Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Pro Irons Review

Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Pro 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

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Mizuno is an iron brand that needs no introduction. The Japanese OEM is widely regarded as the gold standard for forged steel. 

The JPX line has been going for some time now, and the latest iteration the 925, comes in three different models, the Hot Metal, Hot Metal Pro and Hot Metal HL.

In this review we will be looking at the Pro model, which is aimed at low to mid handicappers, offering a more refined head profile, with greater emphasis put on control over high launch and all out speed. 

Mizuno's big focus with the 925 range has been to improve ball speeds from across the face. Having maxed out the USGA's COR limit on previous iterations, the aim was to improve that measurement across the face to improve forgiveness and ball speed retention from poor strikes.

The Japanese brand has utilised a number of different techniques to do this, including a variable thickness face that is as thin at 12 pieces of paper in some ares, additional tungsten weighting, and variable sole thickness, which is again introduced to improve the COR across the face.

To see if the Hot Metal Pros could live up to Mizuno's high standards and make it into our best irons of 2024 list, we took them out on the course with our Foresight GC3 to get some numbers and assess their overall performance. 

Let's get into it.

Player Level

The Hot Metal Pros would be an ideal fit for low to mid handicap golfers who want to gain a bit of distance without having to sacrifice looks or feel.

Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Pro Irons Looks and Feel

The Hot Metal Pros are probably best described as a 'compact distance iron', they aren't quite as sleek as something like a TaylorMade P790 or a Callaway Ai200 but they're certainly more refined than a total game improvement iron like the TaylorMade Qi10 or a Cobra Darkspeed.

Down at address, these irons look excellent, and will undoubtedly suit the eye of any golfer who likes the profile of a players distance iron. 

A suitably thick topline and long blade length will be enough to instil confidence in almost any golfer, while the high toe and thick sole only add to the reassuring profile these irons possess. 

From a design perspective, there is quite a lot going on at the back, but personally we're big fans of the multi finish design that sees a beam of chrome pass through the primarily satin finish head. 

Branding is kept relatively low key, and the overall shaping really suits our eye. The JPX line has always been quite busy compared to the more refined aesthetics of the Mizuno Pro line, but despite their differences, we think both deliver classic Mizuno styling.

As we've come to expect from Mizuno over the years, there is a real focus on feel and sound, and these irons certainly live up to the hype. 

Delivering that same hot punch we've seen from some of the best players distance irons this year, the Hot Metal Pros also produce a very satisfying sound at impact, which will undoubtedly please the ear drums of any discerning golfer. 

Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Pro Irons Performance and Forgiveness

As you can see from the figures above, these irons are fast. We were able to generate carry distances that peaked at roughly ten yards further than we would typically expect to see from a players distance iron. 

It has to be said we did get an occasional jumper that was slightly concerning. These rogue shots sometimes occur with variable face thickness, and when they did occur spin dropped quite a bit leading to a carry increase of about 10-12 yards. 

This is an issue that we've seen from other players distance irons this year, and it can be a little destructive, but thankfully they are rare enough not to be a huge concern. 

Our spin rates were slightly lower than optimal, hovering around the 5.5k mark, and that was one of the reasons we were able to increase our distance quite significantly. 

What was interesting, though, was that despite the slightly lower spin than optimal, we were still able to get the ball to launch high and stop quick, which is a key performance metric, especially for mid to long irons.

Despite being the most compact member of the Hot Metal family, the Pros also deliver excellent forgiveness, and we found that ball speeds were retained well from shots out of the toe or heel. 

Mizuno has intentionally padded low on the heel and high on the toe, the most common areas for poor strikes, and the decision pays dividends, with both spin and speed remaining as consistent as we could hope from our bad strikes. 

All in all, the Hot Metal Pros are very impressive performers, and in the hands of a golfer looking to gain speed, they will undoubtedly be very popular. 

Forgiveness, power and accuracy were all impressive, and despite the odd flyer, these irons delivered exactly what was promised on the box, hot metal. 

Should you buy a set of Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal Pro Irons?

If you're a golfer who is looking to upgrade your irons to increase distance without sacrificing feel and looks, then the Hot Metal Pros should be right at the top of your shopping list in 2024.

They look great, feel fantastic and most importantly deliver on the course. 

A set from (5-PW) is available for £999, which we believe is a fair price point for a very impressive set of irons that we think will prove to be on the best sellers list come the end of the year.