Callaway X2 Hot

Brand: Callaway
Game improvement iron: X2 Hot
RRP: £599 Best price: £449
Loft: 26-degree Lie: 62-degree
Length: 37.625” Swing Weight: D2
Shaft: True Temper Speed Step 85 Grip: Lamkin Crossline

Summary: Callaway X2 Hot irons offer more forgiveness, more ball speed and more distance. A massive undercut channel increases the rate at which the face flexes and rebounds for more ball speed and distance, which Callaway claims makes these new irons three to five yards longer than the X Hot iron. Other improvements include a maximum perimeter weighting that increases the sweetspot and makes it even easier to hit than the X Hot iron. It also produces higher launch angles for more distance and extra stopping power on the greens. High MOI along with a repositioned centre of gravity and improved turf interaction have helped improve the downrange consistency by as much as 40%, easily making these the most accurate long distance irons Callaway has ever designed.

Appearance: A relatively chunky looking club for Callaway but it doesn't have the thickest sole in the world. The position of the mass in this iron has been changed from the X Hot to make them less overtly like game improvement irons. There's still plenty of offset on offer and medium topline like the X Hot, which incidentally won our 2013 Game Improvement Irons Test, we noticed a much slimmer looking iron all-round this time. They don't have the high-strength 455 carpenter stainless-steel faces like Callaway’s Apex irons before it, but their stabilising arches allow the lower portion of their faces to flex more at impact. Huge sweetspot on offer that sits lower in the head, where most golfers contact their iron shots. It also helps shots hit below the sweetspot retain more ball speed and launch angle - a big part of the X2 Hot’s 40% improvement in consistency. 3.5 (out of 5)

Feel: Balls spring rapidly off the face but it's very loud at impact. There's a very clicky sound. Some may enjoy that, but not for us. We much prefer the softer, more responsive feel of the Apex. True Temper Speed shaft felt stable through the swing and through impact. The thinner profile in comparison to the X Hot contributed to better workability than previous. 7.75 (out of 10)

Performance: As the name suggests, and like the X Hot before it, the X2 Hot is all about hotter distance. This is one of the longest irons on the market. Loft has been cranked at 26-degree, in comparison to the 27-degree of the Apex but this thing flies. Be cautious of a slightly lower launch angle and spin rate. We all enjoyed our longest distances out of this iron. 9.5 (out of 10)

Verdict: If you put a set of these in the bag, prepare to be wowed with some extra distance gains throughout the bag. That will likely leave you with some gaping issues, however, when it comes to the fairways and hybrids. Not the best looking or best feeling iron to ever come out of Callaway, but that's tricky when you compare up against the standout Apex. Performance-wise, X2 Hot delivers with incredibly long, high ball flights time after time. Reasonably forgiving club, too. Value for money when you consider it's available for almost half the price of the Apex. Callaway has really excelled with its irons this season. 20.75 (out of 25)

Next up, Mizuno JPX-EZ Forged

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