i-701/701 Tour vs. J33/J36 Combos vs. MP-57

Mugnut · July 7, 2008

Feel forgiveness etc.

Long story short - my i-506's won out last spring as the every day gamers, just in time to get stolen from my car. I've been playing J33 Combos since but frankly, while they are great irons, I need a little more forgiveness. Especially in the short irons (ironically enough) the J33's just don't feel as stable as the Srixons did.

This past weekend I played with my old old backups (Mizuno Comp EZ's) -- they are rusty, dechromed and totally thrashed -- but I was amazed by how well I hit them. I'm sure forcing myslef to play and practice with the J33's for a year made the switch back to Game Improvement forged cavity backs that much easier.

I'm thinking I'd like to go back to Srixon -- but torn between the 701's and 701 tours? I udnerstand that the 701 Tours are supposedly a little harder to hit than the 506, and the 701's a little easier. Any0ne compare their relative forgiveness levels to the J33 line?

(I'd just grab another set of 506's but my only grip with them was the sharp leading edge on my soggy home course . . . a problem that's been addressed by the 701's).

The COmp EZ's filled a great niche in Mizuno's lineup - a forged but not offensively oversized club that provided some game improvement without tons of offset or a super thick topline. Too bad they're no longer.

Mugnut · August 7, 2008

Just answer my own question after acquiring an i701/i701 Tour combo set via B&S: the 701's are definitely more forgiving to my mind. Even the 701 tours.

Very easy to hit - ballflight is penetrating, highish (for me) but flat. Similar flight for me to the 506. Overall rumor is true - 701's are a little easier to hit than the 506, 701 Tours maybe a little harder to hit -- but that is offset by the fact that the 701 Tours are better looking in the short irons than the 506's.

DaveMac · August 7, 2008

You mentioned that you like forgiveness in the short irons so I would avoid a combination set. It looks like you should go for the 701's. I have a set and find them very easy to hit. There is also a new Mizuno MP 57 out soon, which looks like it might suit your needs more than the MP 57.

Good luck.

ChiGolf · August 8, 2008

You made a wise choice.

I picked up a set of I-701's for a family member, and they are considerably much more forgiving than my MP57's.

Distance control seems to be pretty spot on, with a little hotter face than the MP57's. They are very happy with them.

ickgolfer · August 8, 2008

id say the 701 is much more forgiving than the j33, maybe slightly less forgiving than the mx25. the 701 tour is still more forgiving than the j33, pretty similar if not slightly less than the mp 57. i have never hit the 506s, just the 302s, both of srixons clubs this year i would say are more forgiving.

Gungagalunga · August 8, 2008

I have a set of J33 cb and they were far more forgiving than my titleist 735.cm's... not sure where this leaves you but i tend to agree with you on the short irons. I also miss a forged 8-PW

Have you looked at the new J36 combo iron set?

the specs on the cavity backs are so far different than the j33 cb's. The offset is very different...

kitsoasis · August 8, 2008

the 701 is plenty forgiving and very nice to look at in terms of offset and headsize

should 701 be more directly compared to the J36 PC? rather than the CB

floyd · August 8, 2008

I have had the 701 tours and currently playing the J36 CB's, the 701 tours are more forgiving than the J36's.

Mugnut · August 13, 2008

One item of note: I took the rusty old Mizzies out of my "away" bag and threw in the J33's + the i-701 3-iron.

The i-701 3 iron is silly easy to hit. As easy to hit as my 20* Sonartec MD. Hits the ball high and straight and is a pleasure as a driving iron as well.

Just an additional $.02.

I can see the 701 combo set staying in the #1 bag. Really no harder to hit than the 506 adn easier to hit than the J33 combos both in the regular and tour irons.

DGSL 300 feels far smoother so far than I thought it would. I was prepared for something much harsher.

stevenq2105 · August 14, 2008

I was in the same situation as you were with my irons. I had played the Cleveland CG1 Black Pearl irons and loved them! Had no problems with hitting them except for sometimes with the 4-iron, and could never hit the 3-iron. At this point I decided I just needed to get something more forgiving, but I wanted to stay with a forged iron for the feel/feedback. I decided to go with the Mizuno MX-25's, a great set of irons. However after several months of playing them I just missed the feel I had with my old blades. I figured the best way to solve my problems was to go with a combo set. In come the Bridgestone J36 Irons, LOVE THEM!! I had never hit a Bridgestone iron before, never heard too much about them, but this set is perfect for me. Pocket cavity in the 3,4,5...cavity back in the 6,7,8...and true blades in the 9,PW. Progressive offset from top to bottom, but the 3-iron has very minimal offset. On top of all that they come with Project X Flighted shafts stock! Look into them, they solved all my issues....

mrjohnlim · September 24, 2008

Just answer my own question after acquiring an i701/i701 Tour combo set via B&S: the 701's are definitely more forgiving to my mind. Even the 701 tours.

Very easy to hit - ballflight is penetrating, highish (for me) but flat. Similar flight for me to the 506. Overall rumor is true - 701's are a little easier to hit than the 506, 701 Tours maybe a little harder to hit -- but that is offset by the fact that the 701 Tours are better looking in the short irons than the 506's.

I'm about to purchase the 701s or 701-tours online, but i've never got to see them side by side, only individually at different pro shops, Mugnut, wondering if you could comment on which set has a larger clubhead, and whether that difference is very significant. Also on which set has a narrower sole?

Thanks!

P.Lay · September 24, 2008

Just answer my own question after acquiring an i701/i701 Tour combo set via B&S: the 701's are definitely more forgiving to my mind. Even the 701 tours.

Very easy to hit - ballflight is penetrating, highish (for me) but flat. Similar flight for me to the 506. Overall rumor is true - 701's are a little easier to hit than the 506, 701 Tours maybe a little harder to hit -- but that is offset by the fact that the 701 Tours are better looking in the short irons than the 506's.

I'm about to purchase the 701s or 701-tours online, but i've never got to see them side by side, only individually at different pro shops, Mugnut, wondering if you could comment on which set has a larger clubhead, and whether that difference is very significant. Also on which set has a narrower sole?

Thanks!

I had a combo set for a while but have since switched to the Mizuno combo in my sig. I loved the 701 tours I had and was also reasonably happy with the i701. However, the differences are pretty big when you put, e.g., a 701 Tour 8 iron next to an i701 7 iron but since I rarely swing with two clubs while looking down at them at the same time it didn't really bother me. What bothered me was the difference in feel. The 701 Tours are super solid (probably prefer the feel of the 701 Tours to my current Mizunos) whereas the i701 can be a little "tingy" sounding. The feel is pretty different. Some would probably say that the feel between my current MP-57/32 combo is different, to which I would agree, but not nearly to the same extent as the Srixons. If I were to buy the Srixons again, I would stay away from the combo set or perhaps break it up around the 5 iron (which I typically use a lot less than the short irons).

Anyway, just my $.02.

Good luck :lol: