70 replies to this topic

[Lionstar]

I,m looking for info from those who play or have played both.
I was able to hit 7 irons of both side by side at the PGA demo day but since the 2 were shafted different (CFS in i20 and pxi in anser) I could not get a clear comparison. But no question to me the Ansers felt much better. On to the PGA show 2 days later, I asked a Ping staffer that if 2 - 7 irons were shafted with Cfs shafts of the same flex which would launch higher and have more spin? He answered that the I20 would launch higher with more spin than the Anser. Last week I called Ping customer service and asked the same question and his reply was instant "They would perform nearly identical". He was very certain that there would be no noticeable difference between the 2 as far as launch and spin is concerned.
So now, I hope to hear from those of you who have played both (regardless of shafts) and give me your results. I,m obviously most concerned with LAUNCH, DISTANCE and SPIN in your experienced comparison. As a request, I don,t need opinions or heated discussions about price or feel,,,I know the Ansers feel better to me,,I,m VERY interested in performance, performance, performance.
I appreciate your help.

Edited by Lionstar, 09 February 2013 - 11:05 AM.

[wrmiller]

Good luck. Unless someone here has the EXACT swing you do, the information is still useless for your particular swing. To believe otherwise is foolish. And to address your question: The i20s were longer with nearly the same flight. For me.

And I know the i20s feel better to me.

Maybe you should just play what feels good to you?  

[Lionstar]

wrmiller, on 09 February 2013 - 11:12 AM, said:

Good luck. Unless someone here has the EXACT swing you do, the information is still useless for your particular swing. To believe otherwise is foolish. And to address your question: The i20s were longer with nearly the same flight. For me.

And I know the i20s feel better to me.

Maybe you should just play what feels good to you?  

I,m looking for fellow WRXRs opinions on performance based on THEIR experience. Thank you for yours.

Edited by Lionstar, 09 February 2013 - 11:20 AM.

[Redbird]

I notice zero difference with the same shafts, which is expected because the Anser's are really just forged i20.  The design principles and tech are the same.  It would be akin to a Lexus ES vs. Toyota Avalon.

[Lionstar]

Redbird, on 09 February 2013 - 11:54 AM, said:

I notice zero difference with the same shafts, which is expected because the Anser's are really just forged i20.  The design principles and tech are the same.  It would be akin to a Lexus ES vs. Toyota Avalon.

Your response is exactly what the Ping CS guy told me on the phone. My experience was that even though the I20 performed good when I hit the Anser, the ball seemed to jump off the face a little hotter,,but then again it was a different shaft.

[Foreleft]

If you can get to a Ping fitting center with a monitor, the Anser heads are in the cart now.  You would then be able to judge identical shafts in the two heads.

In your own example, I expect that the i20's launched slightly higher than the Anser, owing to the fact that the CFS tends to be a slightly softer shaft than the PXi.

Keeping the shafts constant, I would think you will find almost identical launch conditions and spin rates.

[Lionstar]

Foreleft, on 09 February 2013 - 12:52 PM, said:

If you can get to a Ping fitting center with a monitor, the Anser heads are in the cart now.  You would then be able to judge identical shafts in the two heads.

In your own example, I expect that the i20's launched slightly higher than the Anser, owing to the fact that the CFS tends to be a slightly softer shaft than the PXi.

Keeping the shafts constant, I would think you will find almost identical launch conditions and spin rates.

What about distance?

[Foreleft]

Lionstar, on 09 February 2013 - 12:54 PM, said:

Foreleft, on 09 February 2013 - 12:52 PM, said:

If you can get to a Ping fitting center with a monitor, the Anser heads are in the cart now.  You would then be able to judge identical shafts in the two heads.

In your own example, I expect that the i20's launched slightly higher than the Anser, owing to the fact that the CFS tends to be a slightly softer shaft than the PXi.

Keeping the shafts constant, I would think you will find almost identical launch conditions and spin rates.

What about distance?

I actually think the i20 was SLIGHTLY longer (but not enough to tilt the scales one way or the other).  The Anser seemed to have SLIGHTLY less dispersion (again, not enough to tilt the scale either way).

If I was the kind of person who would put a set of irons in the bag for the next 5 years, I would go Anser.

But knowing myself, when the i25's come out, I will probably chase them.

[stumblinhorse]

I have i20 with ctapers stiff and 2012 anser with pxi 6.0.  The anser feels better to me.  Haven't played enough with the anser, but distance seems a little further with anser.  I believe there is less spin with I20s.  Launch for me is better with the anser.  For me, I was really suprised with my first round with the ansers, because their was a big difference in feel.  And everyone else on here had said their wasn't.  But I am a mortal, 12hc... 90 SS with a 6i.  Just joined a club this year so I am going in the right direction.

