Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Irons Review
GolfMagic tests out the new Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Irons.
Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Irons Key Features
- Contour ellipse face: a 30% thinner face than the previous generation enhances centre ball speed and ensures maximum speed retention throughout the impact zone
- Tungsten weighting: positioned low in the 4-7 irons creates a higher launch with a lower sweet spot, producing a steeper landing angle
- Acoustic sound ribs: precisely dialled in vibration patterns for a solid, explosive impact sound
Mizuno has launched three new models in the JPX 925 range, and the Hot Metals are the core model.
Designed to be forgiving, fast, and easy to launch, these irons are aimed at mid to high-handicap golfers who want to get as much help as they can from their irons.
Mizuno's JPX range has been incredibly popular over the years due to its sleek looks, iconic Mizuno feel, and dependable performance.
The newest iteration promises to be a big step forward for the brand and one that a wide range of golfers can benefit from.
The most notable new addition from a tech perspective is the contour ellipse face, which benefits from variable thickness and is 30% thinner than previous generations. This results in faster ball speed retention across the face.
Mizuno had previously maxed out the COR rating of the JPX irons from the centre of the club face, so now they've attempted to improve the COR rating from all over the face to make these irons faster and more forgiving than ever before.
To see if they could deliver on that promise, we took them to Mannings Heath Golf and Wine Estate with our Foresight GC3 launch monitor.
Let's get into it.
Player Level
These irons are ideally suited to golfers who are searching for a powerful and forgiving game-improvement iron.
Thanks to the large head size, hot faces, and confidence-inspiring profile, we recommend these irons to anyone playing off a handicap above 15.
Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Irons Looks and Feel
Mizuno doesn't make bad-looking irons. It's as simple as that. The Japanese brand has made some of the best-looking irons of all time, and while these are a little further down the order than the likes of the Mizuno Pro 241s, they're still lovely to look at.
The head has a mixed finish that features a strip of chrome that bursts through a brushed satin body, and a small white panel contains the Hot Metal text that is accompanies by scattered branding nearer the toe.
As far as head designs for game improvement irons go, this is one of the best we've seen in 2024.
Down at address the irons are suitably confidence inspiring. The thick topline, is accompanied by a suitable amount of offset and a reassuringly large blade length from heel to toe.
While the head is large, it does look more refined than other game improvement models in 2024 like the Cobra Darkspeed and TaylorMade Qi Irons.
In term of feel, these irons are certainly powerful. That sensation of speed becomes apparent as soon as you've struck one out of the middle, and as you'll soon find out from the numbers we got on our launch monitor, that power was reflected in the performance.
Cavity back irons that are geared for forgiveness usually sacrifice feel for improved performance, however we have to hand it to Mizuno, they've got the balance spot on with these irons.
The performance was impressive and we'll get onto that soon, but the feel is also really solid and from across the face, you experience a much deeper in hand sensation than other irons in the same category.
Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Irons Performance and Forgiveness
After having hit only a few shots with these irons, the first thing that struck us was just how forgiving they are on non optimal strikes.
If you've watched the video above, you'll see we hit a number of shots with them quite fat, with turf being taken before the ball. Typically you would expect a very severe drop off in distance when this occurs, however with the Hot Metals we were still able to achieve a very respectable carry distance of around the 164 yard mark.
The results are testament to Mizuno's attempts to maximise COR from across the face, as we certainly weren't striking the middle with a few of our shots during testing, but the spin and carry numbers were staggering.
From the middle of the face, these irons possess the punch and power you would typically expect from a game improvement iron. Those of you reading this that are searching for extra distance from your irons, could certainly benefit from the performance they offer.
Are they the longest game improvement irons of 2024? Probably not, but what they do particularly well is balance distance and spin. We've tested some very long game improvement irons in 2024, but the trade off does tend to be ball flight. With the Hot Metals though, we found we were still able to achieve a high ball flight that could deliver good stopping power, with carry numbers still remaining strong.
Game improvement irons have come a long way in recent years. Gone are the days of huge clumpy ungainly sticks that offer as much control as rabid dog. These Mizuno irons may be designed for those looking to improve, but they still possess the subtlety and workability of an iron with a far more refined profile.
In conclusion, we have once again been impressed by Mizuno, and the new Hot Metal line is another solid string to its bow.
Balancing looks, feel and performance is no mean feat, but the Japanese brand has done it once again.
Should you buy a set of Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Irons?
If you're looking for a set of game improvement irons that deliver an ideal balance of power, forgiveness and feel all wrapped up in a stylish wrapper, then the Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Irons could be just for you.
These irons are the full package and would be well suited to any mid to high handicap golfer looking to get the most out of their iron game.