Equipment
Mizuno JPX-EZ Forged and JPX-EZ irons: What you need to know
[quote_box_center]“We’re always trying to take a game-improvement iron and make it feel more like a muscleback,” says Chris Voshall, club designer at Mizuno.[/quote_box_center]
Case in point, Mizuno’s new JPX-EZ Forged and JPX-EZ irons. While the irons use different materials and constructions than the company’s new MP-5 muscleback irons, many of the design initiatives were the same. Chiefly, how can performance be maximized without sacrificing the feel for which Mizuno irons are known?
Here’s what you need to know about the JPX-EZ Forged and JPX-EZ irons.
Mizuno JPX-EZ Forged Irons
- The irons are forged from Mizuno’s 1025 Boron material, which is 30 percent stronger than the 1025E Carbon Steel the company used in the 2013 model. That allowed engineers to make structures of the irons thinner, specifically the iron faces, which improve ball speed for more distance. It also created more discretionary weight, which gave engineers the ability to move weight lower and deeper in the head design to improve forgiveness.
- Mizuno calls the JPX-EZ Forged “Forged irons anyone can play.” Narrowing it down, they’re for discerning golfers who want more distance and forgiveness than smaller forged cavity back irons can deliver.
- To give the JPX-EZ Forged irons more distance, Mizuno added its largest pocket cavity to the 4, 5, 6 and 7 irons, which are CNC milled behind the iron faces. They serve to lower the CG of the irons, creating a higher launch and less spin, which is the key for golfers to hit their long irons farther. The 8, 9, PW and GW have a solid-cavity design that aids with trajectory control.
- The JPX-EZ Forged irons have the company’s redesigned “Power Frame” cavity back design, which pushes weight to the extreme four corners of the iron heads. That not only adds forgiveness, but creates a rigid frame that contributes to a more solid feel at impact.
- The other benefit of Power Frame is that it allowed Mizuno engineers to make the forged boron iron faces even thinner toward the perimeter of the irons – especially in the long irons. This variable face thickness (thicker in the center, thinner on the edges) expands the sweet spot for more consistent distance control.
Mizuno’s Triple-Cut Sole.
- The JPX-EZ Forged irons have Mizuno’s Triple-Cut sole design (above), which has a beveled leading edge that’s designed to improve turf interaction as the club enters the ground, and a relieved trailing edge that helps the club exit the turf with minimal drag.
At address: A JPX-EZ Forged 6 iron.
- The JPX-EZ irons have a black nickel plated finish and come stock with True Temper’s new XP 95 shaft. They sell for $999 for an eight-piece set ($1,099 in graphite) and are available in 4-GW (RH and LH). They’re in stores Sept. 18.
JPX-EZ Forged Iron Specs
Mizuno JPX-EZ Irons
- The JPX-EZ irons are cast from 17-4 stainless steel, and use Mizuno’s “Power Frame” and “Dual Max COR Pocket Cavity” technologies to create hot-faced, high-flying irons with maximum forgiveness.
- As in the JPX-EZ Forged irons, Mizuno’s Power Frame technology pushes weight to the corners of the golf club to improve forgiveness, feel and distance. The club faces use Mizuno’s multi-thickness COR Tech design, which achieves thin-faced, high coefficient of restitution (COR) long irons for more distance, and thicker-faced, more uniform-thickness short irons and wedges for greater trajectory control.
- The Power Frame is also essential to support Mizuno’s Dual Max COR Pocket Cavity Technology, which includes deep “pockets” on the sole and top lines of the irons. The weight savings from the two pockets were also redistributed low and deep in the club heads to improve moment of inertia (MOI), a measure of ball speed retention on mishits.
- Just how much weight did Mizuno remove from behind the faces of the irons? So much that the number stampings (5, 6, etc.) had to be relocated to the toe side of the irons, as the structure was too thin to support the shallow indent.
The JPX-EZ irons have considerably wider soles and longer blade lengths than the JPX-EZ Forged.
- Compared to previous game-improvement irons from Mizuno, the JPX-EZ irons have a lower-profile design that makes the clubs easier to hit higher. The shape of the irons was also tweaked in a way that gives the irons a more linear appearance at address.
At address: The JPX-EZ irons (left) irons are larger and have thicker top lines and more offset than the JPX-EZ Forged irons.
- The JPX-EZ irons have a black nickel plated finish, and come stock with True Temper’s XP 95 shafts. They’re available in 4-SW, and sell for $799 (steel) and $899 (graphite) for an eight-piece set for RH and LH golfers. They’re in stores Sept. 18.
