New Level Appreciation Thread

[Liquifire]

 

I'm smitten. They really look amazing in person. 

 

Buying only from pictures, was slightly concerned the toplines would be huge compared to my 990s - they are basically identical (sometimes the online pics make them look enormous, idk why)

 

Also the PW hosel to face transition - it's a little Callaway-esque (definitely not a Mizuno) but still really similar to my 990 so I'm content. 

 

Also happy with how the 5 and 6 + look. Slightly longer & offset that now, in my 40s, gives confidence in the long irons. 

 

Going to the sim tomorrow and expect to have a good report and more pictures. 

[dmeeksDC]

On 2/13/2025 at 11:26 AM, Eazy Mac said:

 

Interesting stuff. Im actually rotating between the J15 cbs and the PF-2s right now both in 5-PW. J15s might be slightly more forgiving, but on a good day i can hit both pretty well. love the feel in both of them too. did you ever hit the 480s, and could compare the 702s/480s to the PF-2s/J15s?

 

Hi. Yes, I did play the 480TC and they are excellent. Did well with those. Did not do as well with the 480MC, those are small heads, a bit more demanding. 
 

To me the J15CB would be most like the 702CB or maybe even the 702CB+ (would need to compare blade lengths as Bridgestones tend to be longer) but the 702 line has tungsten plugs in the low toe, do not recall if the Bridgestones do. The PF2 is a really nice iron, however it does have the highest CG of the irons you list. 
 

In terms of forgiveness, if your miss is low or on the toe, the 702CB will be your friend. If your miss is more on the toe, the 702CB+ is your friend. 

[dmeeksDC]

On 2/13/2025 at 12:40 PM, HalfSet said:

Those who have have played the previous gen and current, is the forgiveness with the added tungsten noticeable? 

 

See post above. I would say the new ones are a little more forgiving, but it’s going to depend on the player’s miss. The difference with the tungsten in the sole of the toe is the CG in the 702 is a little lower, so a bit easier to launch and it should help on low strikes. And it also moves the sweet spot more to the middle. I have noticed the 702CB does pretty well on low misses and toe misses and the CB+ is even better on toe misses.
 

I thought the original 902 was New Level’s most forgiving players iron and they say the 702CB surpasses that. That matches what I am seeing. A bit more bounce, refined sole and the tungsten are the new ingredients. The CB+ is another notch up in forgiveness as the face is a little larger. Not much larger, they blend very well, but just a touch more room on the toe. And I find plus to be easy to launch even in the 5 iron. Hope this helps!

 

[Liquifire]

Mini-review on a quick 30 minutes in a trackman sim with the 702 CB's w/ TT Dynamic Gold S300 120. (This was my first time hitting balls in 2 months and first time ever hitting in a sim fwiw). 

 

10 shot averages with Taylor Made TP5 :

• 990 7 iron (36* loft) warm up - 87 club speed, 112.9 ball speed, 165 carry, 174 total distance 5991 spin rate.
• 702 CB 7 iron (33* loft) - 88.5 club speed, 118.1 ball speed, 177.5 carry, 187.6 total, ? spin rate.

 

• 702+ 5 iron - 91.5 club speed, 122.5 ball speed, 191.5 carry, 207.8 total, 4676 spin rate.

 

• 702 CB PW - 83.2 club speed, 106.4 ball speed, 150.5 carry, 155.2 total, 7371 spin rate. 

 

Summary:

• Looks - always subjective but the clubs look premium at address.  A 'players club'.    
• Feel - Very good feel and feedback compared to my old sticks.  Flushed shots felt wonderful, *so soft*.  Could feel where I was hitting it on the face. 
• Weight - So glad I went with the 120g shafts, as the weights were almost exact with my old set that had regular S300.   
• Forgiveness - I hit the 7 first and I know for a fact I was kind of all over the face, so that dispersion looks great outside of the chunk pull.  Same with the 5 but I didn't feel great about how I hit it.  Hit the PW the best of all, but I think you can see the 2 shots that were missed short left.  Lost 5-7 yards on those.  Cant remember if they were toe strikes. 
• Data - Happy with the dispersion of the PW and 7 (If not for the chunk and the dead pull on the PW that would have been a tight group).  Will obviously need some work on the longer irons - messing around with ball position mostly. Spin rates seem a touch low?  Dunno if that is the nature of the sim or can be solved with the ball.  

