PRODUCT REVIEW! – Mizuno MP-58 Iron Review

Mizuno MP-58 (They Just Found A Place In My Bag!)

I first have to say that I really did try and try again to find a better set of irons to beat out the new Mizuno MP-58 irons in head-to-head competition…but I just couldn’t do it.  So after a whole lot of testing it was obvious…I had to give them a spot in my bag for 2010. There just too good not to.

For many years I have felt that Mizuno has made one of the best irons in golf.  And I feel if there were no equipment sponsors on tour and everyone just played what they felt were the best iron for their game that a large % of guys would be playing a set of Mizuno’s.  Yes…there are a lot of good irons out there…but I have hit almost all of them but the feel from a Mizuno forging is just…well…different.  And when I say different I really mean better.  You might remember us showing you the YouTube video where Mizuno shows you what they call “The Sound of Feel”.  And where this might seem like just another video marketing pitch this one actually has truth behind it.

Like we said there are a lot of great feeling irons out there…but here is the difference with the Mizuno MP-58 irons compared to others that just feel good….the Mizuno MP-58’s are INCREDIBLY forgiving!  Especially for a mid-low handicap iron design.  And that is because these guys have specialized on improving their forgings for longer then any other company I know of.  Many of the other companies that used to have great forgings have had issues…whether it be their forging house going out of business or having to move to a different foundry all together or different ownership with different ideas on where the company should be going in regards to its designs.

However…Mizuno has always focused on this sector of the golf market.  You can tell by the way their designs change from year to year.  You might not see a whole lot of change in shape…but they are constantly improving when technology becomes available which will allow them to improve on past designs.  I was skeptical when I got these to whether they could be that much better then the last few years releases of irons from Mizuno…although I was amazed at how much better and more forgiving they actually were.  I even tested some Mizuno models from the previous years side-by-side with the MP-58’s and they beat them all as well.

First Impressions

When I first saw them months ago it was literally for only about 30 seconds…but my first impression was they looked nice.  Although when we pulled them out of the box I instantly felt like this was almost the perfect design for an iron.  It was a nice mix of both modern and classic designs.  It has a monochromatic color scheme that flowed seamlessly together.  And the actual design itself was incredibly sound.  And after my first bucket of balls these irons without a doubt got my approval as being the best iron set I have tested in a long time.

“These irons without a doubt got my approval as being the best iron set I have tested in a long time.”

I have always like a sole with a rolled leading edge a flat mid-sole and a rolled trailing-edge.  This type of sole design helps tremendously from all kinds of lies.  And for the guys that are concerned with the groove issue.  You don’t have anything to worry about because the MP-58’s have modified U-grooves that conform to the Condition of Competition for 2010.

Forgiveness

We tested the irons for forgiveness by using striking tape and hitting shots off the sweet spot, toe and heel.  This iron actually performed better then many game-improvement irons when it came to both off-center hits off the toe and the heel.  There was minimal loss of distance (around 2-4 yards) from both and feel was almost not impacted at all.  Pretty amazing when you look at some of the other perimeter weighted irons out there that cannot achieve this.  Accuracy on off-center shots was not impacted as much as we thought it would be with a design like this either.  There multi-material forged design scheme we assume is the reason.  Because they are still using the same Grain Flow Forging process but these show a pretty dramatic difference from what we could tell.

Feel

Like we stated earlier the feel of a Mizuno iron is just different in my opinion.  You might not be able to tell this if you just take just one set you are demoing to the range and hit them.  But if you take 10 sets or even just 5 sets to the range and hit all of them side-by-side you get instant feedback on being able to compare feel amongst a large group of irons all at the same time.  There is no way you can remember from one day to the next if you test them one at a time.  That is why I feel this is the best way to test irons when looking for a new sticks.  And if you are thinking, “Well I can’t get 10 sets to test side-by-side” but you actually can.  You can go to shops that allow you to take sets to try or try and find a demo day coming near your hometown.  Like we have said before there is no reason to spend money on a single golf club unless it improves on what you already have.  So make sure you take every chance you get to test equipment out there.

If you are able to test these side-by-side with other competitive irons you will instantly notice how much more feedback you get in your hands with the Mizuno MP-58 irons.  You will also notice a much softer feel then other forgings you might have played.  And if you are a mid-handicapper don’t think that this set might not be for you.  Many of the players we had test these irons were in the mid-handicap range and all agreed that they were improvements on their current irons.

OVERALL

Hard not to give this one an A+ when it beats out all the other competition we put it up against and all the testers give it an A+ as well.  I think we will be hard pressed to find an iron that we test in 2010 that beats out the Mizuno MP-58’s.  Don’t quote me on this though…cause we do have a few more coming in soon that I think might have a shot.  But we will have to wait and see.  But up to this point the MP-58’s are the best I have seen and that is the reason they have found spot in my bag.  They definitely get my approval and if you are in the market for some new irons I would highly recommend giving them a try.

PROS

• Beautiful Design
• Incredible Feel
  
• Versatile Sole Design
  
• Great Forgiveness
  

CONS

• Hmmm…couldn’t think of one
  

Price $999 – Mizuno MP-58 Iron Set

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