TESTED: Which Honma forged iron suits me?
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Since signing Justin Rose Honma have made big inroads into the consciousness of everyday golfers, especially those considering forged irons as their next set.
But with at least six or seven choices, which forged Honma iron might suit you? And who are each of the models aimed at?
Honma have a brilliant reputation for producing premium Japanese forged irons. So to help you identify which might suit your game, and ensure you understand what’s put on the line by making the wrong decision, we put the brands leading forged models head-to-head to see how they all compare.
As well as launch monitor data from our test pro, we’ve given each iron a forgiveness rating and a handicap guide to spell out simply what sort of players should be considering each of Honma’s best irons and why.
RELATED: Should you be playing the Honma TR21X iron?
Honma T//World Rose Proto MB iron
7-iron specs:
Loft: 34° Offset: 1.95mm One piece forged S20C mild steel
The numbers:
Ball Speed: 121 MPH Backspin: 6171 RPM Height: 26 yards Descent Angle: 42° Carry Distance: 171 Yards
Forgiveness rating: 1
Handicap guide: 0 and less
Who are they for?
Any set designed for one of the best players in the world are obviously for elite ball strikers only. The soles of the Rose Proto’s are incredibly narrow, which might give Justin Rose the turf interaction he desires, but for mere mortal club golfers they should start alarm bells ringing.
We completely get there’s a minority of golfers out there who want to play blades, as they feel it’s how the game should be played, if that’s you then the Rose Proto’s are well worth are exploring. And not just because they look and feel beautiful, but also because in the current climate they actually represent reasonable value for money at £1375 a set. The heads are small and the shape is very similar to TaylorMade’s P730 irons, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise as they were the base model for Rose’s previous irons.
We reckon you really need to be off very low single figures or scratch to get the best out of them.
TESTED: Best Player Irons 2019
Honma T//World 747 V iron
7-iron specs
Loft: 32° Offset: 2.1mm One piece forged S20C mild steel
The numbers:
Ball Speed: 122 MPH Backspin: 6321 RPM Height: 28 Yards Descent Angle: 44° Carry Distance: 172 yards
Forgiveness rating: 2
Handicap guide: 8 and below
Who are they for?
We completely get that not all golfers target distance to improve their game. In fact many golfers are happy taking a club less and play traditional lofts, as they feel there’s a gain in control and spin. It’s a choice we can’t really make for you. But if you think your game is better served by playing traditional loft’s, and you’re on the hunt for a great looking traditional forged player iron, the 747 V is a perfect option.
Just like all Honma T//World irons the heads are beautifully shaped, and they look sweet sat behind the ball. We love the combination of a narrow top edge and very small amounts of offset. Sound and feel are first class as you’d expect and they aren’t ridiculously over priced either.
Perfect for golfers looking for a beautiful forged players iron that will stand the test of time. Especially if you’re the type of golfer who isn’t obsessed with distance.
36 IRONS TESTED: Which forged iron suits my game?
How they compare in data
Honma T//World 747 Vx iron
7-iron specs:
Loft: 30° Offset: 2.5mm One piece forged S20C mild steel with tungsten weight (3 – 8 iron)
The numbers:
Ball Speed: 123 MPH Backspin: 5886 RPM Height: 27 Yards Descent Angle: 42° Carry Distance: 178 Yards
Forgiveness rating: 2
Handicap guide: 10 and below
Who are they for?
Anybody who considers themselves as a good fit for a set of players distance irons. The 7-iron is pretty strong but no different to what you’ll find on a TaylorMade P790, Titleist T200 or Ping i500. The high toe shape is typical of Japanese forgings, as are the lovely flowing lines and set up position. A great fit for golfers who aren’t shy about adding a few yards to their iron game. Essentially the head shape is very similar to Honma’s 747 V model, just with a little less loft.
A tungsten toe weight draws the centre of gravity towards the centre of the face, which improves feel for on centre hits, as well as upping the MOI forgiveness a fraction too. If you’re looking at players distance irons you really should have a look at these too. Even without any spring face tech they’re just as fast as other most models we’ve tried.
TESTED: Best Game Improvement Irons 2019
Honma T//World 747 P iron
7-iron specs:
Loft: 28.5° Offset: 3mm 17-4 Plus steel body with thin fast face
The numbers:
Ball Speed: 126 MPH Backspin: 5507 RPM Height: 25 Yards Descent Angle: 40° Carry Distance: 185 Yards
Forgiveness rating: 3
Handicap guide: 14 and below
Who are they for?
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see from our numbers the 747 P is very much a distance iron. The 28.5° lofted 7-iron is seriously strong, which naturally means more ball speed and distance than any of the other Honma irons. Honma position 20g of tungsten low and deep in the head to help counteract the strong loft, to make sure you can flight shots that stop on a green.
The P aren’t strictly speaking a forged iron at all, but like a number of modern irons, thanks to new engineering methods Honma combine a cast 17-4 stainless steel back and hosel with a thin and fast forged face. Forgiveness on off centre hits is improved thanks to the midsized head, pocket cavity (behind the face) and tungsten weighting, which makes the P a lovely looking and seriously powerful game improver distance iron.
Perfect for golfers who want the narrow topline, high toe look of a Japanese players iron, but also need a good degree of forgiveness for their game. And of course those that don’t want to pass up the opportunity to add some extra distance to their iron game too.
TESTED: 2019 irons ranked by forgiveness
Where’s the super game improver models?
Honma don’t just make cracking forged irons either. They also have a brand new hollow body XP-1 iron which targets super game improvers. And a Beres range of cast irons which also work for game improvers.