The first impressions were great!  I'm excited to see where these clubs can take me this summer. 

 

[dmeeksDC]

13 minutes ago, Liquifire said:

Mini-review on a quick 30 minutes in a trackman sim with the 702 CB's w/ TT Dynamic Gold S300 120. (This was my first time hitting balls in 2 months and first time ever hitting in a sim fwiw). 

 

10 shot averages with Taylor Made TP5 :

• 990 7 iron (36* loft) warm up - 87 club speed, 112.9 ball speed, 165 carry, 174 total distance 5991 spin rate.
• 702 CB 7 iron (33* loft) - 88.5 club speed, 118.1 ball speed, 177.5 carry, 187.6 total, ? spin rate.

 

• 702+ 5 iron - 91.5 club speed, 122.5 ball speed, 191.5 carry, 207.8 total, 4676 spin rate.

 

• 702 CB PW - 83.2 club speed, 106.4 ball speed, 150.5 carry, 155.2 total, 7371 spin rate. 

 

Summary:

• Looks - always subjective but the clubs look premium at address.  A 'players club'.    
• Feel - Very good feel and feedback compared to my old sticks.  Flushed shots felt wonderful, *so soft*.  Could feel where I was hitting it on the face. 
• Weight - So glad I went with the 120g shafts, as the weights were almost exact with my old set that had regular S300.   
• Forgiveness - I hit the 7 first and I know for a fact I was kind of all over the face, so that dispersion looks great outside of the chunk pull.  Same with the 5 but I didn't feel great about how I hit it.  Hit the PW the best of all, but I think you can see the 2 shots that were missed short left.  Lost 5-7 yards on those.  Cant remember if they were toe strikes. 
• Data - Happy with the dispersion of the PW and 7 (If not for the chunk and the dead pull on the PW that would have been a tight group).  Will obviously need some work on the longer irons - messing around with ball position mostly. Spin rates seem a touch low?  Dunno if that is the nature of the sim or can be solved with the ball.  

The first impressions were great!  I'm excited to see where these clubs can take me this summer. 

 

 

Coming off a break those numbers look good. I would say you hit the 5 iron pretty well. Solid distance. Spin rate looks great on that club. That’s the thing about the plus — it delivers good results if contact wanders.

 

I would not worry about the wedge reading lower spin. Can happen on mats. These irons stop very well. 

[FarmerDan]

I'm reasonably sure this question has been asked or answered in this thread, but I can't find it so here it goes:

 

Has anyone compared the 480 DB vs the 702+? 

 

I was recently fit into a set of Ping i230s with KBS Tour stiff shafts, but the price point is killer, so I'm looking in the DTC market for the closest available options. Everyone I've talked to about New Level has been happy with their purchases, so I figured I'd give them a serious look. Thanks in advance!

[artica]

Hi all, won’t say I upgraded but did move on. I have a 4-pw set of 480-tc I’m going to list soon. Putting out there to this group if anyone is interested. 

[torque4me]

Hi. Sole question(s) on the 702CB’s if someone who has them can help. 
My fear is real high launch 🚀 and the photos of sole that I’ve seen are they are wide and not a lot of trail edge relief. 

Anyone coming from real narrow sole irons?

Thank you
(life long blade player used to narrow soles🤷🏻‍♂️)
 

[dmeeksDC]

9 hours ago, torque4me said:

Hi. Sole question(s) on the 702CB’s if someone who has them can help. 
My fear is real high launch 🚀 and the photos of sole that I’ve seen are they are wide and not a lot of trail edge relief. 

Anyone coming from real narrow sole irons?

Thank you
(life long blade player used to narrow soles🤷🏻‍♂️)
 

Lots of factors determine launch, not only sole width. These are not wide soles but they’re also not thin. New Level irons are quite low bounce, however, so having a mid-sized sole gives them a little more effective bounce. They play great for me and the soles definitely have passed the sloppy, wet conditions test because we’ve seen plenty of that this winter! These are cavity backs aimed at players who prefer forged irons but want some forgiveness, they’re not blades. 
 

If the soles seem wide to your eye or you are sensitive to sole width, these may not be the irons for you. I played Blueprint S and TaylorMade P7CB before I put the 702CBs in the bag because the 702s are more forgiving than either of those, how the sole plays being one of the reasons why. You might be better off with something like the BPS or P7CB. Both have skinnier soles.
 

