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Mizuno 2017 MP Craft Driver!


TourSpecGolfer

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2 years under development Mizuno has finally taken the wraps off of the new MP series driver and it looks solid.  Ok so this is a brief post on what makes Mizuno's new MP driver special then I will be shooting some in hand photos and doing a review after.  Follow the jump to see a breakdown and learn more...


63% increase in initial ball velocity compared to it's competitors by expanding the sweet spot,  this area is allows shots that are not perfectly struck center to still have a cor of 0.800 or more.
New coretech face design which gives strength to the center of the face and adds mass,  the thin areas of the face create extra deflection.


- Wave sole that increases face deflection by nearly 10% than without it.

- New aerospace strong forged elite titanium  10% stronger than 6Al-4V making it possible to design thinner walls yet maintaining strength.

- New waffle cut crown to redistribute weight to other parts of the head.

- The Type-1 is 435cc's and it's the lower spin,  more workable forward and more shallow CG design of the two.  ( suggested for blade player )

- The Type-2 is 460cc's with a mid trajectory still  and low spin designed for straight shots. ( suggested for the CB player )

 

The JPX 900 is designed to create a high draw,  The MP Type-2 will produce a mid trajectory straight shot,  The MP Type-1 will produce a low trajectory straight shot.

It is also adjustable you can adjust the adapter to change the loft from 7.5 to 11.5 in the Type 2 and 8.5 to 10.5 in the Type-1.

It contains Mizunos Harmonic Impact Tech - this is why all MP's feel soft and spongy at impact.  Mizuno cultivated a soft forged iron and adopted it for the MP drivers face so it sounds and feels awesome.  Every MP driver in the past has always felt and sound amazing.

Comes with an awesome cover,  dedicated wrench and the standard shaft is the Tour AD J-D1 with many other great options shafts to be had as well through the Yoro dept.

 

Mizuno-2017-MP-Type1-and-Type2-Drivers.j

 

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Wow, are these Japan Only products from Mizuno?

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Reading thru their ads on their site,  there are some information that suggest that it could potentially be slated for global release ... just a wild guess.   Maybe I am reading into it too much...  

1.   In their special site video it mentions "Quality that surpasses Japanese demands and Performance to compete in global standards" 

2.  Retail price on these drivers are 30,000 JPY lower compared to the last MP Craft Driver ... which gets its closer to USDM competitor products. 

3.  First adjustable hosel for MP line of drivers...    < to compete in the US market, adjustable hosel is a must > 

 

 

 

 

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I think I found my answer... 

In their press release document,  it says they are targeting to sell 15000 of these drivers in the first year  "domestically in Japan.

 

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Never played an MP driver. Whats its like? Would the Type 2 be considered a distance driver or more of a control driver understanding shaft plays an important part of the equation.

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2 hours ago, Henry said:

Never played an MP driver. Whats its like? Would the Type 2 be considered a distance driver or more of a control driver understanding shaft plays an important part of the equation.

All drivers are distance drivers,  the Type-2 is the lower and further back CG , higher launching than the Type-1 and made for straighter shots and yes it's less workable than the Type-1.

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  • 1 month later...

After reading a bunch of Japanese reviews about this new MP driver on how its better than '17 M2 and Epic,   I had to give this a try.  Not that I needed a new driver, since my Grandista LS / Seven Dreamers combo works really well for me,   I just needed to try and experience for myself to validate the rumors.   So I went ahead and picked up a used one.   What is kind of nice with these is that Mizuno was able to significantly reduce the retail price of these drivers compared to past MP Craft drivers and so from a price point, it is now comparable to the latest USDM drivers as well. 

I got the Type 2 which is the 460 cc model.  I thought about getting the 435 cc Type 1 as well but for the purpose of trying,  either model was okay.  It came with the stock Tour AD JD-1 shaft but without even trying,  I re-shafted with a Rogue 125MSI that I had acquired specifically for this head.    No point in spending the time trying a "made for" shaft that I knew was not going to work for me.   

Before I get into my review .. some background.. I am a Mizuno driver fan.  I currently own a 2014 MP Craft driver and I have owned many other MP drivers in the past (611 The Craft,  MP Craft 513, MP Craft 425, US MP 650, MP 630 Fastrac, MP 600 Fastrac, MP.001)      What I love about Mizuno MP drivers in general are that they look great, sound great and feel great.  They really perform well too... well,  only if your swing is up to the job...  the past models without exception were not the easiest drivers to tame.     

