Two weeks ago, Mizuno unveiled the JPX 921 line of irons and if you missed our preview, check it out here. Over the last two weeks, we have been busy in the THP Tech Studio putting each of the four sets to the test.
The lineup consists of the Hot Metal, Hot Metal Pro, Forged and Tour. We wanted to not only tell you about the results, but show you the testing and talk you through some swings.
In the video below, we take each set for a test drive and talk a little bit about the tech, but go a step further and compare all four to each other in the wrap up with all of the data.
After watching the swings and hearing about the clubs, which set do you think fits best for your game?
The Details
In Stores: 9/17/2020
Cost: $1000-$1400 depending on set
My order date was 6/7 or so. They are great, hit a very nice 6 iron 187 yards on Friday. great ball flight. Still 3 putted
Jealous – Mine was May 18 and still waiting.
play the ball towards the middle of your stance with modern hybrids if you have this issue. simple ball placement fix usually
I got the gap wedge as part of my set of 921 Hot Metal Pro and didn’t realize the 921 wedges were a separate line to the Hot Metals. Bit bummed but when I used the GW on the course I loved it and ordered the SW and LW to complete the set! They are an excellent set of wedges that nobody talks about. forgiving and I love the weight of the head in them – bit heavier than my last set of wedges but they really encourage getting the head through the ball when chipping and pitching around the green.
Appreciate that; thanks.
I have tried everything… they’re out of the bag. My new 4 and 5 irons arrived yesterday.
Jealousy is a disease. Hopefully I get well soon.
Love mine as well, there are times I got to get used to the length I can get. Yesterday I was 140 and uphill took my 9 iron, connected on it. nice high ball flight. Ended up over the green by 20 yards.
Maybe as I get more comfortable, I will be able to step on them here and there and get some yardage. I need more yardage for sure.
Hah! I called the shop again asking if they had an update on my irons (ordered May 18) and they said they’d get on the phone with the Mizuno rep to see if anything has changed since I last heard an update in the middle of July. We might have snow on the ground before these things show up.
Sorry to hear. They are nice!
What shafts did you put on them? I ordered mine 5/9 and just got an updated ETA of November due to shafts being backordered…
C-Taper Lite 110s. The alleged delay on my order is that the 5-iron head is out of stock in the forged line specifically, so they are waiting for them to be hammered out I guess. They need to hire some more artisan blacksmiths and buy more anvils!
Out of curiosity, how much difference in distance are you seeing?
C Taper X for me.. Subbed in the $ Taper to get the order processed
Really enjoying my Hot Metals as well. Plenty of forgiveness on not so perfect strikes.
As for hybrids, I haven’t tried Mizunos. I had a G400 I’ve had similar issues with. I was recently fitted into other hybrids that could be adjusted to have a more open face and the face is also shaped a bit more like irons.
One last hurrah for my old irons this weekend and then into the bag these will go!
But based on the feedback here the 921 range sounds really legit!
You shoot better than I do and I just picked up my 921 Forgeds tonight. I know the learning curve will be steep from my old shovels so I don’t expect anything other than struggles at first, but based on what I was seeing in my fitting, there is quite a lot of hope that we can play these clubs.
Awesome congratulations on the new and shiny! I honestly really want to trade in the 919 HM for 921F, I’ve only hit the PW and 8i at my local store on July 4th weekend and they felt amazing. Since then have been pondering big time.
I will try and take some pictures later today but as I sit on calls that I am not really paying attention to, I have both my sets of clubs out (2009 Cobra SZ vs. 2021 JPX 921 Forgeds) and the differences are stark in some areas, but less so in others.
For instance, I expected my old clubs to have a much larger face, but they’re the same.
Toplines are vastly different, but viewed from the toe-on, the soles appear just as deep.
Viewed from the bottoms of the club, the sole width is much more progressive in the 921s than my old Cobras from heel to toe.
Behind the ball, the 4-iron clearly looks tiny due to the topline and not seeing the cavity hanging out, but the length of face seems to offer some immediate comfort.
I have managed to remove a few grips to reuse but probably around 70% success rate. The grips have a tendency to stretch and distort as I attempt to remove them. Getting some mineral spirits between the grip and tape and applying air lightly through the hole in the end of the grip can work but you have to be very patient and easy with it. I keep a replacement grip handy since I dont have much confidence in the process.
Good luck and congrats on the new clubs!
You sound like a prime candidate for a combo set.
