This is our review of the best blade irons on the market in 2024.
I’m an avid golfer, an 8ish handicap on my way to a 2 (been a 5.6) and frequent tester of golf clubs and equipment since 2015.
I’ve been lucky enough to practice and play every iron on this page, plus a few more.
A couple of these irons (Srixon ZX irons) straddle the line between blade and cavity back, so I put them in any way. Feel free to skip right by them if this offends you.
In this best blade irons review, we discuss, the benefits and features of each and our recommendations.
Our Top 3 Recommendations for 2024
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Editor's Pick
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Most Forgiving Blades
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Best Player Distance Blades
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5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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~$174/club
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~$171/club
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~$171/club
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- Great Sound & Feel
- Surprisingly forgiving
- Excellent playability
- Great looking
- Nada
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Best Player Iron Value
- Nada
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Nada
Rest of the Best Blade Irons in 2024
- Great Sound & Feel
- Surprisingly forgiving
- Excellent playability
- Great looking
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Best Player Iron Value
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Easy launch & Explosive distance
- Superb feel
- Just enough forgiveness
- Flight & Work the ball easily
- Incredible price
- Good Feel
- Accurate & Consistent
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Player Looks & Profile
- Probably 1/2 club longer than what you've got
- Good playability
- Gorgeous
Best Blade Irons Reviewed
Titleists 620 MB Irons
- Great Sound & Feel
- Surprisingly forgiving
- Excellent playability
- Great looking
- Price
WYSIWYG – (What you see is what you get) These are premium blades and play like them.
They are made for shot-making. But, they’re…
- Surprisingly forgiving for blades that aren’t designed for that.
- Reasonably easy to launch and get good trajectory and distance.
- Soft & solid feel with good contact.
- Great-looking irons.
If you don’t bring it, you’re not going to find it.
Having said all that – I was able to get around the course with them fine. My distance and ball flight were good when I made good contact. Slight mishits (where I live) weren’t punished too harshly and left me on or around the green – just a little short.
There are better options out there for those of us that aren’t low single-digit handicaps. I require more forgiveness – like with the CBs or Callaway Rouge ST Pros above.
Customer Reviews: Not a whole lot out there. But, what there is is positive. Complaints center around shipping and delays and such.
Recommendation: You’d be hard-pressed to find better blades. Worth a test at your local golf store or through Global Golf.
Srixon ZX7 MK II Irons
Player irons
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Best Player Iron Value
- Nada
Srixon ZX7 MK 2 irons are our new Runner Up for best low handicap irons for 2023 for a few reasons:
- Improved feel over last year’s ZX7s.
- Plenty of distance & more forgiving than most player irons.
- Consistent and accurate and can deliver all the player shots.
- Among the best-looking irons on the market
- Best price for premium irons in 2023.
I knew the ZX7 MK 2s would be good irons, but I wondered if they could improve over the ZX7s. They managed to in a couple of areas. Better feel and a more compact clubhead.
Check out our full review here.
Customer Reviews: 96% of buyers would recommend the ZX7 MK IIs to a friend. 29 reviews total on the Srixon website and with a 4.8 average rating.
Recommendation: These are the best value in the player / low handicap iron category. While sacrificing zero performance. Test them, you’ll see.
Srixon ZX7 Irons
- Excellent Distance & Forgiveness
- Highly Stable w/ Great Sound & Feel
- Highly Accurate & Consistent
- Largish heads
We love Srixon ZX7 irons are our 1st Runner Up for best low handicap irons for a few reasons:
- Excellent feel, distance, forgiveness, and playability
- Consistent distance and tight dispersion
- Among the best-looking irons on the market
- Great price for premium irons
Srixon is another golf company known for making irons with great feel and performance. I hadn’t hit Srixons before testing the ZX7s and ZX5s. I figured out pretty quickly I was in for a treat.
The ZX7s have clean lines and set up beautifully behind the ball. They launch the ball easily and punished me minimally for minor mishits.
Customer Reviews: 100% of buyers would recommend the ZX7s to a friend. 41 reviews total on the Srixon website and all 5-star.
Recommendation: Gorgeous, forgiving, long, and consistent. Do yourself a favor and hit a few balls with them. Better yet, get them on the course for a proper test. You’ll know.
Srixon ZX5 MK II Irons
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Nada
Srixon ZX5 MK 2 irons are next on our list.
What we like:
- Long & forgiving
- Improved sound & feel
- Still accurate, solid, & consistent for better scoring.
- Player iron looks with game improvement features.
They’re our new favorite irons for better mid-handicappers to low handicappers. Taking over the spot from last year’s ZX5s (still great clubs – see below).
Srixon says the MK 2s are for low to mid handicaps – And, I agree. Up to about a 10 handicap or so. (Wouldn’t hurt to test them if you’re a little above a 10)
There are definitely game improvement features, but they’re understated, so they don’t have the look of pure game improvement irons.
But they’re easy to hit and hit consistently. They’re stable through impact and show off on slight mishits.
The ZX5 MK 2s are second only to Mizuno Hot Metals in feel.
Customer Reviews: 53 of 55 reviews are 5-star. 100% of buyers would recommend the ZX5 MKIIs.
Recommendation: You will not be disappointed in their performance and the looks are among the best in class if not the best.
