bogeydog Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 (edited) Have a few rounds on the new AF-301s with Black Gold S flex softstepped once. D1.5 SW, 1/4" short. My SS is about 86 with a 5I. Average to strong tempo. Looks Class all the way around. Super clean and lean. Great setup with just the right size of head. Confidence, but a light appearance. I had the Type S in the Spring and these set up much better. The Type S seemed too short from head to toe. The new logo is pretty nice. Some may think it is too commercial or mainstream looking. I like it though. Feel As many have described, the feel is all Epon. Super solid feel yet soft at the same time. Butter, well maybe harder butter. Flush hits are super smooth with ample feedback. The feel is so solid that it is disturbing in a good way. Since this feel is so rare, it catches me by surprise. The BG shafts seem to smooth it a bit more....They are a great shaft for these heads. Performance Really accurate. Nice trajectory that I would consider mid to high. Draws are easier than fades. Ball flight is up quikcly, flat flight and nice drop. No ballooning. Dispersion is very good. I tend to miss on the toe. I really find these rather forgiving and little loss in distance. Mis**ts are felt and identifiable, but again I don't feel all that much is lost, at least how I miss. I work the ball very little, so I am not the best to comment. Distance is better than I thought. Having a few sets with stronger lofts, I expected a drop in distance. Not really. The BG shafts seem rather long and I am very happy with the distance. Having never played Muira's I can't compare. All I can say is that I am very happy with these and will continue to play these for some time. The feel and performance is top notch and really I can ask for much more. I am playing Congressional tomorrow, so lets see what they do in the US Open and Tiger venue! Edited September 26, 2007 by bogeydog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBone Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 How do they compare to your JPX E500's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogeydog Posted September 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 I don't know yet. I want to log time with both and form and opinion. I think the Roddio shafts are smoother as you would expect from graphite. I would love to put the Roddios in the AF301, but I am not sure I can do that. The Roddios are a lighter shaft than the BGs. The Roddios are more lively than the BGs, but that doesn't mean performance. Hope fully I can comment more this weekend. I may sell the JPX/Roddios only to not disassemble them and to fund the purchase of new Roddios for the AF301s. The JPX/Roddio combo is so good, I don't want to experiment on them and mess them up. Any interest? How do they compare to your JPX E500's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 great review, i have hit a the type j/af301 in many shafts inlcuding nspro 950, 1150 and bgs. the bgs seem to go hand in hand with this shaft and if your ball striking is consistent are rewarded with shots so soft its almost scary. considering they are players iron they are very forgiving and i see myself getting a set eventually down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaykkr Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Have a few rounds on the new AF-301s with Black Gold S flex softstepped once. D1.5 SW, 1/4" short. My SS is about 86 with a 5I. Average to strong tempo. Looks Class all the way around. Super clean and lean. Great setup with just the right size of head. Confidence, but a light appearance. I had the Type S in the Spring and these set up much better. The Type S seemed too short from head to toe. The new logo is pretty nice. Some may think it is too commercial or mainstream looking. I like it though. Feel As many have described, the feel is all Epon. Super solid feel yet soft at the same time. Butter, well maybe harder butter. Flush hits are super smooth with ample feedback. The feel is so solid that it is disturbing in a good way. Since this feel is so rare, it catches me by surprise. The BG shafts seem to smooth it a bit more....They are a great shaft for these heads. Performance Really accurate. Nice trajectory that I would consider mid to high. Draws are easier than fades. Ball flight is up quikcly, flat flight and nice drop. No ballooning. Dispersion is very good. I tend to miss on the toe. I really find these rather forgiving and little loss in distance. Mis**ts are felt and identifiable, but again I don't feel all that much is lost, at least how I miss. I work the ball very little, so I am not the best to comment. Distance is better than I thought. Having a few sets with stronger lofts, I expected a drop in distance. Not really. The BG shafts seem rather long and I am very happy with the distance. Having never played Muira's I can't compare. All I can say is that I am very happy with these and will continue to play these for some time. The feel and performance is top notch and really I can ask for much more. I am playing Congressional tomorrow, so lets see what they do in the US Open and Tiger venue! how is your dispersion with the 3 and the 4 iron? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogeydog Posted September 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 I only have the 4I. Typically I avoid this club at all costs, but I intentially played it twice on Sunday. In fact I am glad that you mentioned it. I have a problem with getting long irons up in the air and sometimes pull them. This 4I was rather easy to hit. Dispersion wise, too early to tell. I like what I experienced on those two shots though. More tomorrow. how is your dispersion with the 3 and the 4 iron? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Hey Bogey Dog, the 301's heads are heavier than the JPX so IF you switch out the I-10s into these irons you will have fewer swing weight issues and will not need as much tungsten powder or tip weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBone Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 I don't know yet. I want to log time with both and form and opinion. I think the Roddio shafts are smoother as you would expect from graphite. I would love to put the Roddios in the AF301, but I am not sure I can do that. The Roddios are a lighter shaft than the BGs. The Roddios are more lively than the BGs, but that doesn't mean performance. Hope fully I can comment more this weekend. I may sell the JPX/Roddios only to not disassemble them and to fund the purchase of new Roddios for the AF301s. The JPX/Roddio combo is so good, I don't want to experiment on them and mess them up. Any interest? Any interest? Sure! Specs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaykkr Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 (edited) My Review of the AF -301 w/Black Gold Stiff.. I waited to play several rounds (9) before writing this review.. Some context.... I have been playing blades for 2/3rds of my golfing life (which is all of 2 out of 3 years I have been playing golf)..but I have also played some of the best player cavities....the studio handmades and the CB 1006. What I look in an iron is (i) accuracy and consistency (in terms of dispersion); (ii) ability to hit the ball out of varying degrees of rough (how well the iron digs through the rough); (iii) ability to hit the ball with high or low trajectory at will; (iv) ability to work the ball (v) forgiveness (vi) feel (vii) looks Firstly, the feel is very good.... the black golds probably accentuate the feel, but the feel is more buttery solid (as against the Miura solid hit)... In terms of feel, I would rate them second to the x blade 2, but pretty close.... Second, although if you have above average to good (but not necessarily great) ball striking, these irons are easy to handle....so dont let the fact that these are EPON's offerings for the top player deter you.. In terms of getting the ball up, and distance, these irons are forgiving....much more than say the CB 1006. These irons may be for you even if you have great ball striking skills, but if you can handle a little less forgiveness, then its a tougher call due to the considerations listed below... Third, the short to mid irons are very accurate... the 3 and 4 iron are not as accurate (Note: this may be influenced by the fact that I play blades and maybe the 3 and 4 iron cavities are designed to primarily get the ball up in the air and not lose distance with a lesser focus on accuracy).... but the 3 and 4 iron have much greater dispersion than say the CB 1006 or the studio handmades..compared to those, however the Epon 301s are easier to get up and get the ball moving... its generally gets the job done, but you could be left with a lot of long long putts or chips when you have the 3 and the 4 iron in your hand and you are 190-210 yards away Fourth, Ability to work the ball..... the 6-PW irons are very workable, on par with others, both draws and fades.... from the 5 onwards, they are less so. I have noticed that I generally work the ball with the longer irons 3, 4,5 than the shorter irons.... that is because the cause of working the ball usually starts with an errant drive and in that case I am in the 170-220 yards away zone needing me to bend the ball either around trees 20-40 yards from where I am hitting or 20-40 yards from the green... So ability to work the ball with the longer irons is important. Low trajectory is a challenge, but achievable... Looks - scores really high.....Best looking cavities out there (If only they did not have the "E" in Epon in gold).... but the rest of the iron head....is pure money.... From the rough... I never had opportunity to play anything longer than the 6 iron... but noticed that the loss of distance is minimal...sometimes noticed that the 6 iron had some difficulty in pushing through the rough. .. So in summary.....easy to play for even mid-handicappers in my opinion, great feel and looks, but its offset by the relative lack of accuracy and workability with the longer irons....... that should make low handicappers think harder (forgiveness, feel, looks, and generally very accurate vs the limitations mentioned above......note really