[vernon]

OK, I'll really throw a wrench into your evaluation (not intentionally, just because of what I experienced).  I happened to own a set of each with the CFS shaft, exact same specs, grips, etc.  I seriously wanted to love the Anser's (bought the i20s last April and loved em') more - don't know why, maybe they just looked cooler in my bag.  But after numerous rounds and side by side testing on the range and the course, I settled on the i20's.  They were consistently a half club longer and as much as I tried to think otherwise, they felt better too.  Launch, trajectory, spin, dispersion all seemed pretty equal and both were easy to flight down and hit "finesse shots".  Bottom line, both are GREAT irons but try as I might to think otherwise, cheaper was better in my case.

For what it's worth, I also have S-56's with KBS tour and 2011 Anser's with Dynamic Gold S300's so I've got a pretty extensive laboratory from which to judge.  Good luck though - the search is half the fun!

[Foreleft]

stumblinhorse, on 09 February 2013 - 01:12 PM, said:

I have i20 with ctapers stiff and 2012 anser with pxi 6.0.  The anser feels better to me.  Haven't played enough with the anser, but distance seems a little further with anser.  I believe there is less spin with I20s.  Launch for me is better with the anser.  For me, I was really suprised with my first round with the ansers, because their was a big difference in feel.  And everyone else on here had said their wasn't.  But I am a mortal, 12hc... 90 SS with a 6i.  Just joined a club this year so I am going in the right direction.

I think the shaft would account for the difference in the spin.  The Ctaper should be a lower spinning shaft than the PXi.

To the OP, I respect that you are looking for a clear differentiator in terms of performance.  But I think what many people have found is that the Anser and i20 irons really do not differentiate themselves from each other based on performance.  Of course, you can argue about feel, looks, price, etc, which is all pretty subjective stuff.  

But for actual performance, the difference is negligible.  And that, I think, drives much of the neutral or negative thoughts about the Anser irons.  Many people cannot reconcile a premium price with performance found in much less expensive irons.

[Lionstar]

Foreleft, on 09 February 2013 - 01:23 PM, said:

stumblinhorse, on 09 February 2013 - 01:12 PM, said:

I have i20 with ctapers stiff and 2012 anser with pxi 6.0.  The anser feels better to me.  Haven't played enough with the anser, but distance seems a little further with anser.  I believe there is less spin with I20s.  Launch for me is better with the anser.  For me, I was really suprised with my first round with the ansers, because their was a big difference in feel.  And everyone else on here had said their wasn't.  But I am a mortal, 12hc... 90 SS with a 6i.  Just joined a club this year so I am going in the right direction.

I think the shaft would account for the difference in the spin.  The Ctaper should be a lower spinning shaft than the PXi.

To the OP, I respect that you are looking for a clear differentiator in terms of performance.  But I think what many people have found is that the Anser and i20 irons really do not differentiate themselves from each other based on performance.  Of course, you can argue about feel, looks, price, etc, which is all pretty subjective stuff.  

But for actual performance, the difference is negligible.  And that, I think, drives much of the neutral or negative thoughts about the Anser irons.  Many people cannot reconcile a premium price with performance found in much less expensive irons.

Great info guys and much appreciated. I think I may try the Ansers because I,m not making money at this game,,it,s for the sadistic pleasure of the sport. In other words, if they perform nearly identical I would prefer the " feel " factor. But then again, 1/2 club shorter or longer is not identical enough to dismiss. Any other fellow WRXrs with experience with both?

[Redjeep83]

I would think the i20s might for a little bit farther on occasion since they are cast and the forged will be more consistant but maybe not as long since its forged. The i20's feel a little hotter to me because they are cast.

[birdiedoublebogey]

Ok I played the i20s and own the ansers

Ansers feel better and looks better and I actually find them more forgiving than the i20s.  The I20s are longer and more durable.

Really though the perform pretty similar - the i20s are higher but man I love my ansers so far!

[golfpros1]

For me the big difference was feel.  The i20s are much more muted, and you don't get as much feedback at impact.  The rest I'm sure it obvious.  I20s more forgiving in long irons, different grind helps with turf interaction, etc.

Edited by golfpros1, 09 February 2013 - 04:04 PM.

[stumblinhorse]

I love the feel of the anser with pxi.  They feel much softer than my i20, s56s and i15s, all with ctapers.  If you are on the fence, I would say go for it.  I have never felt a better combo!  If you find they are shorter than your expectations, send them back to ping and make them 1/4 club stronger.  I think it is like $20 for ping to change the loft.

[dunn]

You already hit both use your own judgement, gonna be far better and more accurate than a total stranger with a completely different swing.....

[Lionstar]

dunn, on 09 February 2013 - 06:21 PM, said:

You already hit both use your own judgement, gonna be far better and more accurate than a total stranger with a completely different swing.....