You also could look at the 702MB or 480MC. Those both have narrower soles than the CB. I think the 702MB will offer reasonable forgiveness. The 480MC is a smaller iron that demands better ball striking.

 

I have noted even Tour pros are opting for the 702CB over the others, so it comes down to how much forgiveness you’re looking for. 

[torque4me]

9 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Lots of factors determine launch, not only sole width. These are not wide soles but they’re also not thin. New Level irons are quite low bounce, however, so having a mid-sized sole gives them a little more effective bounce. They play great for me and the soles definitely have passed the sloppy, wet conditions test because we’ve seen plenty of that this winter! These are cavity backs aimed at players who prefer forged irons but want some forgiveness, they’re not blades. 
 

If the soles seem wide to your eye or you are sensitive to sole width, these may not be the irons for you. I played Blueprint S and TaylorMade P7CB before I put the 702CBs in the bag because the 702s are more forgiving than either of those, how the sole plays being one of the reasons why. You might be better off with something like the BPS or P7CB. Both have skinnier soles.
 

You also could look at the 702MB or 480MC. Those both have narrower soles than the CB. I think the 702MB will offer reasonable forgiveness. The 480MC is a smaller iron that demands better ball striking.

 

I have noted even Tour pros are opting for the 702CB over the others, so it comes down to how much forgiveness you’re looking for. 

Thanks. 
Think I’ll wait for the northeast thawing out then spend some time with a demo iron. 
At this rate it may be Early August 😮

[ferrispgm]

Well.....the clubs already arrived as of yesterday.....Got a round scheduled for Saturday....can't wait!

[NixLix26]

OK I took out my old 902 forded irons  they are great.  But these 702 CB's  look amazing as well.

I prefer a modus 120 stiff shaft.    What would you recommend I choose on the NEWLEVEL site??

[GHINandDiet]

41 minutes ago, NixLix26 said:

OK I took out my old 902 forded irons  they are great.  But these 702 CB's  look amazing as well.

I prefer a modus 120 stiff shaft.    What would you recommend I choose on the NEWLEVEL site??

 

Stick with it, the Modus shafts are great.

 

 

[ferrispgm]

Took them out on Saturday....naturally as is always the case when I take new clubs straight to the course without a few range sessions first, i didn't strike it particularly well.  Having to warm up on mats instead of turf certainly didn't help me get used to them either.  But the feel on the clubs is definitely outstanding.  You can certainly feel the tungsten plug in there on impact but in a good way.  Very very soft but also solid.  Better feeling than my MKII Zx7 and previous Srixon irons and I thought they all felt great. 

 

Spin is definitely a tad higher, I'm guessing 300-500ish rpm higher but since I use the TP5x ball, it's not a big issue.  If you are using a spinny ball or different shaft you may want to keep that in mind.  Granted the Srixon's are on the lower side of spin.   It's not a bad as the original 623mb...those spun a ton.

 

They definitely look amazing at address.  Great lines, minimal offset and sit very nicely.  The CB looks great, a tad smaller than the ZX7 in topline and blade size.  The blade isn't really noticeably smaller though unless you compare them side by side and then you can tell a slight difference.  If you just picked these up randomly, most people probably wouldn't notice.   The MB topline is perfect for a blade in my opinion, not crazy razor thin but smaller than Srixon.  The topline reminds me of my old Nike blades, maybe a tad thicker.  Size on the MB is great as well....again, not too small.  I'd call them a mid-long blade length.  Slightly shorter than Srixon's blades from what I remember.  

 

Distance seems good.  Though they are a degree weaker than my ZX7's they seem to go pretty much the same distance.  They may be like 3 yards shorter, maybe? but it's hard to say again because it wasn't my greatest ball striking day.  

 

Sole interaction will take some getting used to again for me.  I've primarily been used to the Srixon soles over the years.  These definitely dig more and I was certainly coming up way short a few times from getting into the ground a tad early and the ball floated/went nowhere. I have played more traditional soles in the past so it will just take some getting used to again but I'm not concerned.   It's definitely nice on the harder ground we get here in AZ so the club doesn't just skip to the ball and it takes off with no spin which has been the one thing I don't like about the Srixon's at times.  To clarify though, these aren't diggy they just dig a bit more.  With a range session or two all should be good.  

