Which Mizuno 1025 Boron Iron is Right For You?

You know what’s awesome about Mizuno irons? Mostly everything, but more than that we love that the company not only offers an iron for nearly everyone, it offers a forged iron for nearly everyone. And if that wasn’t enough, with the reasonably recent edition of 1025 Boron (thinner face, higher ball speeds, and more discretionary weight available to boost forgiveness) to the lineup, the company is approaching the point where it can offer a 1025 Boron forged iron for everybody.

It’s the best kind of craziness.

So which of Mizuno’s boron-infused offerings is right for you?

Do you want the workability of the MP-25, or do you need the forgiveness of the JPX-EZ Forged? That’s a simple question, right?

In a perfect world, that simple question would be met with a simple answer. After all, the physics of iron design are absolute, and so when humans swing a golf club and apply those physics, the results should be exactly what the math says they will be.

Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world…it’s golf. More specifically it’s golf equipment. Take that, and the fact that humans are entirely unpredictable, and perhaps the one and only thing I’m sure of is this: The only absolute is that there are no absolutes.

Some Background on This Review

We chose the MP-25, JPX-850 Forged, and JPX-EZ Forged for two reasons:

• Did I mention the Boron? These are the only 3 currently available irons that mix Boron in with Mizuno’s 1025 carbon steel. That fact alone is interesting.
• We believe that these are the three Mizuno iron models that you guys (our readers) are most likely to consider putting in your bags.

A Quick Comparison

The MP-25 is the most forgiving of the MP series, which means it’s not quite as forgiving as anything in the JPX lineup. The JPX-EZ Forged is the most forgiving forged iron in the Mizuno lineup. The JPX-850 Forged for its part sits comfortably in-between in a position where, even if the model name says JPX, there’s inarguably some MP in the design.

With the basics out of the way, let’s take a look at the relative design characteristics of each iron. To simplify things a bit, I’ve provided what could very well be the most obvious (and potentially unnecessary) chart I’ve ever created. I’ve tried to keep the language simple to help you better understand how the irons compare.

This is all pretty straightforward stuff.

In basically every respect, the MP-25 is the most compact iron of the three. The JPX-EZ Forged is, on a relative scale, larger across the board, while the JPX-850 Forged fits nicely in the middle.

I’m sure Mizuno would have been happy to provide us with precise measurements, but what prospective buyers should probably consider is that (and this isn’t surprising given its JPX) designation, despite its similar satin finish, the JPX-850 Forged is closer in the design to the EZ Forged than it is the MP-25.

What stands out most to me is the EZ Forged’s longer blade length, and perhaps a bit of the extra offset. At address those differences between the EZ Forged and 850 Forged are a bit less pronounced then they are between the MP-25 and the JPX-850 Forged, and most definitely less than what you’ll notice with the MP-25 next to the EZ Forged.

And then, of course, there are the actual specifications.

So what should this mean from a performance perspective?

If we take everything we know about iron design, pair it with everything Mizuno has told us about these three irons, our expectations were as follows:

• With the biggest footprint of the three irons tested, the JPX EZ Forged should be the longest and most forgiving, although we’d also expect that distance advantages will narrow as the clubs get shorter. It should launch the fastest, the highest, and generally produce more spin.
• The MP-25 is the most compact, and should be the most workable.  All things being equal it should launch lower with a bit less ball speed. But club for club, lofts are weaker, so that could just as easily balance out the launch conditions. Its aesthetic charms can’t be discounted.
• The JPX-850 Forged should sit nicely between the two.

Test Notes

We hit Mizuno’s three 1025 Boron iron models head to head, side by side…whatever you want to call it. Here are the quick details of the test.

• 4 Testers participated in this test
• Data was gathered for short, middle, and long irons, using Foresight Sports GC2 launch monitors
• Bridgestone B330-RX Balls were used
• All shots were hit off of Country Club Elite Mats from Real Feel Golf Mats

Each iron was tested with the stock shaft for each model.

The Test – What Actually Happened

To no small degree, expectations held up with the longest iron we tested. The JPX-EZ Forged was faster (ball speed) longer, and produced the highest flight.

Average dispersion is perhaps a bit misleading as it is influenced by our lowest handicap tester who essentially landed his MP-25 test shots on top of one another. That said, surprisingly and near-universally, our testers were more consistent with the MP-25.