As stated in my starting post the 2 I tried had different shafts and the range did not have clear yardages marked. In fact,the landing area was over a hill so I couldn't,t even see the ball land. Not anyone,s fault or oversight,,just the craziness of demo day at the PGA merchandise show. Those of you who have attended a demo day there at Orange County National know what I,m talking about. The Anser I tried had a PXI 5.5 and the I20 a CFS regular flex. But I know from using this site that good intel based on first hand experience from other members is very helpful.

[Golf Ball Wacker Guy]

I hit the i20 and Anser today in the CFS X flex. Only b/c I got a new job at country club and get clubs at cost. I used to play S56 and Eye 2+ in a PX 6.5.
I then sawpped out the 6.5's in the Eye 2's for the CFS X. I noticed no difference in the i20 and Anser unless I missed the sweet spot in the i20. Then hit my Eye 2+ in the X but +1/2'' and was 5-10 yds longer with a tad higher launch. Hard to justify dropping the $$$$$ on something prettier. 7 iron across the board

[Lionstar]

Golf Ball Wacker Guy, on 09 February 2013 - 10:01 PM, said:

I hit the i20 and Anser today in the CFS X flex. Only b/c I got a new job at country club and get clubs at cost. I used to play S56 and Eye 2+ in a PX 6.5.
I then sawpped out the 6.5's in the Eye 2's for the CFS X. I noticed no difference in the i20 and Anser unless I missed the sweet spot in the i20. Then hit my Eye 2+ in the X but +1/2'' and was 5-10 yds longer with a tad higher launch. Hard to justify dropping the $$$$$ on something prettier. 7 iron across the board

Thanks wacker guy,,,like I said,,actual experience from members is helpful. When you missed the sweet spot on the Anser did you have comparable loss of distance as with the I20? Or did you just not miss the ss with the Anser?

[Nessism]

Lionstar, on 09 February 2013 - 12:01 PM, said:

My experience was that even though the I20 performed good when I hit the Anser, the ball seemed to jump off the face a little hotter,,but then again it was a different shaft.

Keep in mind that neither of these club heads have a spring face, so ball speed off the face will be identical for both.  The only (possible) difference will be launch angle and spin.

[Honman]

I did a fitting at the uk national fitting centre. I found the ansers were spinning far too much and launching far too high. The i20s controlled the spin far better. I walked in expecting to prefer the ansers Nd came home with the i20s. Been really impressed with the feel too, coming from someone who can be a forged snob.

[Honman]

Btw this was with identical shafts, went with the pxi 6.0 in the i20s

[rjklein4470]

I have the ansers with nippon modus 3's and really like these irons.  I played with a friends i20's, but for some reason I just really wanted the ansers's.  Some of it was just want, looks, and feel, but some of it was the way the irons felt at the top of my swing.  

At the top of my swing, I could really feel the head of the anser, and feel the head all the way through the ball at impact.  The i20 seemed to get lost in the shaft.  Could have just been head weights, but when I got my set of ansers, I could feel the heads in all the irons all the way through the swing.  

my .02

[Lionstar]

rjklein4470, on 10 February 2013 - 09:06 AM, said:

I have the ansers with nippon modus 3's and really like these irons.  I played with a friends i20's, but for some reason I just really wanted the ansers's.  Some of it was just want, looks, and feel, but some of it was the way the irons felt at the top of my swing.  

At the top of my swing, I could really feel the head of the anser, and feel the head all the way through the ball at impact.  The i20 seemed to get lost in the shaft.  Could have just been head weights, but when I got my set of ansers, I could feel the heads in all the irons all the way through the swing.  

my .02

You have expressed what I felt also with the Ansers. The only other iron that feels this way to me is the Mizuno MP 32. But as good as the 32s feel both on the swing and at impact, the Ansers launch higher and seem to be about 1/2 to 1 club longer

[Nessism]

Lionstar, on 10 February 2013 - 10:02 AM, said:

rjklein4470, on 10 February 2013 - 09:06 AM, said:

I have the ansers with nippon modus 3's and really like these irons.  I played with a friends i20's, but for some reason I just really wanted the ansers's.  Some of it was just want, looks, and feel, but some of it was the way the irons felt at the top of my swing.  

At the top of my swing, I could really feel the head of the anser, and feel the head all the way through the ball at impact.  The i20 seemed to get lost in the shaft.  Could have just been head weights, but when I got my set of ansers, I could feel the heads in all the irons all the way through the swing.  

my .02

You have expressed what I felt also with the Ansers. The only other iron that feels this way to me is the Mizuno MP 32. But as good as the 32s feel both on the swing and at impact, the Ansers launch higher and seem to be about 1/2 to 1 club longer

1 club longer is impossible unless you were mishitting the Mizuno's.  Even 1/2 club doesn't make sense since the lofts are very similar.  Sorry, this is my pet peeve.  Again, without a spring face the only way for one club to hit the ball farther than any other is because of launch angle and spin, and those characteristics don't lead to dramatic distance variation unless the clubs being compared are significantly different from one another.