is an issue for those players who can hit the green 6-7+/10 times with an iron from 170-200 yards out) Note: Iron play depends on skill level and what works fo me may not work for you and vice versa Edited October 2, 2007 by ajaykkr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 good stuff ajay, If you could change something about them what would it be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 My Review of the AF -301 w/Black Gold Stiff..I waited to play several rounds (9) before writing this review.. Some context.... I have been playing blades for 2/3rds of my golfing life (which is all of 2 out of 3 years I have been playing golf)..but I have also played some of the best player cavities....the studio handmades and the CB 1006. What I look in an iron is (i) accuracy and consistency (in terms of dispersion); (ii) ability to hit the ball out of varying degrees of rough (how well the iron digs through the rough); (iii) ability to hit the ball with high or low trajectory at will; (iv) ability to work the ball (v) forgiveness (vi) feel (vii) looks Firstly, the feel is very good.... the black golds probably accentuate the feel, but the feel is more buttery solid (as against the Miura solid hit)... In terms of feel, I would rate them second to the x blade 2, but pretty close.... Second, although if you have above average to good (but not necessarily great) ball striking, these irons are easy to handle....so dont let the fact that these are EPON's offerings for the top player deter you.. In terms of getting the ball up, and distance, these irons are forgiving....much more than say the CB 1006. These irons may be for you even if you have great ball striking skills, but if you can handle a little less forgiveness, then its a tougher call due to the considerations listed below... Third, the short to mid irons are very accurate... the 3 and 4 iron are not as accurate (Note: this may be influenced by the fact that I play blades and maybe the 3 and 4 iron cavities are designed to primarily get the ball up in the air and not lose distance with a lesser focus on accuracy).... but the 3 and 4 iron have much greater dispersion than say the CB 1006 or the studio handmades..compared to those, however the Epon 301s are easier to get up and get the ball moving... its generally gets the job done, but you could be left with a lot of long long putts or chips when you have the 3 and the 4 iron in your hand and you are 190-210 yards away Fourth, Ability to work the ball..... the 6-PW irons are very workable, on par with others, both draws and fades.... from the 5 onwards, they are less so. I have noticed that I generally work the ball with the longer irons 3, 4,5 than the shorter irons.... that is because the cause of working the ball usually starts with an errant drive and in that case I am in the 170-220 yards away zone needing me to bend the ball either around trees 20-40 yards from where I am hitting or 20-40 yards from the green... So ability to work the ball with the longer irons is important. Low trajectory is a challenge, but achievable... Looks - scores really high.....Best looking cavities out there (If only they did not have the "E" in Epon in gold).... but the rest of the iron head....is pure money.... From the rough... I never had opportunity to play anything longer than the 6 iron... but noticed that the loss of distance is minimal...sometimes noticed that the 6 iron had some difficulty in pushing through the rough. .. So in summary.....easy to play for even mid-handicappers in my opinion, great feel and looks, but its offset by the relative lack of accuracy and workability with the longer irons....... that should make low handicappers think harder (forgivness, feel, looks, and generally very accurate vs the limitations mentioned above......note really is an issue for those players who can hit the green 6-7+/10 times with an iron from 170-200 yards out) Note: Iron play depends on skill level and what works fo me may not work for you and vice versia very great review aj! so will these continue to be your current gamers? if i were to have it my way i would get the af301 7-pw and af501 4-6i. i was never good with the longer irons anyway so something more forgiving would be more beneficial for someone with my ball striking abilities. just wondering between the cb1006, studio handmades and the af301 which would you rate as 1st 2nd and 3rd? just wondering since these irons are all on my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogeydog Posted October 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I would add that the 4 and 5 are very easy to get up. I hit these better in the AF301/BG combo then any others. I am a decent ballstriker losing ,ost of my strokes with wedges and a few missed fairways. I find the this combo deadly accurate. My Review of the AF -301 w/Black Gold Stiff..I waited to play several rounds (9) before writing this review.. Some context.... I have been playing blades for 2/3rds of my golfing life (which is all of 2 out of 3 years I have been playing golf)..but I have also played some of the best player cavities....the studio