Bridgestone's 241CB and 242CB

[DRO28]

@davo32683 @meh

 

5 iron 

 

 

 

8 iron

 

 

 

PW 

 

 

 

Soles (slightly more narrow than they appear here)

 

 

 

@VGJeff

 

222cb+ on left, 242cb+ on right. Same length @ 79 mm, but the 242 seem to have a bit of a curve towards the toe on the backside. They are both slightly more narrow than appear in the photo. The 221 and 241 are ~76 mm I believe. 

[VGJeff]

Thanks to DRO

Now I have a set of 242's coming (bless those japanese folks who hit it once then sell at a third the price). My BS collection is now stabilized by these and a TD-01 putter.

[meh]

On 11/28/2024 at 5:36 AM, DRO28 said:

@davo32683 @meh

 

5 iron 

 

 

 

8 iron

 

 

 

PW 

 

 

 

Soles (slightly more narrow than they appear here)

 

 

 

@VGJeff

 

222cb+ on left, 242cb+ on right. Same length @ 79 mm, but the 242 seem to have a bit of a curve towards the toe on the backside. They are both slightly more narrow than appear in the photo. The 221 and 241 are ~76 mm I believe. 

Might it be possible to get pics of them together at address, please? Pics are great btw

 

[GolfyGolfy]

Ok I can take some pics in the next couple days but very similar to the online pics.  So I bought my 241s(5-pw + 4i 242) in Japan with the stock shafts with every intention of pulling them.  I took them in to get loft and lie checked since all of my past customs from Callaway and Taylormade have been so f****** bad.  The lofts were perfect and only two clubs need lie adjustments to stock. I played Torrey pines with the stock modus 120 S and couldn’t really get a feel for the heads since my gamer shaft is the c-taper s+ 125.  Got them built up proper and went straight to Torrey to test and they were so soft and solid even off the first swing.  I am coming from the 21 apex pros which most people here will consider super clicky from the cup face 7i and up. At address there is considerably less offset than my gamers.  They are forgiving off of toe strikes(my miss) and even high and low face.  They are so fun to hit and the turf interaction while I’m not very steep is so freaking smooth.  I have another set of Japanese irons that I will be testing when they come in.  Anyways just saw the thread and wanted to make a quick post

Edited December 3, 2024 by GolfyGolfy

[GolfyGolfy]

My bad I didn’t see these posts on this next page 😆 

[GolfyGolfy]

On 11/19/2024 at 8:14 AM, DRO28 said:

I just received my set of 242cb+. Don’t have a lot to compare to since I came from a set of 10 year old Pings. Have always loved Bstone clubs though - still play the J40 driver! These are very forgiving and feel great off the face. Much easier to hit the long irons than expected. 
 

I bought a 222cb+ 7 iron to test before I bought these. The 222 is nearly identical to the 242 except for the now hidden pockets. 
 

@GolfyGolfy I’d like to add the 4 iron as well. Deciding between that or more of a driving iron.

I got the 4i and don’t regret it.  I guess it will depend on your gapping but I am pretty happy about the feel and look.  I play a 4 and sometimes 3i in my apex pro 21s and was thinking I could go with the 241 4i but I’m happy with the forgiveness and the feel. It’s pretty damn soft

[AC-Golf]

221CB on sale on eBay, price shows $648, but it's $590 with shipping and tax when you go to checkout.  Seller is guzai66.  

[dwboston]

I picked up a set of the 242CB+ in LH from an eBay seller in Japan. They had a 15% off coupon so I got the set for a little over $800 shipped. I played the J15CB for years - hoping these are comparable. They look great and have a little forgiveness built-in. The reviews I've seen from Japanese golfers on Youtube look pretty good. I've already got a set of new Recoil 110 F4 ready to go for when these arrive. 

Edited December 27, 2024 by dwboston

[indianagolf2]

Are the 241 242 endo ? 

Edited December 19, 2024 by indianagolf2

[golftech]

Lots of offset (looks like too much) for Bridgestone which traditionally had minimal.

[pjc]

On 12/16/2024 at 4:18 PM, indianagolf2 said:

Ate the 241 242 endo ? 

All 1 piece Bridgestone forged irons are Endo Thailand just like Srixon.

[indianagolf2]

2 hours ago, pjc said:

All 1 piece Bridgestone forged irons are Endo Thailand just like Srixon.

Ty

[dwboston]

6 hours ago, indianagolf2 said:

Ty

 

On the Bridgestone JP site, it says the 241 is "made in Japan" while the 242CB+ is "made in China/Japan".

[pjc]

17 minutes ago, dwboston said:

 

On the Bridgestone JP site, it says the 241 is "made in Japan" while the 242CB+ is "made in China/Japan".

Made in Japan does not mean forged in Japan.  The 242+ is not 1 piece necessarily ( in the same vein as ZX5).  A lot of brands say made in Japan, that can mean a lot of different things.  Even some of the boutique house brands don't all forge their irons in Japan.  It's become more the exception rather than the rule in recent years.  Endo primarily moved their "mass" forging house to Thailand years ago.