[Lionstar]

I,m sure that compared to the 32s the Ansers are more forgiving,,and I,m certain I don,t hit the sweet spot every shot. Theory aside, the Ansers were at least 1/2 club longer than my 32s which makes the impossible as you say a reality.

[Redjeep83]

Nessism, on 10 February 2013 - 10:29 AM, said:

Lionstar, on 10 February 2013 - 10:02 AM, said:

rjklein4470, on 10 February 2013 - 09:06 AM, said:

I have the ansers with nippon modus 3's and really like these irons.  I played with a friends i20's, but for some reason I just really wanted the ansers's.  Some of it was just want, looks, and feel, but some of it was the way the irons felt at the top of my swing.  

At the top of my swing, I could really feel the head of the anser, and feel the head all the way through the ball at impact.  The i20 seemed to get lost in the shaft.  Could have just been head weights, but when I got my set of ansers, I could feel the heads in all the irons all the way through the swing.  

my .02

You have expressed what I felt also with the Ansers. The only other iron that feels this way to me is the Mizuno MP 32. But as good as the 32s feel both on the swing and at impact, the Ansers launch higher and seem to be about 1/2 to 1 club longer

1 club longer is impossible unless you were mishitting the Mizuno's.  Even 1/2 club doesn't make sense since the lofts are very similar.  Sorry, this is my pet peeve.  Again, without a spring face the only way for one club to hit the ball farther than any other is because of launch angle and spin, and those characteristics don't lead to dramatic distance variation unless the clubs being compared are significantly different from one another.

I played blades and small players irons with a higher center of gravity, when I got the i20's I picked up on average 10 yards because of the easy launch I got with them. I even remember being at a titleist demo day and hitting a 5 iron mb compared to my 5 iron i20 just to make sure I wasnt just getting stronger. Hit both on a gc2 outside, and the i20 5 iron was going like 15 yards farther and launching higher. I was pretty consistant with the blade, just wasnt getting the distance

[Lionstar]

Redjeep83, on 10 February 2013 - 10:40 AM, said:

Nessism, on 10 February 2013 - 10:29 AM, said:

Lionstar, on 10 February 2013 - 10:02 AM, said:

rjklein4470, on 10 February 2013 - 09:06 AM, said:

I have the ansers with nippon modus 3's and really like these irons.  I played with a friends i20's, but for some reason I just really wanted the ansers's.  Some of it was just want, looks, and feel, but some of it was the way the irons felt at the top of my swing.  

At the top of my swing, I could really feel the head of the anser, and feel the head all the way through the ball at impact.  The i20 seemed to get lost in the shaft.  Could have just been head weights, but when I got my set of ansers, I could feel the heads in all the irons all the way through the swing.  

my .02

You have expressed what I felt also with the Ansers. The only other iron that feels this way to me is the Mizuno MP 32. But as good as the 32s feel both on the swing and at impact, the Ansers launch higher and seem to be about 1/2 to 1 club longer

1 club longer is impossible unless you were mishitting the Mizuno's.  Even 1/2 club doesn't make sense since the lofts are very similar.  Sorry, this is my pet peeve.  Again, without a spring face the only way for one club to hit the ball farther than any other is because of launch angle and spin, and those characteristics don't lead to dramatic distance variation unless the clubs being compared are significantly different from one another.

I played blades and small players irons with a higher center of gravity, when I got the i20's I picked up on average 10 yards because of the easy launch I got with them. I even remember being at a titleist demo day and hitting a 5 iron mb compared to my 5 iron i20 just to make sure I wasnt just getting stronger. Hit both on a gc2 outside, and the i20 5 iron was going like 15 yards farther and launching higher. I was pretty consistant with the blade, just wasnt getting the distance

Center of gravity, perimeter weighting, sole interaction and grooves all make a difference,,not just lofts. If lofts were the only variable we would only have one brand to choose from,,,a brand that made many sets of the same technology but with different loft progressions.

[Foreleft]

If you look at what the Ping tour players have chosen, it does show a marked preference towards the i20's (of those bagging either the Anser or i20's).  I did not do a formal count, but just eyeballing the results, I would estimate that the Ping players chose the i20 irons at least 3:1 and possibly 4:1 over the Ansers.

These players would be looking for a certain ball flight, dispersion, etc.  Cost is not a factor, because all is supplied to them.

Maybe if I am bored later, I will do a count.