Buying used irons: how much wear is too much?

[con_mon2]

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this! How much wear are you comfortable with?

I found a set of irons on eBay that I am very interested in buying, but they have a bit more wear than I'm comfortable with. I have attached a few pictures showing especially the wear on the sweet spot on the PW and 9 iron. Maybe you can convince me that I'm being too picky and I should just buy them? Or maybe I should be concerned about the wear? I'm not really sure. They are Ping i230s which came out in 2022 so they aren't that old. And the seller had this to say about the condition: "Good: Normal wear for their age. Excellent playing condition but they have cosmetic wear on faces and soles. Sweetspot wear is visible. "

Beyond the cosmetic, I'd really like to know this: at what point do you start to worry about the grooves being so worn that they have a substantial effect on the shots you're hitting? 

[Johnny Biarritz]

$600 isn't exactly cheap for a set of 6 irons that has more wear than you'd like them to have. Maybe the price is right, maybe it isn't, but if your first thought is that you don't like the amount of wear on them, don't get them. 

 

For me, grooves would have to be much more worn than what you see here for me to worry.

[rsballer10]

53 minutes ago, con_mon2 said:

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this! How much wear are you comfortable with?

I found a set of irons on eBay that I am very interested in buying, but they have a bit more wear than I'm comfortable with. I have attached a few pictures showing especially the wear on the sweet spot on the PW and 9 iron. Maybe you can convince me that I'm being too picky and I should just buy them? Or maybe I should be concerned about the wear? I'm not really sure. They are Ping i230s which came out in 2022 so they aren't that old. And the seller had this to say about the condition: "Good: Normal wear for their age. Excellent playing condition but they have cosmetic wear on faces and soles. Sweetspot wear is visible. "

Beyond the cosmetic, I'd really like to know this: at what point do you start to worry about the grooves being so worn that they have a substantial effect on the shots you're hitting? 

The term you are looking for is "browning" and these irons have some of that going on. They are completely playable, but I'd say they've reached their half-life.

 

[con_mon2]

Thank you for the feedback! Might as well post the eBay link as that might help with the assessment:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/365766192570 

I'm also interested in how people approach this with their own purchases. Generally speaking, any rules to live by when looking for a set of used irons? 

 

[MountainKing]

If you're thinking about it this much without spending a dime, then you probably should move on and look at something else. 

 

My approach - I don't buy anything that I haven't been fit into. 

[jholz]

3 minutes ago, con_mon2 said:

Thank you for the feedback! Might as well post the eBay link as that might help with the assessment:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/365766192570 

I'm also interested in how people approach this with their own purchases. Generally speaking, any rules to live by when looking for a set of used irons? 

 

 

Ugh. $600 for those? How does one get a "wear spot" on Ping irons?

 

Used prices for the i210s still hover in the $700 range. 

 

I bought my i210s brand new, with custom shafts for ~$800 four years ago. 

 

Oh my, how things have changed. 

 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

I don't care about bag chatter at all.  But the grooves need to have somewhat sharp edges.   That's where it actually matters.

[Ger21]

I might pay $400 for those, but certainly not $600.

I just sold a nearly new set of Bridgestone 220MB's for $600, and it took me two months to sell them.

[Brady_Dow]

I am going to say something different than everyone else. Yes these have moderate wear and yes they are a bit pricey for what you are getting. But here are my questions. How long do you plan on using them? If you want to try and keep them as long as possible than I would say that these are not it, and to spend the extra $500 on a new set. But if you are  no planning on keeping them for a year and two and then selling them I would say that you could get decent value out of these. As for the wear, for most golfers you won't be able to notice much difference in spin or control unless you are an elite golfer.

[ScooterMcTavish]

2 hours ago, con_mon2 said:

I'm also interested in how people approach this with their own purchases. Generally speaking, any rules to live by when looking for a set of used irons? 