 

As a whole, I'm looking forward to playing more with them.  The feel truly is amazing and the blades are pretty easy to hit, definitely easier than the NL PF-1 I had previously.  Playability wise, they remind me of the Srixon 965/765 combo set I was fit to years ago but a little higher launching in the CBs. 

 

 

[Soberdash]

I've been reading through the 42 pages here before making an account but long story short I have been considering the 480-TC or possibly the 702cb (if it was smaller or worth the extra price) and was looking for some opinions on how they compare to other irons. I have tried the ZX7 original in the past which I know a lot of people like and have compared the NL to. I found the ZX7 slightly large to my eye (could be the non rounded edge) but I find myself being more sensitive to heel to toe length and offset compared to the thickness of the top line. Its something I could get over but do prefer the looks of the T100 and Cobra CB/MB to that of the ZX7 when I had them. The other issue I had with the ZX7 which I hope the 480-TC could address would be with the feel and to some level the performance. The ZX7 almost felt dead and a touch hotter from what I remember compared to your typical CB. It felt like the ball just launched off the face more like a GI and loses that feel I'm used to from my  CB or MB sets. Overall they weren't bad clubs for me and I could have played them but a mix of everything took me away. If the 480-TC could improve on the feel and looks while giving the same forgiveness over clubs like the t100 and cobra CB then I could see myself trying them out. Any input on the NL clubs or anything else you think could be a good contender would be greatly appreciated.

[mikeberlin]

@dmeeksDC Any chance you could post some side by side photos of the CB and MBs? Really curious how they look at address, hosel transition, and how the soles compare.

[dmeeksDC]

11 hours ago, mikeberlin said:

@dmeeksDC Any chance you could post some side by side photos of the CB and MBs? Really curious how they look at address, hosel transition, and how the soles compare.

Sure. I can post a few more tomorrow. Here are a few I took previously with a TaylorMade P7CB to show a size comparison. 

9 irons — l to r — New Level 702CB, TaylorMade P7CB, New Level 702MB

Top to bottom — 702CB, 702MB, P7CB — Hard to tell in photos but in hand the 702MB has a slightly thinner top line and sole. Blade length is the same for CB and MB. 

702MB and 702CB — web site photos do not do them justice!

 

I’ll add some top line shots tomorrow. 
 

Here are a few of the 702CB+ 6 iron with some other heads. Top to bottom — TaylorMade P7CB, Maltby PTM, New Level 702CB+, Ping i200. 

 

6 irons — Ping i200 (left) and 702CB+

 

[03trdblack]

[Sam217]

10 minutes ago, 03trdblack said:

 

Those blades....they look even better in the wild.

[dmeeksDC]

39 minutes ago, 03trdblack said:

Beautiful. How did they play for you?

[03trdblack]

3 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Beautiful. How did they play for you?

 

Link to my review on MGS 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGrkEwBNtuy/?igsh=MWdxZ2E4NW02MDF3Yg==

[Burnstein]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents so far. 7 handicap and I've gamed the 902-OS for the past year and really loved them. Long story short, nasty case of golfers elbow for the past few months made me want to try graphite shafts. So I ordered the 702+ demo club with Steelfiber 95 shaft and gave it a go. Small sample size because the elbow is still in bad shape, but here is a basic comparison between the 902OS and 702+. The distance gained is likely just from the lighter shaft (95g vs 105g DG).  Anyways, i liked the 702+ enough that I ordered the rest of the set the next day. Besides a few extra yards from a slightly faster clubhead speed, all the other metrics were pretty identical between the two models. When the rest of the set comes I'd be happy to give an update if anyone is interested in the comparison to the 902-OS.

[dmeeksDC]

On 3/1/2025 at 3:16 PM, mikeberlin said:

@dmeeksDC Any chance you could post some side by side photos of the CB and MBs? Really curious how they look at address, hosel transition, and how the soles compare.

I need to post some more photos for you. But let me just say, these 702MBs are really good. Put the MB 9 and PW in the bag for today’s round and never missed a beat. No problem

at all in the short irons. Night and day easier to hit than last year’s 408MC head. And you can tell these 702MBs are muscle backs. They feel super solid on center hits. They’re not much different from the CB, but you still can tell a difference. 