So when Mizuno announced this new driver,  I was really excited to hear that they focused their development efforts for more distance as well as forgiveness ( specifically on the 460cc version )   ...After all that's really the name of the game in the current market of drivers.   Since Mizuno already had the Looks and Sound/Feel parts mastered,  if they could catch up on the distance and forgiveness against USDM drivers, wouldn't that be awesome?!!   After a couple of range sessions,  I think it is safe to say Mizuno has caught up with the American Big Boys in those areas.   

First time out to the range,  I immediately fell in love with the sound and feel it produced.  Mizuno has their sound and feel technology down especially with their MP line of clubs.  The Harmonic Impact Technology simply does not disappoint!   Compared to the 2014 MP Craft,  sound wise, the Type 2 has a bit more clearer and slightly higher pitch tone much like the Modart MA01DS but far from being annoying, it is very pleasing o the ears.   Feel is signature Mizuno MP... I personally think Mizuno drivers are softer feeling than Epon drivers.   Reminds me of the Titleist 983K driver which I personally think is the all time feel champion since the introduction of titanium drivers.    

On to performance impression.   I use a Yupitel Atlas swing trainer that gives me swing speed, ball speed, smash factor  and estimated distance.   Though I realize it does not give me the details as a Trackman L/M would,  it gives me a general sense of whether a driver is a good performing driver or not.       Here is what I saw in comparison to my Grandista. 

Grandista / Seven Dreamers 45.5" 

P1140148.JPG

Mizuno MP Driver Type 2 / Rogue 125 MSI  45.25" 

P1140150.JPG

the numbers from top to bottom show swing speed , ball speed, distance and smash factor 

Notice,   that while the swing speed is slower on the MP Driver I am still getting nearly the same distance.

It is because the smash factor is higher on the Mizuno.  And not just this one shot but it was consistently higher .. 

( BTW,  This smash factor is with STRATUS range balls... the reading will generally be lower compared to real balls.  I expect with real balls,  the smash factor will be even higher.  ) 

They mentioned how they successfully enlarged the effective sweet spot on the face.   I think the consistently higher smash factor shows that.

This MP Driver face is extremely hot!!  As I mentioned at the beginning, reviewers in Japan had the chance to compare this against Epic Sub Zero as well as TM M2 drivers.. they all say that distance wise,  MP is equally long...  Forgiveness, Sound and Feel, they all agree that the MP wins by miles!!  

So as you can see,  I now have a problem in hand...   I am really intrigued to try my Seven Dreamers shaft in this MP Type 2 head.  

From a consistency and accuracy perspective,  Grandista / 7D combo is still better .. but probably because I have more time with it and probably because of the shaft.    The Rogue 125MSI shaft is really good .. but after all it is an off the rack shaft as opposed to a custom fabricated shaft designed for my swing.   Perhaps I just need to bite the bullet and get another Seven Dreamers?  

So there you have it.   For those JDM fans who have switched to USDM drivers because of perceived distance inferiority of JDM drivers in recent years, here is your chance to once again join the "Light side of the Force"  (  or is JDM the Dark side?? :) )  

Oh and one more detail,  I believe the Quick Switch shaft adapter used in the MP is the same one used in the global model JPX900 driver.  

Adjustable from 7.5 to 11.5 deg... with Upright settings also.  I played with it at the range and the effects were very noticeable.    

Thanks for reading!! 

 

 

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Nice write up Nob. Thanks for sharing. Compare it to the King LTD when you can.

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They both have great feel at impact for sure.  

 

 

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Awesome review Nobs! These things are the greatest with TSG - real users and their real reviews. Very well done. I got the LS1 (not here yet) after a review by you. Now I may have to get one of these too.. But the CRZ 450 I got from you just got shafted with a Crazy boron and the ZY-7 will get a Sanki in it so i think I'm set for the season given that I have another 5 drivers too. Fun!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 months later...
On 4/16/2017 at 1:22 PM, nobmontana said:

Oh and one more detail,  I believe the Quick Switch shaft adapter used in the MP is the same one used in the global model JPX900 driver.  

Adjustable from 7.5 to 11.5 deg... with Upright settings also.  I played with it at the range and the effects were very noticeable.    

The 2014 model hosel adjustment looks like its made of plastic.   Does it melt if shaft removed with heat gun?   Can you adjust the 2014 ,or does Mizuno have to do it?

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2014 model MP Craft is not really "adjustable."   =  there is no shaft adapter    

That is a rubber cover that goes over the Titanium hosel.     It uses epoxy bonded shaft.     

 

 

 

 

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