Makino 88-B3 review

[tour_blu]

Last night I finally built up my set of Makino 88-B3 irons with Axiom 125x shaft and got some trackman data today.
 

Coming from Srixon ZX7 irons with $taper HT 130x, I was pretty nervous that these wouldn’t outperform the gamers, which have been great for me the past three years. I certainly didn’t need a new set, but ever since I first saw these Makinos I fell in love - particularly the dark copper finish. 
 

First impressions: WOW! Obviously there is a totally different shaft setup, which probably plays a large role in the feel and performance, but these did not disappoint. 
 

Performance: I was expecting them to be about 1 club shorter, but they were almost exactly the same distance as my ZX7’s. 135 PW, 175 7iron and 205 5 iron were the indoor trackman distances I was seeing. (I do think the Axiom shafts help these keep up)

 

Here is where they really shined - ball flight was high, straight (slight draw) and very consistent. I typically hit the ball pretty low, so this was great to see and likely more to do with the shaft than the club heads. 
 

Forgiveness: these clubs are pretty small, but I was really impressed with how well mishits flew. A couple shots felt way off the toe, but still flew 85-90% of the way there. I felt like they were more forgiving than the Srixons, but time will tell. 
 

My biggest surprise was how well I hit the 4 iron! I typically play a 5 hybrid in place of my 4i, and rarely hit my 5i - but this was the most rewarding club I’ve ever hit. Very minimal offset and thin toplines, but it was very consistent and easy to hit for the 10 shots I hit with it.  Definitely going in the bag. 
 

Feel: the combination of graphite plus japan forged was as good as it gets (for me). Honestly, Srixon are up there in terms of feel, but these shafts definitely add another level of softness (which I prefer). Considering these are semi-hollow, you would never tell. Felt solid and didn’t see any low spin flyers like some other hollow irons I’ve tried. 
 

Looks: completely subjective, but I personally think they are the best looking irons I have ever seen. The finish is icing on the cake. 
 

I’ll update after some real testing, specifically outside - but I’m really excited for the snow to melt up in New England and get these in play 🙏

 

Edited February 27 by tour_blu
Photo issue

[DLR]

Your irons look A1. I don’t think you can get better than these along with the MB1s. Makino and Fujimoto top notch. 

[Astead17]

On 2/26/2025 at 11:19 PM, tour_blu said:

Last night I finally built up my set of Makino 88-B3 irons with Axiom 125x shaft and got some trackman data today.
 

Coming from Srixon ZX7 irons with $taper HT 130x, I was pretty nervous that these wouldn’t outperform the gamers, which have been great for me the past three years. I certainly didn’t need a new set, but ever since I first saw these Makinos I fell in love - particularly the dark copper finish. 
 

First impressions: WOW! Obviously there is a totally different shaft setup, which probably plays a large role in the feel and performance, but these did not disappoint. 
 

Performance: I was expecting them to be about 1 club shorter, but they were almost exactly the same distance as my ZX7’s. 135 PW, 175 7iron and 205 5 iron were the indoor trackman distances I was seeing. (I do think the Axiom shafts help these keep up)

 

Here is where they really shined - ball flight was high, straight (slight draw) and very consistent. I typically hit the ball pretty low, so this was great to see and likely more to do with the shaft than the club heads. 
 

Forgiveness: these clubs are pretty small, but I was really impressed with how well mishits flew. A couple shots felt way off the toe, but still flew 85-90% of the way there. I felt like they were more forgiving than the Srixons, but time will tell. 
 

My biggest surprise was how well I hit the 4 iron! I typically play a 5 hybrid in place of my 4i, and rarely hit my 5i - but this was the most rewarding club I’ve ever hit. Very minimal offset and thin toplines, but it was very consistent and easy to hit for the 10 shots I hit with it.  Definitely going in the bag. 
 

Feel: the combination of graphite plus japan forged was as good as it gets (for me). Honestly, Srixon are up there in terms of feel, but these shafts definitely add another level of softness (which I prefer). Considering these are semi-hollow, you would never tell. Felt solid and didn’t see any low spin flyers like some other hollow irons I’ve tried. 
 

Looks: completely subjective, but I personally think they are the best looking irons I have ever seen. The finish is icing on the cake. 
 

I’ll update after some real testing, specifically outside - but I’m really excited for the snow to melt up in New England and get these in play 🙏

 

Would love an update. How is the finish holding up? 

[tour_blu]

33 minutes ago, Astead17 said:

Would love an update. How is the finish holding up? 

So far so good after a handful of indoor sim and outdoor range sessions. 
 

The dark copper definitely will have more visible aging, as it’s a little softer, but it’s a subtle light copper wear mark. I think it adds to the character, but let’s see how they hold up over the season. 
 

I’ll add more pics when I can. 
 