handmades and the CB 1006. What I look in an iron is (i) accuracy and consistency (in terms of dispersion); (ii) ability to hit the ball out of varying degrees of rough (how well the iron digs through the rough); (iii) ability to hit the ball with high or low trajectory at will; (iv) ability to work the ball (v) forgiveness (vi) feel (vii) looks Firstly, the feel is very good.... the black golds probably accentuate the feel, but the feel is more buttery solid (as against the Miura solid hit)... In terms of feel, I would rate them second to the x blade 2, but pretty close.... Second, although if you have above average to good (but not necessarily great) ball striking, these irons are easy to handle....so dont let the fact that these are EPON's offerings for the top player deter you.. In terms of getting the ball up, and distance, these irons are forgiving....much more than say the CB 1006. These irons may be for you even if you have great ball striking skills, but if you can handle a little less forgiveness, then its a tougher call due to the considerations listed below... Third, the short to mid irons are very accurate... the 3 and 4 iron are not as accurate (Note: this may be influenced by the fact that I play blades and maybe the 3 and 4 iron cavities are designed to primarily get the ball up in the air and not lose distance with a lesser focus on accuracy).... but the 3 and 4 iron have much greater dispersion than say the CB 1006 or the studio handmades..compared to those, however the Epon 301s are easier to get up and get the ball moving... its generally gets the job done, but you could be left with a lot of long long putts or chips when you have the 3 and the 4 iron in your hand and you are 190-210 yards away Fourth, Ability to work the ball..... the 6-PW irons are very workable, on par with others, both draws and fades.... from the 5 onwards, they are less so. I have noticed that I generally work the ball with the longer irons 3, 4,5 than the shorter irons.... that is because the cause of working the ball usually starts with an errant drive and in that case I am in the 170-220 yards away zone needing me to bend the ball either around trees 20-40 yards from where I am hitting or 20-40 yards from the green... So ability to work the ball with the longer irons is important. Low trajectory is a challenge, but achievable... Looks - scores really high.....Best looking cavities out there (If only they did not have the "E" in Epon in gold).... but the rest of the iron head....is pure money.... From the rough... I never had opportunity to play anything longer than the 6 iron... but noticed that the loss of distance is minimal...sometimes noticed that the 6 iron had some difficulty in pushing through the rough. .. So in summary.....easy to play for even mid-handicappers in my opinion, great feel and looks, but its offset by the relative lack of accuracy and workability with the longer irons....... that should make low handicappers think harder (forgivness, feel, looks, and generally very accurate vs the limitations mentioned above......note really is an issue for those players who can hit the green 6-7+/10 times with an iron from 170-200 yards out) Note: Iron play depends on skill level and what works fo me may not work for you and vice versia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmclarenf1 Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Great review Aj. Thanks. Very different from the PM you sent me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I would add that the 4 and 5 are very easy to get up. I hit these better in the AF301/BG combo then any others. I am a decent ballstriker losing ,ost of my strokes with wedges and a few missed fairways. I find the this combo deadly accurate. i havent tried all the af301 irons only one ive tried is the 7 iron and let me tel you when its hit flush the feeling is soo intense. pure bliss. my mis**ts werent too bad either with low trajectory shots with some distance loss of around 10 yards. found these pretty forgiving for someone with my ball striking abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaykkr Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 very great review aj! so will these continue to be your current gamers? if i were to have it my way i would get the af301 7-pw and af501 4-6i. i was never good with the longer irons anyway so something more forgiving would be more beneficial for someone with my ball striking abilities.just wondering between the cb1006, studio handmades and the af301 which would you rate as 1st 2nd and 3rd? just wondering since these irons are all on my wishlist no iron stays in my bag for long.... i tend to rotate irons (unless i am playing with boss/clients or tournaments when I go with the gamers)...but its most likely to be one of the these three blades - MP 33, Miura, or the X blade 2. Af 301s if you are looking for more forgiveness and feel, CB 1006 if you are looking for workability, playing long irons from the rough, varying trajectory etc...but ok with slighly less forgiveness with the long irons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaykkr Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 