JPX-EZ Iron Specs
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the new irons in our forum.
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- Russell Henley WITB accurate as of the Cognizant Classic.
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX
3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 100 TX
Irons: Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S, @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron T5 Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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- The NBA legend was teeing it up in the Arnold Palmer Invitational Pro-Am.
Driver: Ping G430 Max 10K (9 degrees)
3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
7-wood: Ping G430 Max (21 degrees)
Irons: Ping i230 (4-PW)
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 54, 58)
Putter: Ping
Ball: Renegade Mbu
Check out more photos of Vince Carter’s WITB here.
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In our forums, our members have been discussing the most forgiving irons currently on the market. WRXer ‘TheShark1’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons, saying:
“Currently gaming the Mizuno Pro 225’s but think I need more forgiveness in my irons. My well struck shots are real nice, but my mishits are not performing as good as I had hoped anymore. I really like hollow body irons so if I could find something more forgiving in a hollow body iron that would be great.
Open to any and all recommendations other than Ping. Can’t hit Ping irons at all.”
And our members have been sharing their best suggestions in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- AvidSwampThing66: “Another vote for the super forgiving and fast Paradym irons. They look really good for being a GI iron.”
- bobfoster: “I just went from MP20 MMCs to the new 245s in my scoring irons (just played my first round with them today). If you have a chance to try them, you might find them worth a serious look.”
- vman: “Shoot me down, but spend the money on lessons.”
- J_Tizzle: “i525s are great off the heel in my opinion.”
Entire Thread: “From the Forums: I need more forgiveness in my irons – Looking for recommendations”
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Primo
Aug 26, 2015 at 8:15 pm
Still playing the MX 900 myself. Also a bit chunky, but forged and I know where they are going. 8-W looks more blade like. Tried all the new Zunos and basically everything else. Like the extra distance somewhat with new versions, but am OK hitting an 8 rather than saying wedge. I do get a club or more with newer clubs. My opinion re: the 5 gap on low irons versus 4 is that the faces are so much faster, having them spaced at only 4 causes a bit more overlap than preferred. I borrowed all of the new Zunos (800, 825, 850, EZ old model forged and cast) 7 iron and down from my local shop, liked them all, hit them farther, but never pulled the trigger…maybe this time around. Also borrowed Callaway fx, new and old ping g’s, also more distance, but new stuff comes out right around the time I make a choice and have to start all over.
christian
Aug 26, 2015 at 4:06 am
I find it weird the forged comes with shafts that are 0.5 inches shorter than the non-forged, with a 5-iron at 37.75, which is JDM-short.
Also, pretty flat lie angles, around 1.5 degrees flatter than usual US/Euro standard, again straight short person/JDM specs. Odd
Mikte T
Aug 26, 2015 at 4:16 pm
Not sure where you are getting your info. All the JPX EZ and EZ Forged are 37.75″ for both steel and graphite. Lengthwise this was the standard for US irons and has nothing to do with the JDM. Titleist, Taylormade, Callaway, etc have been jacking up the lengths for distance and therefore the lie angles. As always, although I rarely comply, get fitted.
tim
Aug 25, 2015 at 3:06 pm
I played the original EZ forged with kbs tours and really liked them, but they were very heavy, at least for me. I ended up selling them but they were great irons.
Martin
Aug 25, 2015 at 4:29 am
These look better than the first ones in this series.
The non-forged looked like shovels before, I just upgraded my 5 year of JPX800’s to 825.
I didn’t care for the feel of the JPX-EZ forged when I tried them, these are nice looking.
Golfraven
Aug 24, 2015 at 4:09 pm
Video helped and the forged club has a nice finish to it. However the Dude does not show the top line which maybe not as appealing to some players. Still would give it a shot on the range.
eJc
Aug 24, 2015 at 2:51 pm
what is the difference between these and the jpx850 forged?
Dave
Aug 25, 2015 at 10:42 am
I’m wondering the same thing.
Crk
Aug 25, 2015 at 3:30 pm
these are more game improvement. The 850 forged are basically the same as the 825 pro, the EZ forged falls in between the 850( which are really SGI) and the 850 forged. More offset and more forgiveness.
KK
Aug 26, 2015 at 6:57 am
Great comment. I would only add that the EZ line also seems to emphasize distance.
jakeanderson
Aug 24, 2015 at 2:47 pm
they do not look good.