 

I'm kind of the extreme in the opposite direction, and I have almost fully given up on buying used irons.  Despite the jokes made about iron covers, I see people dropping $1,500 on a set of irons, then beating the holy hell out of them.  In short, I have been around long enough to see how poorly people treat their stuff, and I'd like to avoid someone else's lack of care in my bag.

 

But please also note that I can afford new clubs at this point in my life.  I was much less fussy when I had a young family, so would pick up whatever I could find used on deal (games Eye2 and Zings for quite some time).  So if this is a financial decision, I can only encourage you to buy what makes financial sense for you.

So at this point in my life, only reason I would buy used clubs is if there is a purpose to the buy (i.e. I wanted to try out the head or shaft), and I knew I could resell them with a small loss when I was done trying them out (I refer to these as beater sets).  But to me, a beater set is under $400.

 

Where am I going with this?  If you were interested in the i230 model, you could buy a used set like this to try, then try to replace with a nicer used set (or even NOS or demo set) if you love them.  But I wouldn't be dropping $600 US ($822 CAD) on this set, especially when I can buy nice new sets on clearance for under $1,100 CAD ($800 US).  Heck, I can buy the newest W/S CB set (4-PW) for $1,260 CAD/$912 US - would rather buy those, get an extra club, and have them be brand new for the extra $300.

 

Just my thoughts, and I know I'm likely on the fussier end of the spectrum.  But value for money is universal, and these seem way overpriced considering their condition.   

[MidwestHacker]

I buy and sell a lot of iron sets. No way I'd think I was getting someone to pay $600 for an iron set with that much wear with standard (non-upcharge) shafts, unless the seller is just sucker fishing. I'd pass if I were you @con_mon2, got to be similarly priced sets with less wear or for a better price. 

[Brady_Dow]

5 minutes ago, MidwestHacker said:

I buy and sell a lot of iron sets. No way I'd think I was getting someone to pay $600 for an iron set with that much wear with standard (non-upcharge) shafts, unless the seller is just sucker fishing. I'd pass if I were you @con_mon2, got to be similarly priced sets with less wear or for a better price. 

This is exactly right

[MidwestHacker]

2 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

I don't care about bag chatter at all.  But the grooves need to have somewhat sharp edges.   That's where it actually matters.

I dont care about bag chatter at all either, but I dont want any face wear/browning at all. 

[Nessism]

Those heads are stainless steel.  The "browning" that some people reference, is really the yellow shade of the nickel layer showing after the outer skin of chrome has worn through in places.

 

When forged carbon steel heads wear through the chrome, the "brown" is RUST.  These heads will never rust.

 

People applaud the old Ping irons as being "indestructible", because the stainless base metal is so durable.  Those heads had no chrome, unlike these.  The chrome & nickel provide an added layer of protection, not to mention more "gleam", for showroom appeal.  

 

These heads, even if the chrome is beginning to wear through, on one head, are miles more durable than the older unplated "indestructible" Ping's.  And even further ahead of any forged club, made from carbon steel.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31 by Nessism

[con_mon2]

Super helpful posts, thank you everyone. 

[phizzy30]

Hard pass for me especially at that price.  I would rather get a new set of DTC irons and would be glad to spend the extra couple to few hundred.      

Edited July 31 by phizzy30

[ellomdian]

Echoing other comments, I don't have a real problem with the condition, I have a problem with $100/ea used general-release irons in stock shafts.

 

[HGLucky13]

I bought a set of I230's a year ago off of e-bay for $600 and they looked brand new. I wouldn't want to pay $600 for those, but I also understand that they are no longer selling them. A lot of people want to stay in them (me included) instead of going to the I240 so prices will bump up a little, at least in the short term.

[ProjectX]

Honestly if you can see wear in pictures it's worse in person. I wouldn't buy any iron with visible wear like that if I couldn't inspect it in hand with a fine tooth comb before purchasing. 

[kmay__]

Chances are they are going to look a bit worse in person. As pictures are usually taken in the most flattering angle/light. 

