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name your top 5 iron makers in order


swing981

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Just to justify myself giving a different take on this, the original post regarded "top 5 iron makers". Era wasn't specified, nor forged, nor JDM/USDM etc. (Although I do acknowledge the implication one might take from the site and sub-forum we are on).

1. 40s to the 80s. Macgregor. The quality of the design and forgings that Macgregor pumped out during this time was just unbeatable. During the latter years of that period some of their quality standards dropped, but their "custom" offerings remained top notch. These days, top JDM is the equivalent. Wilson (and the Hagen sub-brand) and Hogan would be in the conversation too, but Macgregor forgings were the nuts. There were a few forged models by other companies that stand out, but not their products as a whole-eg Ram blades (Watson, Price), Spalding "shark" blades (Norman) etc.

2. 80s-90s. Daiwa, Maruman, Maxfli. Can't separate them. The David Graham designs for Daiwa (both the forged and soft cast blades and cavities) were real quality. Still frequently game a set of DG-201 that are a joy to hit. Maruman forged offerings, particularly in the Conductor line, were superb. If you can find a set of Conductor LX SPSS stamped "For Professional", then you are in for a treat. Maxfli forged offerings were top notch and very sought after. Tour Forged cavities, various Aussie Blades, DP models, Pro Specials, various Far East market models, all generally triple plated with copper, nickel then chrome. In the 90s, the Revolution Blacks with their multilayer construction (soft cast) were superb - probably the "model" for a soft cast players cavity even to this day. Has a softer feel than most forgings even now. Sadly, Maxfli - dead! Daiwa and Maruman retreated to Far East markets in the 90s. Of course Onoff and Maruman are still around now but the 80s-90s was special for them. (Note that there were a few Dunlop and Slazenger blades that were essentially "Maxflis" as they were produced under the Dunlop company, but marketed under a brand other than Maxfli - eg one or two Slazenger "Seve" blades and the TPM Supremos (but note that quite a lot of models with the Seve name were junk and just marketing)).

3. 80s to the present. Mizuno. Mizuno established themselves on tour and output loads of super forged iron models. To be fair to them, Mizuno hasn't stopped producing quality models/forgings even to this day, however their tour presence during the 80s and 90s was major and they will probably never match it again. These days, sponsorship money counts, however in the 80s and 90s you had many pros able to choose what to play rather than being contractually committed. And even if contractually engaged to another manufacturer, Mizunos often could be seen in the bags anyway!

4. 80s-present. Ping. Enough has been said about this USDM earlier in the thread. Personally not a fan of pretty much any of their models, but you can't deny their success, longevity, tour presence and business ethos. Have separated them from Mizuno above as both Companies are worthy of a mention on their own.

5. 2000ish to the present. Anything forged by Endo or Kyoei for others. Endo being my preference - Epon rules!

Edited by Nolixul
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I have limited experience with most but here are my likes.

On-Off have the S Forged Wedges

Buchi just like the looks

Modart

Yururi especially they raw grind finish

A-Grind the R1 just look fine.

*******

Seven

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now thats a reponse..!

well said i say.

honma in the 80s as well , no ?

Well, have to confess that I did hit various Honma irons in the 80s, but wasn't left that impressed. Might just be me. However, their persimmons oozed class and played phenomenally well. Therefore always reflect on Honma in the 80s as one of the best for the longer clubs (f one had the dosh!).

Edited by Nolixul
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Supo, I am going to have to pick up the TM 09 TPs just to see the glory from your experience. Where they endo forged or normal TM forging elsewhere?

In China as I recall TM never used Endo as far as I know.

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Epon

Zodia

Yamaha

prgr

Yonex

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Ehhhhhh... You sure?

I'm pretty sure, looking at the cavity and shape of the club and the finish, I don't think it's Endo.

But on top of that I can't name a club TM has ever made at there. Endo just doesn't do a small run of 1 model for customers and this was a fairly small release.

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Same as the tp driver from that year ,thats the only tm prodct ive got or will ever have

They are totally different from everything else tm make and the price was a lot higher.

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Same as the tp driver from that year ,thats the only tm prodct ive got or will ever have

They are totally different from everything else tm make and the price was a lot higher.

Which iron is this? The one with the round medallion in the cavity? The one you find if you search 2009 tour preferred

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