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I was recently asked to test and write an unbiased review of the new Callaway Razr X Forged Irons by Golfwrx and Callaway. I jumped at the opportunity to do so as I am in the market for new irons this year to replace my trusty Adams Idea Pro Forged irons that have been a staple in my bag for the last 3 years. In the interest of full disclosure I was shocked to find out that not only was I asked to review them but I was even more shocked to find out Callaway wanted me to keep the irons after I was done testing them in hopes they would end up in my bag for full time use. However my review will remain unbiased to that fact. In the interest of writing an unbiased review I have not read anything on Golfwrx or any other site to gain any pre conceived notions about the irons.
For those that have read any of my reviews before I break it down into categories, first off a little about me and my game, then my thoughts on the irons as follows, looks, feel, performance and final thoughts. First off I have been a big Adams guy since I picked up the Idea Pro Forged Irons over 3 years ago and to be honest my first reaction was I will test them then flip them and pick up a set of CB 1's and use the extra cash to put down towards ordering a new Byron DH-89.
Irons tested Callaway Razr X Forged 3-PW KBS Tour stiff flex standard length/lie Ball: 2010 Prov-1X
Weather conditions Phoenix Arizona elevation aprox 1200 feet high 60's overcast little to no wind moderate humidity.
About Me:
Turning 34 next month and currently playing to a 3 handicap up from 1.4 in September 2009. My game has undergone some significant changes over the last 18-24 months due to the onset of serious arthritis, and bone defect in both my hips that has caused immense pain, limited my range of motion and my ability to walk the course as well as cost me about 20+ yards off the tee and about 1-2 club lengths in iron distance. Currently my driver ss is 100-101 mph. One of my main goals for my next set was to find a little lighter shaft with a higher ball flight than my current Black Gold Shafts to try and gain some carry distance back and improve my ball flight that has gotten a little lower since I cannot swing as hard. I still routinely am breaking 80 but no longer go as low as I used to on the longer courses of 7000-7300 yards.
Looks:
This is an area that Callaway missed the boat and they were not even in the same ocean. The being a players cb Razr X Forged should look like a players iron. The top line is very chunky and should have been either thinned out or rounded off instead of squared off to give a thinned appearance. My Idea Pro irons have a top line much closer to a blade and IMO is much better looking at address than the Razr. I don't mind it as much in the longer irons, but the shorter irons remind me of the top line on the Titleist AP2 short irons.
Feel:
Being Endo forged I expected them to feel as good or better than anything I have hit and in this aspect Callaway hit the nail on the head twice for good measure. The Razr X Forged is by far the best feeling OTR/large scale manufactured Irons I have ever hit. I hate using the cliché of saying they are buttery smooth, but I just can't think of any other way to describe them. From the first Pw I hit on the range to the pureed 4 Iron I hit testing them on the course today the feel is unbelievably smooth and something that I would expect out of a high end JDM set at twice the retail price of the Callaway's.
Performance:
Being as my Adams Irons are based off of a 46° Pw and the Callaway's are off of 47° I was a little concerned that I would end up losing some distance overall and fall short accomplishing my goal of finding a way to increase my iron distances. Well this is not the case with the 8 iron and higher. Currently I can max out my Adams 8 iron at 150 and that is putting a good move on it and in the summer. The very first hole today I had 142 front edge 146 hole I decided to hit 8 iron and It carried 151 and took one hop and stopped at 153 total distance. That is much closer to my hot weather distances than my winter distances which are usually 1 club less. I would also imagine that when the warmer temperatures are here to stay I will pick up an additional 5-10 carry yards.
Ball flight the addition of the KBS shafts accomplished the goal of giving me a much higher ball flight that was instantly noticed by my playing partner and fellow wrxer Fore_Life. The ball elevates quickly but does not balloon on me; my 8 iron flight looked like my Adams PW flight. I don't work the ball too much anymore with my irons but I was able to play both a small draw and fade with ease.
Final Thoughts:
I really like the irons the feel, ball flight and distance were exactly what I was hoping for without having to go to stronger lofts, however the chunky topline especially in the short irons is something I am having a hard time adjusting to. To overcome this I am seriously considering ordering the 8-Pw in the Razr Proto blades. Overall this is a very, very good set of irons that can not only be enjoyed by a better player, but also I feel that they could be equally enjoyed by an improving player looking for a more traditional looking iron. I shot 79 first round out and first time hitting the irons and only lost one stroke due to a poorly struck iron. I had some issues/bad bounces with the driver/fairway woods. Based on my range session and round today my initial reaction is the Razr X Forged are staying in the bag, albeit most likely the 8-Pw will be replaced with the Razr blades. Here are some shots of the irons and a comparison of the top line between the Razr X Forged and my old Idea Pro Forged. Feel free to ask questions and I will add additional thoughts as I get more rounds/playing time with them. Unfortunately the forecast for today is cooler temps rain and 20mph winds and that does not make the arthritis any better so my second round will have to wait until next week. The fact that these are staying in the bag says a lot. I could essentially flip these for pure profit and get any set I want with most likely some cash left over.