[Shallowface]

22 hours ago, Nessism said:

Those heads are stainless steel.  The "browning" that some people reference, is really the yellow shade of the nickel layer showing after the outer skin of chrome has worn through in places.

 

When forged carbon steel heads wear through the chrome, the "brown" is RUST.  These heads will never rust.

 

People applaud the old Ping irons as being "indestructible", because the stainless base metal is so durable.  Those heads had no chrome, unlike these.  The chrome & nickel provide an added layer of protection, not to mention more "gleam", for showroom appeal.  

 

These heads, even if the chrome is beginning to wear through, on one head, are miles more durable than the older unplated "indestructible" Ping's.  And even further ahead of any forged club, made from carbon steel.

 

 

 

 

Not looking to start a debate here, because we both have our opinions and we're not going to change each other's minds.

 

But there is no way I will ever believe that chrome plated 431 stainless, particularly of today's origin, is more durable than American made 17-4. 

 

I've been in this game 52 years and looked at tens of thousands of used clubs.  I would have no trouble purchasing and playing a set of I3 blades or I5s or S59s (at this point I don't care about  groove rules).  But when I look at used Ping irons of more recent origin, it just makes me sad.

 

 

[Nessism]

25 minutes ago, Shallowface said:

Not looking to start a debate here, because we both have our opinions and we're not going to change each other's minds.

 

But there is no way I will ever believe that chrome plated 431 stainless, particularly of today's origin, is more durable than American made 17-4. 

 

I've been in this game 52 years and looked at tens of thousands of used clubs.  I would have no trouble purchasing and playing a set of I3 blades or I5s or S59s (at this point I don't care about  groove rules).  But when I look at used Ping irons of more recent origin, it just makes me sad.

 

 

17-4 is harder, stronger than 431, but both are way stronger and tougher than carbon forging steel.  

 

It sounds like you are typical, in that you are judging the surface finish, not the ultimate durability of the club.  Look at S55, and the older Ping's, made from 17-4 and chrome plated.  People were whining about how bad they were, when in truth, no iron ever made was more durable than those.

[MrScratch]

I personally am anal about club condition… that being said I believe getting the right irons for you within the right price range is always the ideal move. Just trust yourself and do what you want at the end of the day!

[shoot4par]

23 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

Hard pass for me especially at that price.  I would rather get a new set of DTC irons and would be glad to spend the extra couple to few hundred.      

I second this take. Allegedly, there are a lot of “reputable, quality” brands, DTC or retail affiliated. Some brands are around the same price point as your example: Tour Edge, Takomo, Ben Hogan, Stix, Sub70, Vice. You’re looking at six hundred-ish for six clubs. I’d suggest going the above route but do your own research.  Unless your Cinderella looking for the glass slipper (golf clubs in this case,) there are decent new options out there. 

 

 

Edited August 1 by shoot4par

[bunta]

Not trying to stir any pots here but..i have pretty beat up wear marks all the way from wedges onto 6i. And in every single round i play, im constantly wondering if im leaving something on the table ESPECIALLY when i come up short, when i know damn well i hit it good. It messes with me mentally.

Edited August 1 by bunta

[ShortGolfer]

As a slow swingers using soft golf balls I put hardly any wear on my clubs.  I now look for like new clubs.

[Shallowface]

15 hours ago, Nessism said:

17-4 is harder, stronger than 431, but both are way stronger and tougher than carbon forging steel.  

 

It sounds like you are typical, in that you are judging the surface finish, not the ultimate durability of the club.  Look at S55, and the older Ping's, made from 17-4 and chrome plated.  People were whining about how bad they were, when in truth, no iron ever made was more durable than those.

 

 

 

Nah, there's nothing typical about me.  Eccentric.  Chronically disappointed.  Kind to animals.  It's complicated.

 

You have been the long term prolific apologist for Ping and their travels down this road, and once again you didn't disappoint.

 

As I said, it's just an opinion.  We disagree.  Nothing personal.