John
Aug 24, 2015 at 3:20 pm
I disagree wholeheartedly.
sk33tr
Aug 24, 2015 at 1:52 pm
I play the EZ Forged w/ Recoil 95’s. These irons flat out perform. Cannot wait to try the updated version. Say what you want about the finish. I like to hear my playing partners say “Nice shot” every time I’m knocking it on the green.
Keith
Nov 15, 2015 at 11:36 am
I have played the original version of the EZ Forged for two years. The specs appear to be identical, but I have demoed the new version and found the 4-7 irons are longer and more forgiving. The triple-cut sole improved the turf interaction around the greens for chipping and pitching over the straight cut sole. I’m also looking at the 850 Forged.
Mark
Aug 24, 2015 at 1:24 pm
Oh dear lord no. Chunky and cheap looking. New Mizuno offerings are starting to worry me.
Nolanski
Aug 24, 2015 at 1:37 pm
These are GI irons, not blades right? They are supposed to be “chunky”.
Crk
Aug 25, 2015 at 3:31 pm
Game improvement irons, they are all chunky. Not all Mizuno’s are made for single digit players
John
Aug 24, 2015 at 1:16 pm
I’ll be very interested to compare the EZ Forged to the Z545s.
Philip
Aug 24, 2015 at 12:43 pm
The only thing I don’t like is the tweaking of lofts away from 4 degrees and the bizarre tendency of other manufacturers to have odd length gaps. 4 degree lofts, regardless of design, give me consistent yardages when combined with 1/2 inch increments in length (though some PW are 1/4 inch). I’ve talked to manufacturers and no one can give me any reason for the increased lofts at the high end, so one the only reason I see is the disappearance of the 3i as the 4i approaches 20 degrees. Everyone is different, but having 3, 3.25, 3.5, 4, 5 differences in lofts, as well as 1/2, 3/8, 5/8 in lengths for some OEMs, doesn’t look like it is for the golfer, but a bandage for the manufacture due to loft creep. Too bad – as I really like some of these newer designs.
Jay
Aug 24, 2015 at 3:13 pm
I had always thought it was to keep distance gaps consistent. Did not think the relationship between loft and distance was purely linear. Going from 20 to 24 degrees adds 20% of loft, but going from 24 to 28 only adds 16% of loft??
Philip
Aug 24, 2015 at 7:45 pm
The length of the club adds a lot to the yardage gaps and for decades 4 degrees of loft worked pretty good and suddenly now they need 5 degrees for the higher clubs. For myself I get consistent yardages with 4 degrees and my SGI clubs are from 2003. In the end, if the set generates evenly spaced yardages then all is well. Of course, soon they can call the 4i a 3i and say they are going with classic lofts and start the loft creep all over again. Besides, if it truly is to evenly gap the irons then why are they not increasing the gaps at the low end? I place with a lot more golfers that cannot get any extra yardage after their 6i/5i than have issues with their 9i/PW.
HackerDav31
Aug 24, 2015 at 12:23 pm
TWO sets of irons?? They release too much product!! Just buy the new ones in 3 months! These are going to destroy the value of my current set!! I hate options as a consumer!! They’re ruining Golf!! Rabble, rabble, rabble…
Oh, wait. Mizuno? Sorry… Wrong brand.
Nolanski
Aug 24, 2015 at 10:15 am
Top line seems about as thick as the Callaway Apex’s. I wanted to hit a few different forged cavity back irons this fall or next spring. These will be on the short list for sure.
Duane
Aug 25, 2015 at 8:26 am
No the Apex’s top line is quite thinner than these. If I were you I would rather look at their non-EZ JPX series. The last ones were the JPX850, not sure what the new ones will be named.
Chris
Sep 2, 2015 at 6:03 pm
They won’t have a new line replacing the JPX 850 this year. It’s MP-5, MP-25, EZ and EZ Forged. JPX 850’s will be going into their second year of the two-year cycle so nothing new to replace those. What will be getting phased out with these new releases will be MP-4, MP-64, and the first line of EZ and EZ Forged.
KCCO
Aug 24, 2015 at 10:14 am
Def like look, and previous forged model was def a success but how long will the black last? Will they look like they have been played two seasons after two rounds? I love black club heads, but the satin silver of last EZ I would think would hold up much longer. I’m sure the technology has progressed, but I just wouldn’t want an iron to look beat after a few rounds. Of course they are just tools of the game, but I do like equipment that holds up, and have yet to see a club head with a black finish hold up.
JBuer
Aug 24, 2015 at 9:27 am
I like the look of these better than the first gen version!
Mike T
Aug 26, 2015 at 4:19 pm
Ditto! Especially since I have to live with my OG EZ Forged. Top line looks quite a bit thicker.