Combo set never really crossed my mind but definitely not opposed to it at all.
I agree with @Scooby45
I went with PW-6 Forged and 4-5 HMP. I find the Forged to be quite forgiving but I’m glad I went HMP for the longer iros as they launch easy and provide some extra distance in the clubs I need that from.
I don’t know if I have ever had a round where I hit as many really nice iron shots, as I had that morning.
Hitting the shot I actually wanted to hit, instead of the one that I thinned/chunked.
The hard part though? When the greens go from super soft an receptive, to rock hard, to somewhat soft, to harder than rock hard. Approach shots that on the first 4-6 holes hit and stick (like a foot from the ball mark), to later on having a ball mark 3 feet from the pin and the ball being 20 feet away in the bush.
Opened with pars on the first 6 holes, on a course that used to eat me alive. Then I got conservative….. and started putting up the big numbers, so that wasn’t good.
I am having real struggles with the GW right now that comes with the set. I just can’t reliably hit it, and its an issue. I end up with a lot of yardages where I need to rely on that GW (like 80-95 yards). More work required. Need that 3/4 or partial swing GW in the arsenal again.
Now thinking further into it I think that would be a great idea in regards to combo HMP/F.
I’m currently using 4-PW 919 HM’s but sometimes swap out the 4i for a hybrid depending on how the swing feels.
In this case I’m thinking 5-6 HMP and 7-GW F. Now this really has me thinking best of both worlds! Thanks for the input ?
If I end up moving mine to my brother his plan is to go HMP at the 5 iron and then into his hybrid.
The idea of a combo set really appeals to me, and might still be an avenue I explore. I will be very interested to see how the 4/5 fly in my set when I get them out.
4-irons:
7-irons:
9-irons:
Cavities:
Those 921F’s does have a much slimmer profile than your Cobra’s. Thanks for the photos ?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts after a round or two.
Hopefully this isn’t a short-lived honeymoon period, because holy what a round.
While I have lots to adjust for in playing around distances, I was blown away with how these performed in terms of straight shots and stability. I expected to be all over the place and need to go back to basics but that was not the case.
The C-Taper Lights are an absolute pleasure to swing and compared to my old irons I can feel how stable the club head is throughout my whole swing with no deflection. And then when I hit hit the ball correctly, these irons launch like mad, fly laser straight and just straight out perform.
Before, I would typically aim left to account for my push/slice which I think can almost now be attributed to me overpowering my old shafts and the weird offset of the heads, as now I can aim dead on and swing for the moon if I want.
Out of the rough is where these REALLY impressed me. Maybe it’s the sole design, maybe something else, but if my ball was in semi-deep rough I had no issue just ripping them out with seemingly no real loss in distance and flight.
I did say to myself twice "wow that’s a slender head" compared to my old shovels, but there was no real fear of hitting the 4-iron or 5-iron as long as I did my part and didn’t thin them because I still am not 100% confident in my ball position.
One negative is these things are SOFT. I am already seeing some bag chatter on a few of the clubs.
Lessons should be a blast with these irons!
I am happy they finally came in. I was feeling a bit guilty since I recommended you getting fit there, with how long the irons were taking to come in, even though I know it wasn’t the fitters fault. Hopefully it will have been worth the wait.
They look MUCH better than your old irons IMO. I find the bag chatter adds a bit of character to the clubs, my buddy has a set of 2013 X-Forged which he had since new and they look well broken in. It is still nice to have new clubs looking new though.
I hope 921F keep performing well for you. Enjoy your new irons!
Nice! I have a set coming in like hopefully 1-2 weeks and I can’t wait to play that first round. I’m very envious.
How do you combat the soft clubs other than something like iron covers? A 14 hole bag or something like that? I’m curious how I’m going to solve it!
I unashamedly got iron covers for mine. They typically come off in the parking lot, or possibly hole by hole as I use them if I am running to the first tee. Then they all go back on before I throw the bag back in the car. Go ahead and @ me
I would assume it’s easier for you using another set of clubs as well ?
Very true, the easiest way to keep soft irons looking sharp is to keep them in your closet
And no one should shed any tears for the the iron covers. They have been transferred to another security detail, keeping a certain other set of sticks looking bright and beautiful for some gorgeous bag shots you can find from me if you go hunting around on other threads
The big question is when I do a fall bag battle, do I get a second set of iron covers?!?!?
This is what I might be looking into the 921s are so good.