[CozBMB]

https://www.instagram.com/golfnewlevel/p/DHMeMJ8Sw-L/?img_index=1

 

Recently ordered a set of 480 TC/DB combo irons.  New Level is unreal.  Instant email responses and they let me mail in my own ferrules.  I plan on installing gripmaster Roo grips before summer so they were able to build the clubs to my swingweight by using a grip with the same weight as the gripmasters.  They even posted my build on their instagram page which gives me a sneek peak into what will be arriving next week!  The only mistake is the my name is Kurt W. and they put Ken W on the post which is now my nickname from all my golf buddies that i sent the post to, haha.  Can't wait to get these into play.  

[dmeeksDC]

4 minutes ago, CozBMB said:

https://www.instagram.com/golfnewlevel/p/DHMeMJ8Sw-L/?img_index=1

 

Recently ordered a set of 480 TC/DB combo irons.  New Level is unreal.  Instant email responses and they let me mail in my own ferrules.  I plan on installing gripmaster Roo grips before summer so they were able to build the clubs to my swingweight by using a grip with the same weight as the gripmasters.  They even posted my build on their instagram page which gives me a sneek peak into what will be arriving next week!  The only mistake is the my name is Kurt W. and they put Ken W on the post which is now my nickname from all my golf buddies that i sent the post to, haha.  Can't wait to get these into play.  

When you play well it’s Kurt. When you hit a bad one tell ‘em that was Ken. 

[Soberdash]

On 3/15/2025 at 12:17 PM, CozBMB said:

https://www.instagram.com/golfnewlevel/p/DHMeMJ8Sw-L/?img_index=1

 

Recently ordered a set of 480 TC/DB combo irons.  New Level is unreal.  Instant email responses and they let me mail in my own ferrules.  I plan on installing gripmaster Roo grips before summer so they were able to build the clubs to my swingweight by using a grip with the same weight as the gripmasters.  They even posted my build on their instagram page which gives me a sneek peak into what will be arriving next week!  The only mistake is the my name is Kurt W. and they put Ken W on the post which is now my nickname from all my golf buddies that i sent the post to, haha.  Can't wait to get these into play.  

Did they charge you extra to install your ferrules that you sent them? I had asked them about sending in my grips and ferrules and they wanted to charge me a $7 a club service fee to install them which sounded weird considering it doesn't cost them anything extra and it saves them grips/ferrules. 

[GHINandDiet]

4 hours ago, Soberdash said:

Did they charge you extra to install your ferrules that you sent them? I had asked them about sending in my grips and ferrules and they wanted to charge me a $7 a club service fee to install them which sounded weird considering it doesn't cost them anything extra and it saves them grips/ferrules. 

 

"I asked the bartender about bringing my own bottle of wine into the restaurant and he wanted to charge me a $7 corkage fee, which sounded weird considering it doesn't cost them anything extra and saves them a bottle of wine"

[CozBMB]

5 hours ago, Soberdash said:

Did they charge you extra to install your ferrules that you sent them? I had asked them about sending in my grips and ferrules and they wanted to charge me a $7 a club service fee to install them which sounded weird considering it doesn't cost them anything extra and it saves them grips/ferrules. 

I didn't send the grips down, i'll be putting those on when the clubs are delivered today.  They charged me $4 per club for the ferrule install.  I didn't mind at all, i was happy they were willing to put mine on.  

[Minarets]

On 3/2/2025 at 11:36 AM, Burnstein said:

Just wanted to add my 2 cents so far. 7 handicap and I've gamed the 902-OS for the past year and really loved them. Long story short, nasty case of golfers elbow for the past few months made me want to try graphite shafts. So I ordered the 702+ demo club with Steelfiber 95 shaft and gave it a go. Small sample size because the elbow is still in bad shape, but here is a basic comparison between the 902OS and 702+. The distance gained is likely just from the lighter shaft (95g vs 105g DG).  Anyways, i liked the 702+ enough that I ordered the rest of the set the next day. Besides a few extra yards from a slightly faster clubhead speed, all the other metrics were pretty identical between the two models. When the rest of the set comes I'd be happy to give an update if anyone is interested in the comparison to the 902-OS.

Want to hear more. I feel I never read the OS reviews/ + reviews.  That’s what I want to read more of.  

[JxMOx]

I agree. I purchased a set of 480DBs last year but would love to see 702+ vs 480DB compares (pics, results, and feedback).