Srixon ZX5 Irons
- Excellent Distance & Forgiveness
- Great Sound & Feel
- Highly Accurate & Consistent
- Candy for the eye
- Nada
Srixon ZX5 irons are our favorite irons for better mid-handicappers (and a strong contender for best-looking irons) and need to be considered for a few reasons:
- Excellent distance & forgiveness
- Great sound & feel
- Accurate, solid, & consistent for better scoring
- Great looking
The ZX5s are supposed to be player distance irons, but the clubheads are generous, packed with forgiveness, and help a ton with ball launch and distance.
They’re easy to hit and earn their money when your swing isn’t at its best.
Center contact is heavenly, but off-center contact still gets you on or around the green. Exactly what a good mid-handicap iron should do.
Thus, they’re on this list.
Did I mention feel? You get soft & solid player feel in a game improvement iron. Second only to Mizuno Hot Metals.
Conclusion: “Player” level feel and performance with game improvement forgiveness & distance.
Recommendation: Give these a try if you like a “player” look and performance, but need game improvement forgiveness.
Callaway Rogue ST Pro Irons
- Easy launch & Explosive distance
- Superb feel & Just enough forgiveness
- Flight & Work the ball easily
- Incredible price
- None
The Callaway Rogue ST Pros are our former #1 low handicap irons and make our list for a few reasons:
- They look the part – Compact, with a thin topline, and sole and minimal offset.
- Exceptionally easy to hit well…for “blades”.
- Exceptional feel.
- Can play any shot.
- Great pricing for player irons
I’ve owned, played, and tested Callaway irons for years. So, it’s kinda hard to surprise me. The Rogue ST Pros did just that.
Make no mistake, the Rogue ST Pros are compact player-looking heads. Yet, they are incredibly easy to hit and play. Any shot you got, they can deliver. They feel buttery soft and solid with good contact.
Customer Reviews: 23 reviews with all 23 giving 5 stars. 100% of buyers would recommend the Rogue ST Pro irons to a friend.
Recommendation: Do yourself a large favor and test these irons if you are in the market.
Taylormade P-7MB Irons
- Good Feel
- Accurate & Consistent
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Player Looks & Profile
- None
We recommend Taylormade P-7MBs for tour pros and scratch golfers with great ball striking. (I know some of you will buy them anyway)
Why? They require consistent center contact and a good swing or you lose beaucoup all performance – pretty much.
- Even tour pros I found that play the MBs switch out the long irons for the MCs or the P-770s.
I think I hit 3 solid shots with them during my round. When I did, here’s what I found.
- Solid & soft feel – same as the MCs
- Fly straight and high, but can easily be flighted down when needed.
- Shaping shots left or right if that’s part of your game.
- Just a
smidgecomplete lack of forgiveness.
I can not play these irons and no one I personally know can/should play these irons. These are for Tiger Woods & Adam Scott.
They are absolute jewels in the bag and at address (along with a heavy dose of intimidation in the mid and long irons).
It’s ok to be tempted, but don’t do it. You need to be legit scratch with legit elite ball striking. (You can’t even just be scratch)
Like the P-7MCs, make center contact and they sing. Long and high with a tight draw for me. Slight misses yield bad results.
They’re gorgeous and do exactly what they’re designed to do. They’re money in the right player’s hands. (0-3ish handicap)
Customer Reviews: Average rating of 4.9 with 51 reviews. 96% (22 of 23) would recommend the P-7MBs.
Recommendation: For consistently great ball strikers. The rest of us may want them…but we should pick more forgiving irons.
Ping i59 Irons
New & Used clubs available
Get 8%off from Global Golf with Code: GolferGeek
- Long, Accurate & Consistent
- Gorgeous
- Price
- Harsh Sound & Feel
The i59s are my 2nd ranked low handicap irons from Ping for a couple reasons.
- They are gorgeous and look great behind the ball
- They feel well balanced
- They are great for distance control and shot dispersion
I spent multiple days on the range and a round of golf hitting the i59s. They’re long enough, not overly punishing for minor mishits, and have a medium-high to high flight and with consistent distance.
I was pin-high all day.
They’re the best-looking Ping irons, but have a harsh feel and sound that’s offputting to me.
Customer Reviews: An average rating of 4.7 out of 27 reviews. 83% of reviewers would recommend the i59s to a friend.
Verdict: Good-looking irons that lack premium feel and performance.
Ping i525 Irons
New & Used clubs available
Get 8%off from Global Golf with Code: GolferGeek
- Probably 1/2 club longer than what you've got
- Good playability
- Gorgeous
- Price
- Harsh Sound & Feel
Ping i525s played much like the i59s, but with more forgiveness.
They’re good-looking clubs, like the i59s. They’re consistent and have decent ball flight along with good distance.
I’m not a fan of the sound and feel.
Customer Reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars with 27 total reviews. 81% of reviewers would recommend the i525s to a friend.
Verdict: Good-looking irons with decent performance. We prefer the choices listed above.
FAQs
Do pros use blades or cavity backs?
Yes – Some PGA pros use blades and some use cavity backs.
What kind of irons does Tiger use?
Tiger uses Taylormade P7TW irons.
Can a 15 handicap play blades?
Yes, but poorly. So, “no” is a more correct answer.
Verdict on the Best Blade Irons on the Market in 2024
The world of great blade irons is small compared to game improvement and/or cavity back irons. But, there are great sets out there. The best we’ve tested are on this page.
You only need to figure out which ones you might like and get to testing.
My #1 suggestion is to get your hands on them before you buy. Either at your local golf store or take advantage of Global Golf’s Utry trial program. I use it and recommend it.
Thanks for checking out our review of the best blade irons in 2024.
- Great Sound & Feel
- Surprisingly forgiving
- Excellent playability
- Great looking
- Price