In the meantime, I built up two more sets of Makinos this week and got to hit them. Really enjoying the performance, looks and feels. Multiple people stopped me at the range to ask about them. 

[JungleJimbo]

1 hour ago, tour_blu said:

So far so good after a handful of indoor sim and outdoor range sessions. 
 

The dark copper definitely will have more visible aging, as it’s a little softer, but it’s a subtle light copper wear mark. I think it adds to the character, but let’s see how they hold up over the season. 
 

I’ll add more pics when I can. 
 

In the meantime, I built up two more sets of Makinos this week and got to hit them. Really enjoying the performance, looks and feels. Multiple people stopped me at the range to ask about them. 

 

@tour_blu some photos of the copper faces pls (to see any accelerated wear) ... thanks 

[tour_blu]

19 hours ago, JungleJimbo said:

 

@tour_blu some photos of the copper faces pls (to see any accelerated wear) ... thanks 

Here are some photos after 5 hitting sessions (all off of mats). 
 

I’m actually pretty impressed with how they handle ball strikes and turf.  The copper will show more serious scratches (like concrete) but like I mentioned earlier, I think it will add to the character. 

[tsupo]

thats about as  good as it gets........, 

[Astead17]

The trigger has been pulled 👀. I’ll keep

y’all updated with the build! Any suggestions welcome! 

[tsupo]

DG    monacco  shafts    in   stiff.......... red  masda grips

Edited March 14 by tsupo

[LionGolfer]

6 hours ago, Astead17 said:

The trigger has been pulled 👀. I’ll keep

y’all updated with the build! Any suggestions welcome! 

 

these are sweet!  What weight shafts are you looking for?  Regardless, I'd suggest Xrox grps if you havent tried them.

Edited March 14 by LionGolfer

[Astead17]

5 hours ago, LionGolfer said:

 

these are sweet!  What weight shafts are you looking for?  Regardless, I'd suggest Xrox grps if you havent tried them.

I am leaning towards axiom 125X. Are those grips good for summer? I live in Texas so it’s real hot and real humid so usually I have to go with cord. 

[tour_blu]

8 minutes ago, Astead17 said:

I am leaning towards axiom 125X. Are those grips good for summer? I live in Texas so it’s real hot and real humid so usually I have to go with cord. 

I built three sets of Makino so far, all with Axiom shafts - 2x 88-B3 (one 125x and one 105s). For me the 125x was significantly better as I have always favored heavier iron shafts. 
 

for the CB-1 set I built with Axiom 125x - they were for my golf coach who has some pretty incredible speed. It was amazing to watch them hold up to his 7iron with 143 ball speed and 212 carry (on GCquad). And the lofts on these are not jacked up at all! 
 

(video is him trying to hit some low spin 4 irons, but gives you an idea of the stability of the shaft)  

 

Edited March 14 by tour_blu
Added context

[LionGolfer]

1 hour ago, Astead17 said:

I am leaning towards axiom 125X. Are those grips good for summer? I live in Texas so it’s real hot and real humid so usually I have to go with cord. 

 I live in Singapore and I don't think Texas gets more humid than here.  For me it holds up and its the best grip I've played.

[tsupo]

sweaty ......,  leather  gripsmaster .. 

i   use  for rain  days,   peerless ,  nothing i have is close for grip, although im  not mad on the  shape i   prefer more  longer  taperd  grips , but if its wet ,there no  other set comng out


next   best a   is perfect pro cord , they get used in hot  humid days   they are also   great in rain  as well>

masda are not great in  the wet,  ok for humidity tho ,  they say they are i dont agree, been  unsing  them for eons,  non wet days thay are my best.

iomic x evoluion 2.6   are more than uselful ll as well,. bit shorter   length wise not ideal  for me , but a very  nice feel  ,  also good in the wet.

not tried the  xroz.  migh t  have to  grab a cpl of those  . they look ok.



 

Edited March 17 by tsupo

[gemo]

Wow those are some insanely pretty clubs, nice build!

[Primo1868]

On 3/11/2025 at 10:34 PM, tour_blu said:

So far so good after a handful of indoor sim and outdoor range sessions. 
 

The dark copper definitely will have more visible aging, as it’s a little softer, but it’s a subtle light copper wear mark. I think it adds to the character, but let’s see how they hold up over the season. 
 

I’ll add more pics when I can. 
 

In the meantime, I built up two more sets of Makinos this week and got to hit them. Really enjoying the performance, looks and feels. Multiple people stopped me at the range to ask about them. 

Just got a set of 88-B3’s off WRX, previous owner reported built at Aspen Golf. 
 

they all swingweight at D8-D9 (AMT white X100’s, 38.25” 5 iron). I don’t have the time to fool around with them to answer my own questions:

 

@tour_blu did you have to drill hosels out to build these by any chance? If not, are these just heavy heads? The set I have are swingweighting heavy as hell.