Comparing the other two irons, we find that testers were generally closer to the target line with the JPX-850 Forged than with the JPX EZ-Forged. Shot areas (90% confidence ellipses), however are similar-enough where we have to consider the possibility that accuracy issues could actually be fitting issues.

As you can see, the numbers across the board are quite similar. The JPX-850 Forged produced a bit more ball speed and consequently more distance, but we’d stop short of suggesting that would be a universal truth.

Perhaps the most noteworthy observation is that that JPX-EZ Forged produced the lowest spin numbers (arguably significantly so). We went back and took a closer look at the individual data and what we found was that each tester produced slightly less spin with the EZ on average (obviously), but that also the lowest spinning shots with each iron were, on a comparative basis, significantly lower with the EZ.

Once again performance is similar. We saw a bit more ball speed from the EZ Forged resulting in more distance, but overall there’s not a whole lot separating the 3. If nothing else, you can take the yards offline numbers for the MP-25 and use them as justification for ordering a combo set.

SOLD!

So Which Mizuno Boron Iron Is Right For You?

Clearly that’s a complicated question.

Our highest handicap golfer in this test is currently an 11 index. Even that’s on the low side for the JPX-EZ Forged, so it’s not surprising that it wasn’t the most popular choice among our testers. If we had included higher handicap golfers in our group, our expectation is that the JPX-EZ would outperform the MP-25…or at least show more consistency within that group.

We’d also be remiss if we failed to point out that our 2nd lowest handicap tester, a senior-aged 6 index, actually preferred the JPX-EZ Forged, while our highest handicap golfer in this test (11) was solidly on board with the MP-25.

Less surprisingly, our senior guy said he found the EZ Forged easier to get in the air in general, and he actually enjoyed hitting the 4-iron. Our 11 preferred the feel of the MP-25, and though on paper it’s the least forgiving, he generally made more-centered contact with them. Perimeter weighting is nice, but center contact is hard to argue with.

Design is what it is, and forgiveness – at least as it relates to MOI – is real, but (to borrow a phrase from Andrew Rice’s book) it’s all about impact. Basically, manufacturers can create more forgiving irons, but they can’t guarantee you’ll hit them any closer to the center of the face.

The point is that there’s complexity to this that extends far beyond handicap alone. Everything…swing speed, handicap, center of gravity, and even aesthetic preference appears to matter when differentiating between these three irons.

Sorry guys, we failed to find any universal truths.

So Again…Which Mizuno Boron Iron Is Right For You?

For good to arguably even average ball strikers, we think every iron in this test – and that most definitely includes the MP-25 – warrants consideration. From a forgiveness and consistency standpoint the MP-25 far exceeded expectations. That’s not to say that over the course of a season we think it would prove nearly as forgiving as the EZ, but it’s clear to us that Mizuno has actually created a more forgiving players iron.

Score one for the benefits of Boron.

So where does that leave the JPX-850 Forged?

It is perhaps the ultimate tweener. I could spin as the perfect balance of the MP-25 and the JPX-EZ Forged, but I can also see why some might see it as an unnecessary compromise. You may find the MP-25 forgiving enough that there’s no need to slide into the 850 Forged. You may just as easily find the 850 Forged non-intrusive enough that there’s no need to give up any forgiveness.

Ultimately, I settled on this: The JPX-850 Forged is ideal for the guy who prefers the looks of the MP-25, but wants just a bit more forgiveness. It’s also just as much for the guy who wants the forgiveness of the JPX-EZ Forged, but prefers the look of a slightly thinner topline and who maybe needs…or at least wants a bit less offset.

Basically, if you want something that’s not quite MP-25 or JPX-EZ Forged, you probably want the JPX-850 Forged.

And all those words later, you might just want the iron you hit the best, and all we’ve learned today is that for any given golfer, it could be any of the three. There’s not a bad choice in this group.

No Compromise

Regardless of which Mizuno iron you choose (or which chooses you), Mizuno’s swing optimizer makes it easy for a fitter to isolate your Swing DNA and make specific – and we’ve found, very accurate, shaft recommendations. With Mizuno’s no-upcharge shaft policy, anything and everything in the fitting cart is at your disposal, and nothing costs extra. The same is true with Mizuno’s section of grips as well.

The company tagline is that #NothingFeelsLikeAMizuno, and few forged irons consistently perform as well either. Our best recommendation is that you head down to a local Mizuno fitter and find out which 1025 Boron iron is right for you.

For more information about the irons tested, visit the Mizuno Golf Website.