I hit about 5 or 6 shots with the MC to get the baseline.

I was hitting off the mat, not a tee for this fitting.
I was swinging at normal, full speed and these were my averages:

Clubhead speed: 94
Ball Speed: 126
Launch Angle: 16
Spin: 5500
Sidespin: < 100 Right or left on each swing
Apex height: 86 feet
Carry: 183
Total distance (who really cares): 195
Efficiency: 83% (smash factor = 1.34)
There is an efficiency gauge on the screen you hit into that shows how efficienctly you translate clubhead speed into ball speed. Essentially this is measuring smash factor. Not real great with my clubs to be honest.
I don't recall the exact dispersion numbers but there were nice and tight. I was all over the center line.

We talked next about the clubs I wanted to try based on my goals (something with more forgiveness than what I have now, more distance is always good) and he picked 2 that he thought would work best for me based on what he just saw. He picked the Razr X Black and the Mizuno JPX 800 Pro. I then added the RBZ, R11 and Ping i20 to the little showdown.

Right off the bat, he said I probably didn't need to be hitting an X flex shaft. He said my spin was OK but could be a little higher, that although my dispersion was tight, my flight apex was a little on the low side too, and that he though with the right clubhead I could get more distance without losing the nice tight dispersion I was getting with my current irons. So we tried the DG S300, KBS Tour 90 S and KBS Tour S in several of the aformentioned irons. Far and away, the DG S300 performed best for me. The KBS options both spun too much and were not nearly as tight with dispersion. Distance was pretty good but they were all over the place. They did feel amazing, but I don't mind the DG feel either as I'm sure used to it now. And the numbers didnt lie. Twice as tight as the KBS on average. I was honestly a little disappointed that I was basically going to be using the same shaft I already have, but the numbers make it an easier pill to swallow.


First up, the Razr X Black (about 10 swings)
Clubhead Speed: 95
Ball speed: 136
Launch angle: 17*
Spin: 5850
Sidespin: < 150 rpms either direction
Apex height: 95 feet
Carry: 195
Total distance: 205
Efficiency: 95% (Smash factor: 1.43)
Dispersion: At least as tight as the MCs (about 30 feet horizontally)!!!

2nd: RBZ
Clubhead speed: 95
Ball Speed: 132
Launch Angle: 16*
Spin: 5600
Sidespin: < 200 either direction
Carry: 191
Total: 202
Efficiency: 92%
Dispersion: About 75 feet horizontally.

3rd: R11
Clubhead speed: 95
Ball Speed: 135
Launch angle: 17*
Spin 5900
Sidespin: < 225 either left or right
Carry: 194
Total: 203
Efficiency: 94%
Dispersion: Decent, about 60 feet

4th: JPX 800 Pros
Clubhead speed: 95 (I'm nothing if not consistent)
Ball Speed: 134
Launch angle: 18*
Spin: 6000
Sidespin: < 250 either way
Carry: 192
Total: 200
Efficiency: 93%
Dispersion: Pretty good, about 50 feet.

Last, Ping i20 (7 iron though, all others were 6 irons), with CFS stiff shaft
Clubhead speed: 92
Ball Speed: 122
Didn't record launch angle
Spin: 7600
Carry: 175
Total: 182
Efficiency: 84%
Dispersion: I was all over the place, probably > 80 feet.

So there's the raw data. Going strictly scientifically, its really a no brainer which club came out on top.

Performance wise for me, the Razr X Black was the clearcut winner. I went back and rehit it after the others just to make sure I wasn't just tired or something, and I went right back to hitting long, straight missiles.

I stepped on one, and got 98 clubhead speed with 140 mph ball speed and 200 yards carry with a slight draw that put me 20 feet left of center. Not bad, and made me confident I can game the S300s easily (if they're good enough for Luke, they're good enough for me).

And honestly, the Blacks look really good too. Sure the topline is a little thicker than some of the others, but the blade size is surpisingly compact and sleek. I put this next to the i20 7 iron and I'm pretty sure the blade length is a couple millimeters shorter than the i20. I love the black finish too. It just looks like a little B2 stealth bomber on a stick ready to lay the hurt down.

The sound was really good (second to the i20), and there was sufficient feedback on mishits. Not as precise and harsh as the MCs I'm used to, but I could certainly feel slight toe hits or fat/thin.

I was really shocked how much distance I was getting with this setup over my current one. I was expecting maybe 5 yards. I can't even chalk it up to less loft either because I was hitting it higher than my current irons.

2nd place was a tie between the R11s and JPX Pro 800s. Tiebreaker goes to R11 because I like the look/sound better.

RBZ performance was just not there for me, and if I was being truthful, I wanted this to be the winner.

I20 was also disappointing in comparison to the others. I love the look and sound/feel of this club, but I just couldn't make it perform for me.

We finished the session with a static fitting (length, lie, grip size), and yep, I'm still 100% vanilla standard. I couldn't have made the lie board markings any more centered on the soles with a ruler and protractor.

Anyways, I know this was long winded, but I liked what I saw so much that I OEM'd on the spot (fitting fee comes off purchase price), so I ordered 5-AW of the Razr X BLACK Beasts with the DG S300 shafts and Win Dry Tac Red grips. Only thing I'm a little miffed at is a 10 buck upcharge for the DG shafts.... really callaway?

But I am so stoked to get these in. 10 days or so.
 
Very nice G4L!!! Great write up too man.
 
Nice write up g4l! The clearly performed well for you. Can't wait to see you hitting bombs with these come May.
 
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