Mjr. D Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Read Gocchin's blog a while ago about the 2011 Onoff Forged irons being the softest ever J-Spec irons. I'm now reading the new Yamaha 2012 Limited's are right there as well. So which wins? Anything else that competes with them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 gott a be the epon 501 with the gel inserts surely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potuna Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Epon 502s with gel insert felt ok but didn't go for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 sorry miss type 502s i meant. rearry? may buds got them, thye aint for me etiher , but im just shocked how soft they are its like hitting marshmallow. i like just a bit more clik in my strike. 302 arnt far behind either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 another vote for the 502s , another very soft one were the shinagawa raw Cbs i had back in 07. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaleUK Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I've got the 502's and yes they feel super soft, can't really see how it could get better!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisstrader Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 502's also my weapon of choice...soft, soft, soft. Made all the Miuras I tried feel very harsh and clicky. I love the marshmallow on a stick feeling. I also find that the lighter I hang onto the club, the better the hit (most clubs but espec 502). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Soft is subjective. There are too many factors influencing the soft feel of an iron including not only its materials, manufacturing processes and even design and grind and of course shaft. And then finally how well we can hit it. We can already see different opinions in this thread on feel. Unfortunately I am not a fan of the AF-502. The alpha gel deadens and mutes the feel for me. I like soft but lively and somehow the AF-502 doesn't work for me... but thats me. I loved the Yamaha Tour and thats because its a simply a soft ONE piece forging. Its pure with no technology or added parts to hinder feel. For the ONOFF, the long and mid irons are affected by tungsten melded to the sole while the shorter irons are more pure. The Yamaha Tour model was one of the best feeling irons I've hit in a long time and yes I have a AF-502 demo here which I always hit against irons I test but I just can't get to like it... but then again thats just me, its all subjective and personal. I much prefer the AF-302 and some customers who got the AF-502 have said the same and on the other hand there are those who do love the AF-502. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I much prefer the AF-302 and some customers who got the AF-502 have said the same and on the other hand there are those who do love the AF-502. i agree, the 502 was soft but it got there by having the alpha gel insert, an added tech to the mix the 302 is one piece. hitting them on the screws is a marvelous feeling. bliss. then again most jdm irons with the right shaft when hit on the sweetspot feels soft:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaleUK Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Soft is subjective. There are too many factors influencing the soft feel of an iron including not only its materials, manufacturing processes and even design and grind and of course shaft. And then finally how well we can hit it. We can already see different opinions in this thread on feel. Unfortunately I am not a fan of the AF-502. The alpha gel deadens and mutes the feel for me. I like soft but lively and somehow the AF-502 doesn't work for me... but thats me. I loved the Yamaha Tour and thats because its a simply a soft ONE piece forging. Its pure with no technology or added parts to hinder feel. For the ONOFF, the long and mid irons are affected by tungsten melded to the sole while the shorter irons are more pure. The Yamaha Tour model was one of the best feeling irons I've hit in a long time and yes I have a AF-502 demo here which I always hit against irons I test but I just can't get to like it... but then again thats just me, its all subjective and personal. I much prefer the AF-302 and some customers who got the AF-502 have said the same and on the other hand there are those who do love the AF-502. I've only ever hit the 302 once and I loved it, only reason I bought the 502's was because I felt, the slightly bigger size would give me the confidence .... I guess it's a Evo vs Scooby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I've only ever hit the 302 once and I loved it, only reason I bought the 502's was because I felt, the slightly bigger size would give me the confidence .... I guess it's a Evo vs Scooby Yeah but I love the Evo too as much as I love the STI. (^_^) That is true though, the AF-502 is larger with more offset and for many this will allow them to hit it more pure. Other irons may be softer but it all depends on how well we can hit them. It doesn't matter how soft an iron is if you can't hit the sweet spot consistently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 of course none of that really matters when hit on the second groove but then who can really do that on purpose ;) but for those who love super soft and are on a budget, as far as JDM stuff goes, go with Mizuno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisstrader Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 (edited) I'm a decent iron striker and the 302's were a bit punishing even for me with any off center hits vs the 502 which rewarded me with that sweet pop even with toe and heel strikes. Classic case of hit it pure and you can feel goosebumbs start to appear up and down both upper and lower extremities:) With respect to the gel insert on the 502, I could care less that there is an insert and if someone had never told me there was an insert, I never would have known! All I care about is the softest irons out there and as most have said here, it's the 502's. Yes, a matter of personal taste about what constitutes "soft", but I now use my 6 iron 502 to baseline everything else out there. So far, nothing comes close. My fitter who is the largest Epon dealer in the US (might be like saying tallest midget!) has the same view incidentally. Edited November 15, 2011 by swisstrader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Yup those 502's are pretty soft. I just didn't care for the type of soft personally. Some love it. Mizunos are soft but a bit mushy. I like the ONOFF Forged as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Actually yes rhe set of mizmp68 i has were crazy soft especiall for a blade i thought too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerhood Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 soft feeling is soooooo... subjective.. even hard cast irons can feel soft with low compression balls.... i use the bridgestone B330RX ball exclusively and although i haven't tried the epons my old tourstageTZ101s and V7000s really felt soft when hit properly... i now use the adams V3 forged and they are also soft---but then they have all of those high tech vibration dampening stuff!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 The AF502's have to be the softest feel. You can hardly feel the ball on sweet spot hits. Off center hits don't punish you but still provide feedback. For a sweet spot strike I'm really partial to my Pro Pref. Blades. Brings a smile to my face. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eca Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Isn't soft feel in golf really being assessed by our hearing more than anything else? I read a testing a while back with low cappers with soft balls & rocks. During normal conditions, they got it right 100% of the time, then with headphones with correct corresponding sound recording they also got it 100% right as which is soft & hard. Then they do the reverse sound With the headphones, again they got it 100% wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisstrader Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 (edited) Would be interesting to ask this group the same question on drivers. We all use the word "soft" to describe irons...what's the driver equivalent for describing best feel and what club would that be? (Can you tell I'm in the market for a new driver?!) Edited November 16, 2011 by swisstrader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubawun Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Would be interesting to ask this group the same question on drivers. We all use the word "soft" to describe irons...what's the driver equivalent for describing best feel and what club would that be? (Can you tell I'm in the market for a new driver?!) just got my Crazy 460 + Royal Deco a couple of weeks back.... best feeling driver i ever hit. seems like a forged iron is pretending to be a driver.... or a driver pretending to be a forged iron.... well you get the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potuna Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 For drivers I like a SOLID feel vs soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisstrader Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 For drivers I like a SOLID feel vs soft. My current drivers basically suck, but get the job done. I have a Nike Sasquatch with a Proforce shaft that sounds like a big ole tin can each time I hit it. At the other end of the spectrum I have a Nike VR driver with a Harrison shaft w a shotmaker in it and it's the other extreme in that it is so muted that is sounds like a persimmon wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 My current drivers basically suck, but get the job done. I have a Nike Sasquatch with a Proforce shaft that sounds like a big ole tin can each time I hit it. At the other end of the spectrum I have a Nike VR driver with a Harrison shaft w a shotmaker in it and it's the other extreme in that it is so muted that is sounds like a persimmon wood. How is the Harrison shotmaker treating you? Been wanting to try those but don't know what flex would suit me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potuna Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 How is the Harrison shotmaker treating you? Been wanting to try those but don't know what flex would suit me Google Harrison, there's a chart on the website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Google Harrison, there's a chart on the website. I have many times. I know my ss but I have had many friends that Got one based on their specs but still did nit work out. Many factors such as inside shaft bore and approximate angular Velocity etc etc Too much unknows plus o one here locally does fitting for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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