Here is the new bag set up
The 4,5,and 6 irons face on
Top line 4,5,and 6
Top line close up
Pw address
Callaway PW(left) vs Idea Pro PW (right
Callaway 9 iron (left vs Idea Pro (right) with the pw's in the background
The full set
For those that have read any of my reviews before I break it down into categories, first off a little about me and my game, then my thoughts on the irons as follows, looks, feel, performance and final thoughts. First off I have been a big Adams guy since I picked up the Idea Pro Forged Irons over 3 years ago and to be honest my first reaction was I will test them then flip them and pick up a set of CB 1's and use the extra cash to put down towards ordering a new Byron DH-89.
Irons tested Callaway Razr X Forged 3-PW KBS Tour stiff flex standard length/lie Ball: 2010 Prov-1X
Weather conditions Phoenix Arizona elevation aprox 1200 feet high 60's overcast little to no wind moderate humidity.
About Me:
Turning 34 next month and currently playing to a 3 handicap up from 1.4 in September 2009. My game has undergone some significant changes over the last 18-24 months due to the onset of serious arthritis, and bone defect in both my hips that has caused immense pain, limited my range of motion and my ability to walk the course as well as cost me about 20+ yards off the tee and about 1-2 club lengths in iron distance. Currently my driver ss is 100-101 mph. One of my main goals for my next set was to find a little lighter shaft with a higher ball flight than my current Black Gold Shafts to try and gain some carry distance back and improve my ball flight that has gotten a little lower since I cannot swing as hard. I still routinely am breaking 80 but no longer go as low as I used to on the longer courses of 7000-7300 yards.
Looks:
This is an area that Callaway missed the boat and they were not even in the same ocean. The being a players cb Razr X Forged should look like a players iron. The top line is very chunky and should have been either thinned out or rounded off instead of squared off to give a thinned appearance. My Idea Pro irons have a top line much closer to a blade and IMO is much better looking at address than the Razr. I don't mind it as much in the longer irons, but the shorter irons remind me of the top line on the Titleist AP2 short irons.
Feel:
Being Endo forged I expected them to feel as good or better than anything I have hit and in this aspect Callaway hit the nail on the head twice for good measure. The Razr X Forged is by far the best feeling OTR/large scale manufactured Irons I have ever hit. I hate using the cliché of saying they are buttery smooth, but I just can't think of any other way to describe them. From the first Pw I hit on the range to the pureed 4 Iron I hit testing them on the course today the feel is unbelievably smooth and something that I would expect out of a high end JDM set at twice the retail price of the Callaway's.
Performance:
Being as my Adams Irons are based off of a 46° Pw and the Callaway's are off of 47° I was a little concerned that I would end up losing some distance overall and fall short accomplishing my goal of finding a way to increase my iron distances. Well this is not the case with the 8 iron and higher. Currently I can max out my Adams 8 iron at 150 and that is putting a good move on it and in the summer. The very first hole today I had 142 front edge 146 hole I decided to hit 8 iron and It carried 151 and took one hop and stopped at 153 total distance. That is much closer to my hot weather distances than my winter distances which are usually 1 club less. I would also imagine that when the warmer temperatures are here to stay I will pick up an additional 5-10 carry yards.
Ball flight the addition of the KBS shafts accomplished the goal of giving me a much higher ball flight that was instantly noticed by my playing partner and fellow wrxer Fore_Life. The ball elevates quickly but does not balloon on me; my 8 iron flight looked like my Adams PW flight. I don't work the ball too much anymore with my irons but I was able to play both a small draw and fade with ease.
Final Thoughts:
I really like the irons the feel, ball flight and distance were exactly what I was hoping for without having to go to stronger lofts, however the chunky topline especially in the short irons is something I am having a hard time adjusting to. To overcome this I am seriously considering ordering the 8-Pw in the Razr Proto blades. Overall this is a very, very good set of irons that can not only be enjoyed by a better player, but also I feel that they could be equally enjoyed by an improving player looking for a more traditional looking iron. I shot 79 first round out and first time hitting the irons and only lost one stroke due to a poorly struck iron. I had some issues/bad bounces with the driver/fairway woods. Based on my range session and round today my initial reaction is the Razr X Forged are staying in the bag, albeit most likely the 8-Pw will be replaced with the Razr blades. Here are some shots of the irons and a comparison of the top line between the Razr X Forged and my old Idea Pro Forged. Feel free to ask questions and I will add additional thoughts as I get more rounds/playing time with them. Unfortunately the forecast for today is cooler temps rain and 20mph winds and that does not make the arthritis any better so my second round will have to wait until next week. The fact that these are staying in the bag says a lot. I could essentially flip these for pure profit and get any set I want with most likely some cash left over.
Here is the new bag set up
The 4,5,and 6 irons face on
Top line 4,5,and 6
Top line close up
Pw address
Callaway PW(left) vs Idea Pro PW (right
Callaway 9 iron (left vs Idea Pro (right) with the pw's in the background
The full set
Edited by One_Putt_Blunder, 01 September 2011 - 11:48 PM.