 

I bought them to rebuild into a future set, but, play all my stuff overlength and MOI matched.. a little worried I won’t be able to control swingweight/MOI without hosel drilling (which I’m not set up to do at home). 

 

Just looking for a little feedback if you can provide it! Not much online for Makino in a general search 

[kbeeb374]

please tell me these are right hand only so i don't have to think about buying them anymore...

[tour_blu]

10 hours ago, Primo1868 said:

Just got a set of 88-B3’s off WRX, previous owner reported built at Aspen Golf. 
 

they all swingweight at D8-D9 (AMT white X100’s, 38.25” 5 iron). I don’t have the time to fool around with them to answer my own questions:

 

@tour_blu did you have to drill hosels out to build these by any chance? If not, are these just heavy heads? The set I have are swingweighting heavy as hell.

 

I bought them to rebuild into a future set, but, play all my stuff overlength and MOI matched.. a little worried I won’t be able to control swingweight/MOI without hosel drilling (which I’m not set up to do at home). 

 

Just looking for a little feedback if you can provide it! Not much online for Makino in a general search 

Mine actually came in at a lower swing weight than my zx7 with 130x $taper HT. I think the Makino 88-B3 with Axiom 125x was D2. 
 

i found a picture of one of the iron heads (not sure which one) marked at 291.5g. 
 

hope that helps 🙏

[Primo1868]

59 minutes ago, tour_blu said:

Mine actually came in at a lower swing weight than my zx7 with 130x $taper HT. I think the Makino 88-B3 with Axiom 125x was D2. 
 

i found a picture of one of the iron heads (not sure which one) marked at 291.5g. 
 

hope that helps 🙏

Most likely the PW (I would hope) I’ll check mine eventually when I pull them to re-shaft. If you didn’t have to bore the heads (like Miura’s), then mine just may be heavy. Will do some more digging into it.. thanks! 

[tour_blu]

1 hour ago, Primo1868 said:

Most likely the PW (I would hope) I’ll check mine eventually when I pull them to re-shaft. If you didn’t have to bore the heads (like Miura’s), then mine just may be heavy. Will do some more digging into it.. thanks! 

I did not need to bore the heads, but all three sets I built had Axiom parallel tip shafts that had to be slightly sanded to taper tip. 

[Astead17]

Wowowow finally got them built up and first simulator session is in the books! Irons are absolutely incredible. Couldn’t feel better when hit out the center and surprisingly forgiving when hit a groove or two thin. I had some slight tweaking of the stock lofts to reach the numbers I’m used to seeing but only by a degree sometimes two. Here are the current specs: 

 

Shafts: Axiom 125X 5-GW

Grips: MCC Plus4 Standard (+3 wraps)

Swing Weight: D2.5

Lofts:

- 5I: 24*

- 6I: 28*

- 7I: 32*

- 8I: 36* 

- 9I: 40*

- PW: 44*

- GW: 48*

 

7 Iron Trackman Data:

Club: 97.2

Ball: 128.9

Spin: 6979

Carry: 177

 

Feel free to reach out with any questions! Thoroughly enjoying them!

Edited April 4 by Astead17

[SwingBlade]

Thanks for the in depth sharing on these beautiful irons.  Very nice build.  That is an impressive sole grind too.   I'm just curious what the term "semi-hollow" actually means in these forged heads.  Thanks again...

Edited June 15 by SwingBlade

[tour_blu]

1 hour ago, SwingBlade said:

Thanks for the in depth sharing on these beautiful irons.  Very nice build.  That is an impressive sole grind too.   I'm just curious what the term "semi-hollow" actually means in these forged heads.  Thanks again...

My understanding, after speaking with the founder of Makino, is that “semi-hallow” means that the hallow portion is filled with a different material so that it feels completely solid but has the added forgiveness of perimeter weighting. 
 

I don’t know for sure what material is used, but I have to say that if I didn’t know otherwise I would think they are completely forged. (But would consider him a magician for how forgiving they are compared to their looks 😂). 
 

I would compare them to my previous gamer, ZX7 in terms of distance and forgiveness, but are definitely smaller with a thinner top line. 
 

The other nice thing is that you can’t see any marks for where the hallow portion is - making them extremely clean looking. 

[SwingBlade]

Thanks for answering.  Those really are beautiful heads.  Hope I get to hit them someday.  

[tsupo]

hmmmmmmm  ,    let me check this out ,  that sounds  like they  might be the same manufactuirng process as  the   fujimoto  mbs. they are hollow with out being void of anything ..................   hard  to makse sense of that  but its all in the impact.

 

[Kingcat990]

Likely did another alloy rod, left a void on the tip, pressed in an insert that matches the irons alloy that was interference fit, tumble polished the heads, then double plated them. Just a guess. They look really nice. Thanks for sharing.