[idrive]

Made in Japan as of more recent times often means "assembled in Japan"

 

FWIW the plant in Thailand is the newer, most modern forging Endo plant.

[rx1232]

Can anyone that has tried out these compare them to the zx5/7 mkii?  
 

please tell me it’s about the same 😅

[GolfyGolfy]

20 minutes ago, rx1232 said:

Can anyone that has tried out these compare them to the zx5/7 mkii?  
 

please tell me it’s about the same 😅

I have both and they are not even close.  Zx7mkii never felt soft to me, but these are so freaking soft.  I have them both with the same shaft, swing weight with proper builds.  It’s night and day and the Bridgestone also has great turf interaction as well but if you are super steep it still might be a srixon 

[rx1232]

7 hours ago, GolfyGolfy said:

but if you are super steep it still might be a srixon 

So if you’re super steep the srixons are better?  (Not sure how to interpret this)

[GolfyGolfy]

52 minutes ago, rx1232 said:

So if you’re super steep the srixons are better?  (Not sure how to interpret this)

That v sole turf interaction is better and exits much better than anything else if you are steeper and have a more negative AOA. The leading and trailing edge of the Bridgestone is there but not as robust as srixons v sole

[GolfyGolfy]

Also I think the srixons are lower spin as well

[rx1232]

Sounds like I’m on the lookout for some 242+’s. Wonder if combo sets are available. 

[GolfyGolfy]

15 minutes ago, rx1232 said:

Sounds like I’m on the lookout for some 242+’s. Wonder if combo sets are available. 

I bought the 241 5-P since they don’t sell 4-P in stores and found a 242 4i and combo’s that way.  I would have been happy either way 241 or 242

[dwboston]

I got my 242CB+ irons from Japan today.  Took them right to the shop to have them reshafted with Recoil 110 F4's.  First impression was they look a lot like the J15CB from address, and the soles look pretty similar as well.  Blade length is a little longer than the T100S irons I'm currently using, but offset is only marginally more - it's not really that noticeable.  They're great looking irons - hopefully I'll get them back early next week to start hitting them. 

[dwboston]

One funny thing about my 242CB+ iron set - it came with an user's manual on how to properly use and care for golf clubs, in Japanese and English.

 

[rx1232]

Are the 242cb’s “hot” at all?  Like do certain pure strikes make it go an extra distance you’re not expecting like GI irons do?  I can’t tell from the description. Even cobra king tours I used to have did this. 

[3rutu5]

On 12/29/2024 at 1:21 AM, rx1232 said:

Are the 242cb’s “hot” at all?  Like do certain pure strikes make it go an extra distance you’re not expecting like GI irons do?  I can’t tell from the description. Even cobra king tours I used to have did this. 

i'm not familar with the term "hot" apart from how it comes off the club being uncontrolled and too long?

 

is that what is meant by hot in the US?

[rx1232]

9 minutes ago, 3rutu5 said:

i'm not familar with the term "hot" apart from how it comes off the club being uncontrolled and too long?

 

is that what is meant by hot in the US?

Yes (well that’s what I meant)

[dwboston]

I had the 242CB+ irons reshafted and regripped and was able to hit them yesterday in the Trackman simulator at my club with Pro V1 RCT balls.  First impressions are really good.  They feel amazing on center strikes and are pretty forgiving on off-center hits.  They do have an extra 5-8 yards in them when you absolutely middle one - there is a little of springiness to the face on perfectly struck shots, but it's not harsh or hollow-sounding, it has a nice forged feel to it.

 

Currently playing a set of Titleist T100S.  The head sizes are pretty similar. 242CB+ has a little more offset.  The soles on the 242CB+ are clearly wider and the topline is a little thicker.  I think the Bridgestones feel better.  The Titleists are nice, but the 7-iron has always bugged me - it just feels weird to me, even on well-struck shots.  Looking forward to hitting these more over the winter. 

 

242CB+ on the left, T100S on the right

Edited January 11 by dwboston

[cmgolf]

There is a video in the Tour forum (Lpga) of Jin Young Ko training for 2025 .

Here is a picture from the video. Looks like 241 Cb or 242cb+. 

[dwboston]

I've had 4 indoor Trackman simulator sessions with the 242CB+ and Pro V1 RCT balls, and I'm very impressed with them so far. They feel amazing on well-struck shots - they have a nice soft, yet solid, feel to them.  Similar to Miura but slightly softer.  There's definitely a little spring-like effect with the face, as absolutely centered shots have that extra 5-7 yards in them, but they don't feel like any player's distance irons I've tried before. They feel and sound way better than my T100S irons in comparison.  I had them adjusted 1* weak from standard when I had the Recoil shafts installed.  My yardage gaps are what I expected - I might have a little too much of a gap between my 52* wedge and the PW.  I might have my 52/56/60 wedges checked and bent 1* strong. I highly recommend trying the 242CB+ if anyone is on the fence about them.