i havent tried all the af301 irons only one ive tried is the 7 iron and let me tel you when its hit flush the feeling is soo intense. pure bliss. my mis**ts werent too bad either with low trajectory shots with some distance loss of around 10 yards. found these pretty forgiving for someone with my ball striking abilities. i always beleive that you need to hit 3-4 different irons of a set to get a feel for whether it works forr you... most people can hit the 7 iron well.... i tend to play the 3, 5, 7 and PW to try out new irons... pro shops dont usually have that....but at my course,, the pro shop has one set of demo iron set that they allow you to take onto the course.... However, I haven't demoed anything there since I discovered TSG :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 no iron stays in my bag for long.... i tend to rotate irons (unless i am playing with boss/clients or tournaments when I go with the gamers)...but its most likely to be one of the these three blades - MP 33, Miura, or the X blade 2. Af 301s if you are looking for more forgiveness and feel, CB 1006 if you are looking for workability, playing long irons from the rough, varying trajectory etc...but ok with slighly less forgiveness with the long irons... thanks, seems like the af301s will fit the bill nicely, and will be my next project set for next year,but by then i am sure there will be newer irons that will challenge the af301. for now i will continue to enjoy all the forgiveness of my typex bg combo:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I can't take it.... I want my AF301's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But then again.. I still love my J's I took out a set of custom Mizuno's to the golf course today.... Just don't do it compared to the EPON's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaykkr Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHI can't take it.... I want my AF301's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But then again.. I still love my J's I took out a set of custom Mizuno's to the golf course today.... Just don't do it compared to the EPON's hopefully you stuck with the Black golds for the Af 301s.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaykkr Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 (edited) Great review Aj. Thanks. Very different from the PM you sent me. benefit of a few more rounds since then.... thats why i tend to wait before I post publicly.... Also, if I recall you had asked about the Af 301s vs studio MBs (post above references studio handmades which are cavity backs).....the two (Studio MB and the studio handmades are not the same) Edited October 2, 2007 by ajaykkr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 i always beleive that you need to hit 3-4 different irons of a set to get a feel for whether it works forr you... most people can hit the 7 iron well.... i tend to play the 3, 5, 7 and PW to try out new irons... pro shops dont usually have that....but at my course,, the pro shop has one set of demo iron set that they allow you to take onto the course....However, I haven't demoed anything there since I discovered TSG :) i totally agree, will be trying out the P wedge and 6 iron later in the day. hoping the longer irons are as easy to hit as the 7 iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaykkr Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 good stuff ajay, If you could change something about them what would it be? Not sure....less offset yes,,, but the Af 301s are forgiving and forgiveness and workability dont go hand in hand beyond a point......My personal preference would be for more workability, but that probably requires less weight distribution towards the perimeter reducing the forgiveness.... the Af 301s are well packaged as other Epons.... better player's clubs that are forgiving, turns heads with their looks and for the level of forgiveness, but have lesser compomises on workability, play from rough with long irons.... the way they are now gives them the biggest addressable market for better player's irons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubHoUno Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHI can't take it.... I want my AF301's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But then again.. I still love my J's I took out a set of custom Mizuno's to the golf course today.... Just don't do it compared to the EPON's Hey Jeff, what's in your JAPAN custom Mizuno set ? You say the Epon feel better than the Mizuno custom set....wow.....looking forward to hear you test results of the new AF-301 set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Mr. Jeff purchased the MP Hokkaido's from us. Super Rare Irons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blader-X Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Great reviews boys!! Hey Chris, just a question to ask here, can the offset be decreased in the 301's via special order to almost nil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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